If the currently listed section times do not suit you, please contact me to arrange a more suitable time, pending availability. 

The content for this composite class will be taught together, then you will have grade-specific tasks and assessments to complete.

The reasoning behind a 4-day week in this course as opposed to a 5-day week is that it allows learners to cover the main core subjects required here, and the 5th school day in the week is available for homework, assignments, experiments, projects, field trips, sports, and to engage in other courses that cover subjects such as Music, Art, Health & Physical Education, Design & Technology, and LOTE, to name just a few. This schedule ensures a balanced week of work, rest, and play in my experience.


Your learners will receive the following 120 hours of live instruction:

- 30 hours of English Language Arts

- 30 hours of Mathematics

- 30 hours of Science
      - 7.5 hours of Biology
      - 7.5 hours of Chemistry
      - 7.5 hours of Physics
      - 7.5 hours of Earth & Space

- 30 hours of Social Science
      - 7.5 hours of Geography
      - 7.5 hours of History
      - 7.5 hours of Civics & Citizenship
      - 7.5 hours of Economics & Business

------------------------------------------
Week 1:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Biology - Introduction/Recap of previous grade/year levels content
Day 4:  Social Science - Geography

Week 2:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Chemistry  
Day 4:  Social Science - Ancient History

Week 3:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Physics 
Day 4:  Social Science - Economics & Business - Introduction/Recap of Economics & Business from previous year/grade levels

Week 4:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Earth and Space Science 
Day 4:  Social Science - Civics & Citizenship

Week 5:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Biology 
Day 4:  Social Science - Geography

Week 6:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Chemistry 
Day 4:  Social Science - Ancient History

Week 7:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Physics 
Day 4:  Social Science 

Week 8:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Earth and Space Science 
Day 4:  Social Science - Civics & Citizenship

Week 9:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Biology 
Day 4:  Social Science - Geography

Week 10:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics
Day 3:  Science - Chemistry 
Day 4:  Social Science - Ancient History

Week 11:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Physics 
Day 4:  Social Science - Economics & Business 

Week 12:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Earth and Space Science 
Day 4:  Social Science - Civics & Citizenship

Week 13:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Biology 
Day 4:  Social Science - Geography

Week 14:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Chemistry 
Day 4:  Social Science - Ancient History

Week 15:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Physics 
Day 4:  Social Science - Economics & Business

Week 16:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Earth and Space Science 
Day 4:  Social Science - Civics & Citizenship

Week 17:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Biology 
Day 4:  Social Science - Geography

Week 18:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Chemistry 
Day 4:  Social Science - Ancient History

Week 19:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Physics 
Day 4:  Social Science - Economics & Business 

Week 20:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Earth and Space Science
Day 4:  Social Science - Civics & Citizenship

Week 21:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Biology 
Day 4:  Social Science - Geography

Week 22:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Chemistry 
Day 4:  Social Science - Modern History

Week 23:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Physics 
Day 4:  Social Science - Economics & Business 

Week 24:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Earth and Space Science 
Day 4:  Social Science - Civics & Citizenship

Week 25:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Biology 
Day 4:  Social Science - Geography

Week 26:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Chemistry 
Day 4:  Social Science - Modern History 

Week 27:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Physics 
Day 4:  Social Science - Economics & Business 

Week 28:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Earth and Space Science 
Day 4:  Social Science - Civics & Citizenship

Week 29:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Biology 
Day 4:  Social Science - Geography

Week 30:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Chemistry 
Day 4:  Social Science - Modern History 

Week 31:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Physics 
Day 4:  Social Science - Economics & Business 

Week 32:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Earth and Space Science 
Day 4:  Social Science - Civics & Citizenship

Week 33:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Biology 
Day 4:  Social Science - Geography

Week 34:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3: Science - Chemistry
Day 4:  Social Science - Modern History

Week 35:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Physics 
Day 4:  Social Science - Economics & Business 

Week 36:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Earth and Space Science
Day 4:  Social Science - Civics & Citizenship

Week 37:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Biology
Day 4:  Social Science - Geography

Week 38:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Chemistry 
Day 4:  Social Science - Modern History 

Week 39:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Physics 
Day 4:  Social Science - Economics & Business 

Week 40:
Day 1:  English Language Arts
Day 2:  Mathematics 
Day 3:  Science - Earth and Space Science 
Day 4:  Social Science - Civics & Citizenship
----------------------------------------------------

English Language Arts:

Year 7 / 7th Grade learners will cover the following:

- Exploring languages and dialects through building webcam relationships with schools across Australia and Asia
- Investigating changes in word use and meaning over time and some of the reasons for these changes, for example the influence on spelling and vocabulary of new forms of communication like texting, emoticons and email
- Building a database of local idioms and their meanings, accents and styles of speech for different contexts, exploring the possibilities of these choices in drama and role play, and discussing their connection with personal and social identities
- Developing dialogues authentic to characters in comics, cartoons and animations
- Defending points of view in reading circle discussions
- Responding to points of view by developing and elaborating on others’ responses
- Building a knowledge base about words of evaluation, including words to express emotional responses to texts, judgement of characters and their actions, and appreciation of the aesthetic qualities of text
- Learning about the structure of the book or film review and how it moves from context description to text summary and then to a text judgement
- Analysing the structure of media texts such as television news items and broadcasts and various types of newspaper and magazine articles
- Writing structured paragraphs for use in a range of academic settings such as paragraph responses, reports and presentations
- Discussing how qualifying statements add meaning to opinions and views in spoken texts
- Identifying and experimenting with a range of clause types and discussing the effect of these in the expression and development of ideas
- Observing and discussing how a sense of certainty, probability and obligation is created in texts
- Comparing choices for point of view in animations, advertisements and other persuasive texts
- Comparing how different advertisements use visual elements to advertise the same product
- Experimenting with digital storytelling conventions to create personal reflections on shared experiences
- Building knowledge, understanding and skills in relation to the history, culture, and literary heritage of their country of residence
- Identifying and explaining differences between points of view in texts, for example contrasting the city and the bush or different perspectives based on culture, gender or age
- Exploring concepts about the criteria for heroism and testing these criteria in a range of texts, including more complex ones where the hero may be flawed; for example, this course will include a Novel Study based upon "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton (1967)
- Establishing forums for discussing the relative merits of fiction and film texts
- Comparing personal viewpoints on texts and justifying responses in actual and virtual discussions
- Identifying stereotypes, prejudice and oversimplifications in texts
- Exploring ethical issues in literary texts drawing on a range of examples from the texts to illustrate and substantiate the views expressed
- Analysing and explaining the structure and features of short stories discussing the purposes and appeal of different authorial choices for structure and language
- Exploring traditional stories from Asia as one example and discussing their engaging features, for example use of the oral mode, visual elements, verse, use of puppets to convey the narrative
- Analysing writers’ depictions of challenges faced by culturally, racially, or otherwise marginalised or persecuted peoples in texts
- Discussing a text’s intended audience, whether the text is typical of its type and whether it has fulfilled its purpose
- Experiencing the sound and rhythm of poetry, and using metalanguage, for example ‘refrain’ and ‘chant’, to discuss the layers of meaning that are created
- Using aspects of texts in imaginative recreations such as re-situating a character from a text in a new situation
- Imagining a character’s life events (for example misadventures organised retrospectively to be presented as a series of flashbacks in scripted monologue supported by single images), making a sequel or prequel or rewriting an ending
- Creating chapters for an autobiography, short story or diary
- Experimenting with different narrative structures such as the epistolary form, flashback, multiple perspectives
- Transforming familiar print narratives into short video or film narratives, and drawing on knowledge of the type of text and possible adaptations necessary to a new mode
-Drawing on literature and life experiences to create a poem, for example a ballad or a series of haiku
- Investigating the influence on written language of communicative technologies like SMS, text, email and Twitter
- Analysing the impact of interactive elements of digital magazines
- Identifying, discussing and interpreting ideas and concepts that other individuals and groups value
- Identifying key evidence supporting an argument in a discussion between two speakers
- Participating in pair, group, class, school and community speaking and listening situations, including informal conversations, discussions, debates and presentations
- Using effective strategies for dialogue and discussion in range of formal and informal contexts, including speaking clearly and coherently and at an appropriate length, and clarifying and rephrasing comments of others
- Choosing vocabulary and spoken text and sentence structures for particular purposes and audiences, and adapting language choices to meet the perceived audience needs
- Selecting voice effects for different audiences and purposes, such as tone, volume, pitch and pace, and recognising the effects these have on audience understanding and engagement
- Preparing a presentation combining print, visual and audio elements to explore and interpret ideas, drawing on knowledge and research about perspectives different from students’ own
- Identifying the purpose and possible audience for a text
- Explaining the relationship between text features and structures and audience and purpose, such as identifying which group would be the most likely target for the information in an advertisement and justifying why on the basis of textual features
- Identifying cause and effect in explanations and how these are used to convince an audience of a course of action
- Inferring the tone and emotional intent of a character in dialogue in a narrative
- Compiling a portfolio of texts in a range of modes related to a particular concept, purpose or audience, for example a class anthology of poems or stories
- Using appropriate textual conventions, create scripts for interviews, presentations, advertisements and radio segments
- Writing and delivering presentations with specific rhetorical devices to engage an audience
- Using collaborative technologies to jointly construct and edit texts
- Understanding conventions associated with particular kinds of software and using them appropriately, for example synthesising information and ideas in dot points and sequencing information in presentations or timing scenes in animation


Year 8 / 8th Grade learners will cover the following:

