HUMANITIES

YEAR 7 HISTORY - ANCIENT CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM EXHIBIT

As part of their studies on various ancient civilisations, Year 7 History classes spent one morning in June turning the A block into a museum. This formed the basis of their final learning task in History, and helped to develop their skills in source analysis. Here are some stories about the amazing displays they created:

China

My form (7J) learned about the civilization of ancient China for the History Exhibit task. For many weeks we all worked hard and put a lot of effort into our projects and luckily it all paid off. 

My group looked into the Chinese myth/legend of the creation of the universe, represented as a book made during the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 B.C.E) depicting the story of Pangu and the four creatures of the universe who supposedly were gods who created life on Earth. The four mythical creatures, The Azure Dragon of the East, The Vermillion Bird of the South, The White Tiger of the West and The Black Tortoise of the North all helped Pangu with this task to establish the boundaries of Heaven and Earth also known as the Yin and Yang, Heaven being Yang and Yin being Earth.

Lachie Cravino Year 7

Rome

My form (7H) worked on the illustrious civilization of Ancient Rome for our Ancient Civilizations exhibit. My group and I made a small model of the famous Roman Colosseum, aka the Flavian Amphitheatre, complete with excited spectators in the stands! We built it over the course of four (give or take) lessons and, although we encountered some obstacles such as some of us needing to attend music lessons, we managed to pull it off using nothing but simple paper, PVA glue, and popsicle sticks! 

My favourite part of this task was probably getting to unleash my creativity and get my hands dirty. I also learned loads of interesting facts not only about the Colosseum, but also about the Flavian Emperors who had a role in the construction of the Colosseum and that a mock sea battle once took place on the Colosseum’s grounds. It really was a fascinating experience getting to know more about the famous Ancient Romans. 

Qolbi Kamila Year 7

Indus

My class (7B) had the topic of the Indus Valley civilization. This project was super fun and interesting so I'm very glad that we got to do this. My group and I made this amazing artefact! It was a broken down Harappan home. The fence was broken, with holes in its roof. It was made of cardboard, tape and paint. My favourite part of this task was seeing everything come together and working with new people I would probably never work with. 

It all just starts off with researching, coming up with ideas, typing down the poster, making the artefact then finally, the finished product. Even though it took around 3-4 classes I felt like it came along pretty quickly. In the end I learnt HEAPS but one of the coolest things that I learnt was that no one actually knows how the Harappan civilization disappeared, it’s a mystery that probably in 100 years people still won’t know.

Milla Francis Year 7

Greece

My group had the topic of art and culture from ancient Greece. We decided to make an Apollo pot from ancient Greece. We added drawings of Gods, swans and many more ancient beliefs and we made it look old by using tea bags. My favourite part of this task was learning about how people lived back then compared to how we live now. Something I learned from this project was that ancient Greeks would represent their wars and all their achievements by painting them on a pot using liquid clay.

Charlotte Davis Year 7

A big thank you to all Year 7 History students for their amazing work as well as their teachers, Mr Jhoomun, Ms Plavsic and Mr Machin. Another big thank you to all the families that supported these students to plan and construct their displays. 

William Lee

History Teacher

JUNIOR GEOGRAPHERS OUT AND ABOUT

In Term Two, all of the Year 8 Geography students went on an excursion to Birrarung Marr (the traditional name for the Yarra River). We ventured through the landmarks of Melbourne with pen and paper, scribbling away vigorously in our booklets as we tried to keep up with our teachers. We learned about lots of sites and their historical significance, as well as touring around locales that are considered founding figures for our life today.

In the lead up to the trip, we were bubbling with excitement in class as we researched urbanization, migration patterns and the future of our own Australian cities - which led to us being inclined and prepared (mostly) to lead a successful journey. We documented our experience in our booklets, which not only educated us on the symbolic historical figures around us, but also asked questions about where we were, making us inquisitive about our surroundings.

Before a filling lunch at Southgate, we walked across Sandridge Bridge, where thousands of immigrants first basked in the fresh Melbourne air. We chose two countries to research across the bridge, scribbling rows of data into our booklets, and scrambling to finish before a light sprinkle of rain hit. After touring around Alexandra Gardens and finishing the last of our work, we headed back to Flinders St Station, where we hurried back on the train home. Overall, the trip was a refreshing break from our normal school routine, and an event anticipated for its rightful role in opening our eyes to our marvellous city, and the culture that we have created to surround it.

Luckshya Mohan Year 9

On Wednesday 3 May, our Year 9 class took a trip to the South Melbourne Market. The South Melbourne Market is filled with Fruit and Vegetable stands, bakeries, clothing stores, food stalls and many more. The purpose of our visit was to collect data, engage with the public and survey people from the market about why they were there, where they’d come from and what they had bought, and to find out about the origin of products in multiple stores. The experience was one truly unlike any other. From the colourful stores to the vibrant atmosphere, our class found our way around the market and enjoyed a day outside of our normal classes. 

Upon arrival, our teachers handed out booklets and we were given two hours to explore the market and complete our assignment. We were then given time to find a place to eat lunch and take in the busyness and excitement of the people walking through the aisles. We then returned to school after a fantastic excursion to the South Melbourne Market.

Overall, the field trip our class of Year 9 Geography took was inspiring and will never be forgotten. We learnt that not only do people visit the market very often but tourists even visit it because they have heard so much about it.

Isabella Ruthven, Katya Blutman, Linnea Eriksen and Mikayla Silver Year 9