Year 8 Humanities History The History curriculum at Shirebrook Academy is taught chronologically (working from older periods to modern periods). This way of teaching the curriculum enables students to have an overview of the past as each event happens. Students have two periods a week allocated to teaching History in Year 8, there is a degree of factual knowledge given to the students through sources from the past, and the students have the opportunity to research topics and events in groups and present their findings. Time Topic Key Questions?... Four lessons Introduction to history What are sources? How can you classify them? Is one source more useful than other? What is a timeline? What can I get from a source? Baseline test of student knowledge for Data Collection 1 6 lessons 1066 & The Battle of Hastings Why did William invade? How did William prepare for battle? Why did William win the battle of Hastings? How could William become king? 1 Lesson Marking Focus 1 How did William the Conqueror prepare for battle? 6 lessons Castles What types of castles are there? Which has the best defence? Where can we see castles like these? Why did the design of castles change? 2 lessons Power of the Church Why was the church powerful? Why were people scared of going to hell? 4 lessons Thomas Beckett Why did he threaten the king? Were the knights right to murder him? What would you have done if you were king? 2 lessons The Doomsday Book Why was it important to record items in the book? What would you record? What does this tell the historian? 4 lessons The Black Death What caused the black death? Where did it come from? What happened if you caught it? Is the black death the same as the great plague? 6 lessons Henry VIII What problems did Henry VIII face? Why did he need an heir? Why did he want a divorce? What happened to the monasteries? Who were the six wives? What heirs did Henry VIII have? How did he introduce the new religion? 1 Lesson Marking Focus 2 Why did Henry VIII have six wives? 1 lesson Edward VI What did the boy king do? Who else had power? What happened to the boy king? How were Catholics created? 1 lesson Mary I Why was bloody Mary really bloody? How did Mary treat protestants? Who did she marry?
4 lessons Elizabeth I What problems did Elizabeth face? How did she reach a religious settlement? Who was trying to win her hand? Why did she never marry? How did she portray herself? Was Elizabeth I s reign a success? How did she deal with the threat of the Spanish Armada? 3 lessons The Great Plague What was the great plague? How did it spread? What type of people were affected? What was the response of the Nobles? What was the locking in order? How much of London was affected? How did it end? What did this mean for the country? 3 lessons The Fire of London Where did the fire start? How did it spread so quickly? What areas were destroyed? What effect did this have on trade? 1 lesson Witches How do you spot a witch? What characteristics did the Witchfinder general use to spot a witch? How did they get women to confess? Was the punishment just? What factors lead to this treatment of women? Why were members of society scared of witches? 5 lessons James I & Civil War Was James I a successful or silly king? How did the relationship between crown and parliament break down? Why did this annoy the people? How did it lead to war? Why did the English decide to execute their king? Where would control of the country go? Who could step up? Why did Oliver Cromwell become the Lord Protector? 1 lesson Marking Focus 3 Why did the English execute their king? 3 lessons African Civilisation Was Africa civilised? What do the sources reveal? Were countries and principalities governed? Were the countries of Africa trading? 6 lessons Black People of America What was the middle passage? How were the slaves treated? How did Olado Equiano protest? Who moved to abolish slavery? How did Black people of America fight to gain equal rights? Who was the main figure in the fight for equal rights?
