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History
History allows students to understand Britain and the world today through examining our collective past. The study of history provides students with the ability to think critically and enquire about information presented to them. Students will develop skills and knowledge to explore political and social issues, to weigh evidence, debate and make reasoned arguments. In addition, students will gain an understanding of the importance of democracy, tolerance and human rights and our responsibilities as citizens.
Key Stage 3
Year 7 Term 1
| Study Topic | Knowledge and Skills | Assessment | How to support your child |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction to history: Why was the Roman Empire so significant? | For centuries the Roman Empire ruled people in three continents. Students will learn about significant features of the Roman Empire and important events. Students will also learn and develop important historical skills. These will include: understanding chronology; how historians use evidence to learn about the past and the types of sources historians use. | Formative assessment of historical writing using evidence about Maiden Castle.Formative assessment on writing about sources on the Roman Empire, End of unit assessment on the knowledge and skills developed in this unit. | Please encourage your child to discuss their learning in history and find out more. There are the remains of Roman forts in Castleshaw and Castlefield that you may wish to visit. You could also visit the Dewa Roman Experience in Chester. Helpful information can be found on: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zhxmn39 |
| How did the Norman Conquest change England? | William the Conqueror was crowned King on Christmas Day 1066 but still needed to bring all of England under his control. Students will explore the different methods he used to do this and assess their impact on England?Students will continue to develop skills in historical writing, using evidence and writing about sources. | Formative assessment of writing about sources. Formative assessment of historical writing about how William controlled England. | Please encourage your child to discuss their learning in history and find out more. There are sometimes documentaries on BBC Iplayer about 1066 and William the Conqueror. Helpful information can be found on: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zshtyrd https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zdvdmp3/revision/1 https://www.johndclare.net/KS3/1-1-0.htm |
Year 7 Term 2
| Study Topic | Knowledge and Skills | Assessment | How to support your child |
|---|---|---|---|
| Was Medieval Life ‘nasty, brutish and short’? | It was the philosopher Thomas Hobbes writing during the English Civil Wars who first described life as ‘nasty, brutish and short’. However, these words are more commonly applied to life in the Medieval Period. Students will examine various aspects of Medieval Life including villages, towns, the treatment of women and medieval justice. They will also examine the impact of the Black Death. Once students have studied Medieval England, they will explore other Medieval Societies in Baghdad, Great Zimbabwe and the Aztecs Empire. Students will continue to develop skills in historical writing, using evidence and writing about sources. | Formative assessment of historical writing about how far Medieval Life was ‘nasty, brutish and short’. Formative assessment of writing about sources about Medieval Life. | York is a city that retains many Medieval features that you may wish to visit. Thackray Museum in Leeds will help your child to learn about the history of Medicine. Helpful information can be found on: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zm4mn39/revision/1 https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z7r7hyc/revision/1 https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zx9xsbk/revision/1 https://www.johndclare.net/KS3/1-2-0.htm |
| Where did power lie Medieval England? | Students will examine the key institutions of Medieval Life to reach judgements on where power lay. They will examine the role of the Church, the king and the emerging parliament. They will also consider what the Peasant’s Revolt can teach us about the rights and power of ordinary people. Students will continue to develop skills in historical writing, using evidence and writing about sources. | Students will complete an assessment with questions on Medieval Life and Power. Questions will include use of sources and extended writing. They will also be asked to define historical vocabulary learned throughout the year. | Skipton Castle is a fascinating insight into the role of castles in Medieval society (and beyond).Leeds Royal Armouries Museum has information on weapons and warfare. Helpful information can be found on: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zw3wxnb/revision/1 https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zqgqtfr/revision/1 https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z2c2pv4/revision/1 https://www.johndclare.net/KS3/1-3-0.htm |
Year 7 Term 3
| Study Topic | Knowledge and Skills | Assessment | How to support your child |
