History

I teach history to secondary school students here in New South Wales. The classes range from Year 8 through to Year 12. Historical eras taught include, for example, that of the ancient Egyptians, Greek, Romans, the Aztecs, the Middle Ages, the Australian Aborigines and recent Australian history.

Resources and links for each year group taught can be found linked to below or from the drop down History menu above. Various posts relating to the past and the teaching of history are added below.


| Year 8 | Year 9 | Year 10 | Year 11 | Year 12 |


General History Links

Prisoner of War
Picture Australia
Illawarra Images
The Australian War Memorial
History Council of NSW
Parliamentary Education Office
Nationa Archives
National Museum of Australia
National Centre for History Education
Old Parliament House Canberra
Department of Veterans’ Affairs
State Library of NSW
National Museum of Crime & Punishment
Best of History Web Sites
Perseus Digital Library
Theban Mapping Project
Australian Dictionary of Biography
Learning Skills
History & ICT
A to Z Teacher Stuff
Digital History
Discovering Democracy
Center for Teaching History with Technology
Making Sense of Evidence


Prisoner of War Banner Link

Prisoner of War: The story of Frank Larkin POW


Netvibes Banner

Pompeii and Herculaneum Netvibes Page


WW1 Remember Me…

WW1 Remember Me…

A class activity based on the “‘Remember me: the lost diggers of Vignacourt’ classroom resource” located on the Australian War memorial web site.

Song Dong Exhibit

Song Dong Exhibit

Exploring the Waste Not exhibition by artist Song Dong at Carriageworks provided an intimate and very real insight into the lives of post-war Chinese people.

Neil Armstrong 1930-2012

Neil Armstrong 1930-2012

As you know Neil Armstrong has passed away. The Apollo 11 lunar landing in July 1969 was a defining moment in my life. I built models of the Saturn space rocket and the Lunar Model. I collected newspaper clippings and made scrapbooks.

Viking Online Resources

Viking Online Resources

Recently updated the web links for the Vikings. The sites vary in quality however they can act as an entry point for the exploration and study of Viking history and culture.

80 Days

80 Days

The ABC has recently launched a site rich with media archives that are simply ideal for the teaching of Australian history. It is entitled “80 Days That Changed Our Lives”.

Story of 2 POWs

Story of 2 POWs

Charlie Edwards’ detailed description of life as a POW, a period of time he shared with my father Frank Larkin. They were both prisoners of the Japanese during WW2.

Ancient speed dating

Ancient speed dating

Personas, occupations and social classes in ancient Pompeii. Speed dating was the backdrop for a lesson designed to encourage students to enhance their knowledge of society in Roman times.

The World’s First Blog?

The World’s First Blog?

The diary of Samuel Pepys provides a valuable insight into the lives of the people of London during the 1660s. Samuel Pepys was a famous 17th century diarist who lived in London, England.

Two historic gems

Two historic gems

The Internet Archive has an abundance of resources useful for history teachers, students of pop culture and media studies researchers. I have explored films relating to Cold War propaganda.

Rock and Roll

Rock and Roll

“Rock and Roll” is one of those songs that makes me stop. It takes precedence at that point in time. It defines the moment. It defines me.

Illawarra floods 1998

Illawarra floods 1998

Back in August 1998 the Illawarra region experienced an intense storm system. It was the 17th August 1998. The city centre of Wollongong received 316mm of rain in 24 hours.

Charlie Edwards Article

Charlie Edwards Article

Charlie Edwards, a friend of my father during the Second World War and after received a write-up in the Herald Sun today.

Pudu Gaol Kuala Lumpur

Pudu Gaol Kuala Lumpur

During 1942 my father Frank was incarcerated in Pudu Gaol, Kuala Lumpur. He was a guest of the Japanese Army after his capture during the Battle of the Muar in January, 1942.

Prisoner of War

Prisoner of War

This weekend I rebuilt the web site I had created about my dad, Frank Larkin. He was a signaller in the 2/19th Battalion, 8th Division, AIF. My father was captured by the Japanese during the Battle of the Muar in January, 1942.

The Perfect Corpse Again

The Perfect Corpse Again

One of the topics that I quite enjoy teaching in Year 11 Ancient History is Preserved Human Remains. The Year 11 students have just completed their School Certificate, not unlike the ‘O’ levels in the United Kingdom and they are preparing for their matriculation year, known here in NSW as the Higher School Certificate. It(…)

Peter Morrissey ~ Historian

Peter Morrissey ~ Historian

Peter Morrissey created the superb Anzac Battlefields of World War One and Not Just A Name On The Wall to provide students with authentic and historical learning experiences.

Pompeii on Netvibes

Pompeii on Netvibes

Last year I set up a Netvibes site embedded with a range of RSS feeds, links, media and photographic galleries all dedicated to the archaeology of Pompeii and Herculaneum. I feel that teachers and students of the core unit in the NSW HSC Ancient History course, Cities of Vesuvius: Pompeii and Herculaneum, will find the(…)

The Petrov Affair

The Petrov Affair

Australia’s Cold War Flashpoint Australia never experienced anything at all remotely resembling the Cuban Missile Crisis or McCarthyism but we did have the Petrov Affair. Back in April 1954 Australia had its very own Cold War drama when Vladimir Petrov defected while employed as a third secretary at the Soviet Embassy in Canberra, Australia’s capital city. The episode(…)

Australians at war

Australians at war

When teaching the history of Australia’s role in significant conflicts such as the Second World War there are a number of web sites that I and my students turn to as part of our programme of exploration and investigation. To begin, Australians at War and Fifty Australians are two sites that I share with my students(…)