Year 10 SyllabusTest

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Year 10 Syllabus

Year Level Description

In Year 10 Humanities and Social Sciences consists of Civics and Citizenship, Economics and Business, Geography and History.

Students develop increasing independence in critical thinking and skill application, which includes questioning, researching, analysing, evaluating, communicating and reflecting. They apply these skills to investigate events, developments, issues and phenomena, both historical and contemporary.

Students continue to build on their understanding of the concepts of democracy, democratic values, justice, and rights and responsibilities by exploring Australia's roles and responsibilities at a global level and its international legal obligations. They inquire in to the values and practices that enable a resilient democracy to be sustained.

Students are introduced to the concept of economic performance and living standards while continuing to further their understanding of the concepts of making choices, interdependence, specialisation, and allocation and markets through examining contemporary issues, events and/or case studies delving into the reasons for variations in the performance of economies. They explore the nature of externalities and investigate the role of governments in managing economic performance to improve living standards. They inquire into the ways businesses can manage their workforces to improve productivity.

The concepts of place, space, environment, interconnection, sustainability and change continue to be developed as a way of thinking, through an applied focus on the management of environmental resources and the geography of human wellbeing at the full range of scales, from local to global and in a range of locations.

Students develop their historical understanding through key concepts, including evidence, continuity and change, cause and effect, perspectives, empathy, significance and contestability. These concepts are investigated within the historical context of the modern world and Australia from 1918 to the present, with an emphasis on Australia in its global context.

Knowledge and understanding

Civics and Citizenship

Justice at home and overseas

The key features and values of Australia's system of government (e.g. democratic elections, the separation of powers) compared with one other system of government in the Asia region, such as China, Japan, India or Indonesia (ACHCK090)

Australia's roles and responsibilities at a global level (e.g. provision of foreign aid, peacekeeping, participation in international organisations, such as the United Nations) (ACHCK091)

The role of the High Court, including interpreting the Constitution (ACHCK092)

The international agreements Australia has ratified and examples of how they shape government policies and laws (e.g. the protection of World Heritage areas, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) (ACHCK093)

The threats to Australia's democracy and other democracies, such as the influence of vested interests, organised crime, corruption and lawlessness (ACHCK094)

The safeguards that protect Australia's democratic system and society, including shared values and the right to dissent within the bounds of the law (ACHCK094)

Economics and Business

Economic performance and living standards

Indicators of economic performance (e.g. economic growth rates, unemployment trends, inflation rates, human development index, quality of life index, sustainability indexes) and how Australia's economy is performing (ACHEK050)

The links between economic performance and living standards, the variations that exist within and between economies and the possible causes (e.g. foreign investment, employment rates and levels of debt) (ACHEK051)

The distribution of income and wealth in the economy and the ways in which governments can redistribute income (e.g. through taxation, social welfare payments) (ACHEK051)

The ways that governments manage the economy to improve economic performance and living standards (e.g. productivity policy, training and workforce development policy, migration), and to minimise the effects of externalities (e.g. regulation) (ACHEK052)

Factors that influence major consumer financial decisions (e.g. price, availability and cost of finance, marketing of products, age and gender of consumers, convenience, ethical and environmental considerations) and the short-term and long-term consequences of these decisions (ACHEK053)

The ways businesses organise themselves to improve productivity (e.g. provision of training, investment in applications of technology, use of just-in-time inventory systems) (ACHEK054)

Ways that businesses respond to improved economic conditions (e.g. increasing their research and development funding to create innovative products, adjusting marketing strategies to expand their market share) (ACHEK054)

Geography

Environmental change and management

The human-induced environmental changes that challenge sustainability (e.g. water and atmospheric pollution, degradation of land, inland and coastal aquatic environments) (ACHGK070)

The environmental worldviews of people and their implications for environmental management (ACHGK071)

Select one of the following types of environments as the context for a comparative study of an environmental change for Australia and one other country:

  • land 
  • inland water 
  • coast 
  • marine 
  • urban 

The causes and likely consequences of environmental change being investigated (ACHGK073)

The strategies to manage the environmental change being investigated (ACHGK074)

