Domain: The Humanities − History
Levels: AusVELS A to D
Final Version
AusVELS Levels A to D
Level A: Beginning to Explore
At this level students experience a range of learning activities that will assist them to attend to and explore the world around them with as much independence as possible. Experiences are designed to move students from a pre-intentional level of responding (such as from experiencing to reacting) to a level where the response indicates the beginning of intentionality (for example, responding). Students will need high levels of coactive support and focused attention from the teacher to help them initiate and refine their responses. Students demonstrate some awareness and recognition of familiar people and routine activities.
Level B: Active Exploration
Students at this level become less reliant on high levels of coactive support and become more reliant on verbal prompts and gestures to facilitate their learning. They begin to explore their world independently and engage in simple cause-and-effect play activities. Students are able to focus on structured learning activities for short periods of time. They respond to familiar people and events and begin to use ‘yes/no’ responses.
Level C: Intentional Participation
Students at this level are less dependent on coactive support and respond more consistently to prompts and simple clear directions from the teacher to support them in their learning. They are displaying the first signs of independence and becoming more peer focused. Students participate in structured learning activities with others and they begin to use pictures, photos and objects to communicate personal interests and experiences. They start to use and link some familiar words and images to form a meaningful communication.
Level D: Building Independence
With teacher support and curriculum scaffolding, students at this level participate cooperatively in group learning activities. They express their feelings, needs and choices in increasingly appropriate ways and combine and sequence key words and images to communicate personal interests and to recount significant experiences. They are beginning to understand social rules and expectations, and are beginning to reflect on their own behaviour.
Level A
Personal Present History
The curriculum at Level A to Foundation level provides a study of personal and family histories. Students learn about their own history and that of their family; this may include stories from different cultures and other parts of the world. As participants in their own history, students build on their knowledge and understanding of how the past is different from the present. At Level A the focus is on the present.
The content provides opportunities to develop historical understanding through key concepts, including continuity and change and cause and effect. These concepts may be investigated within a particular historical context to facilitate an understanding of the past and to provide a focus for historical inquires.
The history content at this level involves two strands: Historical Knowledge and Understanding and Historical Skills. These strands are interrelated and should be taught in an integrated way; they may be integrated across learning areas and in ways that are appropriate to specific local contexts. The order and detail in which they are taught are programming decisions.
A framework for developing students’ historical knowledge, understanding and skills is provided by inquiry questions.
The key inquiry questions at this level are:
· What is my name and what do I look like?
· What people are familiar and support me?
· What objects are familiar to me?
Level A Content Descriptions
Historical Knowledge and Understanding
Personal and Family Histories / ElaborationsWho they are and what they look like (ACHHK001a) / · experiencing their reflection and image through video and photos
· exploring and reacting to their own reflection in a mirror, e.g. smiling, watching their movements, reaching towards it
· reacting to images of self
· exploring elements of self, such as hands, hair colour, hands, eyes etc.
