History is about people – real people whose lives were sometimes exciting and sometimes frightening. Whatever their lives were about, there's a fascinating, and sometimes tragic, story behind them. As well as being exciting, studying history helps you to develop skills which can be used across the subjects you study.
At Unity students study history in Phase 1 – 3 with the option to study at GCSE. In Phase 1 and 2 it is taught as part of the creative curriculum as half term topics and in Phase 3 it is taught as a separate subject for 1 hour per week. Students then have the option to study at GCSE in Phase 4.
Subject - History
Qualification - GCSE History
Hours per week – Year 10 - 3 hours. Year 9 - 2 hours.
Through history lessons students are taught the skills to question the world we see today, to form arguments with supporting evidence and develop a love of discovering our past. A wide variety of teaching and learning activities are used to engage the students in their studies. We have a new twitter account this year which we will be using to showcase the students work and provide useful information and links. This is found @unityhistory.
History is taught to all Key Stage 3 students and is an option choice at GCSE. At Key Stage 3 students study aspects of history from 1066 to the present including depth studies on the Norman Conquest, Tudors and Stuarts, the slave trade, the Industrial Revolution and the wars of the Twentieth century. At GCSE students follow the OCR Modern World History course covering Britain 1890 - 1918, Germany 1918 - 1945, the Cold War and USA 1919 - 1939.
Why do this course?
History is about people – real people whose lives were sometimes exciting and sometimes frightening. Whatever their lives were about, there's a fascinating, and sometimes tragic, story behind them. As well as being exciting, this course will help you to develop skills which will be useful in a wide range of jobs or in the further study of History.
GCSE history will give you the opportunity to study photographs, films, videos, online sites, newspapers and original written sources. You will be involved in discussions role-play, use ICT to produce your own resources. You must be prepared to get involved, to read and investigate outside of the classroom.
Historians develop skills of enquiry, debate and presentation and go into jobs such as journalism, business, law, politics, tourism or the media. Do you have the power to solve problems, not just identify them!
Year 9 and 10 begin with a unit that focuses on World War One to link with the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the war. Students will be involved in activities that will develop the skills needed for the GCSE course. This unit is not part of the final examination
What will I study?
Modern World OCR Specification B
Unit A010: Historical Enquiry
The USA 1919 – 1941.
How will I be assessed?
- Candidates will complete a single controlled assessment unit based on a taught course.
- Candidates will complete one task.
- This represents 25% of the total marks.
- Students write 2000 words in total.
What is included?
Students will study aspects of life in the USA including the roaring 20’s, Prohibition, Mass Production, the Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression.
Unit A011: Paper 1
Aspects of International Relations and Germany 1918 – 1945.
How will I be assessed?
- Pupils will be assessed through an examination.
- The examination time is 2 hours.
- This examination is worth 45% of the total GCSE and will be taken in June when the pupils are in Year 11.
What is included?
Students will study The Cold War 1945 – 1975 including three key questions.
- Who was to blame for the Cold War?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8lrRvuwczk#t=46
- Who won the Cuban Missile Crisis?
- Why did the USA fail in Vietnam?
The Germany Depth Study covers four key questions.
- Was the Weimar Republic doomed from the start?
- Why was Hitler able to dominate Germany by 1933?
- How effectively did the Nazis control Germany 1933 – 1945?
- What was it like to live in Nazi Germany?
Unit A021
Option 3A: War and the transformation of British Society 1903-28:
How will I be assessed?
- Pupils will be assessed through an examination
- The examination time is 1hour 30 minutes
- This examination is worth 30% of the total GCSE and will be taken in June when the pupils are in Year 11
What is included?
Students study three key aspects of life in Britain key questions and investigation of source evidence.
- Poverty and the Liberal Reforms.
- How did women gain the vote?
- Life in Britain, the Home Front in World War 1.