YEAR 12 HISTORY COURSE SYLLABUS
Course Outline
Overview
The Humanities Department Syllabi at GEMS Wesgreen International Secondary School strive to enable students to acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes so as to develop an informed and critical understanding of social, environmental, historical and political issues so as to reinforce and stimulate curiosity and imagination about local and wider environments. The Curriculum provides a strong foundation to enable students to foster an understanding of, and concern for, the interdependence of all humans, all living things and the earth on which they live. To foster in students a sense of responsibility for the long-term care of the environment and a commitment to promote the sustainable use of the earth’s resources through his/her personal life-style and participation in collective environmental decision-making.
By the end of the year 12 program students in th
Unit Overviews
Department will be able to:
AO1: demonstrate knowledge and understanding
- 1(a) recall, select and use historical knowledge appropriately and communicate knowledge and understanding of History in a clear and effective manner
- 1(b) demonstrate an understanding of the past through explanation, analysis and arriving at a substantiated judgement of: key concepts such as causation, consequence, continuity, change and significance within an historical context, the relationships between key features and characteristics of the periods studied
AO2: analyse, evaluate and apply
- 2(a) as part of an historical enquiry, analyse and evaluate a range of appropriate source material with discrimination
- 2(b) analyse and evaluate, in relation to historical context, how aspects of the past have been interpreted and represented in different ways
Learning Outcomes
The aims of all subjects state what a teacher may expect to teach and what a student may expect to experience and learn. These aims suggest how the student may be changed by the learning experience.
The aims of the Humanities Syllabus are to encourage and enable students to:
Term 1
Unit 1 – The Search for International Peace and Security, 1919-1945
Approximate length: 2 weeks
In this unit, students will interpret, analyse and make judgement on the measures taken after World War 1 to secure world peace and some actions that also weakened these measures.
Specific Curriculum Objectives Covered:
AO2: analyse, evaluate and apply
2(a) as part of an historical enquiry, analyse and evaluate a range of appropriate source material with discrimination.
2(b) analyse and evaluate, in relation to historical context, how aspects of the past have been interpreted and represented in different ways.
Unit 2 – International relations in an age of imperialism 1871–1918
Approximate length: 2-3 weeks
In this unit, students will explore why and with what results there was a growth of imperial expansion during the last quarter of the 19th century.
Specific Curriculum Objectives Covered:
AO1: demonstrate knowledge and understanding
1(a) recall, select and use historical knowledge appropriately and communicate knowledge and understanding of History in a clear and effective manner.
1(b) demonstrate an understanding of the past through explanation, analysis and arriving at a substantiated judgement of: key concepts such as causation, consequence, continuity, change and significance within an historical context, the relationships between key features and characteristics of the periods studied.
Unit 3 – International relations in an age of uncertainty,1919–1933
Approximate length: 2 weeks
In this unit, students will investigate the implication of failed peace settlements of 1919-1920. They will analyse the attempts made to improve international relations and evaluate the aims of US foreign policy during this period.
Specific Curriculum Objectives Covered:
AO1: demonstrate knowledge and understanding
1(a) recall, select and use historical knowledge appropriately and communicate knowledge and understanding of History in a clear and effective manner.
1(b) demonstrate an understanding of the past through explanation, analysis and arriving at a substantiated judgement of: key concepts such as causation, consequence, continuity, change and significance within an historical context, the relationships between key features and characteristics of the periods studied.
Unit 4 – International relations in and age of extremeism,1933–1939
Approximate length: 2-3 weeks
In this unit, students will analyse and evaluate the aims and implications of extremist European leaders’ foreign policies. They will also, assess the causes of World War 2.
Specific Curriculum Objectives Covered:
AO1: demonstrate knowledge and understanding
1(a) recall, select and use historical knowledge appropriately and communicate knowledge and understanding of History in a clear and effective manner.
