Curriculum – History

Curriculum – History

History

The Curriculum

Curriculum Intent

History at Southend High School for Girls gives students a sense of chronology that enables them to understand the process of change, including causation, consequence, turning points and significance, in order that they can make sense of the present. Our students will understand the story of Britain, the people who make up modern Britain, and the wider world, and to have an appreciation of the past in all its diversity, including women, people of colour, and those not in positions of power. They will know how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world. They will develop a wide chronological vision, studying the world from ancient civilisations through to the closing decades of the 20th century. This will encompass periods as broad as the Saxons, Medieval monarchy, Early Modern Britain, the making of modern Ghana, WW1, the Cold War and the fight for Civil Rights, and Empires as diverse as the Roman Empire, the British Empire, the Soviet Empire and Third Reich.  Students will have a mastery of the facts in order to independently formulate arguments that are clearly expressed, coherently organised and effectively supported. They will have the skills and confidence to analyse and evaluate the evidence from contemporary sources and the interpretations of historians by applying their own detailed knowledge and understanding. They will understand that the past is constructed and contested through research, analysis of evidence, and the formulation of new questions.

What does it feel like to be a student in the History Department?

Studying History at SHSG is an experience that is challenging and intellectually stimulating, and expectations of you will be high. You will be expected to be intellectually curious and self motivated. You will be taught to express your ideas articulately using appropriate vocabulary, whilst supporting your points with detailed and precise knowledge. You will be asked to analyse and evaluate primary sources and historians’ interpretations in light of your own contextual knowledge. You will be expected to come to your lessons having prepared for them in advance by reading or consolidating your prior knowledge. You will be taught to write coherent paragraphs and then to develop this into extended and sophisticated formal writing. You will be given opportunities to extend your learning by visiting sites of historical significance, such as Mountfitchet Castle, first world war trenches, Berlin and Paris. By the end of your History studies you will have acquired the ability to balance an argument, to support your point of view with accurate evidence, and a wide knowledge of the past in all its diversity of sex, class and colour.

Journey

History Curriculum

At Southend High School for Girls we teach a curriculum that is ambitious and takes students on a learning journey beyond the National Curriculum for History. The SHSG History curriculum is what we believe will expose and challenge students to a cultural capital in History that is the best that has been thought and said in this subject.

The History curriculum is planned and delivered using the intellectual framework of the classical education model, the Trivium:

  • Grammar (Knowledge and skills) knowledge, learning by heart, subject terminology
  • Dialectic (Enquiry and exploration) analyse, evaluate
  • Rhetoric (Communication) PLEE paragraphs, essays, debating

Year 7 – 9

Pre-requisite or helpful knowledge from Year 6 History ready to study in Year 7 if applicable

  • N/A

The topics below have been chosen as they reflect the ambitions of the National Curriculum, and as a Grammar school, also challenge students beyond the National Curriculum. They have been carefully sequenced in this order to build a student’s learning journey to achieve the aims of our History intent. Along the way students are assessed and topics will be revisited in assessments to keep each stage of this learning journey alive.

Year 7: The Ancient World and The Middle Ages

Term 1

  • The Roman Empire
  • The Vikings and Saxons
  • The Norman Conquest

Assessment

  • Two PLEE paragraphs
  • One factual recall assessment
  • Ongoing formative assessment

Term 2

  • Norman England
  • Medieval Monarchy (Matilda, Henry, Eleanor of Aquitaine, John)
  • Crusades
  • Peasant and medieval life

Assessment

  • One PLEE paragraph
  • Two factual recall assessments
  • Ongoing formative assessment

Term 3

  • Black Death and its impact
  • The Peasants’ Revolt
  • Peasant life
  • The Mughal Empire

Assessment

  • One chronology assessment
  • End of year exam
  • One factual recall assessment
  • Ongoing formative assessment

Year 8: The Early Modern World

Term 1

  • Henry VIII and the Reformation
  • Tudor Monarchy
  • James I and the Gunpowder
  • Witchcraft

Assessment

  • One PLEE paragraph
  • One factual recall assessment
  • One essay
  • Ongoing formative assessments

Term 2

  • Charles I and the Civil War
  • Oliver Cromwell and the Protectorate
  • The Industrial Revolution
  • Africa before the Slave Trade

Assessment

  • Two factual recall assessments
  • One essay
  • Ongoing formative assessments

Term 3

  • The transatlantic Slave Trade
  • Civil Rights in the USA
  • The colonisation of Africa
  • The making of modern Ghana

Assessment

  • One chronology assessment
  • End of year exam
  • One factual recall assessment
  • Ongoing formative assessment