- Investigating borrowings from a range of languages into English, for example from French and Italian
- Understanding that our use of language helps to create different identities, for example teenage groups and sportspeople have adopted particular words or ways of speaking
- Identifying and evaluating examples of how rhetorical devices reveal the dark or serious aspects of a topic in ways that cause laughter or amusement, for example by making a statement but implying/meaning the opposite (irony); exaggerating or overstating something (hyperbole); imitating or sending up something (parody),  and making something appear less serious than it really is (understatement)
- Discussing how particular perspectives of the same event are portrayed through the combination of images and words in various media texts
- Writing paragraphs of extended length that explain and substantiate a particular personal viewpoint
- Interpreting complex sentence structures through reading aloud literary texts such as sonnets or plays
- Using cohesive devices when writing complex texts
- Creating dialogue in drama showing interruptions, asides and pauses for effect
- Evaluating how speechmakers influence audiences though specific language features such as the use of embedded clauses to add information
- Analysing formal and persuasive texts to identify and explain language choices such as nominalisation
- Comprehending a series of static images and combinations of language and images in a picture book, for example title, setting, characters, actions, as well as technical elements including position, size, colour, angle, framing, point of view
- Analysing the relationship between visual elements and text in non-fiction texts such as documentaries, television news, online newspapers and digital magazines
- Experimenting with vocabulary choices in a range of written and spoken texts and assessing the different effects these choices generate
- Understanding the different ways complex words are constructed and, when spelling these words, drawing on morphemic knowledge and knowledge of unusual letter combinations
- Comparing attitudes and ideas in texts drawn from contexts that are different to students’ own
- Identifying and describing the ways films suggest Country/Place and Identity through language features such as image, soundtrack and narrative control
- Selecting aspects of a text related to Country/Place, People, Identity and Culture and adapt it for a new context, noting if changes in one aspect will result in changes in another
- Explaining how individual interpretations of these aspects are influenced by a student's own knowledge, values and cultural assumptions
- Discussing the relative merits of literary texts and comparing and evaluating personal viewpoints on texts
- Recognising the similarities and differences between types of texts (for example a complex picture book and a feature film) in order to understand how different combinations of words and images lead readers to interpret visual texts in particular ways, according to audience, purpose and context
- Analysing arguments for and against a particular issue in current community debates and justifying a personal stance
- Exploring how some writers use terse and relatively simple language choices while others use more elaborate and complex syntax
- Examining the language patterns, including sentence patterns, in a range of short texts and discussing the effect on readers’ interpretation of these choices
- Writing or speaking about a literary text and outlining the impact of the text on a listener, viewer or reader, for example in a journal in which students reflect on their personal responses and on how language and structural features in the text contribute to its impact
- Discussing, debating and assessing remakes of literary texts and their effectiveness and purpose
- Discussing, debating and assessing book or film series, sequels, prequels, fan fiction sites, tie-in publications or merchandise
- Understanding that tone (serious, bitter, sincere, amused) indicates attitude to the subject and to readers/listeners, who can identify or judge tone through past experience and language clues in the text
- Select an aspect of a text such as a sentence pattern or an image or word and adapt it for a new context explaining how the change will affect meaning
- Creating literary interpretations of short stories based on understanding and analysis of their context, narrative structure (including the twist at the end, and/or "Choose Your Own Adventure" types of endings), layers of meaning, themes, point of view and style
- Combining visual and digital elements to create layers of meaning for serious and humorous purposes
- Creating and performing scripts for short plays that make use of the affordances of visual, verbal and additional modes (for example music) to create atmosphere, to deepen interpretation of verbal meaning and to enhance the drama of a performance
- Identifying and explaining how mobile technologies are influencing language uses and structures
- Analysing the ways that identity may be created in digital contexts
- Identifying how meanings or words change or shift depending on context, for example the word ‘cool’ is used to describe temperature or to express approval when used in informal contexts
- Listen to a conversation or speech and identify the point being made and explain the tone and manner of presentation. Change the focus of the conversation or speech and identify how meaning has changed
- Change the tone in which the speech or conversation is presented and discuss how interpretations can also change.
- Participating in pair, group, class, school and community speaking and listening situations, including informal conversations, discussions, debates and presentations
- Using effective strategies for dialogue and discussion in range of formal and informal contexts, including speaking clearly and coherently and at appropriate length, asking questions about stated and implied ideas, and restating and summarising main ideas
choosing vocabulary and spoken text and sentence structures for particular purposes and audiences, such as debating a topic with a team from another school, creating a voiceover for a media presentation, and adapting language choices such as use of similes, metaphors and personification, to meet perceived audience needs
- Selecting voice effects, such as tone, volume, pitch and pace, with particular attention to the effects these may have on audience reaction and acceptance of the ideas presented
- Creating texts that express views and values other than students’ own
- Researching subject matter on social issues and/or relationships and presenting ideas in particular ways to appeal to different audiences
- Evaluating an author's use of particular textual structures and language features in achieving the representation of a point of view
- Making assertions about the sufficiency and adequacy of information or evidence and the credibility of sources
- Exploring texts that attempt to solve moral problems in a particular way, for example by consideration of consequences or rights/duties, and by identifying strengths as well as problems that arise from this approach
- Identifying the meaning of a wide range of words, including technical and literary language in various contexts
- Using print and digital/online thesauruses and dictionaries of synonyms, antonyms and homonyms and subject-specific dictionaries
- Reflecting on content by connecting and comparing information found in a text to knowledge sourced elsewhere
- Determining and applying criteria for evaluating the credibility of a website
- Explaining whether the author conveys meaning adequately, particularly in distinguishing fact from opinion
- Comparing representations of different social groups in texts drawn from different modes and media, for example comparing contemporary representations of homeless people, and the impact of these representations on the audience
- Integrating multimodal approaches within a spoken presentation to purposefully develop meaning for a given audience
- Selecting vocabulary to influence meaning and to position and persuade the audience, for example adjusting language to show or acknowledge power
- Experimenting with text structures and language features, for example paragraph order and content, language choices or mode of delivery, to refine and clarify ideas and to improve text effectiveness
- Combining verbal, visual and sound elements in imaginative multimodal texts
- Ordering paragraphs to best support and sustain an argument and to organise and convey information clearly


Mathematics:

Year 7 / 7th Grade learners will cover the following:

- Defining and comparing prime and composite numbers and explaining the difference between them
- Applying knowledge of factors to strategies for expressing whole numbers as products of powers of prime factors, such as repeated division by prime factors or creating factor trees
- Solving problems involving lowest common multiples and greatest common divisors (highest common factors) for pairs of whole numbers by comparing their prime factorisation
- Investigating square numbers such as 25 and 36 and developing square-root notation
- Investigating between which two whole numbers a square root lies
- Understanding that arithmetic laws are powerful ways of describing and simplifying calculations
- Exploring equivalence among families of fractions by using a fraction wall or a number line (for example by using a fraction wall to show that 2/3 is the same as 4/6 and 6/9)
- Exploring and developing efficient strategies to solve additive problems involving fractions (for example by using fraction walls or rectangular arrays with dimensions equal to the denominators)
- Investigating multiplication of fractions and decimals, using strategies including patterning and multiplication as repeated addition, with both concrete materials and digital technologies, and identifying the processes for division as the inverse of multiplication
- Using authentic examples for the quantities to be expressed and understanding the reasons for the calculations
- Using rounding to estimate the results of calculations with whole numbers and decimals, and understanding the conventions for rounding
- Justifying choices of written, mental or calculator strategies for solving specific problems including those involving large numbers
- Understanding that quantities can be represented by different number types and calculated using various operations, and that choices need to be made about each
- Calculating the percentage of the total local municipal area set aside for parkland, manufacturing, retail and residential dwellings to compare land use
- Using authentic problems to express quantities as percentages of other amounts
- Understanding that rate and ratio problems can be solved using fractions or percentages and choosing the most efficient form to solve a particular problem
- Applying the unitary method to identify ‘best buys’ situations, such as comparing the cost per 100g
- Understanding that arithmetic laws are powerful ways of describing and simplifying calculations and that using these laws leads to the generality of algebra
- Using authentic formulas to perform substitutions
- Identifying order of operations in contextualised problems, preserving the order by inserting brackets in numerical expressions, then recognising how order is preserved by convention
- Moving fluently between algebraic and word representations as descriptions of the same situation
- Plotting points from a table of integer values and recognising simple patterns, such as points that lie on a straight line
- Solving equations using concrete materials, such as the balance model, and explain the need to do the same thing to each side of the equation using substitution to check solutions
- Investigating a range of strategies to solve equations
- Using travel graphs to investigate and compare the distance travelled to and from school
- Interpreting features of travel graphs such as the slope of lines and the meaning of horizontal lines
- Using graphs of evaporation rates to explore water storage
- Building on the understanding of the area of rectangles to develop formulas for the area of triangles
- Establishing that the area of a triangle is half the area of an appropriate rectangle
- Using area formulas for rectangles and triangles to solve problems involving areas of surfaces
- Investigating volumes of cubes and rectangular prisms and establishing and using the formula V = l × b × h
- Understanding and using cubic units when interpreting and finding volumes of cubes and rectangular prisms
- Using aerial views of buildings and other 3-D structures to visualise the structure of the building or prism
- Describing patterns and investigating different ways to produce the same transformation such as using two successive reflections to provide the same result as a translation
- Experimenting with, creating and re-creating patterns using combinations of reflections and rotations using digital technologies
- Identifying side and angle properties of scalene, isosceles, right-angled and obtuse-angled triangles
- Describing squares, rectangles, rhombuses, parallelograms, kites and trapeziums
- Using concrete materials and digital technologies to investigate the angle sum of a triangle and quadrilateral
- Defining and classifying pairs of angles as complementary, supplementary, adjacent and vertically opposite
- Constructing parallel and perpendicular lines using their properties, a pair of compasses and a ruler, and dynamic geometry software
- Defining and identifying the relationships between alternate, corresponding and co-interior angles for a pair of parallel lines cut by a transversal
- Discussing the meaning of probability terminology (for example probability, sample space, favourable outcomes, trial, events and experiments)
- Distinguishing between equally likely outcomes and outcomes that are not equally likely
- Expressing probabilities as decimals, fractions and percentages
- Investigating secondary data relating to the distribution and use of non-renewable resources around the world
- Understanding that some data representations are more appropriate than others for particular data sets, and answering questions about those data sets
- Using ordered stem-and-leaf plots to record and display numerical data collected in a class investigation, such as constructing a class plot of height in centimetres on a shared stem-and-leaf plot for which the stems 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 have been produced
- Understanding that summarising data by calculating measures of centre and spread can help make sense of the data
- Using mean and median to compare data sets and explaining how outliers may affect the comparison
- Locating mean, median and range on graphs and connecting them to real life

Year 8 / 8th Grade learners will cover the following:

- Evaluating numbers expressed as powers of positive integers
- Using patterns to assist in finding rules for the multiplication and division of integers
- Using the number line to develop strategies for adding and subtracting rational numbers
- Recognising terminating, recurring and non-terminating decimals and choosing their appropriate representations
- Understanding that the real number system includes irrational numbers
- Using percentages to solve problems, including those involving mark-ups, discounts, and GST
- Using percentages to calculate population increases and decreases
- Understanding that rate and ratio problems can be solved using fractions or percentages and choosing the most efficient form to solve a particular problem
- Calculating population growth rates in Australia and Asia and explaining their difference
- Expressing profit and loss as a percentage of cost or selling price, comparing the difference
- Investigating the methods used in retail stores to express discounts
- Applying the distributive law to the expansion of algebraic expressions using strategies such as the area model
- Recognising the relationship between factorising and expanding
- Identifying the greatest common divisor (highest common factor) of numeric and algebraic expressions and using a range of strategies to factorise algebraic expressions
- Understanding that the laws used with numbers can also be used with algebra
- Completing a table of values, plotting the resulting points and determining whether the relationship is linear
- Finding the rule for a linear relationship
- Solving real life problems by using variables to represent unknowns
- Choosing units for area including mm2, cm2, m2, hectares, km2, and units for volume including mm3, cm3, m3
- Recognising that the conversion factors for area units are the squares of those for the corresponding linear units
- Recognising that the conversion factors for volume units are the cubes of those for the corresponding linear units
- Establishing and using formulas for areas such as trapeziums, rhombuses and kites
- Investigating the circumference and area of circles with materials or by measuring, to establish an understanding of formulas
- Investigating the area of circles using a square grid or by rearranging a circle divided into sectors
- Investigating the relationship between volumes of rectangular and triangular prisms
- Identifying regions and countries that are in the same time zone
- Understanding the properties that determine congruence of triangles and recognising which transformations create congruent figures
- Establishing that two figures are congruent if one shape lies exactly on top of the other after one or more transformations (translation, reflection, rotation), and recognising that the matching sides and the matching angles are equal
- Investigating the minimal conditions needed for the unique construction of triangles, leading to the establishment of the conditions for congruence (SSS, SAS, ASA and RHS)
- Solving problems using the properties of congruent figures
- Constructing triangles using the conditions for congruence
- Establishing the properties of squares, rectangles, parallelograms, rhombuses, trapeziums and kites
- Identifying properties related to side lengths, parallel sides, angles, diagonals and symmetry
- Identifying the complement of familiar events
- Understanding that probabilities range between 0 to 1 and that calculating the probability of an event allows the probability of its complement to be found
- Posing probability questions about objects or people
- Using Venn diagrams and two-way tables to calculate probabilities for events, and satisfying conditions
- Understanding that representing data in Venn diagrams or two-way tables facilitates the calculation of probabilities
- Collecting data to answer the questions using Venn diagrams or two-way tables
- Identifying situations where data can be collected by census and those where a sample is appropriate
- Investigating the uses of random sampling to collect data
- Using sample properties to predict characteristics of the population
- Using displays of data to explore and investigate effects


