Disaster Days: Hiroshima, Chernobyl and Beyond
1945–1986
Students investigate how communities experienced, recorded and responded to catastrophic events including Hiroshima and Chernobyl.
THE COLLECTION
What’s Inside the Box?
Each object has been selected to turn historical evidence into a tangible starting point for questions, investigation and discussion.
1945
Hiroshima Survivor Drawing
Use visual testimony to discuss memory and the human impact of war.
1986
Emergency Broadcast
Analyse how authorities communicated during the Chernobyl crisis.
1986
Radiation Safety Notice
Investigate risk, expertise and public trust after disaster.
Contemporary
Memorial Photograph
Explore how communities remember catastrophic events.
1986
Evacuation Map
Trace how disaster changes movement, place and belonging.
Post-disaster
Recovery Report
Compare official accounts with personal stories of recovery.
READY TO TEACH
Included Lesson Resources
Everything you need to turn each artefact into a confident, evidence-led history lesson.
16
Ready-to-teach lessons
A complete sequence built around the objects, questions and historical evidence in the box.
Homework tasks
Meaningful follow-up tasks that extend student thinking beyond the classroom.
End-of-topic assessment
A structured assessment opportunity to capture historical reasoning and evidence use.
RESOURCES BY YEAR GROUP
Resources that meet students where they are
Every Histobox includes adaptable content so teachers can scale historical enquiry, source work, and assessment for their year level.
Primary
Guided object observation · visual source prompts · key vocabulary cards · read-aloud teacher notes · creative response activities.
Years 5–7
Structured source analysis · timeline sequencing · evidence recording sheets · collaborative enquiry tasks · curriculum-linked lesson plans.
Years 8–10
Independent historical enquiry · corroboration tasks · competing perspectives · extended source questions · scaffolded assessment tasks.
Years 11–12
Extended source packs · historiography prompts · nuanced evidence evaluation · research extensions · senior assessment preparation.
CONTENT CREATOR · ECHO HISTORY
Meet the Historian Behind the Box
Dr Elise Warren
Contemporary History Educator
The history of disaster is also the history of response, resilience and remembrance.
Dr Elise Warren creates enquiry resources that help students investigate catastrophe, recovery and ethical decision-making.