Year 9: The Modern World

Term 1

  • Causes of WW1
  • Events of WW1
  • The Treaty of Versailles

Assessment

  • One PLEE paragraph
  • One factual recall assessment
  • One essay
  • Ongoing formative assessment

Term 2

  • The Dictators (Hitler and Stalin)
  • Appeasement
  • WW2

Assessment

  • Two factual recall assessment
  • One essay
  • Ongoing formative assessment

Term 3

  • The Holocaust
  • Imperial China
  • Mao’s China
  • Civil rights in the USA

Assessment

  • One chronology assessment
  • End of year exam
  • One factual recall assessment
  • Ongoing formative assessment

Achieving mastery in History – knowing and remembering even more than what is expected in a grammar school Year 7 curriculum

Our assessment practice at SHSG reflects on how successful students have been in knowing, remembering and doing more through the above topics. They are either emerging, developing or proficient in this journey throughout Year 7.

To go beyond being proficient in what is expected of a History student in Year 7 and achieve mastery in History, students should read widely (including non-fiction work), build up their body of factual knowledge, and develop arguments that are sustained and convincing.

Recommended reading in English for Lower School (Years 7 – 9)

  • Any age-appropriate historical fiction
  • Any formal, non-fiction writing, especially opinion pieces in news media

Useful websites, TED Talks and research for Lower School (Years 7 – 9)

  • History – BBC Bitesize
  • ‘You’re Dead To Me’ podcast

History-specific language to master in Lower School (Years 7 – 9)

  • Key vocabulary is highlighted during lessons and on PPTs
  • Language of dialectic: analyse / evaluate

Pre-requisite or helpful knowledge from Year KS3 History ready to study in Year 10

  • PLEE paragraphs and HFDYA essay structure

Year 10

Term 1

Superpower Relations

  • How and why did the Cold War develop 1941-58
  • Why did tensions between the Superpowers escalate significantly 1958-70?

Henry VIII and his Minister

  • In what ways, and how successfully, did Henry and Wolsey govern England 1509-1529?
  • How did Cromwell rise to power, and how successfully did he deal with the problem of Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn?

Assessment

  • ‘Two consequences’ assessment (Superpower Relations)
  • Narrative account assessment (Superpower Relations)
  • ‘Two key features’ assessment (Henry VIII)
  • ‘Explain why’ assessment (Henry VIII)
  • Regular factual recall assessments
  • Ongoing formative assessment

Term 2

Superpower Relations

  • Why did the Cold War come to an end 1970-91?

Henry VIII and his Ministers

  • What were the causes and impact of the Reformation 1529-40?
  • How successfully did Cromwell manage the government of England, and why did he fall from power?

Assessment

  • ‘Importance of’ assessment (Superpower Relations)
  • ‘How far do you agree?’ essay assessment (Henry VIII)
  • PPE (both units)
  • Regular factual recall assessments

Ongoing formative assessments

Term 3

Crime and punishment

  • Crime, punishment and law enforcement in Anglo-Saxon England

Weimar and Nazi Germany

  • How successful was the Weimar Republic 1918-29?

Assessment

  • Explain why assessment (Germany)
  • Regular factual recall assessments

Ongoing formative assessment

Year 11

Term 1

Weimar and Nazi Germany

  • Why was Hitler able to rise to power 1919-33?

Crime and punishment

  • Crime, punishment and law enforcement in the later Middle Age
  • Crime, punishment and law enforcement in the 18th and 19th centuries

Assessment

  • Source utility assessment (Germany)
  • 16 mark interpretation assessment (Germany)
  • ‘Explain why’ assessment (Crime and Punishment)
  • Source utility assessment (Crime and punishment)
  • Regular factual recall assessments
  • Ongoing formative assessment

Term 2

Weimar and Nazi Germany

  • How, and how successfully, did the Nazis gain control of Germany 1933-9?

Crime and punishment

  • Crime, punishment and law enforcement in recent times

Assessment

  • PPE
  • Interpretation difference assessment (Germany)
  • ‘How far do you agree’ essay assessment (Crime and Punishment)
  • Regular factual recall assessments

Ongoing formative assessments

Term 3

Weimar and Nazi Germany

  • What was the impact of the Nazi regime for the German people?

Crime and punishment

  • Whitechapel

Revision

Assessment

  • Regular factual recall assessments
  • Ongoing formative assessments
  • GCSE exams

Achieving outstanding outcomes in History – knowing and remembering even more than what is expected in a grammar school Year 10 and 11 curriculum

To achieve to the highest level at GCSE History, students will need to:

  • demonstrate relevant and comprehensive knowledge, using first order concepts, combined with a sophisticated understanding of key features and characteristics.
  • Construct a convincing line of reasoning in relation to relevant second order concepts and reach reasoned, and substantiated judgements.
  • Critically analyse and evaluate, to reach reasoned, and substantiated judgements of:
    • A range of sources, in context, to investigate historical issues
    • Interpretations and why they may differ.

