History at Key Stage 3
Year 7
Content: History is taught to Year 7 students for two lessons a week.
What do Historians do? This unit helps students to understand the work of Historians and the process of History.
The Ancient World: This enquiry helps students to see that civilisation began not in the West but in the East. The lessons on the Silk Roads helps students to understand how ideas, goods, people and religions were spread from East to West from the 2nd Century onwards.
Early Migration to Britain: Who are the British is discussed in this settlement unit which covers the Stone Age, Vikings and Romans. Their legacy is a key theme as well as the arrival of the first Black people with the Roman army.
The Norman Conquest: This event is considered one of the most significant in British history and we consider if the Normans ‘brought a truck load of trouble’ to England as Historian Marc Morris has suggested.
Medieval England: Students learn about how ordinary people lived during these tumultuous times of Black Death and rebellion.
Power and Monarchy: This unit asks the question; Why did the power of medieval monarchs change between 1100 and 1400? Students consider the rule of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II, King John and Richard II
Tudor England: In this unit of study students discover why Henry VIII broke from Rome. They also learn about the lives of four Black Tudors as uncovered by Miranda Kauffman and look across to India to see the rule of the Mughal emperors.
The Stuarts: In the final unit, we consider how England became more globalised and connected with the rest of the world as explorers travelled to Africa and America. We also look at the causes of the English Civil War and the rule of Oliver Cromwell.
Skills
The emphasis is on developing students' skills, so they become more independent and instinctive about their approach to History. Lessons focus on developing the historical skills of understanding causes, interpretations and using sources of information. Developing thinking and literacy skills is also at the forefront of the curriculum.
Assessment
Classwork and homework are marked regularly, and comments and targets are written in by the teacher to help students to understand how to progress further. Assessments test students’ knowledge of the unit of study and a key history skill.
Learning Landmarks
Term 1:
- Why did Tollund Man die?
- What was the Legacy of the Roman Empire on Britain?
- How far did the Normans bring a ’truck load of trouble’ to England?
Term 2:
- How much difference did the Black Death of 1348-9 really make?
- Source comparison on Joan of Arc
- ‘’The power of medieval monarchs was severely limited over time’’ How far do you agree with this statement?
Term 3:
- How far do you agree with this statement, ‘Akbar was the greatest Mughal emperor’?
- Why did the English Civil War break out?
Year 8
Content: History is taught to Year 8 students for two lessons a week.
Benin: This unit help considers how far Benin experienced a ‘golden age’ in the fifteenth century.
The colonisation of Australia: This topic helps students to understand why and how we colonised Australia and the impact on the indigenous people.
British rule in India: In this study, students will answer the question: Was the British Empire a “force for good” in India?
The Slave Trade: This enquiry focuses on the story of the slave trade and its impact on Africa and America, as well as its legacy on Britain
Industrial Britain: Students will use extracts from Emma Griffin’s book’ Liberty’s Dawn’ to learn about the social impact of the Industrial Revolution.
Women’s’ History: In this study, students learn about significant women in History such as Edith Cavil and Mary Anning.
Protest and democracy: This enquiry considers the way that people have fought for the right to democracy and includes the Chartist Movement, the Peterloo Massacre and the Suffragettes.
The New Forest in WW2: In this unit we study our local history to learn about the significance of the New Forest, especially in the preparation for D -Day.
The Civil Rights Movement in the USA and Britain: In this study we analyse the progress of black people after the abolition of slavery and learn how they have fought for equality and their Civil rights.
Migration to Britain: This unit looks at the reasons for and experiences of migrants to Britain from 400AD to the 1950s, including the Windrush Generation
The USA in the 1920s. In this final unit we consider why America’s economy boomed in the 1920s.
Skills
The emphasis is on developing students' skills, so they become more independent and instinctive about their approach to History. Lessons focus on developing the historical skills of understanding causes, interpretations and using sources of information. Developing thinking and literacy skills is also at the forefront of the curriculum.
Assessment
Classwork and homework are marked regularly, and comments and targets are written in by the teacher to help students to understand how to progress further. Assessments test students’ knowledge of the unit of study and a key history skill
Options
At the end of Year 8 students are able to opt to take History GCSE.
Learning Landmarks
Term 1:
- Should the Benin Bronzes be returned to Nigeria?
- Was the British Empire a ‘force for good’ in India?
- Write a clear and organised summary of plantation life
Term 2:
- What can Liberty’s Dawn tell us about the Industrial Revolution?
- What happened to Edith Cavell?
- How useful are sources A and B for studying the campaigns of the suffrage movement?
Term 3:
- Comparing the similarities of sources about MLK
- Letter to the Prime Minister
- End of year knowledge and skills test