Holy Cross High School
History Department
National 4 History: Added Value Unit
Use the information in this booklet as a guide to help you as you research and produce your Added Value Assignment. Take care to read the success criteria of each outcome before you present your findings.
You must pass each outcome before you can achieve success in the Assignment overall. Your teacher will give you advice on how to complete each section of the Assignment appropriately.
Name:
What is an Added Value Assignment?
Your Added Value Unit is another Unit of the National 4 History Course. In total, your National 4 course will comprise of 4 Units: Scottish History, British History, European and World History and your Added Value Unit. As with much of the History course, you have to carry out research in order to answer a question. The difference with the Added Value Unit is that you can choose the topic you want to research, as well as how you present your findings! There are two parts to the Added Value Unit; Research and Presentation of your findings. In total there are six outcomes that you must pass in order to pass your Added Value Unit. As you work through this Unit, tick the boxes below as you complete each outcome to keep yourself right. The outcomes are:
Outcome / Description / Tick when you think you have completed this1.1 / Choosing, with support, an appropriate historical theme or event for study
1.2 / Collecting relevant evidence from at least two sources of information
1.3 / Organising and using the information collected to address the historical theme or event
1.4 / Drawing on knowledge, understanding and skills to describe and briefly explain some key features of the historical theme or event
1.5 / Describing the causes or impact of the historical theme or event
1.6 / Presenting their findings in response to the historical theme or event
Which areas can you research?
You can use your Added Value Unit to research a historical topic of your choice. Perhaps you have a particular interest in a historical topic. Perhaps you studied something in primary school that you would like to research more fully. Perhaps you read a book on a historical topic that you would like to know more about. Perhaps you saw an interesting programme on The History Channel last week and would like to research it more! Perhaps you found one of the topics we have covered in class really interesting and you would like to take your knowledge a bit further.
Outcome 1.1: Coming to a question
To pass Outcome 1.1 you must set yourself an appropriate question. The easiest way to begin to do this is to BRAINSTORM various historical topics.
Task 1: Complete the spider diagram below by writing a series of broad historical topics that you may want to research in more depth. (Note- Keep it very broad for the minute. You can narrow this down in time!!!)
Task 2: Look at your choices. For each choice above, write one sentence explaining what it is about that particular topic you are interested in.
TOPIC 1: ______
TOPIC 2: ______
TOPIC 3: ______
TOPIC 4: ______
Task 3: Questionnaire: Answer the following questions:
1. Which of the above topics interests you most?
2. Which of the above topics do you think would be easiest to research? (Explain your answer)
3. Which of the above topics would be the most difficult to research? (Explain your answer)
ANSWER 1:
______
ANSWER 2:
______
ANSWER 3:
______
Task 4: Please select the broad topic that you will research for your Added Value Unit
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Task 5: Your task now is to try to come to a suitable question based on your broad topic. Suitable questions are questions that allow you research the reasons for a specific historical event occurring, or questions that allow you to research the impact of a specific historical event. Once again, this will involve brainstorming. Your task now is to take your broad topic, and come up with 4 specific possible questions. NOTE: Two of these questions could be ‘causes’, and two of these questions could be ‘impact’ questions?
Task 6: Look at your choices. For each question above, write one sentence explaining what it is about that particular topic you are interested in.
QUESTION 1: ______
QUESTION 2: ______
QUESTION 3: ______
QUESTION 4: ______
Task 7: Questionnaire: Answer the following questions:
1. Which of the above questions interests you most?
2. Which of the above questions do you think would be easiest to research? (Explain your answer)
3. Which of the above questions would be the most difficult to research? (Explain your answer)
ANSWER 1:
______
ANSWER 2:
______
ANSWER 3:
______
Task 8: Please select your question
______
Teacher comment:
Outcome 1.2: Collecting relevant evidence from at least two sources of information
Collecting evidence is central to the study of history. However, as historians, we need to be careful that the evidence we are collecting is both reliable and relevant. The first exercise is designed to help you ‘evaluate’ different sources of evidence.
Task 1: Below is a list of scenarios. Your role is to look at each scenario individually and write whether or not you think the source of evidence is ‘reliable’. Don’t be scared to be critical! For each scenario, look for uses AS WELL AS limitations.
Scenario 1: You are hoping to find out the score in last night’s football match between Holy Cross and Hamilton Grammar. You ask a pupil who you know from Hamilton Grammar who tells you it was 7-0 to Hamilton Grammar and he scored all 7!
a) What makes this source useful?
______
b) What makes this source less useful?
