Identifying Interpretations

For students, it can be quite difficult to understand that studying history is not simply a pursuit of truth about the objective facts of the past, but rather a process of using evidence to actively interpret it, and of analysing and evaluating the interpretations of others. Under the Australian Curriculum review the emphasis on identifying secondary interpretations is increasing. With teachers already experiencing workload intensification and change fatigue, continuing to share resources to support the collegiality of our profession feels like a moral imperative. Below is an activity I use during the Year 9 World War I unit to help students identify different interpretations of the causes of World War I. This is essentially dipping our toes into historiography, and links to the historical inquiry cycle can be found in a previously shared post.

This resource can be downloaded at: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1sFNpiDj-KJ8mTVHjdFLzcG_Nut6HA6fS/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=107513981931805366529&rtpof=true&sd=true