Year 9 Content Descriptions - Knowledge and understanding

Civics and Citizenship

Our democratic rights

The role of political parties, and independent representatives in Australia's system of government, including the formation of governments

How citizens' choices are shaped at election time (e.g. public debate, media, opinion polls, advertising, interest groups, political party campaigns)

How social media is used to influence people's understanding of issues

The key features of Australia's court system and the role of a particular court (e.g. a supreme court, a magistrates' court, the Family Court of Australia) and the types of cases different courts hear

How courts apply and interpret the law, resolve disputes, and make law through judgements (e.g. the role of precedents)

The key principles of Australia's justice system, including equality before the law, independent judiciary, and right of appeal

The factors that can undermine the application of the principles of justice (e.g. bribery, coercion of witnesses, trial by media, court delays)

Economics and Business

Australia and the global economy

The role of the key participants in the Australian economy, such as consumers, producers, workers and the government

Australia's interdependence with other economies, such as trade and tourism, trade links with partners in the Asia region, and the goods and services traded

Why and how participants in the global economy are dependent on each other, including the activities of transnational corporations in the supply chains and the impact of global events on the Australian economy

Why and how people manage financial risks and rewards in the current Australian and global financial landscape, such as the use of differing investment types

The ways consumers can protect themselves from risks, such as debt, scams and identity theft

The nature of innovation and how businesses seek to create and maintain a competitive advantage in the market, including the global market

The way the work environment is changing in contemporary Australia and the implication for current and future work

Geography

Biomes and food security

The distribution and characteristics of biomes as regions with distinctive climates, soils, vegetation and productivity

The ways that humans in the production of food and fibre have altered some biomes (e.g. through vegetation clearance, drainage, terracing, irrigation)

The environmental, economic and technological factors that influence crop yields in Australia and across the world (e.g. climate, soils, landforms, water resources, irrigation, accessibility, labour supply, agricultural technologies)

The challenges to food production, including land and water degradation, shortage of fresh water, competing land uses, and climate change for Australia and the world

The effects of anticipated future population growth on global food production and security; the capacity for Australia and the world to achieve food security; the implications for agriculture, agricultural innovation and environmental sustainability

Geographies of interconnections

The perceptions people have of place, and how this influences their connections to different places

The way transportation, and information and communication technologies are used to connect people to services, information and people in other place

The ways that places and people are interconnected with other places through trade in goods and services, at all scales

The effects of people's travel, recreational, cultural or leisure choices on places, and the implications for the future of these places

History

The ancient to the modern world

Overview:

• The important features of the modern period (1750-1918) including technological change, Imperialism and Nationalism

Depth study 1 : Investigating the Industrial Revolution (1750-1914)

The technological innovations that led to the Industrial Revolution, and other conditions that influenced the industrialisation of Britain (e.g. the agricultural revolution, access to raw materials, wealthy middle class, cheap labour, transport system, and expanding empire) and of Australia

The population movements and changing settlement patterns during the Industrial Revolution

The experiences of men, women and children during the Industrial Revolution, and their changing way of life

The short-term and long-term impacts of the Industrial Revolution, including global changes in landscapes, transport and communication

Depth study 2: Investigating World War I (1914-1918)

The causes of World War I and the reasons that men enlisted to fight in the war

The places where Australians fought and the nature of warfare during World War I, including the Gallipoli campaign

The impact of World War I, with a particular emphasis on Australia, such as the use of propaganda to influence the civilian population, the changing role of women and the conscription debate

The commemoration of World War I, including debates about the nature and significance of the ANZAC legend