History structures the curriculum into a 3-year Key Stage 3, a 2 year KS4 and a 2 year KS5 curriculum. The curriculum is a progressive model.
Subject specialists have given consideration and thought to the sequence and rationale of the curriculum; why we teach the content we do and in the order that we do. This is to ensure knowledge is not isolated information; it is connected knowledge that enables comprehension. The curriculum is a progressive model. Subject and cross subject sequencing intends to develop schemata making subsequent learning possible.
At Key Stage 3, the full National Curriculum is delivered. The History curriculum is organised into units and each unit of lessons builds on prior knowledge allowing connections to be made and enables knowledge to be transferable. In History we believe this facilitates deeper comprehension. The unit content taught is chosen so lessons focus on developing deeper understanding and capacity for skilful performance.
At Key Stage 4, the full Edexcel GCSE specification is delivered. Content is structured into unit. The curriculum is designed to ensure students have a broad and diverse study of the history of Britain and the wider world and give them skills that will support progression to further study of history and a wide range of other subjects. Each lesson builds on prior learning, allowing connections to be made between content. Units have been organised and designed to promote learning and provide depth and breadth of understanding
At Key Stage 5 the AQA 1H - Tsarist and Communist Russia is delivered, with the 2S - Modern British History, 1951-2007 unit. The curriculum is designed to ensure students understand the significance of historical events, the role of individuals in history and the nature of change over time. Our curriculum will help students to gain a deeper understanding of the past through political, social, economic and cultural perspectives. Each lesson builds on prior learning, allowing connections to be made between content. Units have been organised and designed to promote learning and provide depth and breadth of understanding
Student voice has been conducted to ensure that students have a contribution to the curriculum content. This has resulted in additional diversity being introduced to the KS3 history curriculum.
The History department is a member of the Historical Association and works alongside the School Improvement Partners to quality assure our curriculum and ensure that it provides a high quality and comprehensive curriculum for all.
Pedagogical approach
The pedagogical approach for History adheres to the LLT Teaching and Learning Policy. Subject specialists deliver the History curriculum through 50 ,55-minute lessons per fortnight
Rosenshine and ‘Teach Like a Champion’ strategies are implemented in all lessons and lesson episodes are designed to enable students to store knowledge into the long-term memory.
Lessons
Tasks and activities are engaging and whenever possible are linked to local context, careers and progression and develop cultural capital. Examples include a sequence of lessons in Year at looking at the reasons of the Toxteth Uprising.
Lessons are structured to enable students to review/retrieve prior knowledge and activate it to make connections with new learning. This is through ‘Do It Now’ tasks at the start of each lesson
In each lesson, students are informed what they are learning and what the outcomes for the lesson are. We call these ‘WALT’ (What we are all learning today,) and ‘WILF’ (What I’m Looking For.)
New information is delivered in small steps and models are provided to support student comprehension. For example, in history we model the thinking process needed to answer different styles of questions, using mnemonics.
Lessons provide opportunities for students to practice applying their new learning. This may include guided and/or independent practice.
Questioning is used to inform adaptive teaching, and this includes techniques such as ‘right is right’ to ensure students accurately and clearly articulate their responses.
Students are asked to complete practical based activities such as decisions making a simulation activities, so that students think from the perspective of the historical actors, deepening their thinking. Students develop essential knowledge and then apply it in activities that ‘bring it all together.’ This ensures they connect knowledge and learning.
We assess an ever expanding curriculum. Assessment takes place in the form of formative and summative assessment tasks. These are carefully considered and link directly to the curriculum intent for the half term.
Clear ‘essential knowledge reading’ activities are provided to support reading development and provide depth and breadth to the curriculum. For example, students at KS5 are given extensive reading lists, including consolidation reading, such as A-Level and revision texts, as well as more advanced and academic reading to extend and widen their reading. Students are also provided with “watch lists” of relevant documentaries and feature films.
Literacy
Clearly communicate their subject discipline using appropriate vocabulary. This includes the use of command words, vocabulary lists, Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary.
History reading materials are carefully selected to develop reading and comprehension skills. The History department teach reading comprehension strategies through having good knowledge of common barriers to academic reading, such as dysfluency and limited vocabulary and provide support to students when needed .We provide support for students so they can access challenging texts such as primary sources and historical interpretations.
In History we provide opportunities for students to ‘bring together’ knowledge developed. This is through extended writing tasks, practical demonstrations or other examples such as debates, trials and essay writing.
To develop Oracy the History department uses cognitive reasoning and cognitive structure.
