History in the Time of the Coronavirus…

To my dear Year 7 students, cruelly exiled from high school after such a short visit 😕 ,

Actually, you are probably ecstatic to have an unexpected early holiday! Since I shall not be seeing you for quite some time now, I thought that I would put some handouts online about the Night of Notables and give you some options for notable people to consider (↓see the bottom of this post). More details will eventually be made available either here or under your Lesson Plans on Compass.

As I mentioned to you in class last week, it is a good idea 💡 to put all your thoughts about a possible notable person on the back-burner of your mind and let them simmer there for a while. Don’t make your decision too quickly. Instead, do some reading, think about which fields of human endeavour interest you most, and reflect on what what kind of person you yourself would like to be. This might help you to choose a notable person whose life and achievements will remain with you and continue to inspire you in the years to come.

Since we’ve been learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Cultures recently, I thought you might start this thinking process by considering some notable people within this group. The list provided below is just a starter. It could be far longer. Have a click and a wander through the possibilities.

 ♦ Add other suggestions for this list in a comment – or write to let  me know what you are doing during the shutdown. Use only your  first name and don’t forget to type the spam word. This proves to  robots that you’re not a robot. Sigh.

Take care of yourselves and your families!

Warm regards from Ms Green ♥ 


A Very Short List: Some Notable Choices Amongst the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples:

Eddie Mabo 
Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker) 
Joy Wandin Murphy 
William Barak
Arabanoo
Patyergarang 
Pemulwuy (suggested by Dharm, 7E)


Handout: Setting Out Your Poster and Creating Your Display


Read about my Night of Notables class in 2017 (including their comments)


 

Creating Your Own Personal History

It’s been a tough 3 weeks – but you have come through!

To my delightful Year 7 Students,

In the past three and a half weeks, you have been creating your own personal history. You have faced all sorts of new challenges and have coped with them all!

As I was reading your workbooks, I noticed how many of you used words such as “daunting”, “confusing”, “nerve-racking” and “stressful” to describe your situation and your feelings on your second day. Yet at the same time, many of you also expressed delight at all the new experiences of secondary school, including having such a range of subjects and teachers – and most of all, having many new friends.

Now that you have your own personal gadget, your trusty laptop (I hope it won’t let you down in moments of need), you can revisit what you wrote on your second day in History class and update it. Type a comment in which you look back at that “primary source” from Day 2. How do you feel different now?

We teachers, it may surprise you to learn, also feel a little anxious on the first day of every year, but it is always a pleasure to encounter a class like yours.

Warm regards from Ms Green

Becoming a Timelord

Dear History Students,

I hope that many of these speech bubbles will be filled with your words and your ideas!

Welcome to the subject of History and to your new year at school! I hope that you make new friends and enjoy all the experiences that our school has to offer. In particular, I wish you the very best in my class and I look forward to hearing your comments and reading your ideas about the past — and the present.

As you know, we have no choice but to experience our lives in chronological order, from birth to death. When we take on the role of historians, however, we can dip into the history of humankind at any time and in any place.

I like to imagine that, in this role, we all become rather like timelords who, even without a tardis or a time machine, somehow manage to wander into other societies where mysterious people lived. These people were like us, yet also different from us in intriguing ways. As historians, we encounter their suffering, their hopes and their dreams. In the process, we both discover their stories and enrich our own.

I hope you will enjoy this journey through space and time. The activities and the presentation below will introduce you to many vital details about history and prepare you for the adventure ahead.

Kind regards,

Roslyn Green

Materials, Links and Videos for Your First Experience as a Time Traveller

Presentation:

Handouts:

Online Quizzes and Activities:

Videos:

[embeddoc url=”https://year7historygr.edublogs.org/files/2019/07/Introduction-to-History-Year-7-2020.pdf” height=”500px” download=”all” viewer=”google” ]