Science:

Year 7 / 7th Grade learners will cover the following:

- Considering the reasons for classifying such as identification and communication
- Grouping a variety of organisms on the basis of similarities and differences in particular features
- Considering how biological classifications have changed over time
- Classifying using hierarchical systems such as kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
- Using scientific conventions for naming species
- Using provided keys to identify organisms surveyed in a local habitat
- Using food chains to show feeding relationships in a habitat
- Constructing and interpreting food webs to show relationships between organisms in an environment
- Classifying organisms of an environment according to their position in a food chain
- Recognising the role of microorganisms within food chains and food webs
- Investigating the effect of human activity on local habitats, such as deforestation, agriculture or the introduction of new species
- Exploring how living things can cause changes to their environment and impact other living things, such as the effect of cane toads
- Researching specific examples of human activity, such as the effects of palm oil production in Sumatra and Borneo
- Recognising the differences between pure substances and mixtures and identifying examples of each
- Identifying the solvent and solute in solutions
- Investigating and using a range of physical separation techniques such as filtration, decantation, evaporation, crystallisation, chromatography and distillation
- Exploring and comparing separation methods used in the home
- Investigating natural phenomena such as lunar and solar eclipses, seasons and phases of the moon
- Comparing times for the rotation of Earth, the sun and moon, and comparing the times for the orbits of Earth and the moon
- Modelling the relative movements of the Earth, sun and moon and how natural phenomena such as solar and lunar eclipses and phases of the moon occur
- Explaining why different regions of the Earth experience different seasonal conditions
- Considering what is meant by the term ‘renewable’ in relation to the Earth’s resources
- Considering timescales for regeneration of resources
- Comparing renewable and non-renewable energy sources, including how they are used in a range of situations
- Considering the water cycle in terms of changes of state of water
- Investigating factors that influence the water cycle in nature
- Exploring how human management of water impacts on the water cycle
 - Investigating the effect of forces through the application of simple machines
- Investigating the effects of applying different forces to familiar objects
- Investigating common situations where forces are balanced, such as stationary objects, and unbalanced, such as falling objects
- Investigating a simple machine such as lever or pulley system
- Exploring how gravity affects objects on the surface of Earth
- Considering how gravity keeps planets in orbit around the sun
- Investigating how advances in telescopes and space probes have provided new evidence about space
- Researching different ideas used in the development of models of the solar system developed by scientists such as Copernicus, Khayyám and Galileo
- Researching developments in the understanding of astronomy, such as the predictions of eclipses and the calculation of the length of the solar year by Al‑Battani in the tenth century
- Considering how water use and management relies on knowledge from different areas of science, and involves the application of technology
- Identifying the contributions of scientists to the study of human impact on environments and to local environmental management projects
- Studying transnational collaborative research in the Antarctic
- Researching the development of commercial products and discussing related ethical considerations associated with biopiracy and intellectual property rights
- Relating regulations about wearing seatbelts or safety helmets to knowledge of forces and motion
- Considering issues relating to the use and management of water within a community
- Considering decisions made in relation to the recycling of greywater and blackwater
- Considering how human activity in the community can have positive and negative effects on the sustainability of ecosystems
- Investigating ways to control the spread of the cane toad
- Investigating everyday applications of physical separation techniques such as filtering, sorting waste materials, reducing pollution, extracting products from plants, separating blood products and cleaning up oil spills
- Investigating how advances in science and technology have been applied to the treatment of water in industrial and household systems
- Researching the different scientific responses to the plagues in agricultural areas
- Recognising that water management plays a role in areas such as farming, land management and gardening
- Investigating how separation techniques are used in the food and wine industries
- Considering how seasonal changes affect people in a variety of activities such as farming
- Considering how sports scientists apply knowledge of forces to improve performance
- Working collaboratively to identify a problem to investigate
- Recognising that the solution of some questions and problems requires consideration of social, cultural, economic or moral aspects rather than or as well as scientific investigation
- Using information and knowledge from previous investigations to predict the expected results from an investigation
- Working collaboratively to decide how to approach an investigation
- Learning and applying specific skills and rules relating to the safe use of scientific equipment
- Identifying whether the use of their own observations and experiments or the use of other research materials is appropriate for their investigation
- Developing strategies and techniques for effective research using secondary sources, including use of the internet
- Recognising the differences between controlled, dependent and independent variables
- Using a digital camera to record observations and compare images using information technologies
- Using specialised equipment to increase the accuracy of measurement within an investigation
- Understanding different types of graphical and physical representation and considering their advantages and disadvantages
- Using spreadsheets to aid the presentation and simple analysis of data
- Describing the trends shown in collected data
- Using diagrammatic representations to convey abstract ideas and to simplify complex situations
- Comparing and contrasting data from a number of sources in order to create a summary of collected data
- Identifying data which provides evidence to support or negate the hypothesis under investigation
- Referring to relevant evidence when presenting conclusions drawn from an investigation
- Discussing investigation methods with others to share ideas about the quality of the inquiry process
- Identifying and considering indicators of the quality of the data when analysing results
- Suggesting improvements to inquiry methods based on experience
- Using the evidence provided by scientific investigations to evaluate the claims or conclusions of their peers
- Presenting the outcomes of research using effective forms of representation of data or ideas and scientific language that is appropriate for the target audience


Year 8 / 8th Grade learners will cover the following:

- Examining a variety of cells using a light microscope, by digital technology or by viewing a simulation
- Distinguishing plant cells from animal or fungal cells
- Identifying structures within cells and describing their function
- Recognising that some organisms consist of a single cell
- Recognising that cells reproduce via cell division
- Describing mitosis as cell division for growth and repair
- Identifying the organs and overall function of a system of a multicellular organism in supporting the life processes
- Describing the structure of each organ in a system and relating its function to the overall function of the system
- Examining the specialised cells and tissues involved in structure and function of particular organs
- Comparing similar systems in different organisms such as digestive systems in herbivores and carnivores, respiratory systems in fish and mammals
- Comparing reproductive systems of organisms
- Explaining why a model for the structure of matter is needed
- Modelling the arrangement of particles in solids, liquids and gases
- Using the particle model to explain observed phenomena linking the energy of particles to temperature changes
- Modelling the arrangement of particles in elements and compounds
- Recognising that elements and simple compounds can be represented by symbols and formulas
- Locating elements on the periodic table
- Identifying the differences between chemical and physical changes
- Identifying evidence that a chemical change has taken place
- Investigating simple reactions such as combining elements to make a compound
- Recognising that the chemical properties of a substance, for example its flammability and ability to corrode, will affect its use
- Representing the stages in the formation of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, including indications of timescales involved
- Identifying a range of common rock types using a key based on observable physical and chemical properties
- Recognising that rocks are a collection of different minerals
- Considering the role of forces and energy in the formation of different types of rocks and minerals
- Recognising that some rocks and minerals, such as ores, provide valuable resources
- Recognising that kinetic energy is the energy possessed by moving bodies
- Recognising that potential energy is stored energy, such as gravitational, chemical and elastic energy
- Investigating different forms of energy in terms of the effects they cause, such as gravitational potential causing objects to fall and heat energy transferred between materials that have a different temperature
- Recognising that heat energy is often produced as a by-product of energy transfer, such as brakes on a car and light globes
- Using flow diagrams to illustrate changes between different forms of energy
- Investigating developments in the understanding of cells and how this knowledge has impacted on areas such as health and medicine
- Discovering how people’s understanding of the nature of matter has changed over time as evidence for particle theory has become available through developments in technology
- Considering how the idea of elements has developed over time as knowledge of the nature of matter has improved
- Investigating the development of the microscope and the impact it has had on the understanding of cell functions and division
- Investigating how knowledge of the location and extraction of mineral resources relies on expertise from across the disciplines of science
- Considering how advances in technology, combined with scientific understanding of the functioning of body systems, has enabled medical science to replace or repair organs
- Researching the use of reproductive technologies and how developments in this field rely on scientific knowledge from different areas of science
- Investigating requirements and the design of systems for collecting and recycling household waste
- Investigating strategies implemented to maintain part of the local environment, such as bushland, a beach, a lake, a desert or a shoreline
- Investigating how energy efficiency can reduce energy consumption
- Investigating the development of vehicles over time, including the application of science to contemporary designs of solar-powered vehicles
- Discussing ethical issues that arise from organ transplantation
- Describing how technologies have been applied to modern farming techniques to improve yields and sustainability
- Describing the impact of plant cloning techniques (asexual production) in agriculture such as horticulture, fruit production and vineyards
- Investigating the role of science in the development of technology important to the economies of, for example, car manufacture, earthquake prediction and electronic optics
- Recognising the role of knowledge of the environment and ecosystems in a number of occupations
 -Considering how engineers improve energy efficiency of a range of processes
- Recognising the role of knowledge of cells and cell divisions in the area of disease treatment and control
- Investigating how scientists have created new materials such as synthetic fibres, heat-resistant plastics and pharmaceuticals
- Considering whether investigation using available resources is possible when identifying questions or problems to investigate
- Recognising that the solution of some questions and problems requires consideration of social, cultural, economic or moral aspects rather than or as well as scientific investigation
- Using information and knowledge from their own investigations and secondary sources to predict the expected results from an investigation
- Working collaboratively to decide how to best approach an investigation
- Identifying any ethical considerations that may apply to the investigation
- Taking into consideration all aspects of fair testing, available equipment and safe investigation when planning investigations
- Using specialised equipment to increase the accuracy of measurement within an investigation
- Identifying and explaining the differences between controlled, dependent and independent variables
- Describing measures of central tendency and identifying outliers for quantitative data
- Explaining the strengths and limitations of representations such as physical models, diagrams and simulations in terms of the attributes of systems included or not included
- Constructing tables, graphs, keys and models to represent relationships and trends in collected data
- Drawing conclusions based on a range of evidence including primary and secondary sources
- Suggesting improvements to investigation methods that would improve the accuracy of the data recorded
- Discussing investigation methods with others to share ideas about the quality of the inquiry process
- Identifying the scientific evidence available to evaluate claims
- Deciding whether or not to accept claims based on scientific evidence
- Identifying where science has been used to make claims relating to products and practices
- Using digital technologies to construct a range of text types to present science ideas
- Selecting and using appropriate language and representations to communicate science ideas within a specified text type and for a specified audience


Social Science:

Year 7 / 7th Grade learners will cover the following:

Year 7 / 7th Grade General HASS:

