HUMANITIES

Subject leader- Richard Grant

Aims /intent

In history we aim to develop a keen interest and understanding of world events past and present. We want the children to develop critical thinking skills as well as a chronological understanding of world events and be aware of key dates and civilisations within history. Children are also taught about key figures from world history.

In geography the aim is to give the children a clear understanding of the world around them. This includes learning about their local area. They need to understand key features of their environment and to make important contrasts between different localities

How do we do it? / Implementation

The topics are introduced to the children using a hook to grab their interest: this may be through the use of a ‘mystery’ historical object or playing a video clip.

In every classroom there is a Topic Working Wall which displays the key vocabulary for the chosen topic, the key questions of the unit and ongoing questions from the children. This helps to engage the children in their topics and is used as an organic working wall by the teachers.

We ensure that there are opportunities for cross curricular writing across the academic year and lessons often have a range of outcomes that may include writing or art & design. Some lessons may involve class discussions where photos of the lesson are used to evidence the learning.

Our aim is for each year group to build in an ‘experience’ at least once every term. This may involve a class trip, a workshop or a visitor. There are also History Events built into the academic calendar throughout the year such as Black History Month and History and Geography Week. The school follows the Christian ethos by trying to involve people within the community in the learning; for example, parents/carers are invited into the school to share their lives and culture during Black History Month.

To evaluate this, we do a range of assessments: cold tasks to introduce a topic, key questions and tasks throughout a topic, extended writing and hot tasks at the end.

Outcomes/Impact

History:

For children to be able to chronologically order key historical events
compare and contrast different periods of history
to understand the difference between primary and secondary evidence
to effectively evaluate it, stating whether it is reliable

Geography:

Pupils should become global citizens by being able to:

to label and understand important geographical landmarks, places and localities on world maps
To use different resources in the contrasting such localities using primary and secondary evidence
To know the key environmental changes and the impact on our world
To identify key features of their local area
to explain the difference between human and physical geography and name some examples.

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