JRCS History Super-Curricular Site
Advice in furthering your own super-curricular portfolio......
04 May, 20200 LikesIn an increasingly complicated world, the actions of all the people around us, from family members to presidents of the USA, are strongly influenced by what has gone before. Through the study of the past students are equipped to reason, analyse, formulate opinions and argue them logically. By studying history, students will develop skills which they can use in jobs as diverse as law or medicine, music management or marketing. Most of all, our students are equipped with the critical skills necessary to understand our society and the world around us.
In an increasingly complicated world, the actions of all the people around us, from family members to presidents of the USA, are strongly influenced by what has gone before. Through the study of the past students are equipped to reason, analyse, formulate opinions and argue them logically. By studying history, students will develop skills which they can use in jobs as diverse as law or medicine, music management or marketing. Most of all, our students are equipped with the critical skills necessary to understand our society and the world around us.
The Key Stage 3 curriculum covers a combination of British, European and world history and provides a varied approach to studying the past, examining topics both thematically and in depth. In Years 7 and 8, students study the themes of migration and protest; this helps them identify patterns or note key turning points in history. Students will focus on several key topics in depth over the course of the year and identify and explain how these case studies relate to the broader overarching theme. In Year 9, students study twentieth century European history as well as medical developments in the Ancient World.
In their first year at JRCS, students study the theme of migration, war and conquest into and out of Britain from 500 BC to the present day Using a series of case studies, students will seek to explore the reasons for migration, the experience of migrants newly arrived to British shores, the conquests that have shaped modern Britain and the world and the impact this all had upon British society.
In Year 8, students study the theme of protest across time. Students will investigate the reasons for the different protests they study, the nature of the protest and consequences of these protests.
Year 9 aims to provide students with a more focused understanding of modern history. Eric Hobsbawm’s seminal series of books ended with his account of the twentieth century – A Century of Extremes. Inspired by this, the department have prepared a curriculum which enables students to develop a firm grasp of the history of ‘yesterday’. By the end of the year they will have a deeper understanding of the processes that produced the globalised world we live in today, and a critical and reflective understanding of the many debates that surround it.
At Key Stage 3 it is the intention that students will be set two pieces of homework within a half-term period. It is usual that at least one of these pieces of homework is designed to help prepare students for an upcoming formal assessment. Work will be checked and if the homework contributes to an assessment, written feedback will be provided.
We are delighted to share this new website designed to provide students with extensive independent study activities. You will find numerous guided projects, links to excellent history websites and recommended documentaries.
History is not just concerned with the past; only through understanding what has gone before can we appreciate the world around us today. The GCSE Edexcel History course at JRCS covers a combination of British and world history and provides a varied approach to studying history, examining topics in both breadth and depth.
As well as learning about many varied and interesting aspects of the past you will also develop many important skills vital to higher education and the workplace. These include:
There are five main topics that make up the course which are assessed across three exam papers. All examinations will be taken in the summer of Year 11. Please note, there is no coursework or controlled assessment element to GCSE history.
Medicine in Britain c1250 – present day
and
The British sector of the Western Front during WWI, 1914-18: injuries, treatment and the trenches.
In this section of the course, students will learn how attitudes towards disease, medicine and health have changed over time and the key individuals and factors that have led to progress. Students will investigate a variety of topics from across the 800 year period including the Black Death, the work of Florence Nightingale, the provision of medical care during WWI and the development of penicillin.
Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941–91
This period study on the Cold War analyses the development of the tension between the Soviet Union and the West, and key political crises like the Berlin Blockade and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The course follows topic until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the end of the communist bloc in 1991.
Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060-88
The British depth study will analyse the nature and impact of the Norman invasion and conquest of England during the early Middle Ages as well as investigating the legacy of William I. The Battle of Hastings, castle construction, the uprisings against Norman rule and the importance of the feudal system and the Church are all topics students will explore in this unit.
Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918-39
In this source based paper students will study the turbulent social, economic and political changes that swept over Germany from 1918 to 1939, including the establishment of a new Republic and the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party. The final stages of this unit will enable students to investigate the key events that helped shaped the formation of the Third Reich and analyse the dramatic changes ordinary Germans witnessed in the years prior to the war.
At Key Stage 4 it is the intention that students will be set a piece of homework once a fortnight. It is usual that at least one of these pieces of homework is designed to help prepare students for an upcoming formal end of unit assessment which approximately takes place every six weeks. Key Stage 4 students are also expected to carry out their own independent research prior to certain lessons in order to help prepare them for the forthcoming topic in a process known as ‘flip-learning’. Work will be checked by the class teacher and if the homework is a practice examination question, written feedback will be provided.
The A level history page will provide you with all of the necessary things you need to become a successful A level historian. Within the page you will find recommended reading lists, exam guidance, documentaries, lectures, films, podcasts, places to visit and helpful websites
Click here to visit the A level history page.
At Key Stage 5 it is the intention that students will be given a piece of homework once a week. Much of the homework set is designed to consolidate learning in lesson and prepare students for the formal milestone assessments which take place at regular intervals throughout the year. In addition, Key Stage 5 students are often expected to carry out their own independent research prior to certain lessons in order to help prepare them for the forthcoming topic. Work will be checked by the class teacher and if the homework is a past examination question or practice paragraph, written feedback will be provided.
History is not just concerned with the past; only through understanding what has gone before can we appreciate the world around us today. The Edexcel A-Level History course at JRCS explores the themes of Nationalism, Democracy and Dictatorship in Europe and Britain’s experience of warfare during the 18th and 19th centuries. Students are assessed in breadth and in depth and will evaluate both, primary source material and the interpretations of Historians.
