History / Year 10 / Historical Knowledge and Understanding

Curriculum content descriptions

Significant events and campaigns that contributed to popular awareness of environmental issues, such as the campaign to prevent the damming of Australia’s Gordon River, the nuclear accident at Chernobyl and the Jabiluka mine controversy in 1998 (ACDSEH127)

Elaborations
  • investigating a range of environmental impacts (for example, the flooding of Lake Pedder in Tasmania, deforestation in Indonesia, the decline of the Aral Sea, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the whaling industry)
  • explaining the struggle over French nuclear weapon testing in the Pacific 1966–1996 (for example, the sinking of the ship, the Rainbow Warrior, in 1985)
General capabilities
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
  • Intercultural understanding Intercultural understanding
  • Ethical understanding Ethical understanding
Cross-curriculum priorities
ScOT terms

Activism,  Environmental management,  Conservation (Environment)

Video

ABC News: The fight to save Kelly's Bush, 1971

Discover why a determined group of residents in one of Sydney's wealthier suburbs stood up to their local council, the New South Wales government and a big property developer. This ABC report explores the controversy surrounding the planned development of Kelly's Bush, situated beside Sydney Harbour at Woolwich, and the ...

Video

Nationwide: Franklin River campaign

How important is the environment in an election campaign? In this clip, explore the issue that changed Australia's conservation landscape forever: the fight to save the Franklin River. Watch how the Tasmanian Wilderness Society used political and media strategies to influence the outcome of the 1983 federal election in ...

Video

This Day Tonight: Fighting for Lake Pedder, 1972

How far would you be prepared to go in defence of a principle you felt strongly about? Enter a tent on the shores of doomed Lake Pedder in 1972 and listen to three determined people explain why they are protesting against the plan to flood Tasmania's Lake Pedder. The clip includes environmental activist Brenda Hean who ...

Video

Four Corners: Coal-waste conflict, 1973

Watch this confrontation between a conservationist group and a coal-mining executive in 1973. The coal mine in Coalcliff was given the all-clear from the State Planning Authority to dump coal-mining waste on the Illawarra escarpment. This happened before a planned official inquiry into the issue.

Video

This Day Tonight: Lake Pedder's future, 1972

How do you measure the worth of a beautiful natural site - in terms of the hydro-electric power it can produce or the beauty, stillness and grandeur that it affords people who visit? This 1972 clip from 'This Day Tonight' focuses on the physical and aesthetic attributes of Tasmania's Lake Pedder. Reporter Peter Ross stands ...

Interactive

Discovering democracy: getting things done

Interact with a slideshow of images and text to explore how change can be bought about by people taking action and putting pressure on their elected representatives. The issue of the Franklin Dam in Tasmania is used as a case study. Complete a related task.

Interactive

Treasures of American history - online exhibition

This is an online exhibition showing the objects, artefacts and images that make up some of the treasures of US history. The treasures shown in this exhibition document eight of the challenging situations and issues that have helped to shape the USA. Topics include: revolution and the new nation; slavery; western expansion; ...

Interactive

Ancient Egypt

This is an online interactive resource about ancient Egypt developed by the British Museum. The resource has ten sections: Egyptian life; geography; gods and goddesses; mummification; pharaoh; pyramids; temples; time; trades; and writing. Each section contains three elements: 'Story', 'Explore' and 'Challenge'. The 'Challenge' ...

Interactive

Sites2See: Reconciliation

This resource is a one-page guide to the people, processes, information and events around reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and other Australians, with links to music, video and digital resources and activities.

Interactive

Sites2See: Australia and the Vietnam War

These are online resources for the topic Australia in the Vietnam War Era, including music, images and links to archival video clips from Australian Screen with teachers' notes.

Text

Biodiversity and farming for a healthy planet

This is a digital resource containing information and resources, such as printable games, that relate to biodiversity and farming, and how food and materials can be produced while protecting the Earth's natural resources. It includes an extensive glossary of important terms, and external links to teacher and student resources ...

Video

Weekend Magazine Chinese Australian community 1972 video

What was life like for people of Chinese origin living in Australia in 1972? This ABC Weekend Magazine program reports on life in Melbourne's Chinese community and examines how people have adopted the 'Australian way of life' while attempting to maintain aspects of their own rich cultural heritage.

Interactive

Sites2See: The Apology to Australia's Indigenous Peoples

This resource links to video coverage and key websites related to the apology to Indigenous Australians by the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on 13 February 2008. Selected sites provide background information to the apology and personal stories about what happened to members of the Stolen Generations, with a focus on reconciliation.

Interactive

Laptop wrap: Voices of Vietnam

This resource is a page with a focus on developing student opinion of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War, with supporting activities and links to resources.

Interactive

Making a difference

This resource consists of four case studies which explore stories that illustrate issues of civics and citizenship at local, state, federal government and international levels. Students learn about active citizenship and plan their own, while covering content such as the Freedom Rides, Franklin Dam, Mabo, Wik and human rights.

Assessment

Year 10 history assessment - Rights and freedoms in Australia

This is an assessment package that uses the Year 10 Australian Curriculum history achievement standard to gather evidence about how well students have demonstrated what they know, what they understand and what they can do for the depth study 'Rights and Freedoms (1945 – present)'. Students plan and deliver a spoken presentation ...

Interactive

Resistance

This resource is a virtual tour of the Resistance exhibition at The National Museum of Australia showing different responses by Aboriginal people to British colonisation. See videos and enlarged views of objects and texts in the exhibition.

Interactive

Discovering democracy: what sort of nation?

Interact with a slideshow of images and text to explore what has influenced the sort of nation Australia is and how it has changed over time. Complete a related task.

Interactive

Biography: Federation people: David Syme

Investigate newspaper editor and proprietor David Syme's role in Federation. Examine two different types of biographies of Syme: one short and the other more detailed. Inspect examples of how he was visually depicted in his time. This learning object is one in a series of objects in the 'Biography: Federation people' series.

Video

ABC Open: Aunty Dorrie and the 'dog licence'

Have you ever heard of the 'dog licence'? This was a Certificate of Exemption, issued by the Aboriginal Welfare Board, that allowed Indigenous Australians to live as part of white Australian society. In order to get one of these, Aboriginal people effectively had to renounce their culture and prove that they were 'respectable'. ...