History / Year 8 / Historical Knowledge and Understanding

Curriculum content descriptions

Significant developments and/or cultural achievements that led to Viking expansion, including weapons and shipbuilding, and the extent of their trade (ACDSEH047)

Elaborations
  • describing Viking craft with particular emphasis on the production of weapons (for example, swords, battle axes and helmets)
  • outlining the key role of gods such as Odin, Thor, Frey and Freyja in Viking religion and the adoption of Christianity during the Viking period
  • investigating the construction of longboats and their role in exploration, including innovations in keel and sail design.
  • describing evidence of Viking trade between Russia (Kiev) and the east (through Constantinople)
General capabilities
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
  • Intercultural understanding Intercultural understanding
ScOT terms

Inventions,  International trade,  Scandinavian history,  Weapons,  Boatbuilding

Interactive

Vikings: the north Atlantic saga - online exhibition

This is an online exhibition rich in historical information, animations and source material about the Vikings in general and their westward expansion in particular. The exhibition, developed by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, contains three elements, two intended for students and one for teachers. ...

Text

Work sample Year 8 History: Significant groups (the Vikings) in an expansion

This work sample demonstrates evidence of student learning in relation to aspects of the achievement standards for Year 8 History. The primary purpose for the work sample is to demonstrate the standard, so the focus is on what is evident in the sample not how it was created. The sample is an authentic representation of ...

Online

Yulunga: kandomarngutta

In some parts of Australia children were allowed to use the bullroarer (whirlers), or small versions of it, as a source of amusement. In other areas the bullroarer had a special significance and was not used as a ‘toy’. In parts of Victoria a bullroarer called the kandomarngutta was used. This was a thin piece of wood, ...

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; ...

Online

The First Fleet - dataset collections

The dataset provides information about 780 of the convicts transported to Australia on the First Fleet ships 'Alexander', 'Charlotte', 'Lady Penrhyn', 'Friendship', 'Prince of Wales' and 'Scarborough' in 1788. The dataset includes information on items such as the convict's name, occupation, crime, date of trial and term ...

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' ...

Image

Landmarks: people and places across Australia

This resource features the Landmarks gallery, which traces a broad history of Australia since British colonisation in the late 18th century. The exhibition explores ten big themes in the country's past through the stories of Australian places and the people who have lived there. It examines how people have engaged with ...

Text

How do we know about the Vikings?

This resource is about the Viking people and how we know about them. It describes all the known sources for the Vikings including physical evidence such as runestones and coins, and written evidence such as sagas, skaldic verses, monastic chronicles and letters. Place-names, language and DNA analysis are other sources of ...

Online

Data in Gapminder world

This resource is a dataset providing data for a number of indicators of development over time for more than 200 countries. The indicators fall into the following categories: population, health, economy, environment, work, infrastructure, energy and education, with over 500 sets of data in total. Each set of data can be ...

Interactive

Bound for South Australia 1836

This is a website rich in primary and secondary sources tracing the voyages of nine ships from Britain bound for the newly created province of South Australia between February and December 1836, and the experiences of those on board. The website contains extensive historical background, information about a range of topics ...

Image

'Garak the Universe - larrakitj', 2005

This is a larrakitj (hollow funeral pole) sculpture created and painted by Yolngu artist Gulumbu Yunupingu. It depicts the universe ('Garak'); not only all the stars that can be seen with the naked eye but everything that exists beyond. The larrakitj is shown here in a colour image that can be enlarged and is accompanied ...

Image

'Miyuki: the imperial outing and hunt', 1600-10

This is a pair of six-fold screens, painted during the Momoyama period (1573-1615) in Japan, depicting chapter 29 of the epic Japanese novel ‘Tale of Genji’. The screens are shown as an enlargeable image. Text onscreen gives detailed information on the history of the novel, the period it was written and an extensive visual ...

Assessment

Year 8 history assessment - Effects of the Black Death: Source Response

This is an assessment package that uses the Year 8 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 'Expanding Contacts: The Black Death in Asia, Europe and Africa (14th century plague)'. ...

Video

The significance of Bennelong Point

In this resource Thomas Keneally speaks about the significance of Bennelong Point and the relationship between Governor Phillip and Bennelong. Learncast video.

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.

Text

Where do volcanoes occur?

This is an online resource about where volcanoes occur, part of a larger resource about volcanoes. It provides: important information about the occurrence of volcanoes close to the Earth's tectonic plate boundaries; a map showing the Earth's tectonic plate boundaries; and, near the bottom of the screen, a link to a map ...

Image

Earthquakes

This is an online resource about current earthquake activity in Australia and the wider region. The resource provides a map and a satellite image of near real-time earthquake activity in the last seven days. Links on the map provide further details and information about individual earthquake events. The resource also contains ...

Text

What causes volcanoes?

This is an online resource about the causes of volcanoes, part of a larger resource about volcanoes. It includes sections on the Earth's tectonic plate margins spreading, the Earth's tectonic plate margins subducting, and predicting volcanic eruptions. The image at the top of the screen illustrates the inside workings of ...

Text

Australian tsunami newsroom guide

This resource is a joint Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) and Geoscience Australia media guide PDF designed to assist the media to communicate tsunami warnings to the Australian public. The resource explains the role of the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre (JATWC) operated by Geoscience Australia and the Bureau. The resource ...

Video

Belonging

In this resource Thomas Keneally addresses the issues of belonging and of marginalised peoples.