· identifying an image of self from other images
The people in their family (ACHHK002a) / · experiencing special and routine events with family members and significant people
· experiencing stories, film and personalised multimodal texts that address family structure and special events of self, peers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other cultures
· reacting to personally significant adults and immediate family members
· reacting to a family page or book
· identifying significant adults in their life
· using images and objects to identify significant adults, family members and events they share
Commemorate significant events (ACHHK003a) / · experiencing significant events and using senses to explore objects used to celebrate these, such as cake, balloons, music
· reacting to elements of a significant cultural events, e.g. aboriginal music, dance, multimedia story during NAIDOC Week celebrations
· demonstrating an awareness of places of personal significance in their local community, e.g. smiling when passing or entering a familiar park, shopping centre or pool
· participating in significant commemorative and cultural events of their family, school and community through preparation activities and celebration, e.g. footy day, Anzac Day, Easter
How stories about them can be communicated, for example in photographs and multimedia (ACHHK004a) / · experiencing significant artefacts from their life, e.g. music, a film, objects, toys, books, clothes, character
· experiencing personally significant events through the use of images and stories which capture and retell these events, e.g. video, PowerPoint about footy day, school camp
· experiencing stories about self and family with peers and experiencing the stories of others, such as family holiday
· reacting to sensory elements of artefacts and multimodal stories about them
· exploring and recognising personally significant objects
· recognising stories about self, for example, selecting an image, object or story that is from a limited field and represents a well-known story
Historical Skills
Chronology, terms and concepts / ElaborationsRecognise personally significant objects (ACHHS015a) / · experiencing objects and sounds associated with events
· using senses to explore objects used for specific events and celebrations
· exploring and reacting to objects associated with personally significant events and times of their life
· reacting to personally significant objects
· exploring objects and indicating if they like or dislike the object by accepting or rejecting it
· identifying and selecting preferred objects and events from a field of up to three choices
· viewing various multimodal texts and stories, pictures and images that identify personally significant objects of their own
React to people and objects (ACHHS016a) / · experiencing events that have specific people and objects, e.g. Art, Physical Education
· experiencing language associated with the present and the recent past, such as ‘now’, ‘next’, ‘today’ and ‘finished’, through everyday situations and stories
· reacting to changes in their environment
· reacting to regular visitors and programs
· responding to signals that indicate the passing of time associated with daily routine activities, e.g. lunch box at lunchtime, hat on head before going outside, arrival of specialists teacher
Historical questions and research / Elaborations
Experience images of self using sources provided (ACHHS017a) / · experiencing the construction of multimodal text about them
· experiencing personal significant events in sequence through images and multimedia texts
· viewing multimodal text that identifies them in the recent past and present
· reacting to and recognising reflection and images of self
Analysis and use of sources / Elaborations
Explore a range of sources about the present (ACHHS018a) / · experiencing interesting features of objects and photographs connected to them
· reacting to significant objects
· reacting to images of self and familiar adults
· exploring significant objects, familiar people and objects associated with regular activities and events
· identifying significant objects by selecting them or reacting to images and texts that they are captured within
Explore objects from the past and present (ACHHS019a) / · experiencing personally significant objects from the past and present
· exploring objects and their characteristics in structured situations
· selecting or rejecting items based on personal preference
· viewing various videos, multimedia texts, stories, objects and images that identify objects of the present
· distinguishing between personally significant objects and those of their peers
Perspectives and interpretations / Elaborations
Explore a point of view (ACHHS020a) / · experiencing their own and their peers’ life stories and significant events and objects
· experiencing the construction of a document that captures significant stories and events about them, e.g. video, slideshow, PowerPoint, tactile story book
· experiencing the purpose and elements involved in significant school, family and cultural events
· accepting personally significant adults into the classroom to communicate about their past
· reacting to stories and recounts about them
Explanation and communication / Elaborations
Experience narratives about the past (ACHHS021a) / · experiencing retellings of significant events within their community, family and school life through multisensory experiences and texts
· experiencing the construction of a narrative about a recent significant event
· viewing various text and representation of their family, life and significant events
Use gesture, facial expression and verbal communication (ACHHS022a) / · accepting and rejecting objects, people and events through their actions
· using digital technologies and senses to learn about themselves, family and their own past and present
Level A Achievement Standard
By the end of the Level A, students identify personally significant people and objects. They participate and react to significant events, which are commemorated.
Students react to stories, images and representations of familiar events and stories about them.
Level B
Personal and Present Family History
The curriculum at Level A to Foundation Level provides a study of personal and family histories. Students learn about their own history and that of their family; this may include stories from different cultures and other parts of the world. As participants in their own history, students build on their knowledge and understanding of how the past is different from the present. At Level B the focus is on present and recent history.
The content provides opportunities to develop historical understanding through key concepts including continuity and change, cause and effect and significance. These concepts may be investigated within a particular historical context to facilitate an understanding of the past and to provide a focus for historical inquires.
The history content at this level involves two strands: Historical Knowledge and Understanding and Historical Skills. These strands are interrelated and should be taught in an integrated way; they may be integrated across learning areas and in ways that are appropriate to specific local contexts. The order and detail in which they are taught are programming decisions.
The key inquiry questions at this level are:
· What people are part of my immediate family?
· What stories do other people have about my recent past?
· How can stories and events of my present and recent past be told and shared?
