Year 8 Scheme of Work

Week

Enquiry
question

Learning
outcomes

Suggested learning
activities

Homework/ extension
opportunities

E learning and resources

Lesson series focus: in the first lessons of the course try to equip students with the key vocabulary and topic areas they will be covering as well as an
evaluation of the types of sources they will encounter. It will also help to provide students with some context for start of the course by looking at conditions in
Britain at the start of our time period. To move students on from Year 7, begin to familiarise students with ideas of utility and reliability, which will be especially
useful when looking at topics such as the Slave Trade and conditions in Industrial Britain

How can we
find out about
life in C18th &
C19th Britain?

What was life

like in Britain
in the

Students
develop skills
and technical
vocabulary
necessary for
the second year
of their KS3
History course
They familiarise
themselves with
and begin to
evaluate the
strengths and
weaknesses of
different types of
evidence
available,
including
newspaper, film
and
photographic
sources
Key information
on the
population,
government,

Use the key skills task

sheet as the central
focus of the lesson.
Students complete the
key words task sheet
and test each other
Use traffic lights
system to show
students how to write
their letters to
Maidstone museum
and enable them to
assess their work

Bring in a collection of modern day

artefacts in a bag, e.g. receipts,
tickets, maps and ask students to
decide which objects are most
useful in understanding about life
today

Key words worksheet is available on the

history website at www.studyhistory.co.uk
under Year 8 Resources > Key skills

Starter activity.
Conduct a mill drill
activity with key facts
about 18th & 19th Britain

Use links on the history website to

provide additional details about life
in Georgian Britain, including
details on the life of George III or

Class presentation available as a

PowerPoint from history website entitled,
How Great was Georgian England? plus
the accompanying reading activity. See

Use this or a lesson early in the year to

ask students to bookmark the history
website among their favourites and guide
them through key sections, e.g. resources
page, links, interactive games etc.

Eighteenth
Century?

health,
transport,
industry, Empire

to familiarise students
with some of the topics
theyll study. Read
about conditions in
C18th England using
the reading task that
accompanies the
lesson and create a
brief role play as if
publicising life in C18th
Britain as a tourist
advert.
Write a report from a
foreign ambassador
describing conditions in
Britain

descriptions of conditions in the

local area using Maidstone
Museum as a source

also, Peace & War, p.2-7, Britain, 17501900: what changed?

Students could film their tourist adverts to
help AfL

Lesson series focus: this first topic examines the reasons why the slave trade was supported by so many different people and the reasons it lasted so long.
It also looks at the methods of protest used by abolitionists, and you should use this as a way of returning to the theme of reliability since many of the sources
we have for the conditions on slaves on plantations were gathered by abolitionists themselves. At the end of the sequence try to make links with modern day
examples slavery, e.g. exploitation of factory workers in sweatshops to supply the West with affordable consumer goods and ask students to consider whether
slavery has truly been abolished.

Why did so
many people
support the
slave trade?

Students
understand the
key stages of
the triangle
trade and what
was exchanged
in return for
slaves

Class role play- explain

the triangle trade by
renacting the
movement of goods
and people across the
Atlantic using positions
in the classroom as a
visual tool to
understanding.
Students complete a
table (template on
website) describing the
movement of people
and goods and a
judgement paragraph
on why the trade lasted

Read about the life of Olaudah

Equiano using the school library
or links on the website Empathetic
writing students imagine
themselves as someone in a
painting of a slave market on the
West coast of Africa using the
prompts on the ppt to guide their
writing.
G&T students may wish to explore
some of the excellent online
resources in the Weblinks section
of the website

PowerPoint accompanying this lesson is

entitled, Triangle Trade presentation
under the Year 8 section of the department
website, subsection, Slave Trade
Have a look too at section 6 of Peace &
War from p. 82
Research links are also available in the
weblinks section of the website, for
example at the NMM site students can
create their own online collection

so long.
Students compare
visual descriptions of
slave markets (see
accompanying
PowerPoint) with actual
accounts, e.g. by
Olaudah Equiano

What was life

like on a slave
ship?

What were
conditions like
on the
plantations?

