Excellent ezine article from Discover magazine on the impact of Spanish silver mining and refining on the environment in the early 1500s, as reflected in ice core samples. Great way to cover the Australian Curriculum cross curriculum priority of Sustainability in the topic of Spanish Conquest of the Americas. Highly readable, good photographs and a few activities linked to environmental impact of human activity.

Worksheet to accompany the video, History Summarized: The Persians. This 15-minute video is available on Youtube and is an overview of the area of Iran from Cyrus to the Arab invasion.

Worksheet to accompany the Timeline documentary, The Mystery of the Cocaine Mummies. The documentary investigates why Nineteenth Dynasty Egyptian mummies tested positive to nicotine and cocaine and how this could be when it has been widely accepted that these drugs were introduced to Europe after the discovery of the Americas in the late 1400s. The documentary provides an example of how human remains can be used to make significant scientific and historical findings. The video is available on Youtube. This resource is part of a unit of work on The Treatment and Display of Human Remains. NSW Ancient History Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum.

Analysis of ezine article by K. Kris Hirst, ‘Hochdorf Princely Seat.’ The article examines the contents of the Hochdorf grave, a Celtic grave dated to c.530-400 BCE and providing evidence of beer production, life of a chieftain and significant evidence of funerary practices.

Analysis of Paul Lewis’ article, ‘A Greek Treasure in France’ published in The New York Times. The article examines the contents of the Vix burial dated 500 BCE and containing items from Britain and Greece, providing evidence for Celtic trade, social structure and burial practices.

Analysis of article written by Owen Jarus posted on LiveScience , History of Ancient Sparta. The article is a basic overview of all things Spartan from the Mycenaean to the Roman period. There is nothing new here, but it is a basic narrative of the chronology of Laconia. This activity is designed for Stage 6 Higher School Certificate students of the Higher School Certificate. NSW Ancient History Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum. Historical societies - Option G. Greece - Spartan society to the Battle of Leuctra, 371 BCE.

Worksheet to accompany the documentary Secrets in the Dust. The film covers the Persian Empire under Cyrus II and Darius I, the initial discovery of Persepolis by Herzfeld and Krefler in the 1930s and more recent archaeological work by a team led by Amanda Dusting from Sydney University. The video is available on YouTube. This resource is part of a unit of work for Stage 6 Higher School Certificate students of the NSW Ancient History Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum. Historical periods: Option D Persia - Cyrus II to Darius III.

Analysis of artile from BBC News, Cyrus Cylinder: How a Persian monarch inspired Jefferson (author unstated). The article examines how Cyrus’ policy of freedom of worship was been the inspiration for Thomas Jefferson’s inclusion of this in the constitution of the U.S., and by extension to other modern states. This resource is part of a unit of work for Stage 6 Higher School Certificate students. NSW Ancient History Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum. Part IV - Historical Periods. Option D. Persia – Cyrus II to the Death of Darius III.

Article from the SBS Network World News site, Effects of WWI lingered long in Australia. Highly readable and detailed article on the political, economic and social impact of the war on Australia. Particularly interesting is the statement that Germany paid its last reparation payment to Australia as late as 1990! This resource is part of a unit of work on Australians in World War I, Depth Study 3: Australians at War. NSW History K-10 Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum.

Analysis of the 1945 speech by Australian Army Staff Sergeant G.G. Rickwood to the Rotary Club of Cessnock in which he narrates his experiences as a POW on the Thai-Burma Railway. Students analyse: Who gave the speech? What do we know about his background? Why did he deliver the speech? What was his purpose in giving the speech? Who was the audience? Where were they located? What was their reaction to the speech? What words and phrases would we now see as racist or antiquated? How would this language be received in 1945, when the speech was given? List the incidents that made this speech a “story of hardship and horror, of death, disease, and suffering.” What values, beliefs and humanitarian acts were displayed by the Australian and British POWs? Is mere survival and kindness enough in situations of extreme abuse?

