The Grammar School for Girls Wilmington
History Curriculum at GSGW
Key Stage 3
Key stage 3 Curriculum in History begins in year 7 with pupils studying the Norman Conquest of 1066 and examining life during the Middle Ages in comparison to today. The topic examines issues such as law and order, Religious beliefs and people’s rights as well as looking at key events such as the Battle of Hastings, Signing of the Magna Carta, The impact of the Black Death and the Peasants Revolt.
Year 7 pupils then go onto study the Tudor period examining the Monarchs of the 16th Century and the social and political impact of events such as the creation of the Church of England, The closing of the Monasteries, The Spanish Armada and other key developments.
In Year 8 Pupils continue their focus on British History by examining the reign of the Stuart Monarchs, James I & Charles I in particular. Pupils investigate the causes and impact of the Gunpowder Plot, the English Civil war, the execution of King Charles I and the role of Oliver Cromwell, as well as subsequent key events like the Plague and the Great Fire of London.
Year 8 Pupils then focus on 2 non British study units, the French Revolution, which examines the reign of the last French Monarch Louis XVI and the causes & impact of the revolution itself. Pupils then move on to the study of Native American Indians, examining their culture and the stereotyped image generated by Hollywood Westerns.
Year 9 Students begin their study of History by focusing on the Industrial Revolution, its causes, what changes occurs and why and how the lives of ordinary people in Britain were affected by the rapid developments in technology and living standards. Pupils then focus on the issue of Slavery and Britain’s role in it development. Pupils examine what Africa was like at the time, the conditions slaves faced on the journey across the Atlantic and their life as slaves in America.
Year 9 pupils then focus heavily on events in the 20th Century, looking in detail and the first and second World Wars, their causes, impact and the key issues of the time such as the dropping of the Atom Bomb, the Holocaust and life during the Blitz.
As part of their study pupils visit the First World War battlefields of Ypres & the Somme (in France and Belgium) to get a feel of the horrors and conditions of the trenches and conditions that soldiers faced.
Key Stage 4 (GCSE)
GSGW’s History course at GCSE focuses on American History, with the examination of American life and culture during the 1920’s and 1930’s period. Pupils examine why the USA experienced a Boom in wealth and prosperity and how America went form being the richest nation in the world to one of the poorest during the Depression era of the 1930’s. The topic examines key characters and themes such as Prohibition, Organised Crime, The rise of the Ku Klux Klan, the role and influence of President Roosevelt and the impact of World War Two.
GCSE Students also study International relations 1945 – 1989, looking in detail at why the Cold War developed between the USA & USSR, the impact of Nuclear Weapons, the building of the BerlinWall and the role of key world leaders such as Joseph Stalin, President Kennedy and President Johnson as well as the importance and reaction to the Vietnam conflict.
GCSE Students complete 2 pieces of course work that contribute 25% of the GCSE grade. The first assignment looks at Life in Nazi Germany and examines the treatment of young people and women by Hitler and the Nazi’s and the use of Propaganda and Concentration Camps in enabling their authority of the people of Germany.
The second assignment looks in depth at the Battle of the Somme and whether the British Commander, General Douglas Haigh deserves his reputation as “The Butcher of the Somme” for sending so may soldiers to their deaths in the worst battle in British History.
Key stage 3 Curriculum in History begins in year 7 with pupils studying the Norman Conquest of 1066 and examining life during the Middle Ages in comparison to today. The topic examines issues such as law and order, Religious beliefs and people’s rights as well as looking at key events such as the Battle of Hastings, Signing of the Magna Carta, The impact of the Black Death and the Peasants Revolt.
Year 7 pupils then go onto study the Tudor period examining the Monarchs of the 16th Century and the social and political impact of events such as the creation of the Church of England, The closing of the Monasteries, The Spanish Armada and other key developments.
In Year 8 Pupils continue their focus on British History by examining the reign of the Stuart Monarchs, James I & Charles I in particular. Pupils investigate the causes and impact of the Gunpowder Plot, the English Civil war, the execution of King Charles I and the role of Oliver Cromwell, as well as subsequent key events like the Plague and the Great Fire of London.
Year 8 Pupils then focus on 2 non British study units, the French Revolution, which examines the reign of the last French Monarch Louis XVI and the causes & impact of the revolution itself. Pupils then move on to the study of Native American Indians, examining their culture and the stereotyped image generated by Hollywood Westerns.
Year 9 Students begin their study of History by focusing on the Industrial Revolution, its causes, what changes occurs and why and how the lives of ordinary people in Britain were affected by the rapid developments in technology and living standards. Pupils then focus on the issue of Slavery and Britain’s role in it development. Pupils examine what Africa was like at the time, the conditions slaves faced on the journey across the Atlantic and their life as slaves in America.
Year 9 pupils then focus heavily on events in the 20th Century, looking in detail and the first and second World Wars, their causes, impact and the key issues of the time such as the dropping of the Atom Bomb, the Holocaust and life during the Blitz.
As part of their study pupils visit the First World War battlefields of Ypres & the Somme (in France and Belgium) to get a feel of the horrors and conditions of the trenches and conditions that soldiers faced.
Key Stage 4 (GCSE)
GSGW’s History course at GCSE focuses on American History, with the examination of American life and culture during the 1920’s and 1930’s period. Pupils examine why the USA experienced a Boom in wealth and prosperity and how America went form being the richest nation in the world to one of the poorest during the Depression era of the 1930’s. The topic examines key characters and themes such as Prohibition, Organised Crime, The rise of the Ku Klux Klan, the role and influence of President Roosevelt and the impact of World War Two.
GCSE Students also study International relations 1945 – 1989, looking in detail at why the Cold War developed between the USA & USSR, the impact of Nuclear Weapons, the building of the BerlinWall and the role of key world leaders such as Joseph Stalin, President Kennedy and President Johnson as well as the importance and reaction to the Vietnam conflict.
GCSE Students complete 2 pieces of course work that contribute 25% of the GCSE grade. The first assignment looks at Life in Nazi Germany and examines the treatment of young people and women by Hitler and the Nazi’s and the use of Propaganda and Concentration Camps in enabling their authority of the people of Germany.
The second assignment looks in depth at the Battle of the Somme and whether the British Commander, General Douglas Haigh deserves his reputation as “The Butcher of the Somme” for sending so may soldiers to their deaths in the worst battle in British History.
Last Modified: 22/09/2006
