Year 8 History

Unit Content

Unit 1

What was life like in the Americas? 

 

The unit compares life in America in the 16th and 17th centuries. Students  learn about Tudor and Stuart exploration and colonisation of America. Students investigate Woodland and Plains Native American ways of life. They analyse the differences between the first English colonies, and between the values and lifestyles of the Native Americans and the colonisers. Additionally, students assess the interpretation of early interactions between colonisers and Native Americans that is presented by the Disney film 'Pocahontas'.  

The unit builds on their Year 7 learning about Tudor and Stuart England, and connects to Year 8 work on the American War of Independence, the British Empire and the Slave Trade, as well as to the GCSE unit on the American West. 

Key knowledge developed:

  • Knowing key vocabulary, such as 'colony', 'indigenous', and 'exploration' 
  • Knowing key facts about the colonies of Roanoke, Jamestown and New Plymouth 
  • Understanding key features of Native American life 

Key skills developed:

  • How to identify similarities and differences 
  • How to evaluate interpretations 
  • How to explain ideas in writing 

Assessment: Learning is assessed formatively through the use of student booklets, and summatively in an assessment at the beginning of Term 3, which is completed independently in exam-style conditions.

Unit 2

What caused the French Revolution? And what difference did it make? 

The unit explores the causes and consequences of the French Revolution. Students explore the tensions in France in the 1700s, and analyse the causes of the Revolution. After investigating the events of the Revolution, students consider life in France during the Terror and under Napoleon's rule, and reflect on the long-term effects of the Revolution. 

The unit introduces the idea of 'revolution'. The analysis of motivations for overthrowing a king builds on the Year 7 unit on English Civil War. The unit also provides context for later units on changing rights, including the campaign for women's suffrage in the UK, the Civil Rights movement in the USA, and twentieth century protest movements. 

Key knowledge developed:

  • Knowing key vocabulary, such as 'clergy', 'nobles', 'revolution' and 'absolute monarchy' 
  • Knowing key facts about the events of the French Revolution 
  • Knowing key facts about individuals, including Marie-Antoinette and Napoleon 
  • Understanding key features of society in France, before, during and after the French Revolution 

Key skills developed:

  • How to categorise and explain causes and consequences 
  • How to explain ideas in writing 

Assessment: Learning is assessed formatively through the use of student booklets, and summatively in an assessment at the beginning of Term 3, which is completed independently in exam-style conditions.

Unit 3

Why did so many people die from illness and disease in Victorian England? 

The unit explores life in Britain during the Industrial Revolution. Students examine the experience of workers in the factories, mines and workhouses, and the attitudes of the rich towards the poor. Students analyse the reasons that so many people died from illnesses such as cholera and smallpox. They consider reasons for eventual improvements, such as the work of Bazalgette and Pasteur. Students enjoy investigating John Snow's Ghost map, and working out for themselves how to stop the cholera outbreak at Broad Street. 

The unit develops the idea of 'revolution', which was introduced in the previous unit on the French Revolution.  It also supports the GCSE topic on Medicine through Time. 

Key knowledge developed:

  • Knowing key vocabulary, such as 'cesspit', 'miasma', 'cholera' and 'workhouse' 
  • Knowing key facts about working in mines, factories and the workhouse in the Industrial Era 
  • Knowing key facts about common diseases of the Industrial Era 
  • Understanding reasons that so many people died of illness and disease in the Victorian Era, such as the lack of scientific understanding of bacteria 

Key skills developed:

  • How to categorise and explain causes 
  • How to make inferences from sources 
  • How to explain ideas in writing 

Assessment: Learning is assessed formatively through the use of student booklets, and summatively in an assessment at the beginning of Term 6, which is completed independently in exam-style conditions. 

Unit 4

What was life like in the British empire? 

The unit explores the concept of empire, and the realities of life within the British empire. Students develop an awareness of the global scale of the British empire, whilst studying in depth British rule in India. They examine the nature of the East India Company, and events such as the Indian Rebellion of 1857, as well as analysing the role played by India in the First World War.  

The unit builds on the earlier Year 8 unit on European contact with the Americas, and develops students' understanding of the British empire. The unit additionally provides context for later units (in Year 8) on slavery and (in Year 9) on the First World War. 