- Developing and revising questions to frame, guide and redirect geographical, historical and social inquiries or stages of an enterprise project
- Developing a range of different types of questions for specific purposes including follow-up questions that deepen understandings (for example, questions to design and revise the stages of an enterprise project, questions to test the validity of assumptions, questions that evaluate decisions and opinions, questions about protocols and sensitivities)
- Making propositions to be tested through a research process
- Appreciating that there may not be a definitive answer to an inquiry question
- Identifying steps in the research process (for example, identifying information needed, locating information, recording relevant information from sources)
- Using a range of methods, including digital applications, to plan and conduct an information search, and to refine a search for specific or relevant information/images (for example, using ‘image search’ and ‘advanced search’ functions)
- Compiling a list of different primary and secondary sources that might contribute relevant information to an investigation of the past (for example, papyrus scrolls, coins, statues, human remains for an archaeological study) or to an investigation of an environmental issue (for example, recorded observations, annotated field sketches, surveys, interviews, and photographs of changes or events)
- Collecting useful information from secondary sources to answer inquiry questions (for example, articles, graphs, charts and statistics; information from the Bureau of Statistics to understand patterns; thematic maps, weather maps, climate graphs, compound column graphs and population pyramids, reports, census data and the media to support a study of liveability of a city)
- Applying ethical research methods to conduct research with people and communities
- Deciding which formats best suit the presentation of gathered information after consideration of a range of digital and non-digital media
- Representing categorised data information using digital and non-digital graphic organisers (for example, tables, flowcharts, SWOT [strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats] analysis, cost-benefit analysis, futures timelines, spreadsheets, databases)
- Constructing tables, graphs and annotated diagrams with the help of digital technologies to represent collected data (for example, diagrams showing how water flows through the environment and connects places; graphs quantifying the influence of environmental quality on aspects of the liveability of places)
- Creating maps using computer mapping software or satellite images to show distributions and patterns (for example, to show the spatial distribution and patterns of liveability or the areas affected by a hydrological hazard)
- Constructing and annotating timelines to show developments and periods (for example, the approximate beginning and end dates of ancient societies and the periods of time when these coexisted) and events (for example, placing referendums of the twentieth century in a chronological sequence)
- Applying dating conventions on sequences, including ‘BC’ (Before Christ), ‘AD’ (Anno Domini), ‘BCE’ (Before Common Era), and ‘CE’ (Common Era) and using terms such as ‘prehistory’ (before the period of textual recording) and ‘history’ (the period beginning with named individuals and textual recording)
- Developing representations to show steps in a sequence (for example, the flow of water, the process for constitutional change)
modelling a system (for example, an ecosystem or hydrological cycle) and using it to explain the sequence of effects when elements are manipulated
- Considering relevance and validity when choosing sources and gathering data and information about historical, geographical, social, economic and business issues or events (for example, the relevance of documents written at the time of an event; the validity of personal observations made during fieldwork)
- Differentiating between primary sources in history (those from the time of the event/person/site being investigated) and secondary sources (those that represent later interpretations)
- Comparing the different types of primary sources appropriate to history, geography, civics and citizenship, and economics and business, and explaining reasons for the differences
- Identifying who in a source is conveying information about a past or present event and suggesting whose voice may be absent
- Using a range of methods to determine the origin, purpose and reliability of different sources, such as determining when the source was written, why it was written and by whom
- Discussing the difficulties in identifying the origin and purpose of some sources, recognising that limited evidence can sometimes give useful insights into the power structures of a society
- Using strategies to detect whether a statement is factual or an opinion, including identification of 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')
- Identifying the perspective in a historical source (for example, the saying of Confucius, ‘women and underlings are especially difficult to handle’) and discussing the values and attitudes of the society that produced it
- Identifying different perspectives about a past or current issue and suggesting influences or circumstances that may have informed these perspectives
- Analysing how information can be used selectively to persuade citizens
- Identifying and distinguishing points of view of different individuals and groups about a public issue (for example, the development of wind turbine farms, a contentious residential development by a large company, the corporate harnessing of water in a developing country)
- Interpreting the possible meaning of images and symbols in primary sources
- Using and interpreting various types of maps (for example, weather, political, topographic, thematic and diagrammatic maps and isoline or isopleth maps)
- Using aerial images of contrasting places to identify differences (for example, differences in housing density and services)
- Interpreting a variety of graphic representations (for example, tables, charts, graphs, weather maps and satellite images) to identify trends (for example, an increase in the number of people engaged in casual work), spatial and temporal patterns (for example, the patterns of a selected hydrological hazard over time and place) and to observe, describe and contrast the spatial associations of geographical phenomena (for example, the relationship between economic activities, river systems and the availability of surface water)
- Using data to make predictions about future trends (for example, the trend of shopping online, trends in working hours or how people work, changing liveability factors, the rise of knowledge-based work)
- Reviewing the results of an analysis to propose an answer to an inquiry question using at least one discipline-specific concept (for example, significance in history or place in geography) or one humanities and social sciences concept (for example, interconnections) as an organiser
- Evaluating data from a survey to draw conclusions about a current political, social, environmental or business event or issue
- Evaluating and connecting information from various sources to draw evidence-based conclusions
- Drawing conclusions about entrepreneurial behaviour and successful campaigns or about the potential of business enterprise
- Designing and proposing actions to respond to challenges (for example, actions related to environmental and economic - sustainability such as ensuring a sustainable supply of water) after considering the possible outcomes
- Identifying where there is a common understanding in a discussion and using points of agreement as a basis for resolving a conflict or differences, recognising their own emotional reactions when interacting with people who are different from themselves or who disagree with their views
- Identifying examples of negotiation and peaceful dispute resolution (for example, arbitration, reconciliation) used in the wider community to problem-solve
- Identifying the costs and benefits associated with alternatives (for example, the costs and benefits of being an employee compared with those of being a business owner)
- Applying enterprising behaviours to a class activity (for example, taking on a leadership role, establishing goals, accepting responsibility, and negotiating and working with others during the investigation)
- Outlining the significance of a past event and providing reasons for its significance based on relevant evidence
- Applying social, economic and/or environmental criteria when making decisions about alternative responses to an issue or challenge (for example, applying these criteria to alternative responses to sustainable living in high and low socioeconomic regions or to possible purchasing decisions)
- Examining the trade-offs involved in making choices (for example, choices about spending limited money; how to earn an income such as working as an employee or owning your own business; whether to pay more for an endorsed environmentally friendly product)
- Applying economics and business knowledge, skills and concepts to familiar problems, proposing alternative responses to the issue and assessing the costs and benefits of each alternative
- Reflecting on personal values and attitudes and how these influence responses to an issue (for example, the effect of perceptions of crime on liveability; how their membership of groups affects their perceptions)
- Applying a process approach to respond to an issue or challenge (for example, conducting an analysis using processes such as a SWOT analysis; developing a plan of action that incorporates a consultation process that ensures a range of views are heard and people are given opportunities to respond)
- Explaining different perspectives on an issue or challenge (for example, sustainability, intercultural behaviour) and proposing action after considering these perspectives and the possible outcomes for different groups
- Deciding when consensus is an effective process for a collective action and when it is not
- Discussing the consequences of decisions (for example, economic, business, civic or personal decisions), considering alternative responses and predicting the potential effect of those responses
- Using knowledge of the past to inform views on probable and preferred (individual or collective) futures, explaining reasoning to justify futures scenarios
- Communicating findings, predictions, opinions, decisions, judgements and conclusions, using text types (for example, reports, persuasive essays, reasoned arguments, explanations) selected to suit the purpose and the intended audience
- Citing sources of evidence (for example, archaeological relics and written accounts) in their texts
- Using graphic representations (such as graphs, tables, spreadsheets and photographs) to present, supplement and clarify information contained in reports and other documents
- Using digital technologies to create multimedia presentations (for example, to show the specific features of an ancient battle, pyramid complex or burial site; to show the spatial distribution and patterns of liveability; to present a case for a constitutional change)
- Using correct discipline-specific terms and concepts when presenting findings and conclusions (for example, when explaining the rule of law, separation of powers, secular nation, market, workforce, income, financial objectives, entrepreneurial behaviours and skills, costs and benefits)


Year 7 / 7th Grade History:

