Woodlands Schools. Humanities Policy. Excellence for all through teaching, learning, opportunity and achievement

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1 Reviewed: May 2018 Next Review Date: May 2020 Woodlands Schools Humanities Policy Excellence for all through teaching, learning, opportunity and achievement

2 Table of Contents HUMANITIES POLICY... 2 POLICY STATEMENT... 2 AIMS OF LEARNING WITH HUMANITIES... 2 THE AIMS OF HISTORY... 2 THE AIMS OF GEOGRAPHY... 2 CURRICULUM PLANNING AND SCHEMES OF WORK... 3 TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES... 3 TEACHING AND LEARNING... 3 DIFFERENTIATION... 3 EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES... 3 CROSS-CURRICULAR LINKS... 4 ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION... 4 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

3 Policy Statement Humanities Policy The teaching of Humanities helps children to understand progressively, the interdependence of lands, peoples, cultures and generations within a local ecosystem. A geographical and historical perspective helps provide children with a clearer understanding and picture of the world. We aim to foster a desire for learning, which will continue for the rest of the children s lives. The study of History and Geography both involve investigative processes which require an enquiring approach. Children are given the opportunity to ask questions, analyse information and communicate knowledge and understanding. By developing children s questioning skills, we aim to ensure that History and Geography help children to explore causes, impacts and consequences, leading to sound knowledge, understanding and skill development. Aims of learning with Humanities In our teaching of Humanities we aim: To be able to construct reasoned arguments which lead to informed judgements; To understand the opportunities and constraints that shape peoples lives; To develop an awareness of self and others and their interaction and interdependence with the environment To develop an understanding of social, political and economic factors as dynamics of society. The Aims of History To promote curiosity about the past in Britain and the wider world To consider how the past influences the present To consider what past societies were like To consider the politics involved together with an understanding of historical chronology. To understand the causes and consequences of historical events. To consider how beliefs and cultures influenced peoples actions. To develop the children s knowledge of significant events and people. To introduce children to historical enquiry through studying evidence, asking questions and problem-solving. To enrich and support other areas of the curriculum. The Aims of Geography To explore, ask and answer questions about the natural and human worlds. To make sense of the children s own surroundings through learning about their own locality and the interaction between people and environment. To have knowledge and understanding of the natural world around them. To develop an appreciation of ethnic, cultural and economic diversity. To inspire children to think about their own place in the world and their rights and responsibilities to other people and the environment. To develop an understanding of maps 2

4 To develop a range of investigative and problem-solving skills. To enrich and support other areas of the curriculum. Curriculum planning and schemes of work The scheme of work defines the elements of the programme of study to be completed each year. Teaching and Learning Strategies We believe that meaningful links between History and Geography should be made where appropriate. It is also considered important that the children s learning is supported by visits to sites of historical and/or geographical importance, as relevant to their area of study. Teaching and Learning We use a variety of teaching and learning styles in Humanities lessons. Our main aim is to develop the children s knowledge, skills and understanding of historical and geographical topics. We organise our Humanities lessons so that children have opportunities to learn in different ways. These include: Whole class teaching. Group, paired or independent work. Use of ICT resources. Studying artefacts/other sources. Research and explorative work. Workshops. Providing as many cross-curricular links as possible. Fieldwork and education visits (each class undertakes where possible one education visit per year/per subject which plays a vital part in enhancing their learning). Differentiation We aim to encourage all children to reach their full potential through the provision of varied opportunities. We recognise that our curriculum planning must allow children to gain a progressively deeper understanding and competency as they move through our school. Tasks will be set that challenge all children, extending the more able and supporting the less able. Equal Opportunities All children will be given equal access to History and Geography irrespective of race, gender, creed, level of ability, or nationality. Mutual respect and tolerance for all cultures will be promoted through the study of History and Geography. 3

5 Cross-curricular links Humanities lend itself to being delivered through other subjects. At the discretion of the teacher effective links can be made in the areas of Literacy, Numeracy, Science, ICT and Art. Assessment and Evaluation Teachers assess children s skills, knowledge and understanding in Humanities by making informal judgements as they observe them during lesson time. Due to the nature of Humanities work being taught through a range of other subjects, teachers use the knowledge of children s abilities and assessment for learning to ensure that they achieve the levels of expectations as outlined for each topic. Roles and Responsibilities Each member of the teaching staff has responsibility for the teaching of History and Geography. The schools have Humanities Coordinators to assist staff. They will take responsibility for History and Geography issues in the schools. It is their responsibility to: Support colleagues in teaching the subject content; Monitor current practice; Instigate and organise teaching programmes, planning documents and schemes of work where necessary; Develop a school policy; Resource the curriculum; Facilitate the assessment of children s work; Be a consultant to colleagues in planning the Humanities content of their teaching; Keep people informed of possible visits and courses; Maintain Geography and History curriculum files which include medium-term plans. 4