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History - Year 8

Mathematics - Year 7

Click here to return to our History curriculum home page

Below you will find more specific information about the curriculum in History for Year 8 students, explaining to you what students will learn, when, why and how. There is also information about how parents/carers are able to support students in their learning, extra-curricular opportunities in this subject and how it links to other subjects and the wider world.

While this information covers a broad range of areas, please do get in touch with the Subject Leader Mrs Robertson if you have any questions.

Subject Key Concepts

#1 Cause and Consequence        

#2 Change and Continuity         

#3 Evaluating Evidence/Interpretations 

#4 Making supported judgements       

#5 Historical perspective –
the big picture


Please click here for Subject Key Concepts.

Please click here for PDF History Learning Journey

 Curriculum Overview for the year 

Subject:      History                 Year: 8

Term

Topic / Key Concepts

Specific Knowledge

Specific Skills

Autumn

Tudors and Stuarts

·         The Spanish Armada

·         The Gunpowder Plot

·         The English Civil War

·         Oliver Cromwell

·         Restoration of the Monarchy

 

Key concepts: Cause and consequence, chronology, interpretations/evaluating evidence, judgements, change and continuity, historical perspective.

 

Key topic concepts: Catholic, Protestant, government/parliament/MPs, Monarchy, civil war, money, power, religion, execution.

 

Assessment: Judgement as to whether Charles I deserved to be executed.

·         Writing at length using PEEL structure.

·         Understand the causes of the Spanish Armanda and the chronology of events.

·         Identify the reasons for the defeat of the Armada and rank them to assess their significance.

·         Understand the causes and chronology of the Gunpowder Plot.

·         Infer from a range of sources/interpretations to assess whether the plot was real or a hoax.

·         Identify the causes of the English Civil War and reach a judgement as to the most important, as well as considering the role of Charles I and assessing his “guilt”.

·         Evaluate differing historical sources on Oliver Cromwell to draw a conclusion as to whether he was a hero or villain.

·         Identify how and why Charles II became King.

The Industrial Revolution  (part 1)

·         Agricultural revolution

·         Industrialisation and transport

 

Key concepts: Change and continuity, historical perspective, cause and consequence, interpretations, judgements

 

Key topic concepts: Enclosure, population growth, transport, railways, toll houses

 

·         Writing at length using PEEL structure.

·         Work collaboratively to identify and explain the reasons for and scope of change in the countryside.

·         Create a ‘transport game’ demonstrating knowledge and understanding of problems with and changes to transport over time.

Spring

The Industrial Revolution (part 2)

·         Life in the mills and factories

·         Life in London

·         Jack the Ripper

 

 

Key concepts: Cause and consequence, change and continuity, interpretations.

 

Key topic concepts: Labour, exploitation, apprentices, workhouses, reform, campaigning population growth, crime, living conditions, slums, public health.

 

Assessment:  Source analysis on differing experiences (part 1), judgement as to whether life in the mills was terrible for all (part 2).

 

·         Writing at length using PEEL structure.

·         Assess the range of experiences in mills/factories using a range of sources, taking into account differences in location, gender, age, job role, social class etc.

·         Identify the reforms made to factories in the 1830s/40s and infer from a range of National Archives sources to measure the extent to which the reforms improved conditions.

·         Identify and explain the changes to life in London including population growth, crime rates, public health/living conditions and leisure activities.

·         Know the chronology of the Jack the Ripper murders and use sources to assess how the conditions in the East End helped Jack the Ripper escape the police.

 

The British Empire

·         What and where was the British Empire?

·         Empire builders

·         Empire and trade

·         Interpretations of the British Empire

 

Key concepts: Change and continuity, cause and consequence, interpretations, judgements

 

Key topic concepts: Empire, colony, role of the individual, trade, slavery,

 

·         Writing at length using PEEL structure.

·         Define the term empire and identify where the British Empire covered and the basic reasons for wanting an empire.