|---|---|---|---|
| How did the Early Tudor Monarchs change England? | The late C15th and early C16th were periods of considerable change in Europe with the Renaissance and Reformation. England at this time was ruled by a new royal house, the Tudors. Students will focus on the reigns of three Tudor Monarchs (Henry VII, Henry VIII and Mary I) and consider the impacts of their reigns on England. Students will continue to develop skills in historical writing, using evidence and writing about sources. | Formative assessment of historical writing about Mary I. | Leeds Royal Armouries Museum has information on weapons and warfare. There are Tudor properties you can visit throughout the North West including Speke Hall in Liverpool, Bramhall Hall in Stockport and Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. Helpful information can be found on: https://www.johndclare.net/KS3/2-1-0.htm https://www.johndclare.net/KS3/2-3-4.htm https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z3yfr82 |
| How successful was Elizabeth I? | Elizabeth I faced many serious challenges throughout her reign. Students will examine how she dealt with them and judge how successful she was a monarch. Students will continue to develop skills in historical writing, using evidence and writing about sources. | Students will complete an end of year assessment which will test their learning and skills developed in year 7 history. | Leeds Royal Armouries Museum has information on weapons and warfare. There are Tudor properties you can visit throughout the North West including Speke Hall in Liverpool, Bramhall Hall in Stockport and Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. Helpful information can be found on: https://www.johndclare.net/KS3/2-3-5.htm https://www.johndclare.net/KS3/2-3-6.htm https://www.johndclare.net/KS3/2-4-3.htm https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zbvycdm |
| Topic | Knowledge and Skills | Assessment | How to support your child |
| How did Britain change in the C17th? | The main focus of the topic is to show students the extent to which England underwent change during the 1600s. Key events such as the Gunpowder Plot are studied along with significant events such as the English Civil War and the impact that it had on England. Students will examine how life changes during the Great Fire and the Great Plague. This unit will provide opportunities to develop balanced writing and assessing a source for its usefulness to an historian. | Throughout the unit there will be a practice of balanced writing and source evaluation tasks. From this formative feedback will be given so that students can focus on how to make progress with these skills. These skills along with knowledge recall will be tested in an end of unit assessment. | Use the KnOWLEDGE oRGANISER TO CHECK YOUR child’s knowledge and understanding. Use the BBC Bitesize KS3 History Website to understand the events of the English Civil War, the Gunpowder Plot and individuals such as Oliver Cromwell. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zk4cwmn) |
| How did the Industrial Revolution change life in Britain? | In this topic students will be looking at the reason why industry developed in Britain and the impact that changes to work and transport had on peoples’ lives. Students will also study early reforms and the beginning of the trade union movement. There will be opportunities to develop inference skills and build on understanding of evidence evaluation. Also, students will explore how people’s home lives and health were impacted by the changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution. | Throughout the unit there will be a practice of inference skill questions, writing explanations using PEE and source evaluation tasks. From this formative feedback will be given so that students can focus on how to make further progress with these skills. | Use the Knowledge Organiser to check your child’s knowledge and understanding. There are great opportunities here for families to visit local places such as Quarry Bank Mill or the People’s History Museum in Manchester. Use the BBC Bitesize KS3 History Website to understand the key developments of the Industrial Revolution, there are video clips and reading which will enable your child to follow up their learning in class. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zm7qtfr) |
| What was the impact of the British Empire? | In this unit students will study the reasons for the growth of the British Empire, a deeper focus on India followed by an investigation into why the empire declined. Students will also develop skills of reaching and supporting judgements using the key phrase ‘How far…’ whilst further honing their skills of evaluating a source for its usefulness to an historian. | Students will be encouraged to work more independently on evidence handling skills and create a piece of balanced writing on the impact of Empire. These skills along with knowledge recall will be tested in an end of unit assessment. | Use the Knowledge Organiser for this topic to check on your child’s knowledge and understanding. |