1(b) demonstrate an understanding of the past through explanation, analysis and arriving at a substantiated judgement of: key concepts such as causation, consequence, continuity, change and significance within an historical context, the relationships between key features and characteristics of the periods studied.
Term 2
Unit 5 – China and Japan in an age of development, 1919–1945
Approximate length: 2-3 weeks
In this unit, students explore and evaluate the political changes in China and Japan and the implications of these changes during this period.
Specific National Curriculum Objectives Covered:
AO1: demonstrate knowledge and understanding
1(a) recall, select and use historical knowledge appropriately and communicate knowledge and understanding of History in a clear and effective manner.
1(b) demonstrate an understanding of the past through explanation, analysis and arriving at a substantiated judgement of: key concepts such as causation, consequence, continuity, change and significance within an historical context, the relationships between key features and characteristics of the periods studied.
Unit 6 – Revision
Approximate length:1 week
In this unit, students will recap topics previously covered throughout the course.
Specific Curriculum Objectives Covered:
AO1: demonstrate knowledge and understanding
1(a) recall, select and use historical knowledge appropriately and communicate knowledge and understanding of History in a clear and effective manner.
1(b) demonstrate an understanding of the past through explanation, analysis and arriving at a substantiated judgement of: key concepts such as causation, consequence, continuity, change and significance within an historical context, the relationships between key features and characteristics of the periods studied.
AO2: analyse, evaluate and apply
2(a) as part of an historical enquiry, analyse and evaluate a range of appropriate source material with discrimination.
2(b) analyse and evaluate, in relation to historical context, how aspects of the past have been interpreted and represented in different ways.
Assessment
Formative: Throughout the units, the students will complete graded work, quizzes, Past Paper questions and investigation activities which allows the teacher to assess the students’ attainment and inform their planning.
Summative external exam, CIE: Component 1 Document question: 1 hour 40%
Component 2 Outline study: 1 hour 30 minutes 60%
Remote / Blended Learning Pathways and Assessment:
Small groups, (up to 15 students) will meet F2F. Where there are more than (15) Blended Learning will take place. According to the timetabling of classes also, there will be RL sessions where specified. All subject Units can be taught using any of these pathways. Students will collaborate and engage more with each other on set tasks in the break out rooms and collaboration spaces online. Lessons will be taught live as opposed to asynchronously. If a teacher is ill to point of being unable to deliver a lesson online, this lesson will be done asynchronously. During live lessons students will be requested to demonstrate a skill or understanding in short audio/ video recordings of themselves analysing, evaluating, explaining, showing (restricted time period). They will create Sway and other MS document presentations as instructed. Discussions will ensue among students and their peers and they will engage, respond and feedback using the chat feature. Students will be asked to watch video clip(s) and read a print/ broadcast/ another medium link and do a review, summary, explanation, give their opinion regarding the topic. They will be asked to design storyboards using a MS document for presentation. Rubrics will be attached as additional guide to support students’ progress and attainment. These are only a few of the techniques and methods that will be engaged during lessons.
Assessments:
Option 1: We will have a designated assessment week. All classes scheduled to complete online assessments that day will remain at home. On this day they can complete maximum 2 assessments for the day (grades 6 –8), 3 assessments for (grades 9 and above).
Option 2: During blended learning sessions the students who are at school will bring their laptop/device and complete the assessment online while the others who are at home (RL) will complete it on their device at home. Each assessment lesson will request an additional supervisor/invigilator to monitor those in the class while the teacher monitors the screen. Students in the class can even have their desk/back facing the teacher to create an extra precaution/ awareness to students that the teacher along with the supporting invigilator is also supervising. If a student forgets their device the school will have charged spared ones on hand to lend. Teachers could also have the printed copies to distribute. The school devices will then be recollected and sanitised at the end. This option will also take place during a designated assessment week.
Option 3: We will continue to conduct continuous assessment as was done during RL/Term 3, AY 2019-2020.