Geography Students have one geography lesson a week in year 8. In Geography lessons students are taught about the world we live in and it s ever changing nature. They learn about both the physical and human Geography of the world we live in today and how these combine to create our planet as we know it. Using relevant case studies of events to highlight the importance of learning about the Geography of our planet, Students also develop a wide range of skills through their Geography lessons including enquiry, analysis and research to allow them to explore the subject in great depth. Lesson Topic Key Questions?... TOPIC 1 Autumn term: Volcanoes and earthquakes 1 Volcanoes What are volcanoes? What is the difference between an extinct, dormant and active volcano? 2 Volcanoes What does a volcano look like? What are its main features? 3 Volcanoes and earthquakes Where are volcanoes and earthquakes found? What are the patterns? What connects volcanoes and earthquakes together? 4 The eruption of Mt St Helens What happened at the eruption of Mount St Helens? How was the environment affected? What about the people who were near the volcano? Why did it erupt? How was the planet affected by the eruption? 5-6 Enquiry about the eruption of Mt St Helens Using STREET skills develop a wall display about the eruption at Mt St Helens in groups and work together to answer all the key questions about the eruption. Judge the presentations by peer assessment. 7 Volcanoes Marking Focus 1: The eruption of Mt St Helens 8 Earthquakes Why do earthquakes happen? Why do they happen in locations where there are no volcanoes? How are earthquakes measured? What are the key geographical words we need to know to understand earthquakes? 9 The San Francisco earthquake Case study: The San Francisco earthquake, why did this earthquake happen? What effects did the earthquake have on San Francisco? Why did it have this impact? 10-11 Filming about the San Francisco earthquake. Develop and film a news bulletin about the earthquake in San Francisco. Watch the films back as a class and evaluate the information. 12 Earthquakes Marking Focus 2: The San Francisco earthquake 13 Earthquakes How can people survive earthquakes? Prepare an action plan for survival of an earthquake
Topic 2: Settlements 1 What are settlements What are settlements? What are the different types of settlement? What is the difference between urban and rural settlements? 2 Settlements Why do settlements develop in particular locations? What are valley settlements? What are hill top settlements? 3 Services in settlements How do services vary between different settlements? Why do some settlements have more services than others? 4 Introduction to India Where is India? What are the key settlements? What countries border India? Where do people live in India? 5 Chembakolli a village in India Where is Chembakolli? What are the key features of the village? What services do they have in the village? 6 Life in Chembakolli What is day to day life like in Chembakolli? How does it compare to the average day in the life of someone who lives in the UK? What is quality of life and what is the quality of life like for someone in Chembakolli? 7-8 Chembakolli project Produce a movie about the quality of life in Chembakolli and how it compares to life in the UK. 9 Settlement Marking Focus 3: Settlements and life in Chembakolli 10 Upper Langwith What are the main features of Upper Langwith as a village? 11 Comparison How does Upper Langwith compare as a settlement to the village of Chembakolli? Topic 3: Euro 2020 1 Introduction What were the benefits to the Ukraine and Poland of hosting the Euro 2012 competition? Why do countries want to host major tournaments 2-5 Project Students represent one of seven countries and produce a marketing campaign to encourage UEFA to locate Euro 2020 in their country 6 Presentation to UEFA Which country should be chosen? Who has produced the most persuasive presentation? Topic 4: Tourism 1 Introduction Where is the Mediterranean? What countries does it consist of? What are the key locations in the Mediterranean? 2 What is tourism? Where and why do people go on holiday to locations like Spain? Many people go on holiday? Why is tourism so important to countries like Spain? 3 Impacts of tourism What effects do tourists have on the countries they visit? 4-8 Decision Making What development should take place in the quiet town of Rosas? What tourist development would you encourage and why? Students to create a plan for developing tourism in Rosas.
Religious Education The R.E. curriculum at Shirebrook Academy centres largely on the Christian faith with the aim of enabling students to compare Christian beliefs and opinions with their own, and so develop and expand their understanding of the world in which we live. Students have one period a week allocated to R.E. in Year 8 and all students are encouraged to discuss and debates topics and are given opportunity to reflect in engaging and creative ways in groups. Time Topic Key Questions 14 lessons Religious founders What is a religious founder? Jesus What were the key events of the life of Jesus? How is Jesus important? How did this lead to the foundation of Christianity? How do Christians aim to follow his example? Muhammad What were the key events of the life of Muhammad? How is Muhammad important? How did Muhammad receive the words of the Qur an? How do Muslims follow the example of Muhammad? Siddartha Gotama What were the key events of the life of Siddartha? How did Siddartha receive enlightenment? How is the Buddha important? How do Buddhists follow the example of the Buddha? Guru Nanak What were the key events of the life of Guru Nanak? How is Guru Nanak important? How did Guru Nanak found the religion? How do Sikhs follow the example of the Guru? 1 lesson Marking focus Without the religious founders there would be no religions? 14 Lessons Inspirational Figures Mahatma Gandhi What were the Key Events in his life? What did Mahatma fight for? How did he inspire others? What makes him an inspiration? Martin Luther King What were the key events of the life of MLK? What did MLK fight for? How did he inspire others? What make him an inspiration? Mother Teresa What were they key events of the life of Mother Teresa? What did she aim to do? How did she achieve this? What makes her an inspiration? Anne Frank
What were the key events of the life of Anne Frank? Why was she persecuted? How did she stay positive? What makes her an inspiration? 1 lesson Marking Focus 2 How effective were the inspirational figures? 8 lessons Making a difference? 1 lesson Marking Focus 3 How can you make a difference in the world? What do you consider wrong in the world? Is the world a positive place to live? If you could change one thing what would it be? Can one person really make a difference? Do we have to be shown how to be better?