Key Stage 3 History

History

Curriculum Content

The course has a chronological structure to aid pupil understanding of the passage of time and to enable them to compare and contrast different eras. There are also common themes that run through the course, such as horrible aspects of history, raiders and invaders, keeping control, changes to the economy, society and church. The different experiences of rich and poor in each era and elements of local History are also drawn out, as the past was not the same for everyone in all places.

Year 7

  1. Key skills: chronology, bias, sources, artefacts and using evidence.
  2. Romans and their Empire: Romulus and Remus, the origins of Rome, army and expansion, entertainment, Gladiators, Circus Maximus, religion, legacy.
  3. Medieval Britain 1066-1500: Norman conquest, Feudal system, Domesday Book, Castle construction, Castle attack & defence, medieval towns and villages, Magna Carta, Black Death, Peasants Revolt.

Year 8

  1. The Tudors: Wars of the Roses, Henry VIII's personal, political and religious life, Thornton Abbey, the religious 'rollercoaster' under Edward VI, 'Bloody Mary' & Elizabeth, rogues and vagabonds, Elizabeth I's personal, political and religious life.
  2. The Stuarts: James I 'Scottish King of England', Charles I, Oliver Cromwell, the Civil War, Plague and Fire.
  3. Empire & Slavery: the rise of the British Empire, trade, Slave Triangle, life on the plantation, slave rebellions, William Wilberforce, abolition of slavery.

Year 9

  1. The early Twentieth Century World: chronological overview, Titanic, causes and consequences of World War One & World War Two.
  2. The late Twentieth Century World: Cold War, Space Race, Terrorism.

Resources

We are equipped with the latest interactive software for use on the interactive white boards in all classrooms. We also have brand new SHP text books for all year groups. These supplement an extensive collection of primary and secondary source material, teacher produced resources, artefact collections, documentaries and audio visual footage. Many resources are visible on the school's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

History

Teaching Methods

Teachers primarily use PowerPoint to deliver lesson content. All lessons have clearly identified objectives and learning outcomes, planned well in advance on well organised schemes of work. Lessons have at least three parts and activities are differentiated according to ability. Teachers also regularly use interactive resources, encourage creativity, role play, and make use of audio visual footage from DVD & YouTube where relevant and appropriate. Pupils are assessed six times per year, graded to National Curriculum level descriptors and their progress continuously monitored, with targeted intervention aimed at underachievers.

Skills and Knowledge

Your child will be encouraged to develop understanding in five key areas that are identified within the National Curriculum. In essence the list below is what it takes to succeed in History:

  1. Chronological Understanding: sorting dates, events & identifying changes in attitudes between periods of time;
  2. Knowledge and Understanding: developing factual knowledge, conceptual knowledge of causation and consequence;
  3. Historical Interpretation: understanding why people have different opinions about events and how there are two sides to every story i.e. empathy;
  4. Historical Enquiry: judging the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary evidence, examining sources and testing for bias, reliability, purpose, provenance & utility;
  5. Organisation and Communication: presenting answers, sometimes creatively and sometimes in extended written form, in a logical and coherent way, with good spelling, punctuation and grammar.