History / Year 8 / Historical Knowledge and Understanding

Curriculum content descriptions

Continuity and change in society in ONE of the following areas: crime and punishment; military and defence systems; towns, cities and commerce (ACDSEH051)

Elaborations
  • investigating different types of crime and punishment (for example, trial by combat as a privilege granted to the nobility; being hung, drawn and quartered as a punishment for heinous crimes such as treason, and the use of the ducking stool as a punishment for women) and in what ways the nature of crime and punishment stayed the same, or changed over time
General capabilities
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
  • Intercultural understanding Intercultural understanding
ScOT terms

Cities,  Fiefdoms,  Armed forces,  Security,  Sentencing,  Law,  Middle Ages,  Towns

Video

Life in Medieval Europe: Rough justice

How do we determine whether someone is innocent or guilty of a crime? Our legal system is quite different to the one that was practised in Medieval Europe, where trials by combat or ordeal were not uncommon. In this clip, consider the merits of the medieval legal system. This clip is one in a series of five.

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Life in Medieval Europe: Trading for food

What are the essential things you need to survive? Food, water, medicine, shelter, sanitation ... anything else? How do you obtain these basic requirements? How might people living in Medieval Europe have survived if they had no money or land? In this clip, discover a useful practice that helped peasants negotiate a living. ...

Video

Foreign Correspondent: Dirty tricks in 1066

How was William of Normandy able to defeat the Saxon army of Harold Godwinson in 1066 and become the king of England? The Norman's victory at Hastings marked the beginning of their complete conquest of England over the following few years. Discover the tactics of both sides in the Battle of Hastings. This clip is the second ...

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Foreign Correspondent: The Battle of Hastings, again!

How was England changed forever by one battle in 1066? In that year, a Norman army led by Duke William of Normandy sailed to England and defeated the Saxon army of Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. Visit the site of the battle during a re-enactment by medieval history buffs. This is the first of two clips.

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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

Counted: Marcia Langton on racism

Marcia Langton, a teenager in 1967, reflects on her experiences of racism. What does she say about the language of racism? How have Marcia and Stan Snr experienced racism? And what does Marcia say are its effects? What do you think are the effects of racism?

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Life in Medieval Europe: Good and bad medicine

How sophisticated was medical practice in Medieval Europe? In this clip, learn about common forms of diagnosis and cures for ailments in the 14th century. And brace yourself for a medieval-style amputation; it's not pretty. This clip is one in a series of five.

Video

What is Magna Carta?

Have you heard of Magna Carta? This document from the 13th century has been hugely influential for many modern democracies. Watch this clip to find out how it came about and why it is still so important today.

Video

The Australian Dream: Racism

This clip highlights Adam Goodes’s belief that the whole community needs to work together to put an end to racism. Through the heartbreaking story of Nicky Winmar and Gilbert McAdam, you'll get an insight into how far we've come in tackling racism, but Adam shows us how far we still have to go. Find out how people used ...

Video

Medieval trebuchets and sieges

In medieval wars the trebuchet and other siege engines were used to attack castles and destroy defences. Trebuchets catapulted huge boulders, smashing down walls. They could also be used to fire diseased bodies and dead animals into a besieged castle or walled city.

Video

Medieval tournaments and jousting

Imagine you are riding in a medieval joust. You are dressed in armour and ride a highly-trained horse. On one arm you carry a shield and in the other hand you hold a lance. What was it really like to fight in a tournament?

Video

Impact of European settlement on Aboriginal Tasmanians video

Aboriginal Tasmanians had inhabited Tasmania for over 40,000 years before the arrival of European settlers. What do you think life was like for Aboriginal Tasmanians before then? Why might have they embarked on a war, called the 'Black War', once settlers began arriving in Tasmania, despite existing relatively peacefully ...

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The Mongol conquests

This is an illustrated four-part historical account of the rise and fall of the Mongol Empire, the largest contiguous land empire in history. It includes sections on: factors leading to the Mongol conquests; the role of Chinggis (Genghis) Khan; how a small group of Mongols succeeded in conquering a vast domain; and the ...

Video

Systems of Exchange and Trade

This short (4 minute) video offers an overview of the history of world trade, focusing on the beginnings during the time of agrarian civilisations. The four great civilisations of the Romans, the Kushans, the Parthians and the Han Chinese were the key players, with their development of roads, ports and coin systems. The ...

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Key figures in Mongol history

This resource, a component of the online resource The Mongols in world history, focuses on key figures in Mongol history. It includes biographical data on Chinggis (Genghis) Khan, his son Ogodei and grandson Khubilai Khan, and Khubilai's wife Chabi. It also gives an account of Marco Polo and Phags-pa, a Tibetan Buddhist ...

Video

How did the world become interconnected?

This 10 minute video in 3 parts offers an overview of the growth of information networks through developments in the technologies of communication and transportation. Part 1 discusses how writing, inventions of paper and printing improved communication between societies and the development of transport and courier systems ...

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Naachtun: lost city of the Maya

This resource is about the Mayan city of Naachtun rediscovered by archaeologists in 1922. It provides background material on the archaeological visits to the Mayan site from 1922 through to 2002, and describes the remnants of the structures and artefacts of the city, including stone monuments carved with hieroglyphic inscriptions ...

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Black Death

This resource is about the plague that broke out in England from 1348-49. It provides an overview of the plague in the British Isles beginning with the initial outbreak in Dorset, which then spread to England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The resource includes many contemporary descriptions of the plague, the death toll ...

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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 ...

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The Mongols in world history

This rich online resource is about the Mongol empire viewed in the context of the beginnings of world history. It provides a comprehensive set of materials about the Mongol culture and its history during the period from the birth of Temujin - later Chinggis (Genghis) Khan - in about 1162 to the end of the empire in 1368. ...