- Using a map to describe the pattern of movement of humans ‘out of Africa’ and across other continents over time, and looking at the types of evidence of these movements (for example, stone tools, human remains and cave paintings)
- Exploring an early example of art (for example, the 17 000 BCE great bull paintings from the Lascaux Cave in France) and discussing why they might have been painted
- Discussing the evolving nature of the evidence in this period, which shows increasingly sophisticated forms of technology (for example, the transition from making tools out of stone, bone and wood to metalworking)
- Identifying sources of evidence for the emergence of organised states (for example, the Cuneiform script phonetic writing of the Sumerians c.3500 BCE; the ancient law code of Hammurabi clay tablets from ancient Babylon c.1790 BCE; artefacts found in the tombs at Ur Sumer c.2500 BCE, which indicate the presence of either royalty or priestesses; pottery shards and fragments discovered in Palestine made of mud from the River Nile in Egypt, as evidence of trade)
- Exploring why the shift from hunting and foraging to cultivation (and the domestication of animals) led to the development of permanent settlements and changed relationships to the environment
- Identifying the major civilisations of the ancient world (namely Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, Greece, Rome, India, China and the Maya); where and when they existed, and the evidence for contact between them
- Locating the major civilisations of the ancient world on a world map and using a timeline to identify the longevity of each ancient civilisation
- Identifying the major religions/philosophies that emerged by the end of the period (Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, Islam) and their key beliefs (through group work)
- Identifying different approaches to historical investigation (such as the use of excavation and stratigraphy, oral history and use of data derived from radiocarbon dating)
- Listing a range of sources (both archaeological and written) required in a historical investigation to develop a response to the question(s) being asked
- Evaluating various methods for investigating the ancient past (for example, stratigraphy to date discoveries; DNA testing to identify past individuals from their remains (such as Egyptian mummies) as well as common diseases)
- Using a cross-sectional drawing of the earth’s surface from an archaeological excavation to identify the evidence located at various layers (stratigraphy) and what it reveals about change over time (for example, a charcoal layer containing human remains and weapons may indicate the capture and destruction of an ancient settlement, such as Troy)
- Investigating the discovery of Mungo Woman in 1969 and the use of radiocarbon dating to draw conclusions about the longevity of human occupation at Lake Mungo
- Generating a range of questions to investigate a source (for example, a shell midden in ancient Australia – where it was found, how long it was used for, what it reveals about technology and the use of environmental resources)
- Investigating world heritage criteria for the listing of significant ancient sites, using an example of an ancient site such as Pompeii
- Explaining the UNESCO-led rescue mission to save the temples of Abu Simbel
- Describing the importance of the River Nile to Egyptian society (for example, inundation and farming; the worship of Hapi, god of the Nile; and the use of the Nile as a means of transportation)
- Creating a graphic representation of the social structure of Egyptian society
- Describing the impact of the sea and mountain ranges of Ancient Greece on the development of self-governing city-states
- Describing the importance of the River Tiber to ancient Roman society and the methods Romans used to manage resources (for example, the water supply through aqueducts and plumbing systems)
- Outlining the rights of women in ancient Egyptian society (for example, in the areas of marriage, family life, work and education) and their responsibilities (that is, generally limited to the home and family)
- Examining evidence of the social structure of Athenian or Spartan society (for example, the roles of citizens, women and slaves in Athenian society and the roles of Spartiates, Perioikoi and Helots in Spartan society)
- Outlining the rights of citizens in ancient Athens (for example, the right to vote), their responsibilities (for example, military service, attending assembly meetings) and the invention of freedom
- Examining the evidence of the social structure of Roman society (for example, the roles of patricians, plebeians, women and slaves in the city of Rome) and the idea of Republican virtue and its historical resonance
- Describing the significance of slavery in the period of the Roman Empire (for example, the acquisition of slaves through warfare, the use of slaves as gladiators and agricultural labourers, and the rise of freedmen)
- Investigating significant beliefs associated with death and funerary customs in ancient Egyptian society (for example, belief in an afterlife) and practices (for example, burial in tombs and techniques of mummification)
- Generating alternative explanations for the building of the pyramids at Giza
- Investigating the significant beliefs, values and practices of the ancient Greeks (for example, the Olympic Games or the Delphic Oracle)
- Investigating significant beliefs and values associated with the warfare of ancient Greeks (for example, heroic ideals as revealed in the Iliad) and military practices (for example, army organisation, the hoplite phalanx and naval warfare)
- Investigating significant beliefs associated with ancient Roman daily life (for example, the evidence of household religion) and practices (for example, the use of public amenities such as baths, and the forms of entertainment in theatres and amphitheatres)
- Explaining the nature of contact between Egyptians and other societies (for example, trade with Cyprus, Crete and Greece); and conflict (for example, the Battle of Kadesh in the New Kingdom that concluded with Ramses II’s peace treaty with the Hittites)
- Explaining the nature of contact between Greece and other societies (for example, the commodities that formed the trade with Egypt, Greek colonisation of the Mediterranean) and conflict (for example, the Persian Wars and the Battle of Salamis, the empire of Alexander the Great and the reach of Greek culture)
- Describing the furthest extent of the Roman Empire and the influence of foreign cults on Roman religious beliefs and practices (for example, the Pantheon of Gods in Greece, Isis in Egypt and Mithras in Persia)
- Reading accounts of contacts between Rome and Asian societies in the ancient period (for example, the visit of Chinese and Indian envoys to Rome in the time of Augustus, as described by the Roman historian Florus)
- Examining the historical context, early life and achievements of a significant historical figure from the ancient society being investigated (for example, Hatshepsut or Ramses II; Leonidas or Pericles in Greece; or Caesar or Augustus in Rome), and how they were perceived by their contemporaries
- Describing the significance of the Yellow River to irrigation and the impact of features such as the Himalayas on contacts with other societies, including trade
- Describing how harmonious relationships with the natural world were reflected in Indian belief systems (for example, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism)
- Creating a graphic representation of the extent of India as a political unit at this time, including for example, its diverse climatic and geographical features, types and location of food production, areas of high- and low-density population
- Creating a graphic representation of the social structure of Chinese or Indian society
- Outlining the rights and responsibilities of women in Chinese or Indian society (for example, in the areas of marriage, family life, work and education)
- Explaining the social structure of India, including the role of Brahmins – priests, teachers; Kshatriyas – kings, warriors; Vaishyas – merchants, artisans; Shudras – labourers, peasants
- Investigating the significant beliefs, values and practices of Chinese society associated with daily life (for example, irrigation and the practice of agriculture, the teachings of Confucius, the evidence of daily life from the Han tombs)
- Investigating the significant beliefs, values and practices of Indian society (for example, associated with rites of passage for boys and men; rites of passage for girls and women; marriage rites such as the role of the family and religious ceremonies)
- Investigating the significant beliefs, values and practices of Indian society associated with death and funerary customs (for example, cremation, the use of professional mourners, the construction of stupas)
- Explaining the rise of imperial China (for example, the use of chariot warfare and the adoption of mass infantry armies, the building of the first phase of the Great Wall of China, military strategies as codified in Sun Tzu’s The Art of War)
- Examining the extent of Indian contact with other societies (for example, the Persians under Cyrus or the Macedonians under Alexander; the extensive trade with the Romans and Chinese; the material remains of the Mauryan Empire such as the Pillars of Ashoka and the Barabar Caves; the spread of Hinduism and Buddhism)
- Examining the historical context, early life and achievements of a significant historical figure from China (for example, Confucius or Qin Shi Huang) or India (for example, Chandragupta Maurya or Ashoka) in this period, and how they were perceived by their contemporaries
- Identifying different approaches to historical investigation such as the use of excavation and stratigraphy, oral history and use of data derived from radiocarbon dating
- Listing a range of sources (both archaeological and written) required in an historical investigation to develop a response to the question(s) being asked
- Evaluating various methods for investigating the ancient past (for example, stratigraphy to date discoveries; DNA testing to identify past individuals from their remains (such as Egyptian mummies) as well as common diseases)
- Using a cross-sectional drawing of the earth’s surface from an archaeological excavation to identify the evidence located at various layers (stratigraphy) and what it reveals about change over time (for example, a charcoal layer containing human remains and weapons may indicate the capture and destruction of an ancient settlement such as Troy)
- Investigating the discovery of Mungo Woman in 1969 and the use of radiocarbon dating to draw conclusions about the longevity of human occupation at Lake Mungo
- Generating a range of questions to investigate a source (for example, a shell midden in ancient Australia – where it was found, how long it was used for, what it reveals about technology and the use of environmental resources)
- Investigating world heritage criteria for the listing of significant ancient sites, using an example of an ancient site such as Pompeii
explaining the UNESCO-led rescue mission to save the temples of Abu Simbel
- Describing the importance of the River Nile to Egyptian society (for example, inundation and farming, the worship of the god of the Nile, and the use of the Nile as a means of transportation)
- Creating a graphic representation of the social structure of Egyptian society
- Outlining the rights of women (for example, in the areas of marriage, family life, work and education) and their responsibilities (that is, generally limited to the home and family)
- Investigating significant beliefs associated with death and funerary customs (for example, belief in an afterlife) and practices (for example, burial in tombs and techniques of mummification)
- Generating alternative explanations for the building of the pyramids at Giza
- Explaining the nature of contact with other societies (for example, trade with Cyprus, Crete and Greece); and conflict (for example, the Battle of Kadesh in the New Kingdom that concluded with Ramses II’s peace treaty with the Hittites)
- Examining the historical context, early life and achievements of a significant historical figure from ancient Egypt, and how they were perceived by their contemporaries
- Describing the impact of the sea and mountain ranges of Ancient Greece on the development of self-governing city-states
- Examining evidence of the social structure of Athenian or Spartan society (for example, the roles of citizens, women, slaves in Athenian society and the roles of Spartiates, Perioikoi and Helots in Spartan society)
- Outlining the rights of citizens in ancient Athens (for example, the right to vote), their responsibilities (for example, military service, attending assembly meetings) and the invention of freedom
- Investigating the significant beliefs, values and practices of the ancient Greeks (for example, the Olympic Games or the Delphic Oracle)
- Investigating significant beliefs and values associated with warfare (for example, heroic ideals as revealed in the Iliad) and military practices (for example, army organisation, the hoplite phalanx and naval warfare)
- Explaining the nature of contact with other societies (for example, the commodities that formed the trade with Egypt, Greek colonisation of the Mediterranean) and conflict (for example, the Persian Wars and the Battle of Salamis, the empire of Alexander the Great and the reach of Greek culture)
- Examining the historical context, early life and achievements of a significant historical figure from ancient Greece, and how they were perceived by their contemporaries
- Describing the methods used by the Romans to manage resources (for example, the water supply through aqueducts and plumbing systems)
- Examining the evidence of the social structure of Roman society (for example, the roles of patricians, plebeians, women and slaves in the city of Rome) and the idea of Republican virtue and its historical resonance
- Describing the significance of slavery in the period of the Roman Empire (for example, the acquisition of slaves through warfare, the use of slaves as gladiators and agricultural labourers, and the rise of freedmen)
- Investigating significant beliefs associated with daily life (for example, the evidence of household religion) and practices (for example, the use of public amenities such as baths, and the forms of entertainment in theatres and amphitheatres)
- Describing the furthest extent of the Roman Empire and the influence of foreign cults on Roman religious beliefs and practices (for example, the Pantheon of Gods (Greece), Isis (Egypt) and Mithras (Persia))
- Reading accounts of contacts between Rome and Asian societies in the ancient period (for example, the visit of Chinese and Indian envoys to Rome in the time of Augustus, as described by the Roman historian Florus)
- Examining the historical context, early life and achievements of a significant historical figure from ancient Rome, and how they were perceived by their contemporaries
- Describing how harmonious relationships with the natural world were reflected in Indian belief systems (for example, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism)
- Creating a graphic representation of the extent of India as a political unit at this time (for example, its diverse climatic and geographical features, types and location of food production, areas of high- and low-density population)
- Creating a graphic representation of the social structure of Indian society
- Explaining the social structure of India, including the role of Brahmins – priests, teachers; Kshatriyas – kings, warriors; Vaishyas – merchants, artisans; Shudras – labourers, peasants
- Investigating the significant beliefs, values and practices of Indian society associated with, for example, the role of the family and religious ceremonies (such as rites of passage for boys and men; rites of passage for girls and women; marriage rites)
- Investigating the significant beliefs, values and practices of Indian society associated with death and funerary customs (for example, cremation, the use of professional mourners, the construction of stupas)
- Describing the significance of the Yellow River to irrigation and the impact of features such as the Himalayas on contacts with other societies, including trade
- Creating a graphic representation of the social structure of Chinese society
- Outlining the rights and responsibilities of women (for example, in the areas of marriage, family life, work and education)
- Investigating the significant beliefs, values and practices of Chinese society associated with daily life (for example, irrigation and the practice of agriculture, the teachings of Confucius, the evidence of daily life from the Han tombs)
- Explaining the rise of imperial China (for example, the use of chariot warfare and the adoption of mass infantry armies, the building of the first phase of the Great Wall of China, military strategies as codified in Sun Tzu’s The Art of War)
- Examining the historical context, early life and achievements of a significant historical figure from China in this period, and how they were perceived by their contemporaries
- Identifying the approximate beginning and end dates of ancient societies and the periods of time when they coexisted
defining and using terms such as BC (Before Christ), AD (anno Domini), BCE (Before Common Era), and CE (Common Era); prehistory (before the period of textual recording) and history (the period beginning with named individuals and textual recording)
defining and using concepts such as slavery, divine right, source (where a historian finds information) and evidence (the information that is used by the historian)
- Posing a key question such as: ‘How were the pyramids at Giza built?’ and understanding that there may not be a definitive answer; identifying related questions to inform the inquiry including: ‘What evidence is there?’ ‘What theories have been developed?’
- Posing questions of sources such as: ‘Where does it come from?’ ‘How do we know?’ ‘What information does it provide?’ ‘What other sources might be needed?’
- Identifying steps in the research process (for example, identifying information needed, locating that information, recording relevant information from sources)
- Compiling a list of different sources (for example, papyrus scrolls, coins, statues, human remains)
- Identifying information within a source that can be used as evidence to support an interpretation
- Responding to questions about photographs, artefacts, stories, buildings and other sources to explain the past such as: ‘Who wrote/produced this?’ ‘When?’ ‘Why?’ ‘What does it show about the past?’
- Discussing the difficulties in identifying the origin and purpose of some sources (for example, the Kimberley Bradshaw paintings)
- Differentiating between primary sources (those from the time of the event/person/site being investigated) and secondary sources (those that represent later interpretations)
- Creating categories (that is, concepts) with which to organise information obtained from sources
- Identifying a range of archaeological sources (for example, the physical remains of the Colosseum, gladiatorial equipment such as helmets, mosaics showing gladiatorial combat, written accounts of what happened in the Colosseum)
- 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')
- Identifying the possible meaning of images and symbols in primary sources
- Identifying the perspective in a historical source, such as the saying of Confucius, ‘women and underlings are especially difficult to handle’, and discussing the values and attitudes of the society that produced it
- Outlining the significance of a past event, providing reasons for the event and referring to relevant evidence
- Describing the social structure of the ancient society, using evidence from sources such as artwork and written accounts
- Creating an audiovisual presentation, using ICT, to recreate and show the specific features of an ancient battle, temple, pyramid complex or burial site