Students learn
about conditions
during the
middle passage
by conducting a
role play activity
recreating
conditions on
board ship, read
a passage from
Olaudah
Equiano and
watch a clip
from Simon
Schamas
History of
Britain series
Knowledge of
key terms such
as auction,
scramble,
plantation etc.
Students study
sources to find
evidence of
methods of
control, health
problems and
diet. Students
evaluate the
usefulness of

Starter ask students

to crouch beneath their
desks to imagine
conditions below decks
as you read an
appropriate section
from Equiano
Students take notes on
film in pairs and share
knowledge with each
other before feeding
back to class. Students
write the second part of
their account of the
Triangle Trade using
their knowledge from
this lesson.
Starter John
Newtons Amazing
Grace, listen and
analyse its meaning in
the context of his life.
Students use colourcoding to highlight
evidence, working in
small groups first
before feeding back to
class. Discuss with
students which sources
are most useful in
building up a picture of

Conduct further research into an

infamous slave ship The Brookes
or ask students to ead accounts of
different slaves using the Slave
Stories weblink on the department
website

Use of clip from DVD and question sheet

available from history website under Year
8 Resources > Slave Trade
Youll also find extracts from Olaudah
Equiano here

Read extracts from Olaudah

Equiano or Simon Schamas book
Rough Crossings
Video conference link with
Greenwich Maritime Museum for
more information on Slave Trade
Evaluate examples of Slave
spiritual songs.
Students finish writing up their
accounts of the slave trade from a
slaves perspective.

Video conferencing
Sources available on website, allowing
students to use colour-coding to highlight
different pieces of evidence. Use source
sheet entitled, Life on plantations
source activity as well as accompanying
presentation on the website.

the sources and

their reliability.

Why was
slavery
eventually
abolished?

Key words:
abolition,
parliament,
petition etc.
Students learn
about key
figures in the
abolition
campaign,
including
William
Wilberforce
Students study
different
methods of
campaigning,
e.g. petitions,
Wedgwoods
use of motifs on
his pottery,
Equianos
narrative etc.
Students write a
speech and hold
a debate in
character

life on plantations and

why some might not
necessarily be as
reliable as would first
seem.
Students given
framework and
assessment criteria for
their speeches
Holding a live debate in
character enables
pupils to test their
ideas and see
alternative
perspectives
Students may view
previous examples of
work in the Students
Work section of the
history website.
Students conduct an
assessment task
examining sources on
the slave trade and
answering the
question, Why was
slavery eventually
abolished?

Find out about more about the life

of Wilberforce, especially is local
connections

Use of film clip from Amazing Grace,

weblinks on the history website, video
conference link mentioned above

Lesson series focus: the nineteenth century was a period of unprecedented change in industry and society so this is obviously the key theme of this unit.
Explore the impact of change on different societies, e.g. agricultural & urban and the extent and pace of change, e.g. to what extent did the lives of ordinary
people really improve as a result of Victorian social policies. Make links to other periods of great change and upheaval, e.g. looking back to changes under the
Normans or changes in the way the Tudors deal with vagrancy with the introduction of Poor Laws.

Was the
British Empire

Understand the
reasons for the

Starter quiz on
countries which were

Hold a class debate on whether the

British Empire was really so bad.

Clips for films such as Gandhi or Zulu to

promote debate about the impact of

really so bad?

What was the

industrial
revolution?

Who was
Britains most
successful
entrepreneur

expansion of
Britains
overseas
colonies. Map
countries that
became
colonies. Assess
whether life
improved or
worsened under
the Empire
Students read
an article about
key causes of
Industrial
Revolution
(available from
history website)
and replace
missing words
and headings

Key words, e.g.

entrepreneur,
industrial
revolution
Key events in
the life of local
entrepreneur
James
Whatman
Qualities of a
successful
entrepreneur,
e.g. investment,
innovation,
attention to
needs of

part of the British

Empire or not. Map
these onto a handout.
Write an encyclopaedia
entry for Empire.
Produce a scales chart
weighing up the pros
and cons of Empire
using sources and
texts.
Students learn to
structure extended
writing into topic
paragraphs through the
use of modelling
Working in groups,
students identify and
explain the links
between causes, e.g.
population expansion
led to growing demand
for manufactured
goods etc.
Students assess their
entrepreneurial skills
as part of a quiz
Students work in
groups using flip charts
to make a case for why
their given
entrepreneur was the
most successful using
evidence from research
or factoids (see
Resources) and
present Students
assess each other
against a traffic lights
AfL template

Empire.
Peace & War

Write a judgement paragraph

summarising the main causes of
industrial revolution and deciding
which might have been the most
important

Article & images available from history

website under subsection, Industrial
Revolution. Students can use Microsoft
Picture Manager to zoom in on details or
pan around the images.