Source-based activity, How did the Islamic Republic use state violence and coercion to maintain control, 1979-1989? This resource is part of a unit of work on Iran 1945-1989 for the Higher School Certificate course, NSW Modern History Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum.

Analysis of newspaper article written by James Nye and published in the Daily Mail, ‘The strange and mysterious Dr Glidden: Callous actions of archaeologist who raided hundreds of Native American graves to set up macabre museum remembered in California’. The article examines the amateur archaeologist, Ralph Glidden, his grave-robbing and unethical display of human remains for private profit. There is an interesting comparison of these issues from the 1920s to today. This resource is part of a unit of work The Treatment and Display of Human Remains.

Analysis of an article by Sam Jones, published in The Guardian Australia newspaper, Spain fights to dispel legend of Inquisition and imperial atrocities. The article looks at the “black legend” of Spain: atrocities in the conquest of the Americas and efforts to promote a more positive image of Spain’s past.

Analysis of the information video, The Praetorian Guard by DC History. Only the first 40 minutes deal with the nature and role of the Praetorian Guard during the Julio-Claudian period. It is particularly useful in meeting some of the required knowledge in: Higher School Certificate course. Section 3 - Personalities in their Times. Option J - Rome - Agrippina the Younger. Section 4 - Historical Periods. Option J - The Julio-Claudians CE 14-69. NSW Ancient History Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum.

Analysis of an ezine article by Guy de la Bédoyère entitled The emperor’s fatal servants. The article provides an overview of the nature and role of the Praetorian Guard, focusing on the Julio-Claudian period. It is particularly useful in meeting some of the required knowledge in: Higher School Certificate course. Section 3 - Personalities in their Times. Option J - Rome - Agrippina the Younger. Section 4 - Historical Periods. Option J - The Julio-Claudians CE 14-69. NSW Ancient History Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum.

Analysis of article from The Guardian Australia, Pompeii: Is this the best they can do with €105m?, written by Jonathan Jones. The article examines the delay in restoration works due to the need to screen companies against corruption and links to organised crime and the impact on tourism and restoration. Student activities are focused on analying these issues. The resource is part of a unit of work on Core Study: Pompeii and Herculaneum, Higher School Certificate course, NSW Ancient History Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum.

Ezine article from Wide Angle entitled Red Lines and Deadlines. Politics and the Press in Iran under the Pahlavis. The article details censorship and government control of the Iranian press under the Pahlavi Shahs. This resource is part of a unit of work for Stage 6 Higher School Certificate course. Part 2 - National Studies. Option H: Iran 1945–1989. NSW Modern History Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum.

Information report on the topic: What were Iran’s relations with the United States and Iraq before the 1979 revolution? How did these change after the revolution? This activity is fully scaffolded with advice on how to answer the question, how to identify the features and structure of an information report and a marking guide/rubric. This activity is designed for Stage 6 Higher School Certificate students of the NSW Modern History Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum. Part II - National Studies. Option H: Iran 1945–1989

Worksheet and video from Film Australia/Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Constructing Australia: Pipe Dreams. The video traces the economic development of the Colony of Western Australia/State of Western Australia by focusing on the largest piece of infrastructure work undertaken in the world in the period around 1900: the construction of the pipeline from Perth to the Goldfields. This resource is part of a unit of work, Making A Nation - Australia 1900-1914. NSW History K-10 Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum.

This is a primary and secondary documentary activity on Why did the Macedonians win the Battle of Chaeronea? Students sift the evidence to identify the planning, weapons and armour, battle tactics, leadership and other factors that resulted in Philip II defeating the alliance of central Greek states in the 338 BCE Battle of Chaeronea. The activity is designed for Stage 6 students of the Higher School Certificate. NSW Ancient History Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum. Personalities in their Times. Option G. Greece - Alexander the Great. It can also be used in the teaching of Historical Periods. Option G. 4th–Century Greece to the Death of Philip II.