The application of environmental, economic and social criteria in evaluating management responses to the change being investigated (ACHGK075)

Geographies of human wellbeing

The different ways of measuring and mapping human wellbeing and development, and how these can be applied to measure differences between places (ACHGK076)

The reasons for spatial variations between countries in selected indicators of human wellbeing (ACHGK077)

The issues affecting the development of places and their impact on human wellbeing, drawing on a study from a developing country or region in Africa, South America or the Pacific Islands (ACHGK078)

The role of international and national government and non-government organisations' initiatives in improving human wellbeing in Australia and other countries (ACHGK081)

History

The modern world and Australia

Overview:

  • The inter-war years between World War I and World War II, including the Treaty of Versailles, the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression (ACOKFH018)

Depth study 1: Investigating World War II (1939–1945)

The causes and course of World War II (ACDSEH024)

The experiences of Australians during World War II, such as prisoners of war (POWs), the Battle of Britain, Kokoda and the fall of Singapore (ACDSEH108)

The impact of World War II, with a particular emphasis on the Australian home front, including the changing roles of women and use of wartime government controls (e.g. conscription, manpower controls, rationing, censorship) (ACDSEH109)

An examination of significant events of World War II, including the Holocaust and use of the atomic bomb (ACDSEH107)

Depth study 2: Investigating rights and freedoms (1945–the present)

The origins and significance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including Australia's involvement in the development of the declaration (ACDSEH023)

The background to the struggle of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples for rights and freedoms before 1965, including the 1938 Day of Mourning and the Stolen Generations (ACDSEH104)

The US civil rights movement and its influence on Australia (ACDSEH105)

The significance of one of the following for the civil rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples: 1962 right to vote federally; 1967 referendum; reconciliation; Mabo decision; Bringing Them Home Report (the Stolen Generations); the Apology (ACDSEH106)

Methods used by civil rights activists to achieve change for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and the role of one individual or group in the struggle (ACDSEH134)

Humanities and Social Sciences skills

Questioning and researching

Identify current personal knowledge, gaps, misconceptions, currency of information, personal perspective and possible perspectives of others (WAHASS79)

Construct, select and evaluate a range of questions and hypotheses involving cause and effect, patterns and trends, and different perspectives (WAHASS80)

Analyse and clarify the purpose of an inquiry using appropriate methodologies, ethical protocols and concepts to plan for, and inform, an investigation (WAHASS81)

Use a range of methods to collect, select, record and organise relevant and reliable information and/or data from multiple sources that reflects the type of analysis of information that is needed (e.g. questionnaires, surveys, emails, discussion lists, tables, field sketches, annotated diagrams), with and without the use of digital and spatial technologies (WAHASS82)

Identify the origin, purpose and context of primary sources and/or secondary sources (WAHASS83)

Use appropriate ethical protocols, including specific formats for acknowledging other  people's information and understand that these  formats vary between organisations (WAHASS84)

Evaluating

Draw evidence-based conclusions by evaluating information and/or data, taking into account ambiguities and multiple perspectives; to negotiate and resolve contentious issues; to propose individual and collective action in response to contemporary events, challenges, developments, issues, problems and/or phenomena (WAHASS90)

Critically evaluate information and/or data and ideas from a range of sources to make generalisations and inferences; propose explanations for patterns, trends, relationships and anomalies; predict outcomes (WAHASS91)

Communicating and reflecting

Select a range of appropriate formats based on their effectiveness to suit audience and purpose, using relevant digital technologies as appropriate (WAHASS92)

Develop texts, particularly explanations and discussions, using evidence from a range of sources to support conclusions and/or arguments (WAHASS93)

Deconstruct and reconstruct the collected information and/or data into a form that identifies the relationship between the information and the hypothesis, using subject-specific conventions, terminology and concepts (WAHASS94)

Compare evidence to substantiate judgements (e.g. use information and/or data from different places or times; use tables, graphs, models, theories) (WAHASS95)

Generate a range of viable options in response to an issue or event to recommend and justify a course of action, and predict the potential consequences of the proposed action (WAHASS96)

