Years 7 & 8 Curriculum - History

 

YEAR 7

YEAR 8

Autumn 1

Year 7 Enquiry: Why is the Islamic civilisation described as a golden age?

In this enquiry you will learn about where Islam came from and how it spread across the world in only a few decades. You will find out how Baghdad became the centre of the Silk Road between Europe and Asia and how it became such an important cultural centre in the Abbasid Caliphate. We will also explore all of the different ways Baghdad was connected to the wider world at the time.

 

Enquiry: How and why did sanitation in Britain change through time?

In this thematic study students study more than two thousand years of sanitation in Britain. They will find out how people obtained their water and how they got rid of their waste. Their challenge is to explain how and why sanitation in Britain changed through time. They will study six time periods.

Enquiry: Why did the Reformation have such a big impact?

In this enquiry you will examine the Catholic Church in the early 1500s and begin to think about what Martin Luther wanted to achieve. You will learn about the key features of Catholicism and Protestantism and the main religious changes that took place. You will build up the big picture of the changes made by each Tudor monarch and learn about one ordinary church, called Morebath church. You will find out about the people who lived there and why the church mattered to them. You will think about how the Reformation affected the people of Morebath and the different kinds of change they experienced as a result.

Autumn 2

Year 7 Enquiry: What can archaeological finds tell us about Anglo-Saxon Southampton?

Anglo-Saxon England (early medieval) existed from 500-1066 AD. Anglo-Saxon Southampton is considered one of the best Saxon archaeological sites in Europe. You are going to investigate the wealth of finds by archaeologists to find out what they can tell us about the people who lived there. At the end of this enquiry, you will be invited to speak at a special conference for archaeologists to reveal what you have found out about Anglo-Saxon Southampton.

 

Enquiry: How much did England change during the Norman Conquest?

In this enquiry, your challenge is to explain how the Normans conquered England in the twenty years between 1066 and 1086.

You will be building up notes about each stage of the Norman Conquest.

Then, at the end of the enquiry, you will make a judgement on whether you think England was annihilated after the Norman Conquest.

Enquiry: How and why did the sugar trade change AD350 to the present?

In this enquiry, you will find out about how the sugar trade changed across different periods. At the end, you will write an account of these changes – what impact has the sugar trade had on people’s lives?

 

Enquiry: How and why did people’s health improve by the end of the Industrial age?

In this enquiry, students will explain and understand how life changed for people in the 19th century.  This topic will focus mainly on developments in medicine and surgery. Then, at the end of the enquiry, students will make a judgement on why important changes in medicine and surgery happened at this time.

Spring 1

Enquiry: Enquiry: Which sources reveal the most about medieval peasants?

In this enquiry students will begin to unpick the difficulties surrounding medieval peasants and their source record. We will examine what the Domesday Book can reveal about peasants' lives, examine the Luttrell Psalter and how it depicted the ordinary lives of medieval peasants and study archaeological and other material artefacts. Students will then decide which source reveals the most about medieval peasants.

 

Enquiry: How did the power of the monarch change in the Middle Ages?

In this enquiry we will be looking at some of the Medieval Kings and how and why their power was reduced during the Middle Ages. We will look at how the murder of Becket affected the power of Henry II, look at King John and Magna Carta and Henry III and the origins of parliament to decide what was the biggest obstacle of absolute power of the king.

Enquiry: How far did India benefit from British rule?

Your challenge in this enquiry is to decide how far the Indian people benefitted from British rule in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. 

 

Spring 2

Enquiry: How did the Mongols end up destroying Baghdad?

In this enquiry you will be looking at how the Mongols led by Chinggis Khan grew one of the largest Empires and ransacked one of the greatest cities in all our history!

As historians, students will need to identify all the causes to help us explain this. Just how did the Mongols end up destroying Baghdad?

Enquiry: How far was German militarism the main cause of WWI?

In this enquiry you will find out about the different causes of WWI and come to a judgement as to their relative importance. You will learn about the different alliance systems which existed in Europe prior to 1914, the different military plans which European nations had for war, the origins of the German Nation State, its culture and leader in 1914, Kaiser Wilhelm II, rivalries between European nations and the role played by growing nationalism and militarism in increasing the likelihood of a conflict in Europe.

Summer 1

Enquiry: How far did the Black Death change the Medieval world?

This enquiry will focus on the Black Death, a truly catastrophic pandemic in world history. You will examine what people believed caused it and how they went about curing it. You will examine how much the Black Death impacted people’s lives and changed the medieval world. You will then examine whether Arab doctors were better than European doctors.

Enquiry: What were the consequences of WW1?

In this enquiry you will investigate the different impacts of war on the people who fought in it and on the people who stayed at home. Your challenge will be to write an explanation as to which was the greatest impact.

 

Summer 2

Enquiry: How far was Elizabethan England a Golden Age?

Elizabeth I died in 1603. Some people look back on her 45-year reign as a ‘golden age’, but not everyone agrees. At the end of this enquiry students will make up their own mind about how far Elizabethan England was a ‘golden age’.

 

Enquiry: How was women’s suffrage achieved?

In this enquiry students will look at the difference between the Suffragists and the Suffragettes and look at how the Suffragettes should be remembered. You will look at the statue of Millicent Fawcett, understand the reasons why it was erected in 2018, and what that tells us about Britain.

 

Enquiries to:

Mr Hoskins – Subject Leader: History (o.hoskins@brookfield.hants.sch.uk)