The Purcell School

THE PURCELL SCHOOL

HISTORY DEPARTMENT

HEAD OF HISTORY : MR PIGOTT

SCHEMES OF WORK 2014

SCHEMES OF WORK / LESSON PLANS

This section contains schemes of work from Year 7 through to Year 13. Years 7–9 broadly follows the Key Stage III outline which most schools undertake in their lesson format i.e. Medieval Realms; a European topic (the Italian Renaissance); also British History (Industrial Britain in the Eighteenth & Nineteenth Centuries); and Twentieth Century topics (the First & Second World Wars).

From Year 9 up to Year 13, the IT suite is often used for the assignments I set during the term, whether this is classwork/homework or coursework for GCSE/’A’ Level.

Years 10 & 11 follow the Modern World Syllabus set by OCR (1918-90). This course includes topics such as international relations 1919-39 and the USA 1918-41. It also includes the British Liberal Reforms c.1890-1918.

Year 12 & 13 follow the OCR Syllabus (Option A) Modules: F961 British Imperial & Foreign Policies 1856-1914; F964 Germany 1933-63; F965 Russia 1894-1924 (Coursework Module); F966 The Changing Nature of Warfare 1792-1945.

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KEY STAGE III – YEAR 7

MEDIEVAL REALMS 1066-1500 Assessment

Content : The Norman Conquest and Legacy. To understand who ruled England pre-Conquest. Why the Normans conquered England, Battle of Hastings. The impact of the Norman Conquest, e.g. buildings, culture and Government. / Various written accounts on the Normans, what they were like, the Battle of Hastings, Norman castles, architecture.
Content : Henry II and Government. Understand key terms – government, monarchy, divine right; political make-up of Parliament. / Diagram of Henry II’s Government.
Content : Thomas Beckett. Beckett’s moral transformation; importance of Beckett’s ideals; role of religion; Beckett’s martyrdom. / Essay on rise and fall of Beckett.
Content : King John. The mystery of King John, was he a bad ruler, the argument with Pope Innocent III, civil war with the Barons, war with the French and loss of lands. A lesson on Magna Carta, its importance as a political document and legacy today linking in US constitution and the UN Charter. / c.Two homeworks on this topic.
Content : Peasants’ Revolt. What was a peasant? Why they rebelled; did any benefits occur as a result of the rebellion? / Time-line of the Revolt. Account. Graph of the Revolt.
Content : The Black Death. To understand its impact on England and Europe. What were its symptoms? Cures? Effects on society and wages? / Map exercise. Two accounts (estimates). Graph.
Content : The Printing Press. Importance of printing press on literacy and religion. How did it work? Possibly discuss how printing press led to different interpretations of the Bible and the spread of the Bible in local languages. / Essay on the importance of the Printing Press.

KEY STAGE III – YEAR 8

RENAISSANCE ITALY

The Origins of the Renaissance. Concept of the Dark Ages. To understand advanced civilisations such as Ancient Greece and Rome. Italy as the centre of the “re-birth”.
Florence’s Role in the Renaissance. To acknowledge Florence’s location. To understand its government system and economy. How these factors enabled Florence to lead the renaissance.
The Role of the Patrons in the Renaissance. This will look at the importance of the Medici family, The Papacy, The Guilds and other great renaissance families.
Humanism. Faith in Man and Science above the Church and superstition. Key figure of Erasmus. Problems which humanism created for the Church.
Women in the Renaissance. The general view of women in the Renaissance plus the exceptions to the rule e.g. Maria del Este.
Leonardo and Michelangelo (1 lesson each). Renaissance Man. Studies on both characters and their role in the Renaissance.
Machiavelli. Significance of his books. Morality based lesson. Why were these books written?
Renaissance technology. Scientific breakthroughs which signalled the end of the Dark Ages – artillery, Printing Press/ocean navigation.

THE TUDORS

Reformation Europe. Erasmus, More, Luther, Calvin and Zwingli and their impact on religion in Europe. The Catholic Church’s response to the Reformation.
Wars of the Roses. The significance of Civil War in England. How serious was it? How widespread? Impact of Henry VI.
Edward IV. Character and personality. His disastrous marriage. His early death and significance to the stability of England.
The Battle of Bosworth. Its importance in bring the Civil War to and end. The beginning of The Tudor Dynasty.
Henry VII. His character, policies on finance and foreign policy. His avoidance of war. His marriage to Elizabeth of York. The Pretenders – Perkin Warbeck and Lambert Simnel. Claims against his throne.
Henry VIII. Character and personality. His “great matter” . The role of Thomas Wolsey in the divorce. Dissolution of the Monasteries. His marriages.
Edward VI. The ‘boy King’. His protectors. Somerset and Northumberland. His reforms on education/religion.
Mary I. Her attempts to turn the clock back on religion. Her attacks on the religious reformers e.g. Cranmer, Hooper, Ridley
Elizabeth I. Her “middle way” – the attempt to prevent Civil War in England over religion. The Spanish Armada.

