History
Mrs Janet Smith - smithj@wellandparkacademy.com
Key Stage 3:
In History, we feel that the chronology of events is an important aspect to know for students and at KS3 this structures the work we do from Year 7 to year 9.
We begin the year looking at a study of the impact of the Roman Empire on the areas it controls including Britain. Within this unit we incorporate key skills of chronology and the idea of interpretations in History. We move on to study the medieval period looking at key events in England such as the Battle of Hastings, Magna Carta, Black Death and the Peasants revolt along with connections to the medieval world. We bring in a thematic study at the end of year 7 in the form of a crime and punishment unit which enables students to look across the ages to give them a sense of change through time.
· In Year 8 we look at the Tudors and Stuarts focussing on interpretations of the key individuals such as Henry VIII and Oliver Cromwell. We look at the reign of Elizabeth I which focuses on a key turning point in history as one of the first female monarchs. In the latter part of the year, we look at the time of the Industrial Revolution along with imperialism and its impact across the world which includes the topic of enslavement. We finish the year with a unit on immigration and its impact on British culture and identity.
· In Year 9 we concentrate on the Modern World with the Twentieth Century focusing on the conflict and change brought about by two world wars. We also look at the Holocaust and lessons that can be learnt from racism and prejudice. We study a unit on civil rights across the world as we feel it is important to look at History not just in Britain but in the world around them and see the issues which are global. This links in to the start of a GCSE course on the USA between 1920- 1973.
· Within this chronology, we look at themes and depth studies to help students see the bigger picture such as in crime and punishment and enslavement as well as the more specific details of a time such as the Holocaust. Within all these topics, we try to develop key knowledge as well as the development of analysis skills, judgement and understanding of
second-order historical concepts such as cause and effect and continuity and change.
Key Stage 4:
The GCSE History course covers three eras of History
1. Medieval
2. Early Modern
3. Modern times
The students at Welland Park will study the following options:
Paper 1
America 1920-1973- This unit includes the boom and bust years looking at the American dream and the divided society which leads to racial tension and the civil rights movement. It focuses on prohibition and gangsters, the Ku Klux Klan, the Great Depression and its effects and the struggle for equality.
Conflict and tension between East and West 1945-1972- This unit focuses on the Cold War and the conflict between the USSR and the USA including events such as the Berlin Blockade and wall, the space race, Vietnam and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Paper 2
Britain: Power and the People. This unit studies the development of the power struggle of the people in Britain including Magna Carta, the English Civil War, The American Revolution, protest and reform and women’s rights. It concentrates on causes and methods of protest and their impact on who has power.
Elizabethan England c1568-1603- This unit focuses on the key events of Elizabeth’s reign as an in-depth study. These include conflicts over religion and with Spain and the Elizabethan Golden Age. This course links to a study of historic building or site from the period.
At KS4 the History course is split into international topics in paper 1 and British History in paper 2. We have chosen to overlap the study of the USA 1920-1973 with the Cold War 1945- 1973 as this enables the students to connect ideas together. In the British paper, we must study a large thematic unit and we felt that the study of Power and the People which focusses on the struggle for greater say against inequalities was one that was important for students to understand and the depth study of Elizabeth I linked in well to the Year 8 foundation course on the Tudors.
Key skills are taught throughout the courses looking at developing the ability to analyse historical events using second-order historical concepts, evaluate and use sources and interpretations to make judgements in the context of historical periods.
At KS3 we test both knowledge and skills through unit tests. We try to develop the skills to learn information both in the short term and long term with constant retrieval exercises across units as well as from previous units. There is also a baseline test when students arrive at Welland Park and students are tested consistently both through low stakes activities and formal assessments.
KS4 History GCSE – AQA 8145 course.
It is 100% externally examined. There are two papers- Paper 1 is the international relations paper looking at USA 1920-1973 and the Cold War 1945-1972. Paper 2 is the British paper looking at Britain Power and the People thematic study 1215- present day and a depth study on Elizabethan England 1568-1603. Each written paper is 2 hours long and worth 50% of the GCSE, 84 marks are allocated to each paper with 40 marks for each unit. 4 marks are given for spelling, punctuation, grammar and specialist terminology.
Careers to which this subject might be linked…
History gives students the ability to construct arguments and communicate their findings in a coherent and persuasive way. It encourages students to think critically and analytically to solve problems and understand varying viewpoints. It develops independent research skills and the ability to use the information to form opinions based on evidence. These skills are transferable to many high-level careers within the civil service, law, journalism, teaching at all levels, publishing, media, advertising and
politics, along with careers directly associated with History such as museum curators, heritage managers, researchers and tourism