Year 7 / 7th Grade Geography:

- Classifying resources into renewable, non-renewable and finite/infinite resources, and investigating examples of each type and how they affect environmental sustainability
- Describing how water is an available resource when it is groundwater, soil moisture (green water), surface water in dams, rivers and lakes (blue water) and treated or recycled (grey water), and a potential resource when it exists as salt water, ice or water vapour
- Explaining how the movement of water through the environment connects places (for example, the melting of snow in spring feeding rivers and dams downstream)
- Investigating the importance of environmental flows
- Investigating the environmental, economic and social uses of water and the effects of water as it connects people and places 
- Investigating the main causes of rainfall and applying their knowledge to explain the seasonal rainfall patterns in their own place and in a place with either significantly higher or lower rainfall
- Interpreting the spatial distribution of rainfall and comparing the distribution between the continents
- Using the concept of the water balance to compare the quantity and variability of rainfall, run-off and evaporation on the availability of water 
- Investigating the causes of water scarcity, for example, an absolute shortage of water (physical), inadequate development of water resources (economic or political), or the ways water is used
- Investigating whether the use of water in their place is sustainable
- Discussing the advantages and disadvantages of strategies to overcome water scarcity (for example, recycling (‘grey water’), stormwater harvesting and re-use, desalination, inter-regional transfer of water and trade in virtual water, and reducing water consumption)
- Examining why water is a difficult resource to manage and sustain (for example, difficulties in accounting for its economic value, its competing uses and variability of supply over time and space)
- Investigating land use management practices that have adversely affected water supply, such as land clearing and some farming practices
- Examining and comparing places that have economies and communities based on irrigation (for example, rice production in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area in NSW and the Mekong Delta in Vietnam)
- Examining bays, rivers, waterfalls or lakes that have been listed as either World Heritage sites or national parks for their aesthetic and cultural value
- Explaining the physical causes and the temporal and spatial patterns of an atmospheric or hydrological hazard through a study of either droughts, storms, tropical cyclones or floods
- Explaining the economic, environmental and social impacts of a selected atmospheric or hydrological hazard on people and places, and describing community responses to the hazard
- Investigating their and others’ interpretations of the concept of liveability and choices about where to live (for example, connections to groups, adolescent ‘bright lights’ attraction, rural to urban migration, retiree tree change and families with children locating near schools) and other facilities
- Discussing the concept of liveability and the ways it is measured and comparing objective measures such as transportation infrastructure with subjective measures such as people's perceptions
- Comparing student access to and use of places and spaces in their local area and evaluating how this affects perceptions of liveability
- Comparing accessibility to and availability of a range of services and facilities between different types of settlements (urban, rural and remote) - (for example, access to clean water, sanitation, education and health services)
- Examining the role transport plays in people’s ability to access services and participate in activities in the local area
- Comparing transportation and accessibility in one city with a city in another country 
- Researching the effects of air and water pollution on the liveability of cities
- Explaining the importance of water quality to the liveability of places now and into the future
- Investigating the concepts of environmental quality and pollutions by surveying the environmental quality of their local area and its effect on liveability
- Exploring the geophysical nature of the land and how this affects the liveability of a place
- Discussing the different types of places where people can feel included or excluded, and evaluating how this affects perceptions about liveability of places
- Investigating the extent to which people in their place are socially connected or socially isolated and its effect on liveability
- Researching methods implemented to improve the liveability of a place, and evaluating their applicability to their own locality
- Developing a specific proposal to improve an aspect of the liveability of their place, taking into account the needs of diverse groups in the community, including young people (for example, through fieldwork in the local recreation area)
- Discussing the impact of housing density on the liveability of places
- Examining whether liveability and environmental sustainability can be enhanced at the same time
- Developing questions about an area of focus in the geographical knowledge and understanding strand (for example, the causes of water scarcity or factors affecting the liveability of a place)
- Developing questions to investigate patterns of spatial distribution of rainfall 
- Using a range of methods, including digital technologies, to plan and conduct an information search about the quantity and variability of water
- Gathering relevant data from a range of primary sources (for example, from observation and annotated field sketches, surveys and interviews, or photographs) about the impacts of and responses to a hydrological hazard, or the factors influencing decisions people make about where to live
- Collecting geographical information from secondary sources (for example, thematic maps, weather maps, climate graphs, compound column graphs and population pyramids, reports, census data and the media)
- Considering the reliability of primary and secondary data by finding out how and when it was collected, by whom and for what purpose
- Constructing tables, graphs, maps and diagrams to represent the data collected about water scarcity and liveability of places
- Creating an annotated diagram to show: how water flows through the environment and connects places; or the influence of environmental quality on the liveability of places
- Creating a map to show the spatial distribution and patterns of liveability, using computer mapping software
- Developing a map to show the spatial distribution of measures of the liveability of their own place, or a selected hydrological hazard in another region of the world
- Using aerial images of contrasting places to identify differences in housing density
- Using graphs, weather maps and satellite images to examine the temporal and spatial patterns of a selected hydrological hazard
- Interpreting various types of maps (for example, weather, isopleth, topographic, political, thematic, diagrammatic)
- Using digital maps and overlays of an area to observe, describe and contrast the spatial associations of geographical phenomena (for example, the relationship between economic activities and river systems and the availability of surface water)
- Reviewing the results of an analysis to propose an answer to an inquiry question, using as an organiser at least one of the concepts of place, space, environment, interconnection, sustainability, scale or change
- Presenting a report, supported by graphic representations, to communicate a reasoned argument (for example, to propose actions to ensure future water security)
- Reflecting on personal values and attitudes and how these influence responses to an issue (for example, the effect of perceptions of crime on liveability)
- Proposing actions to respond to geographical issues related to environmental and economic sustainability (for example, ensuring a sustainable supply of water, after considering the possible outcomes for different groups)

Year 7 / 7th Grade Civics & Citizenship:

- Exploring the concept of the separation of powers between the legislature, executive and judiciary and how it seeks to prevent the excessive concentration of power
- Using an issue such as water management, education or health to explore the division of powers between state/territory and federal levels of government and identifying the way that conflicts between state laws and federa laws are resolved
- Describing the different roles of the politicians
- Identifying the principles of representative and responsible government 
- Identifying the composition of the Legislature, the Executive, and the Judiciary
- Discussing how politicians are subject to the scrutiny of other politicians led by an officially recognised opposition
- Describing the process by which referendums to change constitutions are initiated and decided
- Discussing the advantages and disadvantages of having a Constitution that can only be amended by referendum
- Discussing the elements of a ‘fair trial’, including citizens’ roles as witnesses and jurors
- Exploring how citizens can receive access to justice and legal representation, such as through legal aid
- Discussing the meaning and importance of the rule of law, presumption of innocence, and burden of proof
- Defining the terms ‘secular’, ‘multi-faith’ and ‘diverse society’ and discussing their relevance today
- Identifying values shared by citizens and deciding which ones could also be considered universal values
- Identifying how human rights values are consistent with citizen's values
- Developing a key question such as ‘How does the law protect all individuals?’ and related questions to inform the investigation (for example, ‘What is the presumption of innocence?’)
- Considering current events to generate ideas for research
- Using a range of sources of information to show diversity, such as articles, graphs, charts and statistics
- Categorising information under headings that are the focus for research
- Analysing how information can be used selectively to persuade citizens (for example, in a debate about a suggested constitutional change)
- Evaluating data from a survey to draw conclusions about a current event or issue
- Identifying the influences or circumstances that may have informed different perspectives about a civics and citizenship issue
- Identifying where there is a common understanding or points of agreement in a discussion as a basis for resolving a conflict or differences
- Developing a plan of action that incorporates a consultation process to ensure a range of views are heard and people are provided with opportunities to respond
- Using appropriate terms and concepts such as rule of law, separation of powers and secular nation
- Using digital technologies and graphic displays for a specific audience, purpose and context (for example, to argue the case for a constitutional change)
- Recognising their own emotional reactions when interacting with people who are different from them
- Raising awareness of different perspectives (for example, about sustainability challenges)

Year 7 / 7th Grade Economics & Business:

- Investigating how consumers rely on businesses to meet their needs and wants
- Examining how businesses respond to the demands of consumers (for example, preference for healthy options, environmentally friendly packaging or organic food)
- Exploring why businesses might set a certain price for a product (for example, because that’s what they think consumers will pay) and how they might adjust the price according to demand
- Considering how consumers might influence producers in other countries, such as those in the Asia region, to provide goods and services
- Investigating the role and interactions of consumers and producers in the market (for example, using a simple circular flow of income model, demand, supply, price mechanism)
- Identifying ways short- and long-term personal financial objectives can be achieved, for example through developing a budget and having a savings plan
- Explaining the need for setting short- and long-term personal financial objectives and prioritising personal financial responsibilities and needs over wants
- Explaining how financial records such as income statements, balance sheets, budgets and cash flow statements inform business decision-making
- Exploring ways that businesses manage finances and plan in the short- and long-term to achieve organisational and financial objectives (for example, by developing a business plan or borrowing to invest in the business)
- Investigating successful entrepreneurs and identifying the behaviours and skills that they bring to their business (for example, seeing and taking advantage of an opportunity, establishing a shared vision; demonstrating initiative, innovation and enterprise)
- Observing local businesses to identify factors that contribute to their success (for example, location, quality of service, a high-quality product, sound management practices)
- Investigating the contribution that work can make to an individual (for example, earning an income, contributing to an individual’s self-esteem, contributing to the community, material and non-material living standards and happiness)
- Exploring different types of work such as full-time, part-time, casual, at home, paid, unpaid, unrecognised, volunteer
- Investigating alternative sources of income such as through owning a business, being a shareholder, providing a rental service
- Discussing the ways people who have retired from employment earn an income (for example, age pension, superannuation and private savings)
- Developing questions to form the basis of an economic or business investigation (for example, ‘Why do people work?’, ‘Why is it important to plan ways to achieve personal financial objectives?’, 'Why are consumers and producers reliant on each other?', 'How can a business achieve success in the market?')
- Identifying the steps needed for an investigation and the resources needed
- Identifying sources of data and information (for example, the Bureau of Statistics for information on types of employment (full-time, part-time, casual))
- Interpreting tables, charts and graphs containing economic or business data to identify trends (for example, to answer the question: ‘To what extent has the number of people in casual work increased?’)
- Using data to make predictions about future trends (for example, the trend of shopping online, trends in working hours or how people work)
- Examining the trade-offs involved in making choices about how to earn an income (for example, working as an employee or owning your own business)
- Identifying the costs and benefits associated with alternatives (for example, the costs and benefits of being an employee compared with being a business owner)
- Creating simple budgets to achieve specific financial goals and using digital and online tools to keep financial records in a ‘real-life’ context
- Applying enterprising behaviours to a class activity (for example, by taking on a leadership role in a project, establishing goals, accepting responsibility, and negotiating and working with others during the investigation)
- Identifying links between entrepreneurial behaviour and successful businesses
- Communicating findings in different formats such as graphs, tables, spreadsheets, visual displays and reports
- Using economics and business terms when presenting conclusions such as market, workforce, income, financial objectives, entrepreneurial behaviours and skills, costs and benefits
- Discussing the consequences of an economic or business decision, and reflecting on the effect of alternative actions