·         Work collaboratively to assess the roles of a range on individuals who contributed to building the British Empire.

·         Engage in a ‘trade game’ to identify the pros and cons of trade within the Empire.

·         Examine differing consequences of the development of the British Empire and assess who benefited and who did not. 

Summer

The Transatlantic Slave Trade

·         Pre-colonial Africa

·         Trade triangle

·         Middle Passage

·         Slave auctions

·         Work and plantations

·         Abolition of slavery

·         Remembering the slave trade

 

Key concepts: Change and continuity, cause and consequence, interpretations, judgements, historical perspective.

 

Key topic concepts: Empire, slavery, trade, auction, plantation, abolition, campaigning, economy, religion, motivation, remembrance, victims

 

Assessment: Judgement on the reasons for abolition of the slave trade.

·         Writing at length using PEEL structure.

·         Analyse Trevor-Roper’s interpretation that there was no African history before colonisation.

·         Identify the reasons for the development of the slave trade and explain how people/goods were moved around the trade triangle.

·         Identify and explain conditions on slave ships. Use differing interpretations to assess the differing experiences had by those on board.

·         Work collaboratively using a range of sources to summarise what life was like for slaves on plantations

·         Identify the different factors involved in the abolition of slavery and assess their relative importance.

·         Reflect on the legacy of the slave trade and assess the reasoning for destroying statues etc, particularly looking at Bristol.

Women’s Suffrage

·         Women’s roles within Victorian society

·         Arguments for and against women’s suffrage

·         Differences between the Suffragettes and Suffragists

·         Tactics used by women’s rights groups

·         Women’s roles during WW1

·         Reasons for women’s enfranchisement

 

Key concepts: Change and continuity, cause and consequence, interpretations, judgements, historical perspective

 

Key topic concepts: suffrage, vote, democracy, control, campaigns, protest, tactics, work, role of government, war, change

 

·         Writing at length using PEEL structure.

·         Identify and explain how the Victorians saw women’s roles within society.

·         Engage with historical debate as to whether women should or should not have had the vote and assess who held specific views.

·         Identify and explain the different aims and methods used by the two main women’s campaign groups and assess the pros and cons of each approach.

·         Identify and categorise the reasons that some women achieved the right to vote in 1918 and rank them to reach a judgement on their relative importance.

Useful documents:

Please click here for a PDF of curriculum overview.

While this information covers a broad range of areas, please do get in touch with the Subject Leader Mrs Robertson if you have any questions.

Please click on the questions below to find out more. 

How are groups organised?

How are groups organised?

All of our Year 8 classes are mixed ability. The students have 3 one-hour lessons per fortnight.

What characteristics does a successful student have in this subject?

The most successful students in this subject will have an interest in how society, politics and the economy has changed over time and will be comfortable with analysing different interpretations of the past. Successful students will also have the ability to form rational arguments, supported with evidence, whilst they will also be able to write at length.

How will students learn at this level?

  • Collaborative learning where you work with your peers
  • Close reading and note-taking
  • Using the internet to support your learning
  • Using quizlet to support and test your learning
  • Independent learning where you are responsible for your own progress
  • Regularly self-assessing work and improving on it

How will students’ learning be assessed at this level?

There is a written summative assessment for the first 3 topics (1 per term)

1  Did Charles I deserve to be executed? (Interpretations, judgement)

2  Source based question on life in the mills and essay on whether life was terrible for all (interpretations, judgement)

3  Reasons for the abolition of slavery (interpretations, cause and consequence)

When do key assessments take place?

Assessment 1 – November (Charles)

Assessment 2 – February (Mills)

Assessment 3 – May (Abolition)

How can parents/carers support students’ learning?

  • Encourage your child to re-visit their classwork at home and help them test their understanding of that information – e.g through quizzing them on key names/dates/events
  • Encourage your child to watch relevant programmes about our topics on TV/online – there are lots of programmes on BBC iPlayer as well as Youtube.
  • Encourage your child to access information on the internet as a way of enriching and consolidating their knowledge – e.g through using the BBC Bitesize website.
  • Encourage your child to spend quality time on their homework and provide a suitable space for them to complete it.
  • Check the quality of the work in your child’s exercise book and encourage them to make improvements where possible.