Use links on the history website

and resources in school library to
find out as much as possible about
a particular entrepreneur.
Create an interactive game to test
the class about their entrepreneur
Use Hot potatoes or Content
Generator to create interactive
games to test students knowledge

Use of weblinks, esp.

www.bbc.co.uk/history for information on
C18th & C19th Entrepreneurs factoids can
also be found in Industry, Reform and
Empire, p.38-9 or Peace & War, p.8-22

10

What was life

like in
Victorian
Britain?

11

What was the

vilest Victorian
job?

12

Were
workhouses
really so bad?

workers etc.
Conditions in
towns & cities,
inventions &
engineering
projects to
improve
conditions e.g.
Joseph
Balazgette and
London sewers

Key words &

individuals:
Factory Acts,
overseer, Lord
Shaftesbury
Students will
learn about
conditions in
factories
through studying
primary and
secondary
sources and use
of Victorian job
fair role play
Students should
learn about the
purpose of
workhouses and
how the poor
were treated
once they
entered them.
They should
examine the
strength of the

Starter students list

as many Victorian
inventions as they can
and compare with the
list on the
accompanying
PowerPoint
Students watch
episode, What the
Victorians did for us
and answer questions
in pairs before feeding
back to the class
Study different
accounts of working
conditions in Victorian
factories and decided
which are both useful
and reliable. Hold a
jobs fair using the fact
sheets available on the
History dept website
and decide which was
the vilest Victorian job

What evidence of Victorian building

/ engineering exists in Maidstone?
Use a digital camera to record and
create a Photostory presentation
Students could write an article for a
Victorian travel magazine
encouraging them to come and see
the wonders of the new London,
including Great Exhibition and
improved infrastructure. Peer
assess articles using the success
criteria on the ppt.

Accompanying PowerPoint is entitled

What did the Victorians do for us?
general presentation. Copies of the video
question sheet will be found in the same
section, too.
Use of DVD clip & digital camera to record
local evidence of Victorian buildings

Produce a diary of a typical factory

worker of the period

Role cards for Victorian job fair available

on history website

Starter show
students a picture of a
work house, e.g. one
on accompanying ppt
and ask them to
imagine how people
felt as they entered
such an institution
Explain purpose of
workhouses or read
about them and them

Film the role plays

Study Oliver Twist to find more
evidence about life in Victorian
workhouses
Group task Victorian dinner
discussion about pros and cons of
workhouses, which students
assess using traffic lights template

PowerPoint presentation on workhouses

entitled, Were workhouses so bad?and
other resources available on website
Use clips from film productions of Oliver
Twist to compare with other accounts.
See also Peace & War, p.76-9

evidence for and

against
workhouses as
well as the
reliability of
some sources,
e.g. Dickens
Oliver Twist

complete a table (you

could use the example
on the department
website) with evidence
for and against
workhouses. Ask
students to write a
judgement paragraph
on whether
workhouses genuinely
helped the poor or not

Students learn
about conditions
in rapidly
expanding
cities, the types
of diseases
present as well
as the disparity
between rich
and poor.

Starter begin with a

picture of back-toback housing and ask
students to list as many
health hazards as
possible
Source investigation
exercise. Students use
this knowledge to
produce a health
inspectors report
which can be peer
assessed.
Students draft and peer
assess essay before
producing final version
for teacher assessment
How vile was Victorian
Britain?. Task sheet
and examples of
students work
available on website in
Resources and
Students Work
sections for Year 8
Students peer assess
examples of essays
against key criteria

13

What was life

like in towns
and cities?

14

Students plan
How vile was
life in Victorian an essay on
conditions in
Britain?