______
Scenario 2: You are hoping to find out why Irish people settled in Scotland in the nineteenth century and one of your facebook friends, who is in your history class, tells you that it was ‘ a variety of reasons’.
a) Is this useful evidence? Explain your answer
______
Scenario 3: You are hoping to find out who won the last Football World Cup and two people give you different answers. One is your friend in the football team, and the other is your friend in the badminton team.
a) Who are you more likely to believe? Why?
______
Scenario 4: You want to find out about atoms. Mr Donnelly, your history teacher, and Mr McKay, your chemistry teacher both offer to help.
a) Whose help do you take? Explain your answer.
______
Scenario 5: You want to find out about the Russian Revolution. Mr Donnelly, your history teacher, and Mr McKay, your chemistry teacher both offer to help.
a) Whose help do you take? Why? Be VERY careful with your answer to this J
______
What you have been learning to do by answering the above questions is to evaluate your sources. Your final Added Value Assignment must include relevant information from at least two sources. We are now going to continue this skill by looking at different types of sources that you are likely to research from.
Task 2: List possible sources that you could find evidence from, for your chosen topic of research. (Aim for 6)
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Undeniably, the internet is an excellent resource of information to research history. However, when online, remember that you still have to EVALUATE your sources. Some internet sites are more valuable than others.
Task 3: Which of the chosen websites would you trust, and which would you be careful with? Explain your answers.
a) www.bbc.co.uk
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b) www.games.com
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c) www.russianhistory.org
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d) www.johnsblog.wordpress.com
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e) www.facebook.com
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Task 6: Spend some time researching your chosen question. Choose at least two sources of information that gave you relevant evidence that you will use in your report. Remember that by relevant evidence, I mean evidence that is actually helping you answer your chosen question. This could be in the form of a quote, statistics, a report or any other piece of relevant evidence.
What is the source? / Evidence to be used in findings?Source 1
Source 2
Teacher Comments:
Outcome 1.3 Organising and using the information collected to address the historical theme or event
Reports are always easier to understand if they show some form of organisation. There are different ways you can organise your report, and this will naturally depend on how you wish to present your findings.
Task 1: Look at the following pieces of historical information and tell me why you think the information in each case is organised.
a) ______
b) http://spartacus-educational.com/vietnam.html
Comment on the organisation of this website.
______
c)
______
Task 2: How do you intend to organise the information in your report?
______
Outcome 1.4 Drawing on knowledge, understanding and skills to describe and briefly explain some key features of the historical theme or event
This is where you start to apply what you have been researching over your previous lessons. Before you answer the final question about the causes or the impact of an event, you should set the scene by identifying at least three features of your theme, as well as giving at least two points that describe each feature. How you approach this will obviously depend on your question.
Task 1: You are going to practise the above topic on one or more of the following historical issues. For each issue underneath, give three features of the theme and for each feature, write two descriptions.
Issue 1: The Impact of Nazi rule on life in Germany
Feature 1: ______
Description 1:
______
Description 2:
______
Feature 2: ______
Description 1:
______
Description 2:
______
Feature 3: ______
Description 1:
______
Description 2:
______
Task 2: Repeat the above task with your own question
Issue:
Feature 1: ______
Description 1:
______
Description 2:
______
Feature 2: ______
Description 1:
______
Description 2:
______
Feature 3: ______
Description 1:
______
Description 2:
______
Teacher’s comments
Outcome 1.5 Describing the causes or impact of the historical theme or event
Every history assignment must ‘answer the question’. This is where you use your research to make conclusions to your question. By now, you should have gathered enough information to make conclusions about the causes or the impact of a historical event. Your report must include at least two causes or impacts of your historical event.
Task 1: Describe one conclusion you have made about your chosen question
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Describe another conclusion you have made about your chosen question
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Teacher’s comments
Outcome 1.6 Presenting your findings in response to your chosen question
Communication is vital in history. By now, you probably know in your own head what your conclusions are in relation to your research for your Added Value Assignment. However, in order to be an effective historian, you must be able to communicate your findings effectively. Once again, you have a choice in how you will present your findings. Everyone is different, and you should present your findings in a manner you are comfortable with.
Task 1: You have to use this task to help you decide how you will present your findings. You have to link the different skills (on the left), with the best way for that person to present their findings. Remember to justify your answer.
Choose from the following presentation types:
A. PPT Presentation
B. Short Story
C. Written Report
D. Oral Presentation to the Class
E. Written Report
Skill / Presentation type / JustificationExcellent language skills
Good, clear talker
Excellent artist
Great imagination
Great ICT skills
Task 2: How will you present the findings of your Added Value Unit?
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Task 3: How will you ensure that you effectively communicate the information in your assignment?
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Teacher’s comments