What equipment do students need for this subject?

Essential basic equipment – pen, pencil, ruler, exercise book etc.

Access to SMHW

Access to Quizlet

How does this subject link to other subjects?

  • English and other Humanities subjects: Literacy, communication, evaluation, analysis and argument.
  • Philosophy: Religious changes in the Stuart period

What websites or resources may be helpful to support students’ learning?

BBC Bitesize - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zk26n39

Quizlet - https://quizlet.com/join/Yzu5U5RPz

What extra-curricular or enrichment opportunities are available for students in this subject at this level?

 

What sort of careers can this subject lead to?

History can lead to a hugely wide range of careers:

  • Law
  • Teaching
  • Museums and art gallery curatorship
  • Research
  • Finance
  • Politics
  • Media and marketing
  • Public relations
  • International relations
  • Journalism

The most traditional route into many of these careers is to undertake a History degree at university, before doing a conversion or post-graduate qualification in a slightly different discipline (a law conversion or a PGCE for example). Having completed a History degree also opens opportunities for accessing internships in areas such as marketing, public relations or journalism

What does student work look like in this subject at this level?

As a subject, History provides students with regular opportunities to make links between their learning across different subjects. History allows students to connect their learning about the past with developments and events in the present day, whilst the range of topics covered allows students to take in economic, social, political and religious history across a vast time period, going from the ancient Romans and Greeks up to the present day. Students study a combination of British and wider world History, ensuring that a range of experiences are covered. In terms of developing core skills, History students will regularly utilise and hone their analytical and evaluative skills, through exploring different interpretations of the past and building their contextual knowledge to reach their own judgements and conclusions. Students also regularly complete longer pieces of writing, giving them opportunities to develop essay-writing skills and develop their use of subject specific key terms, whilst also practicing their general spelling, grammar and punctuation. 

Please see our History Department Twitter page for some examples of student work https://twitter.com/ktshistory

How does this subject support a broad and balanced curriculum, meeting the needs of all students, and developing traditional core skills?

As a subject, History provides students with regular opportunities to make links between their learning across different subjects. History allows students to connect their learning about the past with developments and events in the present day, whilst the range of topics covered allows students to take in economic, social, political and religious history across a vast time period, going from the ancient Romans and Greeks up to the present day. Students study a combination of British and wider world History, ensuring that a range of experiences are covered. In terms of developing core skills, History students will regularly utilise and hone their analytical and evaluative skills, through exploring different interpretations of the past and building their contextual knowledge to reach their own judgements and conclusions. Students also regularly complete longer pieces of writing, giving them opportunities to develop essay-writing skills and develop their use of subject specific key terms, whilst also practicing their general spelling, grammar and punctuation. 

How does this subject promote creativity, critical thinking, practice, perseverance and resilience, and making links?

 History at KTS includes a range of activities aimed at getting students to utilise their creativity to help them to learn a vast amount of contextual knowledge; students are regularly given a choice of how to complete tasks and record notes, allowing them to create their own resources, whilst students are regularly given opportunities to work collaboratively and create responses as a group. Critical thinking is integral to History and analytical and evaluative skills are central to completing tasks and assessments. In terms of resilience, students are routinely expected to complete difficult tasks and all students are encouraged to be aspirational and ambitious. As we cover such a huge range of history and students are regularly required to make links between different developments and time periods.

How does this subject encourage enrichment and the development of cultural capital, deep learning, and inclusivity?

Students cover a range of topics, allowing them to dip into the social, religious, political, cultural and economic changes over time in Britain but also elsewhere.

We are investigating the possibility of taking students on a trip to the Black Country Living Museum to enhance their understanding of the Industrial Period.