Term 1

Year 9 Term One Overview

In Year 9 students are developing their independent learning skills and enquiring into more complex social and historical issues. To start the year, they will investigate World War I and its impact on Australia’s national identity. As they grow into young adults, students are asking, ‘Who am I?’ and in the context of this unit of study, are being asked to consider their answer in terms of their community and their nation.

By the end of this unit students will be able to explain how WWI started, identify Australia’s role in the war and note the relevance of the Gallipoli campaign. They will articulate how Australia’s involvement in WWI has impacted Australia’s national identity both as it is currently understood, and as it developed through the 20^th Century. Students will be able to locate the countries involved in the Triple Alliance at the start of WWI and recognise the changes in the make-up of Europe since the end of the war. They will have answered a broad range of questions designed to develop their thinking and further their understanding of how a war impacts a society.

Excursions and Project Activities

A major assessment task in this unit is the Commemorations Project. Students will design and develop their own proposal for a way to commemorate ANZAC Day that develops the traditional ways of celebration and integrates a 21^st century approach. They will also visit the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne and complete a review task of the excursion.

Students will be expected to demonstrate the following skills at the end of this unit:

• To be able to locate historical sources
• To be able to develop relevant questions about source documents
• To be able to locate key geographical areas on a range of maps
• To demonstrate a broad range of new vocabulary related to the topic
• To articulate their understanding of the key events of WWI orally or in writing

How to achieve the learning goals:

There are a range of learning options available for students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills:

1. A Commemorations Project: students will design, deliver, and where possible, enact, a commemoration of ANZAC Day that shows the significance of the day to Australia’s national identity. [Compulsory Task]

AND at least one of the following options: 

1. Students may elect to complete the Sport and War Learning Activity booklet.
2. Students can complete the Student Learning Program handbook, working at their own pace.
3. Students may choose to undertake a guided research project where they investigate a research question they select from a list provided with the project guidelines.
4. Students can elect to follow the learning programme in the Year 9 textbook: Chapters 3.0 and 4.0.
5. Students may negotiate a self-directed learning program with their teacher, including the design of their work, the approach to their work and the presentation of the final outcome of their work based on answering the question:

• ‘How did Australia’s involvement in WWI influence our national identity, and how has this national identity developed and changed since that time? How does my identity relate to current ideas of national identity?’

This last option is a significantly challenging task and students should step up to this challenge if they feel confident they have the motivation to see it through to completion. It will require self-directed research, time-management skills, a high level of literacy and reading comprehension, and an enthusiasm to develop solid skills in understanding historical source documents.