Level B Content Descriptions
Historical Knowledge and Understanding
Personal and Family Histories / ElaborationsWho the people in their immediate family are (ACHHK001b) / · identifying the different members of their immediate family
· assisting to create simple texts that identify the people in their immediate family and their name, for example choices from a limited field images for a PowerPoint presentation or slideshow
· matching images of self and immediate family members that are ‘the same’
· recognising the names of immediate family members
The structure of their immediate family (ACHHK002b) / · viewing images of their family both past and present
· using images and stories to explore their family structure
· learning the terms used for immediate family members such as mother, mum, father, sister
· sharing and experiencing stories about their immediate family, its members and structure, and viewing stories about their peers’ families
· learning the names and titles for family member in their immediate family
Awareness of significant commemorative events and ways they can assist with preparation (ACHHK003b) / · investigating different events by experiencing stories and exploring related objects and images
· using images and stories to investigate an event, its history, objects and characteristics of these celebrations
· assisting to prepare for a significant event, for example being supported to make a hat for an Easter bonnet parade, or a card or gift for Father’s day
· celebrate significant cultural and commemorative events at community, school and home
· observing the construction and use of a class calendar that counts down and commemorates the events of students, their family and the community
How stories about them and their family can be communicated, for example in photographs and digital media (ACHHK004b) / · sharing own family stories
· assisting in the construction of personal and class texts about events, celebrations and family by selecting images or objects to be used in text
· viewing text and retelling about significant personal, commemorative and cultural events
· viewing stories about the families of their peers
Historical Skills
Chronology, terms and concepts / ElaborationsRecognise a significant event from images, photographs, or objects (ACHHS015b) / · exploring objects associated with significant events and activities
· exploring events and the sequence of activities that occur during it
· viewing stories of significant events and activities
· identifying objects in photos that represent major artefacts for that significant event, for example cake, flag
· experiencing the use of chronological language to discuss events and activities such as ‘finish’, ‘next’, ‘then’, ‘past’, ‘present’, ‘finished’, ‘now’, ‘then’
· recognise a photo, image or object from a recent event or activity
Indicate what event was first in a routine daily event (ACHHS016b) / · following simple now and then schedule
· identifying what is next in a familiar regular routine or classroom visual schedule, for example pointing to the image that represents the next activity
· following and assisting to construct simple timetables using images or objects that reflect regular daily events
· completing regular daily routine events in sequence, such as unpacking a bag, getting a lunch box out for morning tea
Historical questions and research / Elaborations
Answer questions about their immediate family using sources provided (ACHHS017b) / · answering simple questions about their immediate family and self by indicating an object or image from a field of two to three choices
· answering simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions about their immediate family using objects and images
Analysis and use of sources / Elaborations
Explore a range of sources about the present (ACHHS018b) / · assisting to create and view various multimedia texts related to them, their family, recent events
· experiencing a range of sensory texts that explore recent events and the associated objects and elements
· exploring objects and elements used during events, such as balloons, streamers, candles etc.
Explore features of objects from the past and present (ACHHS019b) / · exploring personally significant toys and objects from their past and present
· sharing and assisting to sort significant toys and objects from their past and present
· viewing texts or slideshow presenting significant objects fin chronological order from a person’s past and present
Perspectives and interpretations / Elaborations
Explore a point of view (ACHHS020b) / · exploring stories about the same personally familiar event from different sources, such as class-constructed text, text from another class, retelling from an adult, slideshow or video
· hearing or experiencing stories about shared classroom experiences from different people and using different sources
· exploring the reason and elements of significant family and cultural events
Explanation and communication / Elaborations
Assist to construct a narrative about a shared past event (ACHHS021b) / · assisting in jointly constructed narratives about own life and past events by selecting images, objects or sequence of events from a limited field
· selecting images and objects to be used in personal texts
· using a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response to confirm choices during jointly constructed narratives
Use a range of communication forms (oral, objects, visual and gesture), communication system and digital technologies (ACHHS022b) / · indicating choices from a limited field
· answering ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions related to self and personally significant events
· using objects and images to communicate their choices, wants and needs
· gaining and maintaining attention to communicate a need, want or emotion
Level B Achievement Standard