AC9HH8K16 Year 8 Humanities and Social Sciences

AC9HH8K16 – Year 8 Humanities and Social Sciences: Asia-Pacific world

Strand

Knowledge and understanding

Substrand

Asia-Pacific world

This Content Descriptor from Year 8 Humanities and Social Sciences provides the specific knowledge and skills students should learn. Use it to plan lessons, create learning sequences, and design assessments that align with the Australian Curriculum v9.

Content Descriptor

interpretations about the Asian-Pacific society and events, and/or individuals and/or groups connected to the society

Elaborations

• discussing theories about the causes of and/or the factors that contributed to the decline of the Khmer Empire; for example, Tai invasions, economic decline as a result of Jayavarman VII’s building program, population growth and attempts to control trade routes, religious revolution through the rise of Theravada Buddhism, internal political tension, environmental challenges such as soil sterilisation, over-intensified land use, the development of an unstable climate through drought and monsoons, and the breakdown of Angkor’s water management system
• evaluating the significance of the range of reasons for Japan’s closure to foreigners under the Tokugawa Shogunate and the impact of US Commodore Perry’s visit in 1853
• explaining the challenges posed by the lack of written sources in understanding the history of Polynesia, such as changes in interpretations of Lapita culture being present in Vanuatu

Achievement Standard This Supports

This Content Descriptor contributes to the following Achievement Standard:

Year 8 ASHAHISY8

Year 8 Humanities and Social Sciences Achievement Standard

By the end of Year 8, students describe the historical significance of the periods between the ancient and modern past. They explain the causes and effects of events, developments, turning points or challenges in Medieval, Renaissance or pre-modern Europe, or in the societies connected to the empires or expansions, or the societies of the Asia-Pacific world during these periods. They describe the social, religious, cultural, economic, environmental and/or political aspects related to the changes and continuities in a society or a historical period. Students describe the role of significant individuals, groups and institutions connected to the societies of these periods and their influences on historical events. Students develop questions about the past to inform historical inquiry. They locate and identify a range of primary and secondary sources as evidence in historical inquiry. They describe the origin, content and context of sources and explain the purpose of primary and secondary sources. Students compare sources to explain the accuracy, usefulness and reliability of sources as evidence. They sequence events and developments to explain causes and effects, and patterns of continuity and change across societies and time periods. They describe perspectives, attitudes and values of the past, and suggest reasons for different points of view. They explain historical interpretations about significant events and people. Students use historical knowledge, concepts, terms and references to evidence from sources to create descriptions, explanations and historical arguments.