| How has Africa changed over time? | Students will learn a comprehensive understanding of African History across a thematic study. This topic will allow students to focus on how Africans have played a role throughout centuries and the impact it has made. There will be a deeper focus on the Malian Empire allowing students to discuss how Mansa Musa changed Africa and the whole world. From there, students will be introduced how this changed negatively through the introduction of the Slave Trade. | Throughout the unit there will be a practice of balanced writing and source evaluation tasks. From this formative feedback will be given so that students can focus on how to make progress with these skills. | Use the Knowledge Organiser for this topic to check on your child’s knowledge and understanding. Also, for additional information, students can use the following link. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zj4fn9q/articles/zjch6g8 |
| How much did the lives of African Americans change in the USA ? | In this unit students will be able to trace the story on how African Americans achieved their civil rights, by starting with the context of life for African Americans in the 1920s onwards. Then students will look at key events and individuals that made a huge impact towards African Americans achieving their civil rights such as Brown vs Board, Little Rock Nine and the March on Washington. Finally, students will discuss how much did these events make an impact. | Throughout the unit there will be further development of inference skills where students will be expected to begin to make more complex inferences independently, and evaluate sources with great confidence. | Use the BBC Bitesize KS3 History Website to understand the story of the African slave trade through to abolition, there are video clips and reading which will enable your child to follow up their learning in class There is a great opportunity here for families to visit the Liverpool Slavery Museum. |
| How did the First World War affect civilians and soldiers? | In this final unit of the year students will be examining the causes of the First World War. This will involve developing skills of explanation, analysis and significance. Students will be looking at the long and short term causes of the outbreak of war. Can this be added onto the existing paragraph with ‘Students will explore how the impact of the First World War had on civilians across Britain and Soldiers across Europe. | In this unit there will be opportunities for formative assessment where feedback can be given on the level of analysis and explanation of significance. This will be further developed in Year 9. | Use the BBC Bitesize KS3 History Website to understand lead up to the First World War. There are video clips and reading which will enable your child to follow up their learning in class. This may also be an opportunity for families to visit the Imperial War Museum in Manchester. |
Year 9 Term 2
| What was life like during the ‘Roaring Twenties’ in the USA? | Students will explore what life was like in the USA after the First World War and to explore the period’s social, artistic and cultural elements across all groups of Americans. There will be a focus on numerous topics such as the rapid change in economic prosperity, the rise of gangsters and how ethnic minorities were treated. Throughout this topic, students will study different interpretations from across all different Americans in the 1920s. | Students will be assessed on a formative end of unit assessment to check the understanding of their powerful knowledge. Also, students will be frequently checked through numerous summative ways such as self-review sheets and knowledge retrieval starters. | Every student will be given a knowledge organiser which includes essential and powerful knowledge that the student needs to know in this unit of work. |
| What was life like in 20th century dictatorship | Students will build on their skills from the previous topic they will compare and contrast what lives are like for people who do not live in a democracy. They will look specifically at what life was like for the citizens of Germany during the rule of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party and they will investigate what life was like during the terror of Stalin’s reign in the Soviet Union. This enables students to develop their skills of comparison and embed the skills of analysis and revision which will be required for later study. | Students will learn how to write a historical narrative account by focusing on Russia and how it became communist during the October Revolution of 1917. Interpretation skills on Stalin and the effects of Stalin’s rule on people of Soviet Union. Interpretation skills on Nazi GermanyExplain effects of Nazi rule on Germans End of unit test and T1 assessment. |
Use the BBC Bitesize KS3 History Website to gain an in depth understanding of what the features of a 20th century dictatorship were. Watch the following documentary on the life of Joseph Stalin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFdPTYB4xP0 |