Reflect on why all findings are tentative (e.g. the changing nature of knowledge, changes in circumstances, changes in values) (WAHASS97)

Analysing

Use criteria to analyse the reliability, bias, usefulness and currency of primary sources and/or secondary sources (WAHASS85)

Analyse information and/or data in different formats (e.g. to explain cause and effect relationships, comparisons, categories and subcategories, change over time) (WAHASS86)

Account for different interpretations and points of view/perspectives in information and/or data (e.g. from tables, statistics, graphs, models, cartoons, maps, timelines, newspapers) (WAHASS87)

Analyse the 'big picture' (e.g. put information and/or data into different contexts, reconstruct information by identifying new relationships, identify missing viewpoints or gaps in knowledge) (WAHASS88)

Apply subject-specific skills and concepts in familiar, new and hypothetical situations (WAHASS89)

Achievement standard

At Standard, students construct a range of questions and hypotheses involving cause and effect, patterns and trends, and different perspectives. They use a range of methods to select, record and organise relevant information and/or data from multiple sources. When interpreting sources, students identify their origin and purpose, and draw conclusions about their usefulness. They examine sources to compare different points of view/perspectives and describe different interpretations. Students analyse information and/or data to identify simple patterns, trends, relationships and/or change over time. They draw evidence-based conclusions, using information and/or data to consider multiple perspectives and/or to propose action in response to contemporary challenges. Students develop a range of texts appropriate to the type of discussion and/or explanation required. They use subject-specific terminology and concepts, and provide evidence from a range of sources to support conclusions, and acknowledge these sources.

Students describe key features of the Westminster system and Australia’s democratic values. They make comparisons between Australia’s democracy and the political system of one other country. Students identify the international agreements Australia has ratified, and make connections between these agreements and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. They explain how Australia’s democracy, and other democracies, may be undermined, and identify the safeguards that protect Australia’s democratic system.

Students use economic indicators to analyse the economic performance of the Australian economy. They describe how government policy is used to manage the economy and improve economic performance and living standards, including the redistribution of income and wealth. Students describe how businesses respond to changing economic conditions, and explain how the different sectors in the economy are interdependent.

Students describe how the places in which people live influence their wellbeing and opportunities. They describe the interconnections between people and natural environments, and compare how the characteristics of places and natural environments can be influenced, changed and managed by people over time. Students predict the consequences of the changes, and describe the alternate views on strategies to sustainably manage a geographical challenge.

Students identify the causes and effects of World War II and the development of people’s rights and freedoms, describing their significance from a range of perspectives. They refer to key events, the actions of individuals and groups, and beliefs and values, to explain patterns of change and continuity over time. Students describe different interpretations of the past, and identify the evidence used to support these interpretations.



Year Level Description

In Year 10 Humanities and Social Sciences consists of Civics and Citizenship, Economics and Business, Geography and History.

Students develop increasing independence in critical thinking and skill application, which includes questioning, researching, analysing, evaluating, communicating and reflecting. They apply these skills to investigate events, developments, issues and phenomena, both historical and contemporary.

Students continue to build on their understanding of the concepts of democracy, democratic values, justice, and rights and responsibilities by exploring Australia's roles and responsibilities at a global level and its international legal obligations. They inquire in to the values and practices that enable a resilient democracy to be sustained.

Students are introduced to the concept of economic performance and living standards while continuing to further their understanding of the concepts of making choices, interdependence, specialisation, and allocation and markets through examining contemporary issues, events and/or case studies delving into the reasons for variations in the performance of economies. They explore the nature of externalities and investigate the role of governments in managing economic performance to improve living standards. They inquire into the ways businesses can manage their workforces to improve productivity.

The concepts of place, space, environment, interconnection, sustainability and change continue to be developed as a way of thinking, through an applied focus on the management of environmental resources and the geography of human wellbeing at the full range of scales, from local to global and in a range of locations.

Students develop their historical understanding through key concepts, including evidence, continuity and change, cause and effect, perspectives, empathy, significance and contestability. These concepts are investigated within the historical context of the modern world and Australia from 1918 to the present, with an emphasis on Australia in its global context.

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