Nelson History Essentials 1 is a text written to meet the curriculum requirements of the Victorian Essential Learning Standards in the Humanities domain specifically.
The student text offers the explicit teaching of History, with specialised Civics and Citizenship spreads incorporated into the chapters. The texts also incorporate the Interdisciplinary and Physical, Personal and Social strands from VELS, facilitating the practice of new skills and new ways of viewing the world in the discipline-based learning of History. A Domain Wheel alongside each set of activities highlights how different domains are integrated into the activities.
Through extensive research, the student text features the most popular topics taught in History for Level 5 of the VELS.
Chapter 1: What is history?
1.1 The ancient world
1.2 The work of the historian
1.3 The work of archaeologists
Chapter 2: Ancient Egypt
2.1 What is Egyptology?
2.2 Civics and citizenship: Power and authority in ancient Egypt
2.3 The Pharaoh as god
2.4 Nakht and Tjuli in their garden
2.5 Beliefs in life and death for kings and nobles
2.6 Life and death for the workers
2.7 The gods of Ancient Egypt
2.8 Everyday life
2.9 Art and belief
2.10 Medicine and magic
Chapter review
Rich task: Developing a museum exhibit
Chapter 3: Ancient Greece
3.1 Ancient Greece: An odyssey through the ages
3.2 Spotlight: The age of Pericles
3.3 Religion and spiritual beliefs
3.4 Sparta: Powerful city state
3.5 Everyday life in Athens
3.6 Greece: The birthplace of democracy
3.7 Civics and citizenship: Ancient Greece and Australia
3.8 Ancient Greek warfare
3.9 Spotlight: Homers Odyssey and Illiad - Heroes and legends
3.10 Lets get Physical!
3.11 Ancient Greece in todays world
3.12 Alexander the Great
Chapter review
Rich tasl: A research 'media' report
Chapter 4: Ancient Rome
4.1 Rome: The Mediterraneans ancient superpower
4.2 Civics and citizenship: The birth of the Roman Republic
4.3 Pompeii: Daily life frozen in time
4.4 Pompeii: Feasts and fashion
4.5 Women in ancient Rome
4.6 Slaves, Spartacus and the Colosseum
4.7 Julius Caesar: Analysing the sources
4.8 Civics and citizenship: Leadership
4.9 The mighty Roman army
4.10 What can we learn from Ancient Rome?
Chapter review
Rich task: Visual presentation of research
Chapter 5: Ancient China
5.1 Chinese civilisation
5.2 Early Chinese dynasties
5.3 Beliefs
5.4 The Qin (Chin) dynasty (221-206 BCE)
5.5 Language
5.6 Han dynasty (206 BCE-220AD)
5.7 Daily life
5.8 Martial arts
5.9 Chinese medicine
Chapter review
Rich task: An ancient Chinese menu and decorations
John Cantwell is Deputy Head of Senior School at Haileybury College. He is a very experienced and well respected author whos been an active participant in the history community for more than two decades, authoring and contributing to a range of student books from Junior to Senior level. John has also authored various publications for history associations around Australia and has been an active presence at history conferences and in teacher professional development for many years. Maryellen Davidson has worked developing history curriculum in Victoria for P10 and the VCE for many years. She is a former Vice President of the HTAV Board, has written a text on Australias Federation, and was a consultant on the Nelson History Essentials and Nelson Geography Essentials series. Annabel Astbury is the Head of Digital Education at ABC Innovation, managing projects for the Australian Curriculum website Splash. She taught History for many years and served as the Executive Officer of the History Teachers Association of Victoria. Agatha Fedrizzi is an experienced History teacher, having taught in both Catholic and government secondary schools. She is a former President of the HTAV. Patricia Hincks is the Curriculum Manager of Humanities for the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority (VCAA). She has worked on a range of national projects in Civics and Citizenship, History, and Values Education. She has been a contributing writer to a number of school publications in History, Values Education and Civics and Citizenship. Sarah Mirams has taught history in secondary and tertiary settings, worked as an education officer for cultural and heritage institutions, and has contributed to numerous textbooks for secondary students. Sarah is the author of Nelsons successful Twentieth Century History 19001945 for VCE Unit 1 and Twentieth Century History 19452000 for VCE Unit 2. She is also the author of Nelson Modern History titles, Civil Rights in the United States of America and co-author of Australia 1918-1950s, to be released next year. Sarah now works as an independent historian.