| Why was there another World War? | In this unit students will explore why WWII started. Initially they will focus on the causes Such as the Treaty of Versailles and how it helped lead to WWII. Students will also gain an understanding of appeasement and how the rise of Adolf Hitler could have been prevented by Britain. They will then focus on the key themes and events of WWII such as Dunkirk, The Battle of Britain, D-Day and the homefront. Students will then explain how the war culminated with the dropping of the Atomic Bomb and the impact this had on Japan and international relations thereafter. |
Students will complete source work on appeasement aiming to develop their inference skills. Source work on Dunkirk. Interpretation skills as well as sources on the Blitz. Explain the importance of WW2 on life in Britain. Explain why USA dropped the atomic bomb |
Visit the Imperial War Museum North at Salford Quays and explore the impact of war both past and present. Use the key word list to check your child’s knowledge and understanding of the topic. Watch the following WWII documentary to gain a better understanding of Battle of Britain and RAF Bomber Command. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0Px7UFFq8g |
Year 9 Term 3
| Study topic | Knowledge and skills | Assessment | How to support your child |
|---|---|---|---|
| Why is it important to remember the Holocaust? | In this unit students will analyse historic anti-semitism including the massacre in York to show how the persecution of Jewish people in Europe has existed since the medieval period. Students will then explore how the events led to the extermination of the Jews such asthe construction of the Warsaw Ghetto and the ‘final solution’. | Did Hitler invent the persecution of Jewish people? Balanced answer. Interpretation evaluation:How useful is the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas? Who should be held responsible for the Holocaust? Extended writing. | Visit the Manchester Jewish Museum in Manchester on Cheetham Hill Road. |
| End of Year Exam | Students will be assessed on their writing and historical skills which they have developed throughout the year. | Students will complete three questions based on the previous skills they have been taught throughout the year. They will complete a series of retrieval questions based on their prior learning. They will then answer a source question and write a narrative account question. This will allow us to gauge the knowledge they have retained and help us to understand how well they can use and apply their historical skills. | Encourage your child to read back through their previous assessments. In their feedback what strengths were identified and what targets were set to ensure progression? Use a variety of key word lists and checklists to test your child’s knowledge and understanding. |
| What was the Cold War? | Building on their understanding of WWII and the dropping of the Atomic Bomb students will explain why a Cold War emerged from the shadow of WWII. They will investigate the differences between Communism and Capitalism and why these ideologies could not coexist. Students will then investigate the key events of the Cold War such as the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War by explaining the historical significance of each event. | Bullet point essay on the most significant event of the Cold War. Students must decide whether it was the Berlin Wall, Cuban Missile Crisis or the Vietnam War. Source utility on Cuban Missile Crisis. | You may use the following website to test students on the origins and the key events of the Cold War. https://www.britannica.com/event/Cold-War |
Key Stage 4 – GCSE
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Students will be studying AQA history.
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AIM: To understand the causes and impact of conflict in the C20th. To be able to place historical interpretations about British history into their context. Further develop and strengthen knowledge and skills so that they are exam ready. To be able to use their historical knowledge in a wider context to make links between historical eras and the past.
Depth Study: Conflict and tension between East and West, 1945–1972 (from Paper 1)
- Part three: Transformation of the Cold War
British Depth Study: Elizabethan England, c1568–1603 (from Paper 2)
- Part one: Elizabeth’s court and Parliament
- Part two: Life in Elizabethan times
- Part three: Troubles at home and abroad
- Part four: The historic environment of Elizabethan England
AIM: To gain an understanding of the changes that have happened in British society since the Medieval Period. To further strengthen historical skills to be able to answer examination questions. To understand how to write analytically and make judgements about broader themes of history. To be able to place historical interpretations about history into their context.
Thematic Study – Britain: Health and the People (from Paper 2)
- Part one: Medicine stands still
- Part two: The beginnings of change
- Part three: A revolution in medicine
- Part four: Modern medicine
Period Study: Germany, 1890–1945: Democracy and dictatorship (from Paper 1)
- Part one: Germany and the growth of democracy
- Part two: Germany and the Depression
- Part three: The experiences of Germans under the Nazis
Depth Study: Conflict and tension between East and West, 1945–1972 (from Paper 1)
- Part one: The origins of the Cold War
- Part two: The development of the Cold War