History
Vision:
At Okehampton College, the History department’s moral imperative is to develop all young minds to think independently, respect and consider a variety of experiences and opinions to develop compassionate, and strong-minded individuals.
Our historians are encouraged to interpret, evaluate, and organise information through stimulating topics that allow them to relate to the present from a local to a global scale. Through the development of these historical skills, our historians are being prepared to tackle the rigors of an ever-changing world with the cultural literacy to understand and interpret current affairs.
Through this our historians can become successful, progressive global citizens.
At Okehampton College, the History department’s moral imperative is to develop all young minds to think independently, respect and consider a variety of experiences and opinions to develop compassionate, and strong-minded individuals.
Our historians are encouraged to interpret, evaluate, and organise information through stimulating topics that allow them to relate to the present from a local to a global scale. Through the development of these historical skills, our historians are being prepared to tackle the rigors of an ever-changing world with the cultural literacy to understand and interpret current affairs.
Through this our historians can become successful, progressive global citizens.
Resources and Routes:
History is taught by three subject specialists who have designed the curriculum to be chronological in the building of the student’s knowledge, enabling us to make conceptual connections to previous content and skills therefore strengthening holistic understanding of the subject.
Schemes of work are based upon second order concepts (change, continuity, cause, consequence and comparison) and substantive concepts e.g. power, empire, monarch, parliament which are similar to those taught at GCSE and A-Level ensuring students are equipped with the necessary historical skills to approach more challenge content.
Our curriculum, whilst traditional in its chronological structure, is based upon enquiries questions such as, ‘Did an Orange man cause the Troubles in Northern Ireland?’ with the aim of exposing students to a more diverse perception of the past e.g. Black Tudors, female suffrage, impact of the British Empire and the Middle East conflicts. These enquiries will be adapted to keep pace with the evolving historiography. There is a strong emphasis on British History and values and the impact of major turning points in World History.
All teachers teach according to the component plan but have the independence to deliver the content according to their own teaching style and for the needs of individual classes. We are consistent in our use of substantive concepts.
In Key Stage 3 students receive 1 hour of History per week. The popular GCSE course follows the OCR B syllabus and is taught across 2.5 hours per week. At A-Level we offer the OCR A studying US Civil Rights, The Early Tudors, Russia with the NEA on Vietnam.
History is taught by three subject specialists who have designed the curriculum to be chronological in the building of the student’s knowledge, enabling us to make conceptual connections to previous content and skills therefore strengthening holistic understanding of the subject.
Schemes of work are based upon second order concepts (change, continuity, cause, consequence and comparison) and substantive concepts e.g. power, empire, monarch, parliament which are similar to those taught at GCSE and A-Level ensuring students are equipped with the necessary historical skills to approach more challenge content.
Our curriculum, whilst traditional in its chronological structure, is based upon enquiries questions such as, ‘Did an Orange man cause the Troubles in Northern Ireland?’ with the aim of exposing students to a more diverse perception of the past e.g. Black Tudors, female suffrage, impact of the British Empire and the Middle East conflicts. These enquiries will be adapted to keep pace with the evolving historiography. There is a strong emphasis on British History and values and the impact of major turning points in World History.
All teachers teach according to the component plan but have the independence to deliver the content according to their own teaching style and for the needs of individual classes. We are consistent in our use of substantive concepts.
In Key Stage 3 students receive 1 hour of History per week. The popular GCSE course follows the OCR B syllabus and is taught across 2.5 hours per week. At A-Level we offer the OCR A studying US Civil Rights, The Early Tudors, Russia with the NEA on Vietnam.
Trips:
The study of history comes even more alive when you can see it, touch it and smell it! In order to broaden the horizons and experiences of our students we are looking to develop additional trips than what is currently offered:
The study of history comes even more alive when you can see it, touch it and smell it! In order to broaden the horizons and experiences of our students we are looking to develop additional trips than what is currently offered:
- Year 11 – Exeter Cathedral
- KS4 & 5 – New York and Washington D.C. residential
History Curriculum - Key Stage 3
YEAR 7
Term: |
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
Topic |
Roman Devon The Romans |
Who has the power? 1066-1400 |
Medicine through time |
Focus Questions |
What is an inference? What does History look like in the landscape? How useful are aerial photographs? What can we learn from artefacts? What do we know about the Romans in Exeter? What did the Romans eat? What did Romans enjoy for entertainment? Was Rome a great civilisation? |
What was England like in 1066? Why were there 3 contenders to the throne in 1066? Who had the strongest army? Who won the battle at Battle? What problems did William face as king? What was Domesday? Why did William build castles? |
Why did the Greeks believe humour could save your life? Why was Galen’s “Theory of Opposites” so important in the Middle Ages? Foolish Flagellants: Why did people whip themselves in 1348? Why was Smallpox such a big problem in the 1790s? How important was Alexander Fleming in the discovery of penicillin? Why was the discovery of DNA so important to medicine? |
Assessment Focus |
Did the Romans improve Devon? |
1. Why did William win the Battle of Hastings? 2. TBC |
TBC |
YEAR 8
Term: |
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
Topic |
Church Vs State: Who has the Power? 1509-1660 |
What made Britain great? 1745-1901 |
The impact of Empires: Slavery to Civil Rights: 1660-1970 |
Focus Questions |
What was life like in Tudor England? What problems did Henry VIII face in the 1520s? How did Henry break with Rome? Who were the wives of Henry VIII? Why did Henry shut down the monasteries? Does Mary I deserve such a nasty nickname? Why should Elizabeth not get married? Why did the English beat the Spanish Armada? |
How did Britain change between 1750 and 1900? Why did Britain change? How did individuals contribute towards change? What was the impact of change on society? What was the impact of Empire? How did politics change? Who was Jack the Ripper? |
How did the slave trade begin? What was the Triangular slave trade? What was the Middle Passage? What was life like for slaves on plantations? Why did people agree with slavery? How was slavery abolished? What happened to Emmett Till? How much did the events at Little Rock change the lives of black people? How successful were the ‘Sit-ins’ at challenging segregation? |
Assessment Focus |
Was Henry VIII a hero or a monster? |
How important was Brunel to the Industrial Revolution? |
TBC |
YEAR 9
Term: |
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
Topic |
The impact of Empires: A new kind of warfare: 1901-1918 |
The challenge to Britain during World War Two |
GCSE Preparation and America in the 1920s |
Focus Questions |
What were the causes of WW1? How influential were recruitment posters in WW1? What type of war was WW1? What was it like to live in the trenches? Was the Battle of the Somme a success or failure? What was the impact of the Treaty of Versailles on Germany? |
How did Hitler come to power in 1933? Why should we remember the Holocaust? Why did WW2 start? Was Dunkirk a success or failure? The Battle of Britain: Did Germany lose or did Britain win? What was the Blitz? Were the evacuations a success? |
What was life like in 1920s America? What was prohibition? Why was it called the “jazz age”? Was people’s leisure time roaring? - Gangsters - Bust and Boom - Al Calpone |
Assessment Focus |
Was Field Marshall Douglas Haig a hero or a villain? |
What was the impact of World War Two on people’s lives? |
TBC |
