During this time students had the opportunity to work in pairs, in groups, to do presentations and write extended answers.

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1 Curriculum focus: History Welcome to the History department at Al Bateen Secondary School. Since September all students have been extending their knowledge and understanding of history. They are working hard, enjoying their study of world history and progressing towards their target levels, with some students exceeding their target levels. Year 7 I ter 1, Year o pleted a u it of ork o What is histor? I this unit students developed their historical skills. We explored new concepts such as BC/AD, chronology, anachronism, centuries, primary and secondary sources and evaluating historical sources. This ter, Year stude ts are stud i g The o a s. This u it of ork allows students to develop their knowledge and understanding of the great Roman civilization. We explore how the Roman Empire was achieved, how it was controlled and what it was like to live in Rome. Students continue to work with primary and secondary evidence and apply the historical skills we learnt in term one. Last week we had a toga day when students were asked to bring their toga to class on the day, they also had to learn some Latin words and Roman numerals. In the future, we will study another great ancient civilisation, ancient China. Year 8 In term 1, students completed an investigation of the Tudor period, from They began with an assessment of the conservative monarch, Henry VII and continued with an evaluation of the extravagant Henry VIII. Next in line was, He r s o l son Edward IV, his daughter Mary and finally his youngest daughter and longest ruling Tudor monarch, Elizabeth I. The students completed this unit by writing some fantastic well-structured and very detailed essays on Elizabeth and were rewarded with merit stickers. During this time students had the opportunity to work in pairs, in groups, to do presentations and write extended answers. Exploration in the 16th and 17th Century

2 Currently, the ear s are orki g o the the e of E ploratio i the i tee th a d e e tee th Ce tur. The are us prepari g a d deli eri g prese tatio s o fa ous explorers. One of the best presentations to date was delivered by Felix Franke and Anais Gavois 8B who researched and investigated Henry Hudson, a British explorer who was anxious to find a North-East passage to India in the 17 th Century. Their power-point slides covered all the main events and obstacles of his journey, their hand-out for the class was very detailed and the activity for students was enjoyed by all. I the e t u it of ork e ill lear a out the la e Trade i the 1-19 th Centuries and we will complete a detailed study of the Native Americans. Anais and Felix presenting their research to 8B Mark and Ahmed 8B engrossed in the activity designed by Anais and Felix Year 9

3 In term one, year 9 students completed a timeline of the 20 th Century in order to get an overview of the important century. They researched and wrote about one historical event of their choice and one that was of interest to them, for example, some students wrote about the discovery of Penicillin, an important breakthrough in the history of Medicine, other students wrote about the First la di g o the Moo. World War One In the subsequent unit students investigated the causes of World War One and how the Alliance system brought many countries into the war. Students had the opportunity to study the Western Front, explore the trench system and appreciate the problems that the soldiers who fought in the trenches had face on a daily basis. Students used both primary (first hand accounts) and secondary sources of evidence throughout this unit. The December assessment enabled students to research i for atio o the Te h olog of WW1, to select important information, to plan an essay on this theme and then write the timed essay in class time. Some students exceeded their target level in this assessment. Currently, year 9 students are presenting their findings on five different battles of WW1.

4 I the e t u it of ork stude ts ill o plete a i di idual stud of Cha ge a d De elop e t i the 20 th Century. In term 3 they will study civil rights in the 20 th Century as well as some aspects of the Second World War. IGCSE Taster Day for Year 9 Year 9 are presently making their choices for IGCSE next year and enjoyed the opportunity to be year 10 students in the recent IGCSE taster day in January.

5 IGCSE (International General Certification of Secondary Education) History This year we have two IGCSE classes and students are studying for the Edexcel IGCSE examination board exam in There are 4 units to be studied over the two year period and two exams to be sat in June Unit 1: The USA, In the first term students explored the history of the USA between the years The first topic involved reading about the impact of the First World War and reactions to the War from the American perspective. Students are able to contrast this experience with the experience of European countries because of their study of WW1 in year 9. Other topics include immigration to USA from around the world, the economic boom in the USA, the Roaring Twenties and Racism. Students work individually, in pairs and in groups to learn about the history of America. Students have the opportunity to explore each topic by using primary (first-hand accounts) and secondary sources of evidence and evaluating the reliability and usefulness of such sources. In addition to analysing and comparing sources, students have to select and learn relevant information to enable them to take part in debates, to argue for their opinion and to support their argument with evidence. This all leads to confidently writing a coherent essay which is required for the exam.

6 Unit 2: The Development of Dictatorship: Italy In the second term, students have embarked on Unit 2: The Development of Dictatorship: Italy, All pupils are enjoying their course of study and making good progress.