There are four main topics that make up the course which are assessed across three exam papers and one 4000 word essay. All examinations will be taken in the summer of Year 13.
In this section of the course students will study the creation of the Weimar Republic in Germany after the First World War, the rise of Hitler and Nazi Germany and the Federal Republic of Germany after the Second World War. Students will also undertake a mini-enquiry into the role of Hitler in the outbreak of the Second World War whilst evaluating the interpretations of Historians. Students will be required to draw links between different periods and regimes and develop a detailed understanding of events and developments in depth including the role of women across the period, the Holocaust and opposition in Nazi Germany.
This unit focusses on the weaknesses of Liberal Italy before the First World War before progressing to address the rise of Fascism and Mussolini in Italy, life under the Fascist Dictatorship and the creation of a republic following Italy’s disastrous involvement in the Second World War. Topics include Italian intervention in the First World War, Terror and anti-Semitism in Fascist Italy and the relationship between Mussolini, the Catholic Church, established elites and the people of Italy.
This option gives students the opportunity to explore the ways in which major overseas conflicts impacted on the participants and on those back home, and how such conflicts brought about change to the organisation of the army and navy, and to the role of central government in drawing the general populace into support for, and involvement in, such conflicts.
Students will explore the significance of key figures such as Nelson and Wellington in the Napoleonic Wars and Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole in The Crimean War. They will also engage in a fierce debate about the extent to which soldiers in the First World War were ‘Lions led by Donkeys’.
In this unit students are required to evaluate the work of three historians and use their knowledge and secondary sources to explain why the First World War started in 1914. The topic will explore the significance of Weltpolitik, the Naval Arms Race, conflict in the Balkans and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Furthermore, key historical debates including the extent to which Germany planned and executed a war of aggression will be debated. Students will write a 4,000-word essay which is internally and externally moderated.
Obtaining a place at a top university can be difficult with so much competition. Top universities are now more interested in your super-curricular activities rather than just extra-curricular. Super-curricular is the idea of coming fully immersed in the subject you want to study. This could include reading something new, visiting a place relevant to that subject, listening to a podcast or subscribing to a relevant magazine. The JRCS History super-curricular page provides this for anyone wanting to study history at university either soon or in the near future. So go ahead and delve in and find an area of history you have never really encountered before and develop your super-curricular portfolio.
We are delighted to share this new website designed to provide students with extensive independent study activities. You will find numerous guided projects, links to excellent history websites and recommended documentaries.
https://sites.google.com/view/jrcs-history-projects
Obtaining a place at a top university can be difficult with so much competition. Top universities are now more interested in your super-curricular activities rather than just extra-curricular. Super-curricular is the idea of coming fully immersed in the subject you want to study. This could include reading something new, visiting a place relevant to that subject, listening to a podcast or subscribing to a relevant magazine. The JRCS History super-curricular page provides this for anyone wanting to study history at university either soon or in the near future. So go ahead and delve in and find an area of history you have never really encountered before and develop your super-curricular portfolio.
Click here to head to the super-curricular page.
Over the next few weeks you will be completing your extended homework on life in the trenches. Each fortnight you will submit a completed part of your activity booklet and then we will mark it and return to you.
At the core of our approach to marking at JRCS is task marking.
In non-practical subjects one substantial piece of work will be task marked at least once every eight hours of teaching. Students will respond to the tasks and they will be checked by staff. In between that time students’ work may be peer or self-assessed or briefly checked by staff.
It is likely the same piece of work will be assessed for literacy. Staff will mark work using the following marking code:
QF | Question focus – your are answering the question directly |
FE | Factual evidence is precise and accurate |
AN | Analysis of the evidence is detailed and accurate |
EA | Evaluation – you have weighed up both sides of the argument |
IN | Inference – you have quoted from a source or interpretation and explained what this reveals |
Sp | spelling mistake |
P | punctuation mark missing or incorrectly used |
Voc | incorrect use of vocabulary |
^ | word missed out of sentence |
~ | unclear meaning or grammar within a sentence |
// | new paragraph required |
CL | capital letter error |
To develop a growth mindset and reflect ‘life after levels’ work in KS3 books will not usually be levelled; assessment will be formative and highlight how students can improve. Students will record areas of strength and development on their ‘reflection sheets’ which will be at the front or back of the book. At the end of each term a level is reported for students in each subject, which reflects all their work over that term. These are found on students’ pale yellow progress cards, which are stuck into their planners. These cards show students whether they are in line to meet their end of key stage target. Targets are:
KS4 practice exam questions and mock exams are likely to be graded using the 1-9 GCSE grading system. This work will be contained in best work folders which allow students to collate assessments written on paper or in formal exam papers. Students will record grades and areas of strength and development in their ‘reflection sheets’ which will be at the front of the folder. All students receive an attainment and predicted grade at the end of each term. These are found on their pale yellow progress cards, which are stuck into their planners. These cards show students whether they are in line to meet their end of key stage target.
At KS5 students take a series of VIMAs (Sixth Form (VI) Milestone Assessments) during their course. Students receive developmental comments to help them improve their work. Each VIMA result includes four parts: the grade for that assessment, a comparison of the grade with their expected progress grade (EPG), a Learning Capability mark and a prediction of their end of year grade (PEG). The outcomes of these assessments and other graded work will be in student folders. They are also sent home to parents. A summary of VIMA marks and the students’ expected progress grade is also recorded in their planner.
Advice in furthering your own super-curricular portfolio......
04 May, 20200 LikesIf you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the school office on 020 8270 6222 or contact the Head of Faculty, Dr P Longson at PLongson@jorichardson.org.uk