Year 8 / 8th Grade learners will cover the following:

Year 8 / 8th Grade History:

- Describing the way of life of people in the Ottoman Empire (for example, the role of the coffee house and bazaar or marketplace, the power and responsibility of the Sultan to ensure that justice was served within society)
- Describing Ottoman art and architecture (for example, the Selimiye Mosque in the city of Edirne in Turkey, and Islamic geometric design)
- Outlining the millet system that regarded non-Muslim people as subjects, but as not being subject to Muslim law
- Explaining the tolerance of the Ottomans towards Christians and Jews
- Investigating the achievements of individuals (for example, Selim I in establishing the empire and capturing Jerusalem; or Suleiman the Magnificent in expanding the empire to Belgrade in Europe)
- Describing the way of life of people in Renaissance Italy (for example, the role of men in tending the fields or merchant shops, the influence of government in particular city-states, for example Naples – a monarchy, Florence – a republic)
- Describing the work of Leonardo da Vinci (for example, his artworks Mona Lisa and The Last Supper and inventions: a rudimentary helicopter and solar power); the work of Michelangelo (for example, the Sistine Chapel paintings, David, Pietà); the thinking of Copernicus (for example, astronomy – seeing the sun as the centre of the universe); and the invention of the printing press
investigating learning in the Renaissance period (for example, humanism, astrology, alchemy, the influence of ancient Greece and Rome)
- Explaining the influence of the Medici family in Florence as bankers and merchants, and their patronage of the arts
- Investigating the achievements of Galileo (for example, improvements in the telescope and his astronomical observations)
- Outlining the spread of Renaissance culture to England (for example, the rise of literature through Shakespeare)
- Locating Viking lands in Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway and Sweden)
- Describing the way of life of the Vikings (for example, living in a cold and harsh environment; the importance of farming and raids; the significance of honour in Viking warrior society)
- 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)
- Explaining the attacks on monasteries (for example, Lindisfarne (793 AD/CE) and Iona (795 AD/CE)), and reviewing the written accounts by monks that contributed to the Vikings' reputation for pillage and violence
- Explaining the survival of a heroic Iron Age society in Early Medieval Ireland, as described in the vernacular epics, and its transformation by the spread of Christianity; the influence of the Vikings; the Anglo-Norman conquest 
- Investigating the remains of Viking settlements (for example, Dublin (Ireland) and Jorvik (York))
- Outlining Erik the Red’s development of Viking settlements in Eastern and Western Greenland in 985 CE
- Comparing the artefacts discovered at L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland (Canada) with Viking artefacts as possible evidence that the Vikings had discovered America 500 years before Christopher Columbus
- Describing the structure of feudal society (for example, the role and responsibilities of the king, nobles, church, knights and peasants)
- Describing the features of castles and churches of the period (for example, Warwick Castle in England and Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris) as examples of the Church’s power in terms of its control of wealth and labour
- Researching inventions and developments in the Islamic world and their subsequent adoption in the Western world
- Recognising that the medieval manuscripts of monastic scribes contributed to the survival of many ancient Greek and Roman literary texts
- Examining the nature of illuminated manuscripts and how they were the product of a complex and frequently costly process
- Listening to the Gregorian chants of Western Christianity and exploring how they reflect the nature and power of the Church in this period
- 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
- Explaining why Charlemagne was a significant figure in Medieval Europe, such as his expansion of the Frankish kingdom and his support of the Church
- Describing the way of life in the Khmer Empire through stone carvings and the writings of the Chinese Ambassador Zhou Daguan (for example, in relation to fishing, trading in markets, temple construction)
- Explaining how being revered as the ‘god-king’ or ‘deva-raja’ enabled the Khmer kings to rule over the empire with absolute authority, thereby enhancing their ability to mobilise manpower to defend the empire as well as to invade neighbours
- Describing the main features of the water management system at Angkor (for example, the extensive use of reservoirs and canals)
- Exploring theories about the decline of the Khmer civilisation (for example, the development of an unstable climate such as drought and monsoons; the rise of Theravada Buddhism; the breakdown of Angkor’s water management system)
- Describing the way of life in feudal Japan under the shoguns (for example, ‘bushido’ – the chivalric code of conduct of the samurai that emphasised frugality, loyalty, mastery of martial arts, and honour)
- Describing the relationship between the emperor, shogun, daimyo (lords), samurai (warriors), workers (for example, farmers, artisans and traders)
- Explaining reasons for Japan’s closure to foreigners under the Tokugawa Shogunate and the impact of US Commodore Perry’s visit in 1853
- Investigating the demand for available land and the patterns of land use in the period
- Outlining the attempts by the Tokugawa Shogunate to curb deforestation (for example, imposing heavy regulations on farmers; managing the harvesting of trees; and using new, lighter and more efficient construction techniques)
- Describing internal pressures in shogunate Japan (for example, the rise of a commercial class at the expense of the samurai, peasant uprisings such as Osaka 1837, and famine)
- Describing the increasing exposure to Western technology and ideas (for example, the establishment of a naval school with Dutch instructors, the translation of Western books)
- Evaluating the significance of the Meiji Restoration of 1868 AD (CE) that restored imperial rule to Japan
- Locating Polynesia on a map, tracing the expansion of Polynesian settlers throughout the Pacific, and considering how they made their journeys
- Outlining different theories about the expansion (for example, west/east and east/west movement, the expansion as accidental versus intentional)
- Describing the way of life of Easter Island (Rapa Nui) society (for example, fishing by the men, links between the household and the extended clan through the exchange of goods, wives and labour; the use of stone tools)
- Investigating the construction of the moai (giant statues) on Easter Island (Rapa Nui), the techniques used to make and transport them, and theories about their meaning (for example, representations of dead ancestors or chiefs)
- Researching the extinction of the moa in New Zealand as a result of hunting and habitat decline
- Explaining the significance of Rahui as a way of prohibiting the collection of resources, to ensure their sustainability
- Evaluating the evidence for theories about the deforestation of Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
- Describing the nomadic nature of Mongol life and the rise of Temujin (Genghis Khan) who united all Mongol tribes in 1206 AD (CE)
- Outlining Genghis Khan’s use of decimal organisation in his army and his policies for governing his empire (for example, codifying laws, banning the killing of animals in the breeding season, supporting religious freedom and expanding trade)
- Mapping the expansion of the Mongol empire across Asia and Europe
- Describing the way of life in Mongolia and its incorporation into Chinese life (for example, agriculture – domestication of animals such as horses, camels and cattle; food – dried meat and yoghurt; and housing – yurts)
- Explaining the role of the Mongols in forging connections between Europe and Asia through conquest, settlement and trade (for example, the use of paper money and coinage; the growing number of European merchants travelling to China)
- Examining life in China before, during and after the Mongol conquest
- Investigating living conditions in London in the fourteenth century (for example, the lack of sanitation, crowded housing); the extent of medical knowledge (for example, based on Hippocrates’ theory); and beliefs about the power of God (for example, that diseases were a punishment of God)
- Mapping the spread of the Black Death (Asia, Africa, Europe) in the fourteenth century CE
- Explaining reactions to the Black Death (for example, the emergence of flagellants – those who would whip themselves to be free of sin – and the persecution of Jewish people)
- Using studies of church records from the period to identify the effect of the Black Death on human populations and to consider the reliability of these statistics
- Investigating the effects of the Black Death on society (for example, labour shortages, peasant uprisings, the weakening of feudal structures and increased social mobility)
- Categorising the effects of the Black Death as either short term or long term and drawing conclusions about the severity of the Black Death
- Describing the social organisation of the Aztecs (for example, nobility, slaves); their beliefs (for example, worship of a number of gods and the need to make human sacrifices to appease these gods); life in the capital city Tenochtitlan
- Explaining the arrival of Spanish conquistadores in Mexico and Peru from 1510 AD (CE) (Balboa) to 1531 (Pizarro), and their reasons (for example, seeking wealth, claiming land for their king, converting the local populations to Christianity, sense of adventure)
- Describing encounters between Hernán Cortés and the Aztecs, as well as the siege of Tenochtitlan
- Investigating the impact of conquest on the indigenous populations of the Americas (for example, the introduction of new diseases, horses and gunpowder) and the wider world (for example, the introduction of crops such as maize, beans, potatoes, tobacco and chocolate from the Americas to Europe and increased wealth in Europe)
- Explaining the longer-term effects of conquest and colonisation on the indigenous populations of the Americas (for example, the unequal distribution of land and wealth; slavery; and political inequality)
- Placing historical events in sequence to identify broader patterns of continuity and change (for example, the Polynesian expansion across the Pacific; the stability of the Angkor/Khmer Empire over many centuries)
- Understanding the different meanings of particular terms and concepts when viewed in their historical context, such as feudalism in medieval Europe and Japan
- Experimenting with different words/phrases/historical concepts, when drafting a question, to develop a research focus
- Posing a key question such as: ‘Why did Easter Island (Rapa Nui) society decline?’ and identifying related questions to inform the inquiry (for example, ‘What evidence is there?’ ‘What theories have been developed?’)
- Compiling a list of different sources needed in an inquiry and their possible locations
- Explaining how clues within a source can be used to identify where it was made or who it was made by (for example, the place where it was found, the materials used, the condition of the object, decorative features)
- Creating categories to organise the information obtained from sources
- Designing a table to list sources and the aspects of the past about which they provide information (for example, social structure, economy, governance)
- 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 fact (for example, ‘The Moai were constructed on Easter Island (Rapa Nui)’) and opinion or interpretation (for example, ‘The Moai on Easter Island (Rapa Nui) are representations of gods’)
- Describing the values and attitudes revealed by a source (such as an individual account) and using additional sources to show how they are broadly representative of the values and attitudes of the society
- Using scaffolds illustrating the structural and language features of particular text types (for example, descriptions and explanations) to create a text that communicates specific findings about the past
- Creating an oral presentation, supported by audiovisual material, to recount the life of Temujin (Genghis Khan) and to explain his contribution to the Mongol world

Year 8 / 8th Grade Geography:

