How can you tell they’ve got it: Vocabulary: historical thinking?

If they’ve got it, you’ll see things like: Correctly use BC/BCE and AD/CE to place events in time and explain what the letters stand for; Distinguish between a primary source and a secondary source with an example of each; Use 'evidence', 'interpretation', and 'bias' correctly in a sentence about a historical source. Or just try it together: If you asked your child whether something they read in a history book was definitely true, could they explain why it might not be — using words like 'source', 'evidence', or 'bias'?

History Historical Thinking Ages 6–10

Vocabulary: historical thinking

Your child can use history words like source, evidence, and timeline. They know a primary source comes from the time, and can say what BC and AD mean.

In curriculum terms

Know and use the vocabulary of historical thinking — source, evidence, primary source, secondary source, artefact, chronology, chronological order, BC/BCE, AD/CE, century, decade, era, period, timeline, excavation, archaeologist, interpretation, corroborate, bias, perspective — and apply these terms when discussing how we know about the past and how reliable our knowledge is

Ages are typical, not deadlines — follow your child’s pace. How to help at home →

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

Correctly use BC/BCE and AD/CE to place events in time and explain what the letters stand for
Distinguish between a primary source and a secondary source with an example of each
Use 'evidence', 'interpretation', and 'bias' correctly in a sentence about a historical source

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Try this together

If you asked your child whether something they read in a history book was definitely true, could they explain why it might not be — using words like 'source', 'evidence', or 'bias'?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on

Domain Vocabulary Across Subject Areasages 9–11Acquiring the specialist vocabulary of historical thinking (source, bias, chronology, corroborate) builds on the academic vocabulary development taught in English

Vocabulary: historical thinkingthis skill · ages 6–10

Unlocks

Different Accounts of the Same Eventages 6–8Recognising that different accounts exist requires 'source', 'perspective', and 'interpretation' vocabulary

Evidence from the Pastages 6–7Understanding that everything we know comes from evidence requires 'evidence' and 'source' vocabulary

Checking Sources Against Each Otherages 8–10Corroborating sources requires the term 'corroborate' and 'evidence'

Questioning Historical Sourcesages 8–10Evaluating a source requires 'primary source', 'secondary source', 'bias' vocabulary

Evidence Versus Interpretationages 10–11Distinguishing evidence from interpretation requires both these terms as precise vocabulary

Understanding People in Their Own Timeages 8–10Judging historical actions in context draws on era, period, and chronology vocabulary

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Where this fits in the official school curriculum — our best automated guess, not yet checked by a person.

Show candidate curriculum codes · 3 ACARA · 2 NSW · 3 VIC

Australian Curriculum v9 candidate

AC9HS3S02medium confidenceYear 3 · Skills

locate, collect and record information and data from a range of sources, including annotated timelines and maps

AC9HS1S02low confidenceYear 1 · Skills

collect, sort and record information and data from observations and from provided sources, including unscaled timelines and labelled maps or models

AC9HS2S02low confidenceYear 2 · Skills

collect, sort and record information and data from observations and from sources provided, including unscaled timelines and labelled maps or models

NSW syllabus codes & stages only

HS1-HIS-01medium confidenceHSIE K-6 · Stage 1

HS2-HIS-01medium confidenceHSIE K-6 · Stage 2

Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes & levels only

VC2HH6S10high confidenceHistory · Levels 5 and 6 · Historical Concepts and Skills strand

VC2HH4S09high confidenceHistory · Levels 3 and 4 · Historical Concepts and Skills strand

VC2HH6S04medium confidenceHistory · Levels 5 and 6 · Historical Concepts and Skills strand

These are candidate alignments generated by semantic matching — machine-suggested and unreviewed (v0.1), not official or verified mappings. For official curriculum content see australiancurriculum.edu.au, curriculum.nsw.edu.au and f10.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Don’t rely on them for registration or compliance purposes.

Nearby on the map

Different Accounts of the Same Eventages 6–8 Evidence from the Pastages 6–7 Checking Sources Against Each Otherages 8–10 Questioning Historical Sourcesages 8–10

All Historical Thinking skills →