Year 9 History

The Australian Curriculum: Classroom Approaches history units were originally designed to align with Version 3 of the Australian Curriculum (2012) but have recently been updated to align with Version 9 (2024). The three units provide adaptable and scalable learning pathways that can be shaped for use in diverse classroom contexts, and hopefully provide inspiration for locally-developed units of work for other depth studies and areas of the curriculum. Click the "Download Year 9 Units" button to get a PDF of the units outlined below.

Year 9 Overview

The Year 9 units of work support a study of the history of the making of the modern world from 1750 to 1918. They address issues such as:

  • The nature and significance of the Industrial Revolution and how it affected living and working conditions, including within Australia.

  • The nature and extent of the movement of peoples in the period (slaves, convicts, and settlers).

  • The extent of European imperial expansion and different responses, including in the Asian region.

  • The emergence and nature of significant economic, social, and political ideas in the period, including nationalism.

Year 9 Units

UNIT ONE: A BETTER WORLD? (THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AND THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLES C.1750-1900)

  • Enduring Understandings/Big Ideas:

    • That people migrated in the late 18th and 19th centuries for a variety of complex reasons.

    • That class, race, and gender play a part in people’s capacity to control their own lives.

    • That dislocation and disconnection were common experiences for many people who moved from one continent to another in this period, regardless of the reason for their move.

    • That the movement of peoples from 1750-1901 has had far-reaching global consequences.

  • Performance Task: ‘A Current Affair’-style expose on the experience of slaves, convicts, or free-settlers.

  • Links to Australian Curriculum v9 Content Descriptions: AC9HH9K13, AC9HH9K14, AC9HH9K15, AC9HH9K16, AC9HH9K17, AC9HH9K18, AC9HH9S01, AC9HH9S02, AC9HH9S04, AC9HH9S05, AC9HH9S06, AC9HH9S07, AC9HH9S08

  • General Capabilities: Critical & Creative Thinking, Numeracy, Intercultural Understanding, Ethical Behaviour, Personal & Social Competence

UNIT TWO: A NATION IN THE MAKING (MAKING AND TRANSFORMING THE AUSTRALIAN NATION 1750-1914)

  • Enduring Understandings/Big Ideas:

    • That the establishment of the Australian nation was rooted in imperialism and colonialism.

    • That European settlement had a negative and far-reaching effect on ATSI peoples.

    • That Australian democracy has much in common with and some differences from other democratic systems.

  • Performance Task: Federation! The Musical

  • Links to Australian Curriculum v9 Content Descriptions: AC9HH9K01, AC9HH9K02, AC9HH9K03, AC9HH9K04, AC9HH9K05, AC9HH9K06, AC9HH9K07, AC9HH9S01, AC9HH9S02, AC9HH9S04, AC9HH9S05, AC9HH9S06, AC9HH9S07, AC9HH9S08

  • General Capabilities: Intercultural Understanding, Ethical Behaviour, Critical & Creative Thinking, Personal & Social Competence

UNIT THREE: THE GREAT WAR? (FIRST WORLD WAR, 1914-1918)

  • Enduring Understandings/Big Ideas:

    • The causes of war and reasons for a country’s involvement in war are complex and temporal.

    • Involvement in WWI shaped the young Australian nation in significant and enduring ways.

  • Performance Task: Panel presentation to an international conference on the significance and importance of the Gallipoli campaign.

  • Links to Australian Curriculum v9 Content Descriptions: AC9HH9K08, AC9HH9K09, AC9HH9K10, AC9HH9K11, AC9HH9K12, AC9HH9S01, AC9HH9S02, AC9HH9S04, AC9HH9S05, AC9HH9S06, AC9HH9S07, AC9HH9S08

  • General Capabilities: Ethical Understanding, Personal & Social Competence, Critical & Creative Thinking, Intercultural Understanding, Numeracy, Literacy, ICT Competence

Alternatively, if you prefer to create your own unit of work, please click the 'DIY Design Template' button below to download an attached Word document template.