Rationale

Numeracy is defined as the ability to confidently and effectively utilise mathematics to meet the everyday
pressures of civic life (Gough, 2004). Numeracy enables individuals to develop logical thinking and
reasoning strategies in their daily life. Everybody needs numeracy to solve problems and make sense of
time, numbers, patterns and shapes for activities like cooking, reading a map or bill, reading instructions
and even playing sport.

Curriculum Area: Year 12 Modern History Stage 6

Core Area: World War I
Topic: War on the Western Front Source Work
Key Syllabus Outcome:
H3.3 - Analyse and evaluate sources for their usefulness and reliability.
H3.5 - Plan and present the findings of historical investigations, analysing and synthesising information
from different types of sources. (Board of Studies NSW, 2012, p. 86)
-

Demonstrate and show an understanding of source work by Interpreting and

deconstructing sources for their historical value and evaluating their historical
significance by analysing its numerical data and applying it to the discipline of history.
This is seen through students interpreting data and then using it to construct a timeline
and then conducting research and evaluating the geopolitics of the war.

Numeracy outcomes:
-

Applying appropriate mathematical techniques to solve problems

Select and use appropriate strategies to solve problems

The History Syllabus (Board of Studies NSW, 2012) sees practising numeracy as essential for students to
develop confidence and proficiency in interpreting the past through constructing, comprehending and
analysing quantitative data (Board of Studies NSW, 2012, p. 31). As a fundamental component of learning
across the History Curriculum, numeracy enriches students educational experiences by allowing them to
enhance and apply skills of logical thinking and reasoning to both historical investigations and practical
situations (Goos, Dole & Geiger, 2012). For that reason, this rationale will demonstrate how numeracy can
be integrated into a Year 12 Modern History lesson on the War on the Western Front. The unit of work I
have selected is The First World War which is the core topic for Stage 6 Modern History. The activity I have
created aims to promote numeracy in the KLA (History) while promoting deductive reasoning as students
study the statistics of the First World War. This has been incorporated into the source work component of
the Syllabus. The activity I have created incorporates two syllabus outcomes which are H3.3 and H3.5.

In addition to the history outcomes, I have incorporated ACARAS Learning across the Curriculum
Numeracy outcomes for history. In which it states Numeracy content within the study of history involves
the construction and interpretation of timelines, graphs, tables, maps, scales and statistics. Students
develop confidence and proficiency in applying these skills to represent, comprehend and analyse
quantitative data to make meaning of the past. Therefore, I have included the construction and
interpretation of those tools in my unit of work to help develop student confidence and proficiency in
numeracy throughout the studying of History. Furthermore, the explicit numeracy outcomes for this lesson
is for students to apply appropriate mathematical techniques to solve p and to select and use
appropriate strategies to solve problems.

Commented [C1]: The presence of inferences in the

History Curriculum when numeracy is integrated within
the syllabus, particularly in Stage 6 History.

Activity Sheet:

Commented [C2]: Through the History source work

activates students will gain and develop their values and
skills by using mathematical reasoning to find their
answers.

The following activity is on the First World War (Stage 6 Modern History) and integrates source work and
numeracy by looking at armaments and casualties. Students are to apply their mathematical and historical
knowledge to find the answers for this lesson.

Commented [C3]: All activities assess students historical

and numerical knowledge and skills simultaneously. All
activates rang in numerical skills needed to effectively
answer the questions. Eg. Timelines, Statistics, measuring
etc

The Great War: Armaments & Casualties by Statistics

Source A: World Expenditures for Armaments leading up to WWI

*Austria-Hungary 285 million in the year 1908 and 371 million in the year 1913.

1. By how much did armament expenditure increase between 1908-1913 in:

Solution:
To calculate the increase, find the figure for 1913 then deduct the figure for 1908

EG Solution: (A)
Great Britain:

Step 1

1913

1908

374.2

286.7

A) Great Britain

A= 87.5

B) Germany

A= 176.9

C) Triple Entente

A= 378.7

D) Triple Alliance*

A= 317.8

87.5 Increase

2. Between 1908-1913 By what percentage did expenditure for armaments increase for?
Solution:
To calculate the percentage increase: First work out the difference (increase) between the two numbers
you are comparing. Then divide the increase by the original number. This then gives us a decimal which we
must convert by a percentage. We do this by multiplying the answer by 100

A) Triple Entente

A= 32.28%

B) Triple Alliance*

A= 32.53%

3. Find the percentage for:

A. The European country with the biggest increase in armament expenditure between 1908-1913.
A= Germany
B. The European country with the smallest increase in armament expenditure
A= Italy

Source B: British Army Casualties 1914-1918

1914

98,866

1915

313,027

1916

651,662

1917

750,249

1918

876,250

Solution:
To answer this activity find out what the first years number is of what percentage to the second number.
You do this by dividing the second number by the first. This then gives us a decimal. We need to then
convert the decimal to a percentage by multiplying it by one hundred.

1. Calculate the percentage of how much British casualties increased between:

EG Solution: (A)

1915

Step 1

313,027

Step 2

3.1662

A. 1914-1915

A= 316.62%

B. 1915-1916

A= 208.18%

C. 1916-1917

A= 85.62%

D. 1917-1918

A= 115.13%

E. 1914-1918

A= 886.30%

1914

98,866

100

3.1662

316.62% Increase

Source C: Total British Casualties on the Western Front Month by Month

Solution:
To find out the percentage intervals, divide the total casualty number by 10. Once you have found the
casualty total number. Then add up month by month until you reach the desired number at every 10%.

