Humanities

History at Leeds West Academy

At Leeds West Academy we know students enjoy the study of History and we are passionate about offering a dynamic curriculum that enhances our students' understanding of the world they see around them.

Our five key aims are:

To fuel and ignite student passion for history; the challenge, the wonder and the excitement
To encourage open, enquiring minds to challenge their and others' opinions bravely
To use the study of history as a powerful vehicle for transferable skill development
To use historical enquiries to develop independent learning
To help students make good progress and gain external accreditation in History

Geography at Leeds West Academy

The geography department is an intellectually vibrant department at the forefront of innovative teaching and learning, both within the classroom and out in the field. We inspire students to think at a variety of scales from local to global, ultimately helping to shape the future world we live in. We do this by:

Appreciating geography in its widest context, interconnecting place, space, time and scale
Encouraging purposeful and independent enquiry
Stimulating a passion for highly motivated learning

Courses in Humanities

Key Stage 4

GCSE History (Eduqas)
GCSE Geography (AQA)

Term By Term Schemes of Work

Key Stage 3

	KS3 History
	KS3 Geography

KS3 History Curriculum Breakdown

Year 7

Topic

Learning Outcomes

Assessment

The Island Project – Pre-Norman and Norman England

To explore a brief history of Britain before 1066.

To explain why William won the Battle of Hastings.

To explain how Britain changed during William’s reign.

Essay:

To what extent was Britain just mud and huts before 1066?

The Black Death and Tudor Britain – Sources focus

To develop source analysis skills.

To explain the causes, events and effects of the Black Death.

To explore the role of religion in Tudor Britain.

Sources assessment:

How useful are these sources in understanding people’s attitudes to the Black Death?

The English Civil war and Native Americans

To explain why Charles I “lost his head.”

To understand the lifestyle of the Native Americans and their relationship with European traders.

Essay

Why was Charles I executed?

How different were the lives of Native Americans to English setters?

End of year exam: students will complete a memory-based essay on one of the above topics. Students will have a choice of three questions

and will be expected to select one

Year 8

Topic	Learning Outcomes	Assessment
HT1: The slave trade	Students should be able to describe the processes of the slave trade including the middle passage and life on a plantation. Students will be able to explore why some people supported slavery, and why, ultimately, it was abolished.	To what extent did people support the slave trade?
HT2: The industrial revolution	Students should be able to compare the changes that led to the industrial revolution and measure the impact of the changes by comparing Britain during the revolution to Britain beforehand.	How far did British people’s lives improve during the industrial revolution?
HT3: The causes of the First World War	Students should investigate the long and short-term causes that led to the outbreak of the conflict, understanding how the factors linked together.	How important was the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in the start of the first world war?
HT4: The role of the generals in First World War	Students should improve their ability to analyse the utility and reliability of primary and secondary evidence by investigating the role of the generals in the tactics in the first world war.	How useful and reliable are these sources in understanding the role of the generals?
HT5: The holocaust	Students should understand Nazi racial policy before and during the second world war.	Explain the events that led to the holocaust.
HT6: The Suffragettes	Students should be able to explain the range of factors that led to women being granted the vote with a particular focus on the two main pressure groups.	Who were more effective: the suffragettes or the suffragists?

KS3 Geography Curriculum Breakdown

Year 7

Topic

Learning Outcomes

Assessment

HT1

and HT2 - Fantastic places and Geographical Skills

To be able to use maps at a range of scales.

To be able to use a variety of map skills to interpret maps and figures.

To explore unique locations to understand how both physical and human factors can shape environments.

To understand how and why landscapes differ globally

Application of exam technique and skills through regular purple zone activity

Comparison of two key fantastic places

Assessed work on describing journeys using OS maps and scale

End of unit assessment to assess content and use of geographical skills

HT3 -

Population

To explore the rate and causes of global population growth over time

To understand how countries are coping with a rapidly growing or ageing population through government policies including migration

Assessed questions on the causes and impacts of migration

Mock exam

HT4 -

Extreme Environments

To understand the climate of the cold and hot deserts

To compare and contrast the lives of indigenous people with our own

To understand the threats facing extreme environments as a result of economic development

Decision-making accessed writing on tourism in the Arctic

End of unit exam

Summer Term - Revision and preparation for end of year exam for end of year exam

To plan and carry out accurate fieldwork.