The Homework Assignments should be between 400 and 600 words in length. There are generally about 10 mini essays per term, started in the second lesson of the week. The Homework is marked out of 10, with 7 and above marks being regarded as a good standard. Spelling and punctuation are important but Homework should be content driven. There is a year end exam of 1 hour.

KEY STAGE III – YEAR 9

TRADE, INDUSTRY & EMPIRE – Sept – Dec
Crystal Palace. Nature of exhibition. Motives. Why England? Success.
Population, Industry, Factories. Inter-relationship between all three
Causes of Industrial Revolution. To realise that no single cause brought about industrial revolution. Studies on Brunel and Darwin.
Domestic Vs Factory System. To note change from manufacturing on small scale at home to larger scale in factories.
Trade & British Empire. To view how trade and empire were linked. To recognise which colonies provided which goods. Reasons for the development of Empire.
Indian Mutiny/Revolt. Problems associated with running an empire, impact on the mind of the British/Indian people.
WORLD WAR I – Jan – March
Schlieffen Plan. To recognise the importance of this plan as the supposition that its failure would lead to Germany’s long term defeat.
Trench Warfare. Life in the trenches – boredom, the fighting itself, food, the terminology used by the troops.
Weapons of Word War I. Artillery, tanks, machine guns, grenades, rifles, gas, planes, etc
Battles of Verdun and The Somme. To recognise the scale of the battles and their significance to the war itself.
The War at Sea. The Battle of Jutland and submarine warfare. To recognise the significance of war at sea as well as on land. The
The Home Front. To recognise the importance of the civilian population in WWI.
1917 - The turning point. Russia leaves the war and USA enters the war. What impact does this have on the Great War?
1918 – Ludendorff offensive The critical attack that decided the outcome of WW1. Why was it launched and why did it fail?
WORLD WAR II – April – June
Blitzkrieg and Phoney War. The nature of the tactics used by Germany. The lull after the September 1939 attack.
Fall of Western Europe. Blitzkrieg continued across Western Europe. Which countries were attacked? Britain’s retreat via Dunkirk
Invasion of Russia. Operation Barbarossa. Why did Hitler invade Russia? How did Russia defeat this onslaught? The scale of the human suffering.
Battle of Britain 1940. Aerial conflict between Germany and Britain in the summer of 1940. The importance of this battle on the overall war. The importance of British planes like the Hurricane and Spitfire. Reasons why Britain won the battle.
Pear Harbour and the Far East. Focus on Word War II being global and that Germany had Japan as an ally. The attack on Pearl Harbour. The significance of USA as an ally and the outcome of the war.
1942-43. The turning point. Germany loses the initiative. Battles fought at Stalingrad and El Alamein. Britain’s first victory.
Germany in retreat 1944-45. Germany on the defensive in Russia, Italy and France.

The Homework Assignments should be between 400 and 600 words in length. There will be approx 10 mini essays per term. The mini essays are started in the second lesson of the week, normally in the IT room. The Homework is marked out of 10, with 7 and above marks being regarded as a good standard. Spelling and punctuation are important but Homework should be content driven. There is a year end exam of 1 hour.

"GCSE" OCR : SYLLABUS (J417) – YEAR 10

Duration : The first academic year Assessment

Topic : the Cold War 1945-1975.
Content : The origins of the Cold War, the 1945 summit conferences included the parts played by Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin and Truman, and the breakdown of the USA – USSR alliance in 1945-6; Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe; the Iron Curtain; the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan; the Berlin Blockade and its immediate consequences. / Essay :
Who was to blame for the Cold War?
Content : The Cuban Revolution and the USA’s reaction to it; the Bay of Pigs, the events of the Crisis including the roles of Khrushchev and Kennedy; the resolution and the consequences of the Crisis. / Essay :
Who won the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Content : Increasing USA involvement in Vietnam under Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson; the main events of the war and the tactics used by both sides; reasons for USA’s withdrawal. / Essay :
Why did the USA fail in Vietnam?

End of year exam in June approx 1¼ hours. Essays are normally expected to be at least 600 words and above.

