Issued under a Creative Commons
2.0 Attribution Non-Commercial Sharealike License by Doug Belshaw
Proposed
Key Stage 3 Programme of Study for History
1.
Rationale
2. Context
3. Opportunities
4. Curriculum
overview
5. Key
Concepts & Processes
6. Scheme of
Work
7. Attainment
targets
8. Further
reading
1. Rationale
ÒHistory fires pupils'
curiosity and imagination, moving and inspiring them with the dilemmas, choices
and beliefs of people in the past. It helps pupils develop their own identities
through an understanding of history at personal, local, national and
international levels. It helps them to ask and answer questions of the present
by engaging with the past.
Pupils find out about the
history of their community, Britain, Europe and the world. They develop a
chronological overview that enables them to make connections within and across
different periods and societies. They investigate Britain's relationships with
the wider world, and relate past events to the present day.
As they develop their
understanding of the nature of historical study, pupils ask and answer
important questions, evaluate evidence, identify and analyse different
interpretations of the past, and learn to substantiate any arguments and
judgements they make. They appreciate why they are learning what they are
learning and can debate its significance.
History prepares pupils for
the future, equipping them with knowledge and skills that are prized in adult
life, enhancing employability and developing an ability to take part in a
democratic society. It encourages mutual understanding of the historic origins
of our ethnic and cultural diversity, and helps pupils become confident and
questioning individuals.Ó
(taken from the QCA Programme of Study, 2008)
2. Context
á
According to
the last Ofsted report (2006), Ôpupils join the school with above average
standards of attainmentÕ.
á Lessons are 50 minutes in length, with
pupils allocated the following amount of time for History in KS3:
o Year 7 – 2 lessons
o Year 8 – 1 lesson
o Year 9 – 1 lesson
á In 2007/8 Year 7-9 were setted in
Humanities (History, Geography, R.E.). From 2008/9 onwards, Year 7 will be taught
in forms whilst Years 8 and 9 are setted.
á Year 9 students in Sets 1-3 work towards
a GCSE in Humanities.
á The OCR Modern World GCSE History course
is followed at KS4.
á The department has recently invested in
FolensÕ range of KS3 textbooks.
á Immersion days for the 2007/8 academic
year included:
o Year 8 – Civil War
o Year 9 – Holocaust
á A trip to the WWI battlefields is
scheduled for October 2008 and is expected to become an annual trip.
3. Opportunities
The History curriculum should provide opportunities
for pupils to:
a) Explore
the ways in which the past has helped shape identities, shared cultures, values
and attitudes today:
This includes: exploring the relationship between the past and the present and
understanding that ideas, values and beliefs stem from a process of continuous
change and interaction; appreciating what people within a culture have in
common as well as their diversity; and appreciating that cultures are always
changing as a result of contact with other cultures. Studying the ways in which
the past has helped to shape identities, shared cultures, values and attitudes
today prepares pupils for life in a diverse and multi-ethnic society and in an
increasingly interdependent world.
b) Investigate
aspects of personal, family or local history and how they relate to a broader
historical context:
Investigating personal, family or local history provides opportunities for
pupils to engage with local sources and visit historical sites. It helps them
appreciate the relevance of the past to their own lives.
c) Appreciate
and evaluate, through visits where possible, the role of museums, galleries,
archives and historic sites in preserving, presenting and influencing peopleÕs
attitudes towards the past:
This includes using museums, galleries, archives and historic sites to generate
and answer questions about the past, and engaging pupilsÕ interest so they
continue visiting and using them in their lives beyond school.
d) Use
ICT to research information about the past, process historical data, and
select, categorise, organise and present their findings: This includes: evaluating websites,
considering the provenance of materials and assessing their value; and using
ICT to process historical data and to select, categorise, organise and present
information. Pupils should have opportunities to redraft and restructure their
work and to reflect on this process. They should also have opportunities to use
online conferencing to discuss historical questions.
e) Make
links between history and other subjects and areas of the curriculum, including
citizenship.
4.
Curriculum overview
QCA requirements:
á Personalising Learning and Thinking
Skills (PLTS) areas identified to which the curriculum should contribute:
1. Independent enquiry
2. Creative thinking
3. Working as a team
4. Self-managing
5. Effective participation
6. Reflective learning
á Within History, these can be included in
the following ways:
1. History promotes all the skills of independent
enquirers by developing pupilsÕ abilities to: identify questions to answer
and problems to resolve, plan and carry out research, appreciate the
consequences of decisions, explore events, issues or problems from different
perspectives, analyse and evaluate information and judge its relevance and
value, consider the influence of circumstances, beliefs and feelings on
decisions and events, and support conclusions, using reasoned arguments and
evidence.