To be able to apply geographical skills to a range of resources and figures.

To review the year’s learning and apply to exam questions.

End of year exam

Year 8

Topic	Learning Outcomes	Assessment
HT1- Development	To describe and explain the differences in levels of development To evaluate the different methods of reducing the development gaps	Accessed work on the cause of uneven development and strategies to reduce the development gap End of unit assessment
HT2 - Restless Earth	To understand the structure of the earth, plate tectonics and how they cause tectonic hazards To investigate the impacts of tectonic hazards in differing locations To analyse how responses to natural disasters vary	Assessed questions on the causes of tectonic hazards and the impacts of a tectonic disaster Mock exam paper
HT3- Globalisation	To understand the causes and impacts of globalisation To investigate how the impacts of globalisation vary between countries	Assessed work on the causes and impacts of globalisation Mock exam
HT4: Water Everywhere!	To understand global climates, referring to the global atmospheric circulation model To investigate the UK's weather and climate To investigate the hydrological cycle and flooding	Assessed work on the causes and impacts of flooding Mock exam
Summer term - Revision and preparation for end of year exam	To be able to apply geographical skills to a range of resources and figures To review the year's learning and apply to exam questions	End of year exam

Key Stage 4

	History GCSE
	Geography GCSE

GCSE History Curriculum Breakdown

Year 9

Half Term

Topic

Learning Outcomes

Assessment

Autumn 1

The USA

1910-1929

In all units of work students will teach how to: analyse sources; structure and develop their extended writing; revise for tests and exams; develop their written vocabulary; and, organise their notes and learning.

In year 9 students will be expected to complete an exam question every week.

Mini-mock exam:

One hour paper testing use of sources and developing extended writing on theme 1 of the USA paper.

Essay: What was the most important cause of the economic boom of the 1920s?

Iterative tests:
Ongoing knowledge based tests across the term.

Immigration

Why did immigration become such a major issue in American society?

The Open Door; demands for restriction; government legislation; xenophobia; anarchists – the Red Scare; Palmer Raids; Sacco and Vanzetti case

Religion and race

Was America a country of religious and racial intolerance during this period?

Religious fundamentalism – the Bible Belt; the Monkey Trial; treatment of Native Americans; segregation, Jim Crow, KKK; black reaction, migration, NAACP, UNIA

Crime and corruption

Was the 1920s a decade of organised crime and corruption?

Reasons for, life under and enforcement of prohibition; organised crime – Al Capone, St Valentine’s Day Massacre; corruption – Harding, ‘Ohio Gang’, Tea Pot Dome scandal

Autumn 2

The USA

1910-1929

Economic boom

What were the causes of the economic boom experienced in the 1920s?

America’s economic position in 1910 - assets and natural resources; economic impact of the First World War; hire purchase; electrification; mass production; laissez faire; individualism and protectionism

The end of prosperity

What factors led to the end of prosperity in 1929?

Overproduction; falling consumer demand; boom in land and property values; over speculation; the Wall Street Crash – panic selling, Black Thursday, market crash

Spring 1

The USA

1910-1929

Popular entertainment

How did popular entertainment develop during this period?

Advent of silent movies; popularity of the cinema and movie stars; advent of the talkies; popular music; jazz; impact of radio and gramophone; dancing and speakeasy culture.

How did the lifestyle and status of women change during this period?

Role of women in the pre-war years; impact of the First World War; changing attitudes; influence of Jazz culture; flapper lifestyle and feminism; new fashions; opposition to the flapper lifestyle

Judging the societal and cultural developments in the 1920s.

MOCK EXAM – February.

Testing the whole knowledge of the USA paper.

Spring 2

Year 9

Medicine through time

What have been the causes of illness and disease over time?

Problems in the medieval era: poverty, famine, warfare: lack of hygiene in the medieval and early modern eras with reference to the Black Death of the fourteenth century and the Great Plague of the seventeenth century; the effects of industrialisation and the incidence of cholera and typhoid in the nineteenth century; the spread of bacterial and viral diseases in the twentieth century.