- Identifying different types of landscapes (for example, coastal, riverine, arid, mountain and karst) and describing examples from around the world, including Antarctica
- Identifying some iconic landscapes in the world, and describing what makes them iconic
- Describing some of the different types of landforms within a landscape
- Exploring the names, meanings and significance of landform features 
- Discussing the representation of landscapes in literature, song/music, film and art
- Analysing the role of geomorphic landforms and landscapes in tourism (for example, the Grand Canyon in the USA or Uluru in Australia)
- Exploring the multilayered meanings associated with landscapes and landforms 
- Discussing the significance of landforms for people
- Describing the influence of folding, faulting or volcanism on a chosen landform
- Researching the effects of rock type, weathering, erosion by water and wind, and transportation and deposition on the chosen landform
- Analysing the effects of erosion and sedimentation produced by human activities, including farming and recreation, on landscape quality
- Examining the effects of mining and quarrying, and urban development, on landscape quality
- Describing the effects of river regulation including dams, locks, channel straightening and drains, on riverine and wetland landscape quality
- Investigating the effects of the built elements of environments (for example, urban development, marinas and sea walls) on coastal landscape quality
- Investigating the ways introduced plants or animals or activities such as mining affect landscape quality 
- Identifying different views about the value of particular environments and about the nature and extent of their protection, and discussing how this links to ideas about environmental sustainability
- Investigating a significant landscape that is threatened by human activities and developing a proposal for the future of the landscape that takes account of the views of the diverse groups with an interest in its use or protection
- Investigating the negative and positive impacts of bushfires on landscapes and ways of responding to the risk and events of bushfires
- Investigating the natural causes and spatial distribution of a geomorphological hazard (for example, volcanic eruption, earthquake, tsunami, landslide, avalanche)
- Discussing the extent to which human alteration of environments has contributed to the occurrence of the geomorphological hazard
- Describing how the effects caused by geomorphological hazards are influenced by social and economic factors (for example, where people choose to live, poverty, and lack of infrastructure and resources to prepare and respond)
- Researching how the application of principles of prevention, mitigation and preparedness minimises the harmful effects of geomorphological hazards or bushfires
- Discussing urbanisation as a shift in where, how and why people live where they do
- Exploring the connections between urbanisation and economic and social opportunities
- Examining how urbanisation can positively or negatively affect environmental quality (for example, carbon emissions and water consumption)
- Researching the causes of urban concentration (for example, the history of European settlement, migration, the export orientation of the economy, the centralisation of state governments, environmental constraints and the shape of transportation networks)
- Investigating the relationship between population density and proximity to urban centres
identifying and explaining the main types, patterns and trends of internal migration (for example, employment, lifestyle and retirement migration)
- Examining the effects of resource development on employment growth in both the resource regions and the cities, and on internal migration 
- Investigating the effects of the ‘fly-in fly-out’ phenomenon on resource-development places
- Identifying and explaining the patterns of temporary and permanent internal migration in China and the effects on the places of origin and destination
- Examining the role of labour migration in the urban development of China (for example, the growth of Shenzhen, Guangdong Province)
examining the environmental problems of megacities (for example, air pollution in Beijing)
- Identifying and explaining the main types and patterns of international migration (for example, permanent migration, temporary labour migration, student migration, forced migration (including refugees) and family reunion)
- Investigating where and why international migrants settle and how this may reinforce urban concentration
- Examining the forecasts for the size of major cities and regional urban centres, and discussing the implications for their environmental sustainability and liveability
- Investigating ways of managing the projected growth of cities and regional urban centres
- Exploring the arguments for and against a more balanced distribution of the urban population
- Generating ideas on how to decentralise urban population 
- Developing questions on an area of focus in the geographical knowledge and understanding strand (for example, about types of landforms or reasons for urban settlements)
- Developing questions about the significance of a spatial distribution (for example, the positive and negative effects of the spatial concentration of population)
- Planning an investigation of the processes responsible for the geographical phenomenon being studied, at a range of scales (for example, the causes and consequences of urbanisation)
- Using a range of methods including digital technologies to plan and conduct an information search about reasons for and effects of internal migration 
- Gathering relevant data from a range of primary sources (for example, from observation and annotated field sketches, surveys and interviews, or photographs) about the ways to protect significant landscapes
- Collecting geographical information from secondary sources (for example, topographic maps, thematic maps, compound column graphs and population pyramids, reports, census data, digital images and the media)
- Conducting ethical research methods
- Constructing tables and graphs of demographic or economic data 
- Creating annotated diagrams to show a landscape and its landforms
- Developing a statistical map to show demographic or economic data using mapping software
- Creating a map showing geomorphological features by using data or demographic statistics from census data, using a spatial technologies application
- Using the Global Positioning System (GPS) to make a map of the features of a landform
- Creating a map showing geomorphological features
- Analysing spatial distributions to infer relationships and suggest possible causes and effects
- Interpreting topographic maps and digital terrain models, cross-sections or block diagrams to investigate landforms and their features
- Analysing trends in internal migration 
- Reviewing the results of an analysis to propose and defend answers to an inquiry question, emphasising at least one of the geographical concepts of place, space, environment, interconnection, sustainability, scale or change
- Presenting a report, supported by spatial technologies, to communicate a reasoned argument (for example, to advocate for actions to ensure that landscapes and seascapes can be managed sustainably for use by future generations)
- Reflecting on the inquiry process and suggesting questions that would be suitable for further investigation
- Reflecting on personal values and attitudes and how these influence responses to an issue (for example, the protection of landscapes)
- Proposing actions to respond to geographical issues related to environmental and economic sustainability (for example, urbanisation)

Year 8 / 8th Grade Civics & Citizenship:

- Explaining how each freedom supports active participation in a democracy
- Discussing how and why ‘the bounds of law’ can limit these freedoms
- Considering the circumstances that can lead to dissent in a democracy
- Debating how to manage situations when rights and freedoms are in conflict (for example, whether it should be a matter for parliaments or judges to resolve)
- Comparing the effectiveness of different forms of participation in a democracy
- Exploring how elected representatives can advocate on behalf of citizens
- Investigating examples where citizens have taken direct action such as organising a public demonstration or social media campaign
- Analysing how opinion polls are conducted and the ways they are used in democratic debate
- Exploring the different ways that citizens can participate in and support democracy through their working lives, such as by serving in the armed services or as a reservist, teaching, representing their country abroad as a diplomat or aid worker, or joining the police service or the public service
- Comparing some examples of statutes and common laws and the way they are made and outlining the hierarchy of these different types of laws (for example, that statutes will override the common law)
- Distinguishing statutory and common law from executive law (delegated law) and identifying how politicians can disallow delegated legislation
- Discussing examples of recent laws passed through parliaments that enact government policy
- Explaining the difference between criminal law and civil law
- Developing complex and open-ended questions to explore a civics or citizenship topic such as ‘freedoms’ (for example, ‘What do our freedoms mean in practice?’ and ‘What do you consider to be the most important freedom?’)
- Identifying sources offering different perspectives on an issue 
- Collating a list of different sources of information and prioritising the list based on an assessment of usefulness and reliability
examining language choices in a range of texts to identify purpose, audience and reliability (for example, those used by candidates in an election campaign or by a lobby group)
- Using empathy to appreciate the influences or circumstances that may have informed different perspectives
- Recognising assumptions in their own and other people’s thinking when mediating differences
- Participating in a simulation to achieve consensus (for example, a mock court case or parliamentary committee)
- Working in groups to evaluate the options before deciding on any course of action (for example, to influence change relating to a current event or issue)
- Using appropriate terms and concepts such as ‘freedoms’, ‘responsibilities’, ‘statutory law’ and ‘customary law’
creating material for public distribution with a specific purpose and context 
- Considering how personal experiences and circumstances influence their identity as a citizen and how they relate to others
- Considering the factors that shape the way they meet their responsibilities as a citizen (for example, where they live)

Year 8 / 8th Grade Economics & Business:

- Identifying who is involved in the market system and explaining how the market operates through the interactions of the participants (for example, household, business, finance, and government sectors)
- Identifying different types of markets that operate such as retail markets, labour markets, financial markets, stock markets
- Explaining how the interaction between buyers and sellers influences prices and how markets enable the distribution and allocation of resources (that is, how do businesses answer the questions of what to produce, how to produce and for whom to produce?)
- Identifying examples of government involvement in the market through reallocation of resources, regulation of economic activity or redistribution of income (for example, providing some types of goods and services not being provided sufficiently by the market, such as health care)
- Identifying reasons government intervenes in the market (for example, to improve economic performance and remedy market failure)
- Distinguishing the difference between rights and responsibilities and creating a list of the rights and responsibilities of consumers and businesses 
- Investigating the ways the rights of consumers are protected through the law (for example, warranties, cooling off periods)
- Identifying examples of how businesses are required by government to protect the safety of consumers (for example, mandatory and voluntary standards, product safety recalls)
- Discussing different financial and economic decisions that consumers and businesses make
- Comparing different forms of business ownership (for example, sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, cooperative, franchise)
- Explaining why a person or group of people would choose to establish one type of business rather than another
- Exploring different external factors that influence business opportunities, such as government and government policy, competitors in the market, demographics, technological innovations in production processes and product design, economic conditions, globalisation, and changing social attitudes and trends of the target market
- Identifying examples of the different ways businesses respond to opportunities in the market (for example, developing a new product to satisfy demand, changing the way they deliver their products or services to consumers)
- Exploring different internal factors that influence business opportunities, such as the product, location, resources, management and business mindset including the ability to be adaptable and demonstrate enterprising behaviours and skills
- Investigating present influences on the ways people work, such as technological change, outsourced labour in the global economy, rapid communication changes, casualisation of the workforce
- Identifying changes to the workforce over time, such as the jobs available, the way individuals or communities value particular work, career length and human resource development, changing demography, corporate social responsibility and sustainability practices, changes to workplace laws
- Predicting changes to work in the future and possible outcomes (for example, ‘What could be the effect of a changing attitude to work–life balance or the decline of some industries?’)
- Developing targeted questions to form the basis of an investigation of an economic or business issue or event (for example, ‘How are the prices of products determined through the interaction of participants in the market?’, 'How are consumers' rights and responsibilities protected when they make purchasing decisions?')
- Devising the steps needed for an investigation and modifying as required
- Organising and categorising data and/or information (for example, constructing a table showing the differences between types of businesses)
- Accessing reliable information (for example, from departments of fair trading) to access advice on the rights and responsibilities of consumers and businesses, or finding information on strategies to resolve consumer and business disputes
interpreting data in tables, charts and graphs to identify relationships (for example, correlations between the location of groups and access to work opportunities)
- Identifying opportunities in the market for a business and proposing alternative ways to take advantage of these
- Undertaking a cost-benefit analysis of alternative ways for a business to respond to opportunities in the market and making a decision about which one to recommend
- Applying informed decision-making skills to familiar and new situations (for example, helping the family decide what products they need to purchase during the week)
- Applying enterprising behaviours to everyday activities (for example, by taking on a leadership role in a project, accepting responsibility for decisions made, or setting a goal for the week and developing a plan to achieve it)
- Demonstrating an understanding of their rights as consumers when buying an item or returning it to the store
- Constructing appropriate displays of information and data to show trends and relationships (for example, preparing a data show which includes visual displays including graphs and charts as well as text to present findings and conclusions)
- Developing different presentations for different audiences such as peers, businesses or the public, and for different purposes (for example, to persuade or inform)
- Using economics and business terms and concepts such as interdependence, market economy, market system, price setting, outsourcing, business ownership, rights and responsibilities
- Discussing and reflecting on the consequences of a proposed action, and those of the alternative actions