Use resources from library or local

museum to investigate conditions
in Victorian Maidstone

PowerPoint entitled, How health were

Victorian towns? available on History
department website & report template

Students conduct family history

research

Assessment material and links to family

history & Victorian Britain sites on history
website.

Victorian Britain
Students
understand that
there were
improvements in
some areas and
that conditions
changed very
little in others

Use of writing frame to

help scaffold learning

Lesson series focus: the next sequence of lessons focuses on the causes and impact of war. Make links with other conflicts students may have studied, e.g.
Battle of Hastings, Wars of the Roses or Civil War and pose the question, what made the First World War any more or less significant than these in terms of
the human impact of war. This unit also allows you to explore a variety of different sources from propaganda posters to poetry. Encourage students to
question the usefulness of these different types of sources. Another theme worth exploring is the role of women in the war both in service and on the Home
Front. Use this as a springboard to question whether the role of women has been vastly underestimated in the study of the past.

15-16

Who was to
blame for the
outbreak of
war?

Explore the
causes, both
short and long
term as well as
the trigger
event, the
murder of the
Archduke Franz
Ferdinand

17

How did the

government
get people to
enlist?

To find out how

governments
encouraged
people to enlist
in the army
To assess the
effectiveness of

Starter tell students

the story of the murder
of Franz Ferdinand
Study the factoids to
build up a detailed
picture of military buildup of different nations.
Examine how military
alliances may have
also been a cause of
war.
Hold a debate on who
was most to blame for
the outbreak of WWI,
with groups taking
responsibility for
different countries
Starter show
students the famous
Kitchener war poster
and ask students what
makes it so effective
mention the effect of
the eyes that follow you

Students write a short piece on the

causes of WWI, this could be in the
form of a newspaper front page or if
preferred an essay

There is an excellent account of Franz

Ferdinands murder in Ben Walsh,
Modern World Remember too we have
electronic copies of this section of the
textbook accessible via the History
Department section of the school
network

Write a paragraph to a museum

curator explaining why a particular
propaganda poster should be part of
a forthcoming exhibition on WWI

PowerPoint and images of recruitment

posters available on the history website,
entitled, Recruitment & conscription
presentation

different
propaganda
posters

18

What was life

like in the
trenches

Students find
out about the
structure of
trenches, the kit
used by soldiers
and explore
first-hand
accounts of
conditions

19

Was Haig the

butcher of the
Somme?

To examine the
military tactics
used by British
generals and
evaluate the
reputation of
General Haig

around the room

Explain the tactics
used by government to
encourage volunteers
using accompanying
ppt
In groups students
explain the meaning
and effectiveness of a
given ppt. and present
to class
Starter students
compare WWI official
photo with footage of
No Mans Land
Students produce
labelled images of the
kit used by soldiers as
well as cross-sections
of the British trenches.
Compare these with
German defences.
Study accounts of
conditions from primary
sources. Ask students
to decide which
sources are most
useful for building up a
vivid picture of life in
trenches, comparing
songs, poems, letters
etc.
Starter watch clip
from Black Adder Goes
forth in which the main
character goes over
the top and use this to
discuss the strategies
used by British
generals

Write a letter home from the trenches

to a student in the class. The student
then peer assesses the work but also
blue pencils any sensitive information
as the government would have done
as part of its censorship programme.

Examples of government photographs

of the trenches on accompanying
Powerpoint entitled, What was life really
like in the trenches?. World War One in
Colour has some vivid footage of trench
conditions as well as interviews with
some of the last survivors.

Hold a class debate on Haig, with

more confident students making
cases for and against his reputation
and other class members asking
questions or providing evidence for
and against. Keep a tally of class
contributions for your records of
speaking skills

Information and sources on Haig

available from History website.

20

What part did

women play in
the War?

Examine the
part played by
women in
different areas
of war at home
and on the
battlefront

21

How did new

technologies
help win the
war?

Students study
some of the new
methods of
warfare used,
e.g. gas,
machine gun,
war in the air

How can I
write an
effective My
Story account
of the War?

Students find
out how to write
a historical
narrative and
examples of
students work.

