My Family in History

By investigating our families' histories, we can gain a better understanding of modern history and how some of the big events, trends and changes of the past century have impacted real people who are known to us. The aim of this investigation is to learn more about the 20th Century (and on) through learning more about our families' histories.

First of all, draw up a family tree which includes three generations of you family - including grandparents, parents, and you and your siblings. (Note: you can use ancestry.com.au to do this for you neatly with all the data required.)

The research the effects of the following upon your family:

1. a major technological change that has changed the way we live or work.
2. a major event (e.g.: a war, a recession, a natural disaster).
3. migration, either from overseas or another part of Australia (and the reasons your family migrated).
4. social and/or cultural changes in society over time.

Then write up your findings explaining your family's history and how the above topics have effected your family.

(Remember! You are not required to discuss matters considered private or personal within your family. Use your judgement in what you include in your report.)

Change in the 20th Century

There was more change in the 20th Century than in any century previous to it. The Industrial Revolution combined with modern technology saw an exponential increase in the world's population, and for some, a dramatic increase in wealth and a change to lifestyles and culture.

Your task is to identify some of the key changes and symbols of the 20th Century. Provide a brief explanation (short answer response) of what changes were brought about by each.

You will research and describe:

1. 3 international conflicts (and name the warring nations, what they were fighting over and who claimed victory).
   
2. 3 inventions that changed the way people lived.
3. 3 big social or political changes that occurred in Australia.
   
4. 3 classic films or songs that changed the world.
5. 1 economic recession (when did it happen and what caused it?)
6. 1 fashion/trend that became popular for a whole generation.

Type these up in your blogs and discuss with your friends. When you get home on the weekend, ask your parents or grandparents about what it was like to live through these times.

Creative problem solving for a sustainable future

"We cannot solve today's problems on the same scale that they were created."

The threats facing humanity and the global environment have never been greater than they are today. But neither has our abilities and powers to deal with problems on such a large scale. The outcome is largely dependent upon how we, the human family, react to the problems that we face, and we will not need only technology, but ethics, creativity and imagination to overcome challenges on such a large scale.

Inspiration: Watch this presentation by Ken Robinson and consider what he has to say about how schools kill creativity? What do you think? How will you develop your creativity?



Above and beyond that, have you ever wondered what really makes us human beings happy? Professor of Psychology, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has and come to the well-researched conclusion that money and possessions cannot make us happy, and that lasting satisfaction only comes about through engaging in challenges that bring about a state of "flow".



The Task

You are to select a problem confronting the future of humanity that has a social, environmental, economic or political dimension. You need to and investigate this issue and devise a hypothesis as to what the main causes of this problem are and therefore, what the principle solutions must be. You may need to modify and adapt the investigation according to the nature of the evidence and the resources available. In outlining your solutions, you must demonstrate that your understanding that decisions on environmental, political and legal issues are influenced by and impact on natural, economic and social systems. Finally you need to analyse the validity and consistency of conclusions made by yourself or others according to the sufficiency of evidence gathered and avowed values positions.

Jack the Ripper - assignment notes

When writing up your Jack the Ripper assignment, remember that you are presenting a case for the prosecution of one of the suspects. Your case must include sections on the following:

1. Profile of your suspect(s)

• which includes all known biographical details - e.g: where they were born, their age, occupational history.
• a psychological profile - e.g: what was known about their character, behaviour, history of mental illness.

2. Alleged relationship with murders

• did the suspect know them? did he have a dislike of a certain group of people?
• where was your suspect at the time of the murders? does he have an alibi?

3. Evidence

• discuss the evidence and how it implicates your suspect?

4. Motive

• why would your suspect commit these gruesome murders?

5. Background to the murders

• what was life like in London in 1888? how was it different from today?
  

6. Timeline of events
7. Sources / References

Climate Change - essential knowledge

The following should be considered "essential knowledge" when it comes to climate change. If you don't know the following questions, it is your job in the next session to find the answers.

1. Can you present the workings of climate change in a diagrammatic model?

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2. What are the main GHG's (Greenhouse gases)?

3. Find graph data that demonstrates the correlation between global warming and rising sea levels. Describe the relationship between these two phenomena.

4. What are the projected levels for global warming over the next century? Why are there a range of projections?

5. What are the impacts of global warming? List 8 along with a brief description.

6. What strategies can we use to ameliorate climate change? Discuss 2 in detail.