Year 7 Content Descriptions - Knowledge and understanding
Content Descriptions
Civics and Citizenship
Designing our political and legal system
The purpose and value of the Australian Constitution
The concept of the separation of powers between the legislature, executive and judiciary and how it seeks to prevent the excessive concentration of power
The division of powers between state/territory and federal levels of government in Australia
The different roles of the House of Representatives and the Senate in Australia's bicameral parliament
The process for constitutional change through a referendum and examples of attempts to change the Australian Constitution by referendum, such as the successful vote on the Constitution Alteration (Aboriginals) 1967 or the unsuccessful vote on the Constitution Alteration (Establishment of Republic) 1999
How Australia's legal system aims to provide justice, including through the rule of law, presumption of innocence, burden of proof, right to a fair trial, and right to legal representation
How citizens participate in providing justice through their roles as witnesses and jurors
Economics and Business
Producing and consuming
How consumers rely on businesses to meet their needs and wants
How businesses respond to the demands of consumers (e.g. responding to preference for healthy options, environmentally friendly products and packaging, organic food)
Why businesses might set a certain price for a product and how they might adjust the price according to demand
Characteristics of entrepreneurs, including the behaviours and skills they bring to their businesses (e.g. establishing a shared vision; and demonstrating initiative, innovation and enterprise
Why individuals work (e.g. earning an income, contributing to an individual's selfesteem, material and non-material living standards, happiness)
Different types of work (e.g. full-time, parttime, casual, at home, paid, unpaid, volunteer)
How people derive an income and alternative sources of income (e.g. owning a business, being a shareholder, owning a rental service)
The ways people who have retired from employment earn an income (e.g. age pension, superannuation, private savings)
Geography
Water in the world
The classification of environmental resources (renewable and non-renewable)
The quantity and variability of Australia's water resources compared with those in other continents
Water scarcity and what causes it, why it is a problem and ways of overcoming water scarcity (e.g. recycling, stormwater harvesting and reuse, desalination, interregional transfer of water, reducing water consumption) including studies drawn from Australia, and one from West Asia or North Africa
Place and liveability
The factors that influence the decisions people make about where to live and their perceptions of the liveability of places
The influence of accessibility to services and facilities on the liveability of places
The influence of environmental quality on the liveability of places
The strategies used to enhance the liveability of places, especially for young people, including examples from Australia and Europe
History
The ancient world (Egypt, Greece, Rome, India, China)
Overview:
- The location of the ancient civilisations
- The timeframe of the ancient civiIisations
Depth study 1 : Investigating the ancient past
How historians and archaeologists investigate history, including excavation and archival research
The range of sources that can be used in an historical investigation, including archaeological and written sources
The importance of conserving the remains of the ancient past, including the heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
Depth study 2: Investigating one ancient society (Egypt, Greece, Rome, India, China)
The physical features and how they influenced the civilisation that developed there
Roles of key groups in the ancient society, and the influence of law and religion
The significant beliefs, values and practices of the ancient society, with a particular emphasis on one of the following areas: everyday life, warfare, or death and funerary customs
The role of a significant individual in the ancient society's history