Geography Learning Goals: Key Stage 3, 2003

History Learning Goals: Key Stage 3, 2003

Level 1 to Level 2

Use terms such as century, decade and year to show you understand the passing of time in history
Think carefully about the order of events in History so that you can get the flow of time correct
Give as much detail as you can about the past when you talk or write about it
Try to think of reasons why people in past were different to today so that you can explain why things happened
Focus on a the key events of each bit of history that you study and talk about these in your work so you have details in your work
Try to find different ways of looking at the same event in the past so that you can develop your own ideas about what really happened
Pick out details about the past from the sources of information that you study and include these in your work so you can back up your ideas with evidence

Level 2 to Level 3

Think carefully about when an event happened so that you can place it correctly in your timeline of the past
Think carefully about when a person in the past was alive so that you can place them correctly on your timeline of the past
Think about your whole knowledge of history and where an event or person fits into this so that you can write confidently about its place in time
Remember that each time period in the past has things that are different and the same to another so that you can highlight these in your work
Keep a list on paper of the main events that you have studied so you can get the dates correct in your work
Keep a list on paper of the main events that you have studied so you can get the events in the right order when you write
Think about how things change in history and how they stay the same so that you can focus on these in your work
Try to think of reasons why an event could have happened in the past so that you can explain this as part of your work
Try to think of how people at the time and today would write about events in the past so that you can talk about the results of the things you study
Recognise that people in the past and the present do not always agree about what happened in the past so that you can build these views into your work
Pick out details from information about the past that you study by thinking about what is really important so that you can back up your ideas with the correct evidence
Read the questions you are asked carefully so that you can use the correct piece of evidence from the sources of information you are given to study
Remember that you cannot be completely wrong in history as long as you can prove that your ideas are correct by backing them up with evidence

Level 3 to Level 4

Learn the key dates and events in the past by keeping a list of these on paper and then in your head so that you can refer to them as you write
Think carefully about the way that different events in the past are similar so that you can link the history you study together
Once you are confident about what happened in an event focus on the causes so that you can explain why something happened, not just what happened
Look for the long and short term causes of an event so you can develop your explanation of why it happened when you are talking in class
Think carefully about why some people in the past present the events they are writing about differently to others so that you are able to decide if you believe the evidence you are reading
Focus on the author of the sources you are looking at so that you can understand why they are writing the version of events that they give
When you have a range of different sources, try to pick out the things that are the same in two or more sources so you can use a range of evidence when you are writing up your work
When you are talking or writing about your ideas in history make sure you use the correct names and terms for what has happened so that you are able to produce really convincing arguments
Remember that when you write your work needs to have an introduction, an argument with evidence and then a conclusion so that you really focus on producing well structured work

Level 4 to Level 5

Make sure you are confident on the names, events and dates of the history you are studying so that you are able to use the correct facts when you speak and write in lessons or home works
When you are writing about the history you are studying make sure you include names, dates and the correct events so that your work is always based on correct facts
Use your wider knowledge of the past from all the periods you have studied to spot links and similarities between events in the past as you are writing
Go beyond simply listing names and dates by describing the things you are talking or writing about from the past so that you are able to show full understanding of your history
Think carefully about why things in the past happen and why people acted as they did so that you can see them as part of the time period when they happened
Think about how the different causes of an event are linked so that you can produce written or spoken explanations that show how an event in the past actually happened
Try to explain why some people in the past had different views of the same event by thinking about who they were and why they would see things differently so that you can interpret the past
When you read a source of evidence think about what you already know about the event so that you are able to make judgements on what the author of the source is telling you
Be prepared to reject some of the evidence you are given as not being useful for the question you are answering by focussing on exactly what you are being asked to do in each task
Look carefully at who has produced the evidence you are using and then read the source with the full knowledge of who is telling you about the past so that you are able to recognise the possible bias of the source
Avoid simply writing down everything you know by following a plan when you write of an introduction, explanation based on evidence and then a conclusion to sum up your ideas
When you write your ideas in history make sure that you use the correct dates and terms for the events you are studying so that your work is focussed and well constructed

