History / Year 10 / Historical Skills / Explanation and communication

Curriculum content descriptions

Develop texts, particularly descriptions and discussions that use evidence from a range of sources that are referenced (ACHHS192)

Elaborations
  • developing a historical argument that identifies different possibilities in interpretation and argues a particular point of view, with consistent and specific reference to the evidence available
  • explaining the significance of the fall of Singapore (1942) in the changes in Australia’s military alliances and use of troops during World War II, using a range of sources (for example, accounts of prisoners of war, commanders such as General Gordon Bennett, politicians such as Prime Minister John Curtin, and Japanese and British sources)
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
ScOT terms

Historical sources,  Creating texts,  Evidence,  Reasoning,  Explanations (Factual texts)

Video

Four Corners: Surfies, clubbies and a changing way of life

What effect did the rise of surfboard riding and its accompanying surf culture have on surf lifesaving? In the early 1960s, surf lifesaving was regarded as a model of the values that underpin the Australian way of life. This clip from 1964 explores the collision between the new surf culture and the traditions of the surf ...

Video

Four Corners: TV killed the radio star

Can you imagine a time when, instead of watching dramas at home on a screen, people listened to them on the radio - a time when the most popular of those dramas were made in Australia? This Four Corners program from 1964 examines the reasons for the death of Australian radio serials, the role played by television in their ...

Video

The Fall of Singapore: The fall of Singapore, February 1942

Experience the shock and despair of Australian soldiers on the island of Singapore in February 1942, as Japanese forces invade what was held to be Britain's 'island fortress'. This video follows events from 8 February, when many thousands of Japanese launched attacks from the tip of Malaya, up to 15 February when the British ...

Video

Flashez: Teenage drinking in the 1970s

Do you think that Australian teenagers drink too much alcohol? If so, do you think this is a new problem? Discover what teenagers thought about such drinking back in the 1970s. This ABC program from 1977 looks at the issue of teenage drinking, some possible reasons for it and some of the social problems arising from it.

Online

History skills

This unit consists of teacher support materials and resources for students relevant to the development of a historical inquiry. Students will develop skills of historical research in their community leading to the creation of a digital history resource. The videos provided in the student resources highlight how a variety ...

Video

Stateline TAS: Aunty Ida West: Tasmanian Aboriginal Elder, 1995

Imagine being told not to speak your own language to your family and friends. Even worse, imagine being told that your whole culture had vanished, when you know it has not. These challenges were faced by Aboriginal people in the 20th century. In this clip, discover how Aunty Ida West's background and life experiences forged ...

Video

Four Corners: Adoption of Indigenous Australian children

Imagine being taken away from your family and forced to live with people from another language, place and culture. This interview, recorded a week before the 1967 Referendum, captures an the perspective of Margaret Valadian, a prominent young Aboriginal Australian, on the practice of adoption and the removal of Aboriginal ...

Video

Weekend Magazine: The modern office workplace, 1960s style

How different was the Australia workplace half a century ago? This Weekend Magazine program from the mid-1960s looks at work in what was then the new Commonwealth Centre in Sydney, where 2,000 Commonwealth public servants were employed. It provides a glimpse of a world that has changed beyond recognition. As you watch the ...

Video

ABC Open: The changing roles of women on Anzac Day

How have the stories and observances of Anzac Day changed to include women alongside men? During World War I and the years that followed, women had little involvement in Anzac Day events. In some instances, they were deliberately excluded! This has changed dramatically in recent decades. In this clip, women and men from ...

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'. ...

Video

Four Corners: 'Carn a Saints': Aussie Rules and popular culture

How important is sport to Australians and how big a part of Australian popular culture is sport? This Four Corners program looks at the 1965 Victorian Football League (VFL) Grand Final between the St Kilda Saints and the Essendon Bombers. Discover the passion and excitement of the event and how much it meant to Australia ...

Video

Belief: Hare Krishnas in contemporary Australia

Have you ever seen a procession of Hare Krishnas in orange robes dancing through the streets? Hare Krishnas (people of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness) are found in many countries around the world, including Australia. In this clip, learn about Hare Krishna beliefs, and find out how a Hare Krishna life ...

Video

Journey into Japan: Tragic consequences of Japan's modernisation

Japan went through a remarkable transformation between 1868 and the death of the Emperor Meiji in 1912. But Japan's modernisation was accompanied by its rise as an imperialist power, with tragic results. Watch this clip to learn about the consequences of Japan's dream of empire. This clip is last in a series of six.

Video

The Fall of Singapore: Australians defend Singapore, January 1942

Discover the experiences of Australians who fought a desperate campaign in Malaya at the beginning of 1942, trying to hold back the Japanese army as it advanced toward 'fortress Singapore'. Watch as this video uses original film footage and interviews with veterans to explore the successes and failures of the Malayan campaign ...

Video

Four Corners: Margaret Valadian interviewed in 1967

What is the role of interviewers who explore social issues? In this 1967 clip from Four Corners, Margaret Valadian is recognised as the first Aboriginal Australian graduate of the University of Queensland. Here, in the middle of the panel discussion she is questioned by Robert Moore about her personal and professional life.

Video

The Snowy Mountains Scheme

How did the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme come to be Australia's greatest economic achievement in the decades following World War II? In this clip, discover what Australia hoped to accomplish through the scheme, and some of the sacrifices that were made for it. Also learn what life was like for migrants from war-devastated ...

Video

Five Australians: The rise of the media mogul Rupert Murdoch, 1967

What does it take to become a media mogul? The name of Rupert Murdoch, one of Australia's most successful businesspeople, has been a significant feature of the media industry since the early 1950s. In this clip, listen to Murdoch explain his plans to expand his media holdings across Australia and see how he was perceived ...

Video

Five Australians: Charles Perkins campaigns for Aboriginal rights

Why was 1967 a turning point in the struggle for legal equality and the civil rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples? In this clip, we encounter leading Aboriginal activist Charles Perkins as he addresses a range of public meetings held to raise awareness of racial discrimination and to bring about change ...

Video

Thinkabout, Talkabout: Australian children during World War II

What was life like for Australian children during World War II? From 1939 to 1945 Australia was at war. After Japan entered the war in 1941, this conflict became a total war, which affected almost everyone and almost every aspect of life in Australia. Listen to two people who lived through this time sharing their memories ...

Video

Nexus: Controversy surrounding the Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is considered the 'eighth wonder of the world'. Although recognised as a major landmark today, its construction was controversial. In 1966, the building's Danish designer and chief architect, Jorn Utzon, was forced to withdraw from his position. In this clip listen to Jorn Utzon and discover why he ...