Key knowledge developed:

  • Knowing key vocabulary, such as 'empire', 'colony', 'revolt' and 'massacre' 
  • Knowing key facts about events including the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the Amritsar Massacre 
  • Understanding of life in India and Zimbabwe during the period of British rule 

Key skills developed:

  • How to categorise and explain causes 
  • How to make inferences from sources 
  • How to identify similarities and differences 
  • How to explain ideas in writing 

Assessment: Learning is assessed formatively through the use of student booklets, and summatively in an assessment at the beginning of Term 6, which is completed independently in exam-style conditions. 

Unit 5

What was the slave trade and why was it abolished? 

The unit explores the concept of slavery. Students consider different aspects of the transatlantic slave trade, including the Middle Passage, life on plantations, and acts of resistance and rebellion by enslaved peoples. They analyse different individuals’ contributions to the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. Students create a museum display to teach others about the transatlantic slave trade. 

The unit builds on the earlier Year 8 unit on European contact with the Americas, and develops students' understanding of the British empire. The unit additionally provides context for later work on the Civil Rights Movement.

Key knowledge developed:

  • Knowing key vocabulary, such as 'slavery', 'transatlantic', 'abolition' and 'resistance' 
  • Understanding of the experiences of enslaved peoples 
  • Knowledge of factors that contributed to the abolition of the slave trade 

Key skills developed:

  • How to categorise and explain causes and consequences 
  • How to make inferences from sources 
  • How to explain ideas in writing 

Assessment: Learning is assessed formatively through the use of student booklets, and summatively in an assessment at the beginning of Term 6, which is completed independently in exam-style conditions. 

Unit 6

How did Black Americans gain Civil Rights?

The  unit examines key individuals and events in the Civil Rights Movement in America in the 20th century. Students consider why racism was worse in the Southern states and learn about the Jim Crow Laws and their impact on the lives of Black Americans. In addition, the roles of key individuals in the Civil Rights Movement are analysed, including Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X.

The unit builds on the earlier Year 8 units on the British empire and transatlantic slave trade. The theme of different protest methods will be revisited in Year 9 units on the campaign for female suffrage, and on protest movements in 20th century Britain. 

Key knowledge developed:

  • Knowing key vocabulary, such as 'racism', 'discrimination', 'lynching' and 'boycott' 
  • Understanding of the experiences of Black Americans 
  • Knowledge of the individuals who were involved in the campaign for Civil Rights in the USA 

Key skills developed:

  • How to categorise and explain causes and consequences 
  • How to use criteria to evaluate significance 
  • How to explain ideas in writing 

Assessment: Learning is assessed formatively through the use of student booklets, creative pieces and independent writing, and summatively in an assessment in Year 9, which is completed independently in exam-style conditions. 

Unit 7 

How did the Normans control England?

 

This unit investigates how 7,000 Normans maintained control over a rebellious population of two million Anglo-Saxons following the conquest of 1066.

Students deepen their understanding of the Battle of Hastings through analysis of  contemporary sources and modern interpretations. They examine the methods and strategies used by the newly-crowned William to maintain control over England, and explore what happened when the Anglo-Saxons nonetheless rebelled against Norman rule.

The unit builds on the earlier Year 7 unit on 1066 and the Battle of Hastings. The unit additionally provides context for later unit (in Year 9) on the Viking World. It also supports the GCSE unit on Anglo-Saxon and Norman England.

Key knowledge developed: 

  • Knowing key vocabulary, such as 'motte-and-bailey', 'Norman', and 'Viking'
  • Knowing key events in Norman England, such as the Harrying of the North and Hereward the Wake's rebellion
  • Knowing key people, including William the Conqueror, Odo of Bayeux and Hereward the Wake
  • Understanding the methods used by William to control England, such as castles, the feudal system and the Domesday Book

Key skills developed: 

  • How to describe change and continuity
  • How to describe cause and consequence
  • How to explain ideas in writing 

Assessment: Learning is assessed formatively through the use of student booklets, creative pieces and independent writing, and summatively in an assessment in Year 9, which is completed independently in exam-style conditions.