2. Engaging with the past though the process
of historical enquiry involves pupils in making and testing new hypotheses, and
asking questions to extend their thinking. Learners therefore become creative
thinkers. During their investigations, pupils suggest connections between
different aspects of the past, question their own and othersÕ assumptions, and
evaluate alternative and imaginative solutions when seeking answers to
historical questions.
3. The requirement in the key processes to
carry out investigative activities both individually and in groups encourages
pupils to work confidently with others while adapting to different contexts and
taking responsibility for their own contributions. Pupils listen to and take
account of different views and become team workers. They form trusting
relationships, resolving issues to reach agreed outcomes.
4. Work in history gives pupils
opportunities to make a commitment to learning and self-improvement, and to
demonstrate personal responsibility, perseverance, initiative, creativity and
enterprise. They become self-managers. In many activities there is scope for pupils to
organise their own time and resources, to prioritise their actions, and to
anticipate, take, and manage risks. Pupils can be encouraged to actively
embrace change, respond positively to new priorities, cope with challenges and
look for new opportunities.
5. The requirement in the key processes to
use a variety of methods to communicate knowledge and understanding of the past
contributes to pupils becoming effective participators. History provides
opportunities for pupils to contribute to activities, discussions and debates,
and to actively engage with issues that affect them and those around them. All
this encourages pupils to play a full part in the life of their school and the
wider community, and to take responsible action to bring improvements to others
as well as to themselves.
6. The study of history also provides
opportunities for pupils to become reflective learners by helping them to develop
their evaluation skills. Pupils can then evaluate their own strengths and
weaknesses, and set themselves realistic goals with criteria for success.
Pupils monitor their own performance and progress, invite feedback from others,
and make changes to further their learning. Peer review, a valuable element of
the history curriculum, further encourages pupils to become reflective
learners.
QCA requirements for History:
á ÒThe study of history should be taught
through a combination of overview, thematic and depth studies.Ó
á Pupils should be able to identify major
events, changes & developments in British, European and world history.
á ÒAppropriate links should be made to some
of the parallel events, changes and development in British, European and world
history.Ó
á Within British history, pupils should be
taught:
o The development of political power from
the Middle Ages to the 20th century.
o The changing relationships between the
people of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
o The impact of the movement and settlement
of diverse people to, from and within the British Isles.
o The ways in which the lives, beliefs,
ideas and attitudes of people in Britain have changed over time (and the
factors that have driven these changes – e.g. technology)
o The development of trade, colonisation,
industrialisation and technology
o The British Empire and its impact at home
and abroad.
o The nature and effects of the slave trade.
o Resistance and decolonisation.
á Within Europe and world history, pupils
should be taught:
o The impact of significant developments
and events on past European and world societies.
o The changing nature and impact of
conflict and cooperation between countries and peoples, including WWI, WWII,
the Holocaust, and the role of European and international institutions in
resolving conflicts.
5. Key Concepts & Processes
There are a number of key concepts that
underpin the study of history. Pupils need to understand these concepts in
order to deepen and broaden their knowledge, skills and understanding.
1.1 Chronological
understanding
a) Understanding and using appropriately
dates, vocabulary and conventions that describe historical periods and the
passing of time.
b) Developing a sense of period through
describing and analysing the relationships between the characteristic features
of periods and societies.
c) Building a chronological framework of
periods and using this to place new knowledge in its historical context.
1.2 Cultural, ethnic and religious
diversity
a) Understanding the diverse experiences
and ideas, beliefs and attitudes of men, women and children in past societies
and how these have shaped the world.
1.3 Change and continuity
a) Identifying and explaining change and
continuity within and across periods of history.
1.4 Cause and consequence
a) Analysing and explaining the reasons
for, and results of, historical events, situations and changes.
1.5 Significance
a) Considering the significance of
events, people and developments in their historical context and in the present
day.
1.6 Interpretation
a) Understanding how historians and others
form interpretations.
b) Understanding why historians and
others have interpreted events, people and situations in different ways through
a range of media.
c) Evaluating a range of interpretations
of the past to assess their validity.
These are the essential skills and
processes in history that pupils need to learn to make progress.
2.1 Historical enquiry
Pupils should be able to:
a) Identify and investigate, individually and as part of a
team, specific historical questions or issues, making and testing hypotheses.
b) Reflect critically on historical
questions or issues.
2.2 Using evidence
Pupils should be able to:
a) Identify, select and use a range of
historical sources, including textual, visual and oral sources, artefacts and
the historic environment.
b) Evaluate the sources used in order to
reach reasoned conclusions.
2.3 Communicating about the past
Pupils should be able to:
a) Present and organise accounts and
explanations about the past that are coherent, structured and substantiated,
using chronological conventions and historical vocabulary
b) Communicate their knowledge and
understanding of history in a variety of ways, using chronological conventions
and historical vocabulary.
6. Scheme of Work