History / Year 7 / Historical Skills / Analysis and use of sources

Curriculum content descriptions

Draw conclusions about the usefulness of sources (ACHHS211)

Elaborations
  • recognising that, while evidence may be limited for a particular group of people, such evidence can provide useful insights into the power structures of a society
  • distinguishing between a fact (for example, ‘some gladiators wore helmets’) and an opinion (for example, ‘all gladiators were brave’)
  • using strategies to detect whether a statement is fact or opinion, including word choices that may indicate an opinion is being offered (for example, the use of conditionals might, could, and other words such as believe, think, suggests)
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
ScOT terms

Historical sources,  Judgement

Video

Archaeology unearths a mass-murder site

Discover a historic site that could reveal new evidence of the first recorded mass murder on Australian soil. The site is Beacon Island, a small island off the coast of Western Australia near present-day Geraldton. In this clip, reporter Mark Bennett visits the island with two members of a 1963 expedition that first investigated ...

Assessment

Year 7 history assessment - Investigating the ancient past: A history mystery

This is an assessment package that uses the Year 7 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 'Investigating the Ancient Past' (between 60 000BC–c.650 AD). Using the context ...

Interactive

Syllabus Bites: Explore a source

This resource is a webpage with information, study guide and resources on the process of analysing and evaluating historical sources to support Stage 3, 4 and 5 HSIE and the Australian Curriculum: History.

Online

Ancient China: staff room

This is a rich teacher resource about ancient China. It contains 15 background information sheets; 11 lesson plans for whole-class discussions to introduce particular topics; four inquiry grid worksheets for gathering information; and nine follow-up lesson plans for activities that extend the content. The staff room resource ...

Video

Ancient Roman Empire

This unit of work is organised around four inquiry questions about life in the ancient city of Pompeii based on the archaeological findings and evidence of the times. The unit includes five animated videos supported by structured inquiry questions and activities.

Interactive

The chariot of Wetwang

The interactive resource is about the discovery of an Iron Age chariot in a grave in the Yorkshire village of Wetwang in 2001. It has three parts: an account of the discovery of the burial site and the contents of the grave; a detailed explanation of the reconstruction of the chariot; and a quiz to test the knowledge gained ...

Interactive

Hunt the ancestor

This is an interactive game about an archaeological dig or quest. The object is to find an ancient burial site and protect it from being destroyed by local quarry owners who want to extract chalk from the field. Students are given an amount of money and have to locate where the burial site is using a variety of research ...

Text

Ancient China: geography

This is a rich online resource about the geography of China. It consists of four sections: a Geography section that summarises China's geographical features; a Story section that features myths about Nu Gua, the creator of humans; an Explore section that includes maps of ancient China; and a Challenge section where the ...

Text

Ancient China: religion

This is a rich teacher resource about religious and funerary practices in ancient China. It contains: seven background information sheets; three lesson plans for whole-class discussions to introduce particular topics connected to tombs and the goods found within them; an inquiry-grid worksheet for gathering information ...

Text

Ancient China: crafts and artisans

This is a resource titled Workshop Alley, produced by the British Museum, in which the viewer explores three ancient Chinese workshops making jade, bronze and ceramic objects. Each workshop contains: an introduction to the material being worked; an illustrated description of the processes used; one or two questions and ...

Text

Defining moments in Australian History

This extensive web-based resource examines events, people and places of profound significance to the Australian people and their personal, community and national histories. The resource includes a list of 100 'defining moments' identified by historians supported by background information, images, video and links to the ...

Video

Tour of NSW Government House

This resource is a YouTube playlist containing a series of videos taken as a group of senior high school students are given a guided tour of NSW Government House in 2010. The tour covers primary sources such as architecture, furniture and images significant to the history of Australia and NSW.

Image

Forehead ornament, c1916

This is an Aboriginal forehead ornament from the Northern Territory, believed to have been made in the early 1900s. It comprises more than 30 kangaroo teeth, each embedded in beeswax and then attached to a string. Lengths of string extend out at both ends of the ornament. The ornament is 45 cm long and 9.5 cm wide.

Online

Indigenous Stories about War and Invasion

This is a website about Indigenous experiences of invasion and war during the British invasion, World War I and World War II. The resource is presented in three sections: Introductory information; Story Objects; and Story Education Resources. There are eight story objects that tell the stories of individuals, events and ...

Interactive

Exploring Kamay

This resource explores the landscape of Kamay Botany Bay, as well as the technology discovered by the crew aboard the HMB Endeavour in 1770. This resource is one part of the 'Endeavour – eight days in Kamay' resource.

Image

Sedge hunting baskets, 1936, 1980s

These are four hunting baskets from Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. All are made from sedge grass. The top bag on the left and the two at the bottom were made in the late 1980s, while the bag on the top right-hand side was collected in 1936. The oldest bag is 113.5 cm high, 51 cm wide and 28 cm in diameter. The other ...

Image

Kimberley points, late 19th century

This image shows five small, sharp cutting blades known as 'Kimberley points' that were made of different coloured glass and ceramic materials by Indigenous Australian craftspeople in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. They are an average of 8 cm long and 2.5 cm wide. The points at top right and bottom left show ...

Interactive

Different views

This resource will encourage students to develop their understanding of the first contact of the Aboriginal people of Kamay Botany Bay and the men aboard the HMB Endeavour in 1770. This resource is one part of the 'Endeavour – eight days in Kamay' resource.

Video

The British arrive in Tasmania

Learn why, in 1803, the British established a colony in Tasmania, at Hobart Town. Find out about the hardships faced by the convicts and early colonists and the early industries that helped some of them prosper. Find out about the effect that displacement had on the local palawa people.

Video

Nexus: Holden, the 'all-Australian car'

What made Holden cars symbols of Australia during the 1950s, 60s and 70s? During this period, more than any other vehicle, the Holden came to reflect changing lifestyles in Australia, and helped to define for many what it meant to be 'Australian'. Find out the impact that generations of Holden vehicles have had on the lives ...