How We Teach The Humanities
The Humanities Key learning area provides a framework for students at Western Port Secondary College to study people’s interaction with each other in different places at different times and considers society’s interaction with its physical surroundings. We have concentrated on high interest topics and the development of good life skills to assist students when they leave school.
Year 8
Students undertake one semester of Medieval History (mainly European) looking at such topics as the Viking Invasions, the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th Century and life at this time, the Crusades and the Reformation. The other semester concentrates on developing mapping skills, studying weather and climate and natural and physical disasters.
Year 9
Students undertake one semester of Australian History with selected topics to show how Australia developed in terms of social, political and cultural structures and traditions. Significant events are studied in this unit including European occupation of Australia, the arrival of the First Fleet, the discovery of gold and WW1 events at Gallipoli.
The “Sand and Surf” semester unit concentrates on coastal geomorphology and coastal management with emphasis on the Cape Schanck Field trip. Other case studies include the preservation and management if the Great Barrier Reef.
The unit on “Law and Politics” gives students an understanding of Australia’s political and legal system with emphasis on laws relevant to young people, for example, legal rights and obligations, juvenile crime, criminal law and civil law.
There is also a unit in the “Be Real Game”, a role playing game that students work through to develop the skills if job application, work, budgeting and technological change for the 21st century.
Year 10
Basic business and accounting skills are studied at this level, incorporating information technology. These are designed to prepare students for VCE courses. There are also elective units in 20th Century History and Endangered Species.