22-3

Conduct a source
investigation into the
decisions of Haig
Starter mill drill
activity with interesting
facts about the part
played by women
Students use factoids
to make a quick flip
chart presentation
about their given
womens corps to
make a case that it
played the most
significant part in
helping the war effort
Examine the different
sorts of gas masks
used by the British
Army. Assess their
effectiveness against
gas attacks by reading
Wilfred Owens famous
Dulce et Decorcum
Est
Use the video question
sheet and the clip from
World War One in
Colour to explore the
role of the air force
Starter read an
extract from a My
Story account and ask
students what makes it
an effective piece of
writing and useful too
for studying WWI
Explain the task sheet
criteria and
assessment grid. Look

Students could produce a recruitment

poster for their given corps or
prepare a rallying speech to
encourage women to enlist

Women at War presentation and

factoids in WWI section of website

Write an obituary for the Red Baron

exploring how the War would have
been reported from a German
perspective

Video question sheet available on

history website, entitled, War in the air
video question sheet
See also, A new kind of warfare in
Peace and War p.114-5

Students eventually produce a

completed story for teacher
assessment, but in this lesson it
might be a good idea to ask them first
to produce a short section for peer
assessment purposes

Encourage students to look at examples

of previous work and actual My Story
accounts available in the library.

24

How fair was

the Treaty of
Versailles?

To study the
terms of the
Treaty and
consider
whether it made
a second world
war more likely

at past examples of
students work
Ask students to
consider the problems
left unresolved at the
end of WWI. Explain
the reasons for the
Paris Peace
Conference and who
took part. Give them
each a character role
card and ask them to
resolve the same
problems in the guise
of that individual.
Feedback and
compare problem
solutions

Students write a letter of complaint as

a German citizen about the terms of
the Treaty.

PowerPoint, role cards and problem

sheet available in the section of the
website under Armistice and end of war

Lesson series focus: This sequence examines the reasons why only 20 years after the Tr of Versailles, war breaks out in Europe once again. There are
good opportunities for links with citizenship as she study the rise of the great dictators by contrasting the concept of totalitarian and democratic systems of
government and examining ways in which democratic systems have been challenged and uprooted for example the Weimar Republic or Russian Social
Democracy. As you move on to study the events of WWII, explore the idea of turning points in history, what they are, what makes one turning point more
significant that another. Challenge students to think of recent events in world history which future generations may consider to be turning points, e.g. Fall of
Berlin Wall, 9/11 etc.

25-6

Who was the

deadliest
dictator of the
twentieth
century?

To define the
meaning of
dictator and
democracy. To
study the ways
in which key
dictators came
to power and
the methods
used to stay in
power

Starter brainstorm
meaning of democracy
& contrast with
dictators (you could do
this by showing a clip
from WWII in colour in
History DVD collection)
Working in groups of 3
students complete an
evidence table on
Hitler, Mussolini, &
Stalin. They highlight
similarities and
differences in different

Skills work encourage students to

develop presentation skills as part of
the Learning to Learn strategy.

WWII in colour as well as supporting

resources on website, including factoids
on Mussolini, Hitler and Stalin and an
evidence table

colours
Students are given
factoids on key
dictators of C20th and
prepare poster or ppt
presentations on how
they came to power
and the techniques
they used

27

Why did War

break out
again in 1939

Learn about the

reasons for the
rise of Hitler and
the Nazis
Identify key
factors which
led to war
breaking out

28

What was the

major turning
point of
WWII?

Gain an
overview of key
events of WWII
Understand the
term turning
point and apply
it to knowledge
of WWII events

Starter show
students picture of
Hitler as a young man
and see if they can
identify him, then show
photos of Hitlers
career and ask what
made him such a
popular leader
Create a timeline
charting the rise of
Hitler to power
Use a textbook like
Modern Minds or
copies of extracts from
the book to read about
and create a spider
diagram identifying key
factors in the outbreak
of war
Starter ask students
to identify key events of
WWII using images,
tease out concept of
turning point from
these
In group, students
given responsibility for
one event, draw 2
circles on piece of flip

Skills work conclusions. Students

look at model conclusions and then
imagine they are writing a conclusion
to the essay question, Who or what
was to blame for the start of WWII?
Students write a conclusion for this
question.