Level 5 to Level 6

Describe all the things that you write or talk about in the past such as events and people so that you are able to show that you understand your knowledge of the past
Look at the ‘bigger picture’ of the past so that you are able to place the events and people you are studying into the time in which they occurred rather than as events plucked out of the air
Always try to find links between the events you have studied throughout Key Stage 3 so that you are able to spot patterns of behaviour and causes for events in the past
Consider the full range of causes and links between people, events and ideas in the past so that your explanations use all of your knowledge not just the things you have just learnt about
Look carefully at each of the causes you identify for an event in the past and try to explain how each one is involved in making the event happen so that you are able to have a fully developed explanation of the past
Once you understand why an event happened in the past think about what its results will be for the time period you are studying so that you are able to develop your explanation of the event and its place in the past
When you identify a major change in the past explain why the change has happened and how important you think it is so that you are able to develop your explanation of how history works
When you have identified how people in the past have interpreted the events of their time differently take care to describe how they provide different explanations so that you are able to show the differences clearly
Analyse why people in the past provide different versions of the same event by thinking about who they were and why they might want to present the event differently so that you can then explain these things in your work by picking out the differences in the sources you study
Read all the sources of evidence that you study for an event in the past in the light of the knowledge you already have of the event so that you are able to make judgements on how far you accept the version of events you are reading
Never simply accept that a textbook or source is correct if you disagree with what is being said. By challenging what is written or said you are able to develop your ideas and understanding.
Select the evidence from a source that supports your interpretation and then use it in your answers by quoting it so that you are able to strengthen your arguments and ideas.
Use the correct dates, terms and names when you are writing so that your ideas and interpretations are supported by the basic facts of the event you are talking about
Structure your work carefully following the rules of introduction, explanation and conclusion so that your writing is focussed and your ideas come across clearly to those who read your work

Level 6 to Level 7

Draw together your factual knowledge of the history you have studied to support your studies of different periods so that you have an overview of your history
Use your wider knowledge of the past to help you to spot links and patterns across the history that you have studied so that you are able to see history as more than simply a series of isolated events
When you examine an event in the past make sure that you consider all of the influences on the event including government, economy, religion and social so that you are able to fully describe the event and its place in the past
When you have identified the causes of an event in the past think about how important each of the causes are before you explain how they link together to make the event happen so that you are able to pass judgement on why an event really happened
Use your understanding of the causes of an event to help you decide on the importance of its results so that you are able to develop your explanation of the event from the fullest possible overview
When you look at a source of evidence about the past make sure that you consider the author before you read the source so that you are fully aware of what point of view and bias the source is written with
When you are analysing the reliability of a source consider the position and aims of the author so that you are able to explain why the source gives a different interpretation of events to other sources you are using
Consider how an author comes to write their evidence so that you can be sure about if s source is what the government or rebels thought for instance
Think carefully about the questions you are being asked to answer before you produce your work so that you are able to focus carefully on producing an answer that shows real understanding of the task you have been set
Try to think beyond the questions you have been set by letting your mind follow your own ideas and lines of enquiry so that you are able to develop your own understanding of an event or change in the past
Develop your understanding of events and changes in the past outside of the classroom by carrying out independent research using sources and evidence that your teacher has not given you and then bring this new knowledge into the work you are given so that you are an independent learner
Never simply accept what you are told or things that you read in books as the truth unless you are sure that what you are being told is supported by the evidence so that you are always thinking critically about the past
Be prepared to go against the opinion of your teacher, your class or the books if you are sure that your ideas are correct and can be justified with the evidence that you have
Structure your work with the aim of communicating your knowledge, understanding and ideas to others who cannot ask you face to face by explaining everything and backing all that you say with evidence so that your work reflects your true level of understanding

Level 7 to Level 8

Always draw on your full knowledge and understanding of the past when you study each new period from the past so that you are able to place the new events and changes in the context of the full flow of history rather than seeing each event in isolation
Explain each event from the past with comparisons to other events and their causes or results so that you are able to show that the past is a series of interconnected events and changes
Consider each of the interpretations of the events in the past that your are studying as valid and try to explain how each one can be supported by the evidence so that you show understanding of the wide range of views that exist about events in the past
Make the idea of interpretations of the past the focus of your work so that you are writing with thought and explanation and not simply telling stories about the history you are studying
Critically analyse the sources of evidence that you use to find out about the past before you use any of the information in them to inform your explanations so that your history work shows awareness of the need to challenge different views of the past
Develop your understanding of the events and changes of the past in directions that reflect your own interpretations rather than necessarily automatically following the routes given to you by your teacher or the textbooks you are using so that you show independence of thought
Ensure that all the conclusions that you put forward in answer to the questions you are answering are supported by evidence that you have critically analysed so that you can justify your ideas and arguments at all times
Use evidence, dates, events and historical terms to support clearly structured ideas in your answers that follow the developed techniques of introduction, explanation and conclusion so that your ideas and evaluations are communicated with full clarity and focus on the question