1. Create a timeline using the data in your book. Create a point on the timeline when 10%, 20%, 30%,
40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% and 100% of the total casualties were reached. Next to each marked
point on the timeline write down a major battle that took place at the time.

Answer:
Timeline of Casualties reached from 1914-1919
NOTE: 10% = 270,615 Causalities

1914

1915

July 1915: 10% Gallipoli Campaign

1916

July 1916: 20% Battle of the Somme

September 1916: 30% First Tanks employed at the Somme

1917

March 1917: 40% First battle of Gaza

June 1917: 50% Battle of Messines
August 1917: 60% Third Battle at Ypres
November 1917: 70% Battle at Cambrai

1918

April 1918: 80% German offensive in Flanders

August 1918: 90% Second Battle of the Marine
November 1918: 100% German Surrender

1919

Source D: Total casualties of men mobilized for WWI by country.

Answers:

Solution:
To find the answer you must get the total casualties figure and divide it by the total mobilized figure. This
then gives us a decimal which we must convert to a percentage by multiplying by one hundred.

EG Solution:
Russia

Total Casualties

Total Mobilized

Step 1

9,150,000

12,000,000

Step 2

0.7625

100

0.7625

76.25% Russia

1. Create an additional column for Casualties % of mobilised. Find the figures for
A) Each of the countries listed.
B) Total Allied powers
C) Total Central powers
D) Grand Total

The activity sheet I have put together is a history lesson which incorporates numeracy elements. In this
exercise, students will use deductive reasoning to analyse and interpret the evidence from the source work
activities. By doing this, students will be working with percentages and statistics to gather a new
perspective about the First World War. Students will also deal with ratios, percentages, measurements and
integers and where to put the information they have gathered when they construct a timeline. According to
Willis, (1992) it is vital that as a history teacher I incorporate numeracy into the history curriculum as
evident by this activity. This is because numeracy is fundamental to everyday life and it cannot be restricted
to the mathematics classroom and it should be applied across the curriculum as established in this activity.
(Willis, 1992) In teaching this activity I would utilise and promote a range of pedagogical strategies such as
Bruners Discovery Learning Theory. This is seen in the activity I have designed where students are provided
the formulas on how to find the answer to the questions with numeracy components. In addition to this,
the first question of each activity is done together as a class as an example to guide them towards the
answer. This would also promote Vygotskys Social Constructivist theory as students are learning within
their zone of proximal development with the guide of a more experienced learner. Furthermore, this lesson
promotes Logical-Mathematical reasoning which is one of Gardners multiple intelligences, as students
think conceptually and abstractly to explore patterns and relationships, as seen in the statistical data which
students are applying deductive reasoning skills. (Sweet, 1998) The final pedagogical theory that this lesson
achieves is Blooms Taxonomy, as it promotes higher order thinking with students creating timelines and
evaluating statistical information and coming to conclusions from interpreting data from the source work
(Woolfolk & Margetts, 2010, p. 467-71).

The task will support EALD learners as this activity is numeracy heavy unlike the majority of the history
coursework which requires a high degree of literacy. Furthermore, this task promotes all of the
recommendations put forward by ACARA to promote EALD learning in history. This is seen where ACARA
makes recommendations for teachers to assist students by distilling key information by using timelines,
charts and maps. (ACARA, 2014) As a result of the recommendations for EALD learners as put forward by
ACARA, I have incorporated the suggestion by having map work as an integral task throughout the unit of
work. This is to provide visuals in which the students utilise to help gather the information that is needed to
complete the activities. This can be seen with the timeline activity for the provided worksheet. Additionally,
to further aid EALD learners, there have been links throughout the unit of work to connect new content
with existing knowledge in the classroom. (ACARA, 2014) According to Gough, (2004) students already
familiar with a context were able to engage with and complete tasks with mathematical demands without
necessarily being aware of doing any mathematics. They just knew what to do. Therefore, this activity will
support EALD learners as it utilises previous learnt knowledge and promotes numeracy learning outcomes
across the curriculum.

Incorporating Critical Numeracy in the History Curriculum allows students to comprehend the link between
context and mathematical terminology in significant ways (Gough, 2004). Furthermore, numeracy increases
the students opportunities and understanding of the wider world, and ultimately creates practical foundations
that are strengthened through life experiences. As a result, students see numeracy as more than a subset of
mathematics, but a life skill that permeates learning in the wider curriculum (Hogan, 2002).

References

ACARA. (2014). EALD Learning Area Annotations History. 31/05/2016, Retrieved from
http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/EALD_Learning_Area_Annotations_History_Revised_February
_2014.pdf

Gough, J. (2004). An Investigation into Student Numeracy across the Curriculum. The Australian
Mathematics Teacher, 9(4), 30-34.

Hogan, J. (2002). MATHEMATICS and numeracyis there a difference?. Australian Mathematics

Teacher,58(4), 14-16. 01/06/2016, Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/zs42z8v

Kiem, P. (2007). HTA: Modern History Study Guide. Sydney: History Teachers Association.

Sweet, S. (1998). A Lesson Learned About Multiple Intelligences. Educational Leadership, 56(3), 50-51.

Willis, S. (1992). Being Numerate Whose Right? Who's left? (Vol. 1). Melbourne: Australian Council for
Adult Literacy.

Woolfolk, A., & Margetts, K. (2010). Educational Psychology. Melbourne: Pearson.

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