Year 7 History Concept maps

Students are asked to describe the effects of First Nations Australians’ technological achievements on land and water management and daily life.

Plan the formative assessment
Design the formative assessment
Collect evidence
Analyse and interpret evidence
Make responsive decisions

What does the curriculum tell you students need to learn?

Formative assessment design starts with the content description and uses the achievement standard to clarify what students are learning, where they are starting and what the learning is building towards.

By the end of Year 7, students describe the historical significance of the ancient past and the histories of early First Nations Peoples of Australia. They identify the causes and effects of events, developments and achievements connected to groups and individuals in Australia and other societies from the ancient past. Students describe the social, religious, cultural, economic, environmental and/or political aspects related to changes and continuities in these societies. They identify the roles and achievements of significant individuals and groups, and the influences on the development of ancient societies. Students explain the importance of heritage sites connected to Australia and other societies from the ancient past.

Students develop questions about the past. They locate and identify primary and secondary sources as evidence in historical inquiry. They describe the origin, content, context and purpose of primary and secondary sources. Students identify the accuracy and usefulness of sources as evidence. They sequence events and developments to describe causes and effects, and continuities and changes across societies and periods of time. They describe the perspectives, attitudes and values of the past in sources. They identify and describe historical interpretations about significant events and people. Students use historical knowledge, concepts, terms and evidence from sources to create descriptions, explanations and historical arguments.

Content descriptions:

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the technological achievements of early First Nations Australians, and how these developed in different places and contributed to daily life, and land and water source management

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describe causes and effects, and explain continuities and changes

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sustainable use and management of renewable and non-renewable resources, including the custodial responsibility First Nations

Australians have for Country/Place

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the influence of people, including First Nations Australians and people in other countries, on the characteristics of a place

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present descriptions and explanations, drawing ideas, findings and viewpoints from sources, and using relevant terms and conventions

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the causes and effects of European contact and extension of settlement, including their impact on the First Nations Peoples of Australia

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continuities and changes and their effects on ways of life and living conditions, political and legal institutions, and cultural expression around the turn of the 20th century in Australian society

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create descriptions, explanations and historical arguments, using historical knowledge, concepts and terms that incorporate and acknowledge evidence from sources

What type of assessment will give you the evidence you need?

This section shows the design decisions made using the formative assessment design framework to develop the assessment. It shows how the assessment is aligned to the formative focus, aim, timing and evidence.

Formative focus

Can students describe the effects of First Nations Australians’ technological achievements on land and water management and daily life?

Step 1: Identify the thinking

The thinking for students to demonstrate in this formative assessment is to describe.

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To describe is to give an account of a situation, event, pattern or process. When describing, the writer or speaker must consider whether the target audience will be able to understand the description.

Effective description, particularly description that includes complicated ideas, may require identifying relationships.

Before students can describe, they need to identify the technological achievements.

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Step 3: Clarify the curriculum language

Key terms clarify the expectations for students when describing the effects of First Nations Australians’ technological achievements.

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In Year 7 History, First Nations Australians’ technological achievements refer to pre-colonial developments in science and technology.

This might include:

use of materials such as stone, wood, plant fibre and ochre
modification of landscapes, including cultural burning practices and the development of weirs and irrigation systems
food production including hunting and fishing techniques, agriculture, aquaculture, harvesting, grinding and storing
housing techniques including temporary and permanent structures to suit different climates and conditions.

First Nations Australians is an encompassing term acknowledging the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and recognising their status as the original inhabitants of Australia.

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Step 2: Choose the learning focus

The specific aspect of the content students will apply the thinking to is First Nations Australians’ technological achievements.

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For this formative assessment, the focus is checking whether students can describe the effects of First Nations Australians’ technological achievements on land and water management and daily life.

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Step 4: Confirm where students are starting

To design targeted formative assessment, it helps to clarify how this content builds on the learning from the previous year.

The sequence of curriculum content indicates this should be continuing learning from Year 4 and 5 HASS F-6 curriculum content.

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In Years 4 and 5, students learnt about the diversity of First Nations Australians, their social organisation and connection to Country/Place, along with the impact of British colonies upon their lives. Students have looked at resource management and sustainability for renewable and non-renewable resources.

The first step in expanding on existing knowledge and understanding is identifying First Nations Australians’ technological achievements and how these played a part in everyday lives.

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Aim

Check understanding of ideas, concepts or processes

Timing

Across the learning sequence

Evidence

Short responses

How will you capture and collate evidence of student learning?

This section shows the formative assessment and explains how it has been designed and implemented to capture evidence of student learning for a particular group.

Formative focus

Can students describe the effects of First Nations Australians’ technological achievements on daily life, land and water source management?

Summary of the formative assessment

This concept maps formative assessment gives teachers a quick snapshot of how students understand the causal relationship between First Nations Australians’ technological achievements and daily life, land and water source management. Teachers will identify individuals or small groups of students with gaps in knowledge and misconceptions who need follow-up learning.

Summary of the class in which this assessment was implemented

The class had been learning about the Deep time history of Australia. This includes the arrival of early First Nations Australians on the Australian continent, their social organisation and how First Nations Australians have responded to environmental processes and changes over time in their local area. Students had been building their skills around History, including historical perspectives and interpretations. They were developing their understanding of how different First Nations Australians groups applied innovative thinking in relation to their specific Place or Country and that not all technological achievements are present across all First Nations Australians groups.

Explore the assessment:

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Annotation

1. Students were given the concept map template.

2. Students brainstormed technological achievements as a class.

3. Students completed a short concept map about effects of First Nations Australians’ technological achievements. First, they categorised these technological achievements into one of 3 categories: daily life, land management, water source management. Next, students described the effects these achievements had within the category.

What does the evidence tell you about students’ learning?

This section shows how evidence of student learning was analysed and interpreted against the intended learning (formative focus) to inform the next steps in teaching.

Formative focus

Can students describe the effects of First Nations Australians’ technological achievements on daily life, land and water source management?

Data collection summary:

Table listing (left column) students unable to categorise technological achievements or describe their effects and (right column) students unable to substantially describe effects of technological achievements, with names listed under each category. The left column includes Simon K and Bella J, while the right column lists Daniel M, Ben S and Kayla F.

Understand the data record:

The teacher recorded the names of students who were unable to categorise the technological achievements independently or describe their effects.

The teacher recorded the names of students who were unable to substantially describe the effects of technological achievements.

Inferences about these students:

Most students easily categorised the technological achievements. Most students could describe the effects; however, to varying levels of detail.
Overall, the level of detail was reduced in the daily life category. After a quick clarification or discussion, students were able to develop their responses in this category.
2 students are identified as needing significant support.
3 students are identified as needing minor intervention or reteaching before moving forward.

How will insights from the evidence inform your next steps?

This section shows how evidence of student learning can be used to make responsive teaching decisions, adjust instruction and plan next steps.

Formative focus

Can students describe the effects of First Nations Australians’ technological achievements on daily life, land and water source management?

Explaining next steps

Students continue to progress through learning of Deep time history of Australia, including social organisation and cultural practices of early First Nations Australians. Students apply a range of skills to support their historical perspectives and interpretations.

Students who can

These students consistently and substantially described the effects of technological achievements across all 3 categories.

Students who are yet to

These students had difficulty describing the effects of technological achievements in enough detail and/or had trouble accurately categorising the achievements.