Ppl who did modern history- what advice do y'all have for keeping up with the content? (1 Viewer)

[Modern4DaBois]

Also, any tips for preparing for the modern HSC? Thanks!!!

 

[vishnay]

Also, any tips for preparing for the modern HSC? Thanks!!!

make regular class notes --> this is more or less how ur going to learn (its good to talk abt the content with a sibling or a friend - helped me a lot with remembering the content tbh)

when studying for core and change in the modern world i would summarise my typed notes such that they fit on ~5 written pages and then practice a bunch of questions with my summary in front of me

for national studies and peace and conflict i had notes with a bunch of evidence which i used to write essays (don't bother learning every single detail)

i summarised the essays into really succinct essay plans and memorised these for the hsc

this worked out rlly well for me and saved me a lot of time

 

[vishnay]

btw i did:
national studies - russia and sov un
peace and conflict - cold war
change in the modern world - apartheid

my favourite topic by far was russia and sov un

 

[KB2230]

btw i did:
national studies - russia and sov un
peace and conflict - cold war
change in the modern world - apartheid

my favourite topic by far was russia and sov un

I'm still cut my school did USA instead of Russia. Apartheid was good tho.

As far as keeping up with content what the guy above me said is all really good. Just also make sure for the essay topics to get an idea of what questions they can ask so you dont focus too much on one part of the syllabus. E.G one kid in my year spent way to much time on the pre-1964 part of the Conflict in Indochina topic and they weren't as well prepared for questions not relating to that (pretty much most of the ones they can ask)

 

[vishnay]

I'm still cut my school did USA instead of Russia. Apartheid was good tho.

As far as keeping up with content what the guy above me said is all really good. Just also make sure for the essay topics to get an idea of what questions they can ask so you dont focus too much on one part of the syllabus. E.G one kid in my year spent way to much time on the pre-1964 part of the Conflict in Indochina topic and they weren't as well prepared for questions not relating to that (pretty much most of the ones they can ask)

this is another thing

for hsc national studies and peace and conflict u can get away with studying just 3 out of the 4 parts of the syllabus bc u get a choice between 2 questions (u can study 2 if u can predict the question but that's risky considering we're in the 4th year of the current syllabus now)

i actually just studied for 2 parts of russia and sov un and 3 parts for cold war and i got away with it

 

[KB2230]

Facts. I didn't study Foreign Policy for USA or Cambodia/Laos for Indochina

 

[Anaya R]

Also, any tips for preparing for the modern HSC? Thanks!!!

A few tips:
1. It's good to have a study buddy (ie. A reliable person) who you collaborate notes with. This means that you get more insight.
2. Make your notes based on the syllabus. Although this year had questions which were 'blended', it's a good way to organise your notes. It also keeps you on track.
3. Have some historian quotes and stats up your sleeve. Not only do they add authority to your argument, they get you into the top bands. If you need to find sources, use the State Library or Google Scholar for help.
4. The earlier you have your notes done, the better. I'd suggest by Term 3 just because of trials.
5. Don't forget, if you need help, ask for it!

 

[jiminycricket123]

Power and authority is a pretty good topic to collect as many marks as you can and it's fairly easy most times. I suggest you know your content well for it - No need to memorise anything really but make sure you can recall a few things from each syllabus point. However, what will really help you nail the questions is your source analysis so be sure to incorporate the following into your responses:

Origin
Motive
Content
Audience
Perspective

And make sure to use tons of evaluative language!!! I.e. Highly valuable, minimal limitations, moderately valuable, significantly fails to account for this, greatly essential for a historian, etc.

If you find you are weaker at source analysis, I suggest you try to do as many practice questions as possible and get some feedback from your teachers/peers.

For your essay topics, make your life easier by preparing a few paragraphs which can be used for different questions. That way you do not have to study all content but will likely be able to answer one of the questions given.
The best way to do this would be to compile a series of possible questions and brainstorm your arguments. You will then be able to see those arguments which overlap and can use that your study guide.

Good luck!

 

[jiminycricket123]

And it's so important to have good historiography cuz this really sets you apart from everyone else!

 

[Modern4DaBois]

Thank you so much everyone. Those tips really helped a lot!!!

 

[windebygirl]

obviously everyone's different, but my advice would be to not stress yourself out too much with learning the content. obviously it's something you have to know, but I always did better when I didn't actively try to remember everything. take a break from writing notes and just really listen to your teacher. watch movies, read historical fiction, and you'll absorb the actual content naturally and with much less stress. study and think about the more 'philosophical' ideas and concepts you learn about (I did USSR for national studies and indochina for peace and conflict), like how communist ideology got compromised and whatever. make sure you know how to argue. the marker won't care whether or not you know the day that Stalin officially came to power, but they will care if you can show them how stalinism's success was due to its roots in russian traditionalism.
tl;dr - DON'T STRESS ABOUT THE CONTENT