Reservoir West Primary School

THE HUMANITIES

RESPONSIBILITY: Mr John Hill

This domain is taught by classroom teachers through theme-based units of work.

The Humanities in Prep to Year 10 involve the study of human societies and environments, people and their cultures in the past and the present. The Humanities provide a framework for developing in students the key ideas and concepts that enable them to understand the way in which people and societies have organised their world under particular conditions and made meaning of it.

The Humanities take as their subject matter human behaviour. They provide unique ways to understand how and why groups of people have settled where they have, organised their societies, developed means of generating and distributing wealth, developed codes, laws and belief systems, related to other groups of people and interacted with their physical environment.

The Humanities encourage use of research skills and inquiry processes. Students learn to plan an investigation and ask key questions. They question and analyse a range of data and sources including artefacts, photographs, maps, stories, special events, interviews, site visits and electronic media. They form conclusions supported by evidence and present information in a variety of ways.

The Humanities discipline is organised into four domains: The Humanities – (Levels 1–3)

• The Humanities – History (Levels 4–6)
• The Humanities – Geography (Levels 4–6)
• The Humanities – Economics (Levels 4–6).

During Levels 1 to 3, students are introduced to basic concepts related to history, geography and economics under a general umbrella of ‘The Humanities’. Each level includes a learning focus statement with standards introduced from Level 3. Specific learning focus statements and standards for Economics, Geography and History are introduced at Level 4.

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Standards in the Humanities are organised in two dimensions:

• Humanities knowledge and understanding
• Humanities skills.

Humanities Knowledge and Understanding

The Humanities knowledge and understanding dimension focuses on key humanities knowledge and concepts. Students learn about their immediate and local community and environment and are introduced to the history and geography of their country and the diversity of culture and environment. Through structured activities they learn the concepts of time – chronology and sequencing, change and continuity – and spatial concepts of location, distance, scale and distribution.

Humanities Skills

The Humanities skills dimension focuses on the development of basic inquiry skills including observation, the collection of various types of evidence, asking and answering questions about evidence and presenting information in a variety of ways.

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VICTORIAN ESSENTIAL LEARNING STANDARDS

This table outlines where a student is expected to be at a particular time in his/her educational journey. Most students will achieve the expected standard. Some will achieve to a higher standard. Some may not reach the expected standard.

Click to view a description of the behaviours that a student should display for Humanities at each progression point at Level 3

Click to view a description of the behaviours that a student should display for Economics, Geography and History at each progression point at Level 4.

A student’s achievement is reported to parents at June and December. Click for an explanation of the Report Card.

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