History Department: Scheme of Work
Key Stage 3
Year 7
In Year 7 students will investigate a number of topics all focusing upon leadership. The key questions for these topics are:
- Why did William win the Battle of Hastings?
- How effectively did people defend themselves in Medieval times?
- Why did people risk death for their religion?
- Was Elizabeth I a successful monarch?
- Was Charles I to blame for causing the English Civil War?
- Was Cromwell a better alternative to Charles I?
Year 8
In Year 8 students will investigate the changes brought about by international slavery, the Industrial Revolution and the causes and consequences of the First World War focusing upon change and continuity. The key questions for these topics are:
- Were the Americans racist?
- Did emancipation lead to better lives for Black Americans?
- Were the British racist?
- How bad was child labour in Victorian Britain?
- Who was to blame for causing the First World War?
- What was life really like on the Western Front?
Year 9
In Year 9 students will investigate the impact of the Treaty of Versailles, the causes and consequences of both the Second World War and the Cold War, changes in youth culture in the 1950s and 1960s and the impact of international terrorism. The key questions for these topics are:
- Who was to blame for causing the Second World War?
- How badly were civilians affected by the Second World War?
- Who was responsible for The Holocaust?
- What caused the Cold War?
- Why did life change for young people in the 1950s and 1960s?
- How effective has international terrorism been since 1969?
There are a number of key concepts that underpin the study of history at Key Stage 3:
Chronological understanding
- Understanding and using appropriately dates, vocabulary and conventions that describe historical periods and the passing of time.
- Developing a sense of period through describing and analysing the relationships between the characteristic features of periods and societies.
- Building a chronological framework of periods and using this to place new knowledge in its historical context.
Cultural, ethnic and religious diversity
- Understanding the diverse experiences and ideas, beliefs and attitudes of men, women and children in past societies and how these have shaped the world.
Change and continuity
- Identifying and explaining change and continuity within and across periods of history.
Cause and consequence
- Analysing and explaining the reasons for, and results of, historical events, situations and changes.
Significance
- Considering the significance of events, people and developments in their historical context and in the present day.
Interpretation
- Understanding how historians and others form interpretations.
- Understanding why historians and others have interpreted events, people and situations in different ways through a range of media.
- 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:
Historical enquiry
Pupils should be able to:
- identify and investigate, individually and as part of a team, specific historical questions or issues, making and testing hypotheses
- reflect critically on historical questions or issues.
Using evidence
Pupils should be able to:
- identify, select and use a range of historical sources, including textual, visual and oral sources, artefacts and the historic environment
- evaluate the sources used in order to reach reasoned conclusions.
Pupils should be able to:
- present and organise accounts and explanations about the past that are coherent, structured and substantiated, using chronological conventions and historical vocabulary
- communicate their knowledge and understanding of history in a variety of ways, using chronological conventions and historical vocabulary.