Recommended reading in History for Middle School (Years 10 – 11)

  • Any age-appropriate historical fiction
  • Any formal, non-fiction writing, especially opinion pieces in news media

Useful websites, TED Talks and research for Lower School (Years 10 – 11)

  • History – BBC Bitesize
  • BBC History website
  • ‘You’re Dead To Me’ podcast

History-specific language to master in Middle School (Years 10 – 11)

  • Key vocabulary is highlighted during lessons and on PPTs
  • Language of dialectic: analyse / evaluate

Pre-requisite or helpful knowledge from Year KS4 History ready to study in Year 12

  • N/A

Year 12

Term 1

The Early Tudors

  • Edward and Mary

France in Revolution

  • Causes and course of the Revolution

Assessment

  • Single source assessment (Tudors)
  • Double source assessment (Tudors)
  • 2 x 10 mark essay questions (French Revolution)
  • Regular factual recall assessments
  • Ongoing formative assessment

Term 2

The Early Tudors

  • Elizabeth

France in Revolution

  • Rise and rule of Napoleon

Assessment

  • 30 mark source question (Tudors)
  • 20 mark essay question (Tudors)
  • 2 x 20 mark essay questions (French Revolution)
  • Regular factual recall assessments
  • Ongoing formative assessment

Term 3

The Early Tudors

  • Elizabeth

France in Revolution

  • Revision

Coursework

  • Mock coursework

Russia and its Rulers

  • Introduction to key chronology

Assessment

  • PPE
  • 20 mark essay question (Tudors)

20 mark essay question (French Revolution)

Year 13

Term 1

Russia and its Rulers

  • Nationalities
  • Government

Coursework

  • Research

Assessment

  • Mock coursework
  • 30 mark interpretation question (Russia)
  • Ongoing formative assessment

Term 2

Russia and its rulers

  • Economics
  • War and Revolution

Coursework

  • Draft 1

Assessment

  • Coursework
  • PPE
  • 20 mark essay question (Tudors revision)
  • 30 mark interpretation question (Russia)

Term 3

  • Revision

Assessment

  • 30 mark source question (Tudors revision)
  • 25 mark essay question (Russia)
  • A level exams

Achieving outstanding outcomes in History – knowing and remembering even more than what is expected in a grammar school A level curriculum

To achieve to the highest level at A level History, students will be able to:

  • recall, select and deploy accurate, relevant and precise historical knowledge appropriately with arguments that are well organised and communicated with clarity
  • show understanding through analysis and explanation and reach substantiated and mostly sustained judgements about key concepts
  • show understanding through analysis and explanation and reach substantiated and mostly sustained judgements about the relationships between key features/characteristics of the historical period
  • analyse and evaluate source material in its historical context with insight and discrimination
  • analyse and evaluate how, in relation to the historical context, aspects of the past have been interpreted in different ways. Use interpretations appropriately to substantiate arguments.

Recommended reading in History for Sixth Form (Years 12-13)

  • See the KS5 History reading list

COURSE READING

These books will all give you an insight into the material you will be studying for your A levels. It is not expected that you read all of them, but rather we are providing you with a range of options.

 

The French Revolution

Simon Schama, Citizens (2004)
David Andress, The Terror: Civil War in the French Revolution (2006)
Ruth Scurr, Fatal Purity: Robespierre and the French Revolution (2007)
Andrew Roberts, Napoleon the Great (2015)
Ian Davidson, The French Revolution: From Enlightenment to Tyranny (2016)
Peter McPhee, Liberty or Death: The French Revolution (2017)

 

The Later Tudors

Susan Brigden, New Worlds, Lost Worlds: The Rule of the Tudors 1485-1603 (2001)
Chris Skidmore, Edward VI: The Lost King of England (2008)
Anna Whitelock, Mary Tudor: England’s First Queen (2010)
Alison Weir, Elizabeth, The Queen (2009)
David Starkey, Elizabeth (2009)
Alison Weir, Children of England: The Heirs of Henry VIII 1547-1558 (2008)

Useful websites, TED Talks and research for Sixth Form (Years 12-13)

  • Podcast: In Our Time
  • BBC History website

History-specific language to master in Sixth Form (Years 12-13)

  • Key words are highlighted during lessons and as appropriate written down and defined by students.
  • Language of dialectic: analyse / evaluate
  • Evaluative language is modelled and taught