Homework essays are marked out of a total of 10 or 20 marks (8 or above out of 10 and 16 or above out of 20 is considered an A grade).

Some assignments will be GCSE-style questions/cartoons, typically set by OCR.

"GCSE" OCR : SYLLABUS (J417) – YEAR 11

Duration : The second academic year Assessment

Content : USA 1918-45. The Constitution; the American Presidents to 1945; how free was America in this period; racism and KKK, organised crime, religious problems, Prohibition. The “Roaring 20’s”; the Jazz age; the 20’s Boom and Bust and the Great Depression. The New Deal – what was it? Why was it put into place? The Alphabet Agencies; how successful was the New Deal? Opposition to the New Deal. / Essay :
How free was the USA in the 1920’s and what were causes of the Great Crash/Depression? How successful was the New Deal?
Content : Stalin’s Russia c.1928-53. Coursework is generally written in March and is undertaken under controlled conditions over a total of 8 hours.
Student intake from September 2013 will undertake Coursework and it will be on Russia 1905-1941. Students will study key areas: Why did the Tsarist Regime collapse in 1917? How did the Bolsheviks gain and hold on to power? What was the impact of Stalin’s economic policies?
OCR sets the Coursework question 18 months in advance. / Essay : This is a source based exercise of approx 2,000 words. This is marked internally and moderated by external examiners. The coursework is marked out of a total of 50 marks.
The coursework is normally written in March/April.

There is a 2 hour mock exam taken in January which focuses on Paper 1. Essays are expected to be at least 600 words and above.

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‘A’ LEVEL HISTORY COURSE

OCR EXAMINATION BOARD

The ‘A’ Level course follows 4 units over 2 years (2 units per year).

The ‘AS/A2’ courses are studied by the students in Lower or Upper 6th.

The 4 units are:

UNIT / EXAM/ASSESSMENT / % ‘AS OR A2’ GRADE
F961 – AS Module
British History Period.
British Foreign & Imperial Policies 1856-1914. / 1½ hour exam where students answer 2 from 3 essay questions. / 25%
F964 – AS Module
European & World Enquiries.
Dictatorship & Democracy in Germany 1933-1963. / 1½ hour exam where students answer a source based exercise - 2 questions in total. / 25%
F965 – A2 Module
Coursework.
The Russian Revolutions 1894-1924. / 2 assignments of 2,000 words each set by the examination board and marked internally. / 20%
F966 – A2 Module
The theme based module.
The changing nature of warfare 1792-1945. / 2 hour exam where students answer 2 from 3 essay questions. / 30%
TOTAL / 100%

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"AS" Module F961 - BRITISH FOREIGN & IMPERIAL POLICIES (1856 - 1914) – LOWER 6

This is a 2 hr examination. Students answer 2 essays from a choice of 3 questions. (50% of AS Grade)

Duration : 12-13 Weeks of Autumn Term – 4+ Essays

QUESTIONS
·  What principles governed foreign and imperial policies from 1856 to 1902? – the balance of power, explanation of the major powers in this period, the importance of trade and the British Empire, the fear of Russia, limited support for liberal revolts and emerging states
·  What British issues were involved in the Balkans 1856-1902? – the decline of the Ottoman Empire and fears of Russian expansion into it, protection of trade routes in the Ottoman region, foreign policies of Palmerston, Disraeli and Salisbury.
·  Why was Britain involved in obtaining influence in Africa from 1868-1902? – protection of trade routes to India, strategic and aims, the influence of imperialist “men on the road” i.e. Rhodes, Joseph Chamberlain, humanitarian and religious reasons for foreign policy in Africa.
·  How popular was the policy of imperialism in England 1880-1902? – the extent and limits of popular support, the political parties’ views on imperialism, second Boer War and impact on the prestige of the Empire.
·  Why did British attitudes to European countries change from 1902? – the end of ‘Splendid Isolation’, the Anglo-Japanese treaty, Entente Cordiale, triple Entente, Anglo-German relations, the naval race and the Moroccan crises.
·  Why did Britain go to war in 1914? – British policy towards the Balkan region, the role of Edward Grey in the summer of 1914, Sarajevo Crisis, the invasion of Belgium, the attitudes of the political parties and public opinion to war.

Essays written by the students should contain the following in order to gain a high grade: accurate use of key concepts, relevant analysis to the question, a high level of understanding of key issues, consistent and relevant analysis throughout the answer, substantiated explanations and judgement, recognition of the relative importance of key points e.g. which factors are more important than others?