Christine Counsell, Modern Minds

PowerPoint entitled, Outbreak of War
presentation available on department
website

Create a timeline of main events of

WWII using the webquest resource
on the departments website
Students write an essay answering
the question, Which event was a
turning point in WWII?

Timeline web quest and supporting

PowerPoint to be found on History
department website, see also weblinks
on the same site. Task sheet and
assessment grid also available on the
website.

chart and in each note

down successively
what happened, why it
might merit being
labelled a turning point
Lesson series focus: the last section of the KS3 course looks at the reputation of the twentieth century as being the darkest in human history. Introduce the
theme with studies of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Holocaust. Contrast this by looking at events which demonstrate
progress or advances in human rights, e.g. civil rights in US, ending of apartheid, space race etc. This should provide an opportunity for students to explore a
topic of interest in a project-based way. Encourage students where possible to make links with earlier periods studied at KS3, e.g. if they are looking at
womens rights in the twentieth century they could provide an overview of the rise of womens rights from earliest times to the present day. Link this last
section to the work students did on significance at the end of the unit on the Middle Ages to see if they can still identify the key factors which mark an event
out as significant.

29

Why did the

US drop two
bombs on
Japan?

Study the
development of
new atomic
technology.
Examine the
reasons why US
decided to us
atomic weapons
to end WWII

30-1

Why is it
important to
remember the
victims of the
Holocaust?

Explain the
meaning of the
word
holocaust,
provide some
historic context

Starter use a clip of

the dropping of the
bomb on Hiroshima,
e.g. from WWII in
colour to set the scene
and provoke debate.
Technical details about
the bombs
development available
on accompanying
PowerPoint
Source investigation
ask students to
download a copy of the
evidence table and
study sources on
pp.198-201 of Peace &
War to identify reasons
why the US used
atomic weapons
Starter one way to
begin examining this
difficult subject is to
look at some of the
numbers involved.
Project some numbers

Hold a press conference, with

students taking the roles of US
military personnel & politicians and
the rest of the class questioning them
over the need for dropping 2 bombs
on Japan
Use a school forum or webmail to
hold an online debate on the issue

Peace & War, pp.198-201

Accompanying electronic resources on
www.studyhistory.co.uk

Students could write to HET

(Holocaust Educational Trust) or a
specific survivor, explaining what
theyve learned in the lesson and why
they think it is important to remember

WWII in Colour, accompanying

resources on History website including
ppt. entitled, Holocaust presentation
There are many excellent web based
resources, one excellent starting point it
the International Holocaust Studies site,

for antisemitism,
explain the
steps which led
to the Final
Solution,
consider ways
of
commemorating
the victims
today

32-5

Was the
twentieth
century really
so bad?

Overview of
twentieth
century history

onto the screen and

ask students to
imagine what they
relate to before
explaining (copy of this
can be found in GCSE
section of
www.studyhistory.co.uk
under Germany,
Holocaust
presentation
There are a number of
ways top treat this
topic, you may wish to
use some of the
accompanying
activities on the
PowerPoint which uses
archive footage on
WWII in Colour and
eye-witness accounts
of the concentration
camps, e.g. that of
Dora Vokel.
Students complete a
Star of David template
with facts and
reflections gleaned
from their research
Starter you could
introduce this last
section of the course
with a mill drill or
picture activity where
you introduce students
to some of the great
achievements of C20th
Students work in small
groups using project
based learning skills to

Yad Vashem:
http://www1.yadvashem.org/yv/en/educa
tion/school/about.asp

Encourage students to thinks about

different ways of presenting their
work (a skill they will use later if they
undertake the Extended Project
Qualification at A Level). They may
make a film, an audio recording, a
formal presentation according to what
they feel most comfortable with.

Encourage students to resources in the

library, the key history sites they have
used throughout the course, e.g. BBC
History, Spartacus Schoolnet and
History Learning Site

present a topic of
interest to them which
demonstrates
significant achievement
and advance. Review
Counsells definition of
significance with
students if necessary
Students peer assess
presentations against
key criteria of
presentations skills,
historical detail and
explaining of the
significance of the
advances their group
or individual achieved