How effective were attempts to prevent illness and disease over time?

Early methods of prevention of disease with reference to the Black Death: alchemy, soothsayers and medieval doctors; the application of science to the prevention of disease in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries: the work of Edward Jenner and vaccination; the influence and spread of inoculation since 1800; the discovery of antibodies and developments in the field of bacteriology.

Iterative tests:
Ongoing knowledge based tests across the term.

Summer 1

Year 9

Medicine through time

How have attempts to treat illness and disease changed over time?

Traditional treatments and remedies common in the medieval era: herbal medicines, barber surgeons, use of leeches; James Lister and the use of antiseptics in the later nineteenth century; James Simpson and the development of anaesthetics ; twentieth century developments: Marie Curie and the development of radiation; the roles of Fleming, Florey and Chain regarding antibiotics; Barnard and transplant surgery; modern advances in cancer treatment and surgery; alternative treatments

How much progress has been made in medical knowledge over time?

Common medical ideas in the medieval era: the influence of alchemy, astrology and the theory of the four humours; the influence of the medical work of Vesalius, Pare and Harvey in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; nineteenth century advances in medical knowledge: improved knowledge of the germ theory: Pasteur and Koch; the development of scanning techniques in the twentieth century: X-rays, ultrasound and MRI scans; the discovery of DNA and genetic research in the later twentieth century

Iterative tests:
Ongoing knowledge based tests across the term.

Mini-mock: Assessing understanding of medieval medicine.

Summer 2

Year 9

Medicine through time

How has the care of patients improved over time?

The role of the church and monasteries from medieval times up to the mid sixteenth century; the roles of voluntary charities in patient care after the mid sixteenth century; science and the development of endowed hospitals in the late eighteenth century; Florence Nightingale and the professionalising of nursing in the nineteenth century; the impact of the early 20th century Liberal reforms; the Beveridge Report of 1944 and provision under the NHS after 1946

How effective were attempts to improve public health and welfare over time?

Public health and hygiene in medieval society; public health and hygiene in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries ; the impact of industrialisation on public health in the nineteenth century; the work of Edwin Chadwick leading to Victorian improvements in public health; efforts to improve housing and pollution in the twentieth century; local and national government attempts to

Full mock exam: Medicine Through Time – July

This will be an adapted mock, spanning the taught content on medieval and Early Modern Britain.

Year 10

Half Term

Topic

Learning outcomes

Assessment

Autumn 1

Year 10

Completion of Year 9 learning

Students will complete the Medicine Through Time unit, and complete a mock exam.

A mock exam on Medicine Through Time.

Autumn 2

Year 10

Elizabethan Britain

Elizabethan government

How successful was the government of Elizabeth I?

The coronation and popularity of Elizabeth; Royal Court, Privy Council and councillors; local government; the role of Parliament; taxation and freedom of speech

Lifestyles of rich and poor

How did life differ for the rich and poor in Elizabethan times?

Contrasting lifestyles of rich and poor; homes and fashion; causes of poverty; issue of unemployment and vagrancy; government legislation including the 1601 Poor Law

Popular entertainment

What were the most popular types of entertainment in Elizabethan times?

The importance of popular entertainment; cruel sports; entertainment enjoyed by the rich; the Elizabethan theatre; design, plays; attitudes towards the theatre

In Year 10, students will complete an exam question week.

Iterative tests:
Ongoing knowledge based tests across the term.

Spring 1

Year 10

Elizabethan Britain

The problem of religion

How successfully did Elizabeth deal with the problem of religion?

Religious problems in 1559; aims of the Religious Settlement; the ‘Middle Way’, Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity; reactions to the Settlement

The Catholic threat

Why were the Catholics such a serious threat to Elizabeth?

Early toleration; excommunication in 1570; recusancy; rebellion of Northern Earls; Catholic Plots – Ridolfi, Throckmorton, Babington; role of Mary, Queen of Scots

Iterative tests:
Ongoing knowledge based tests across the term.

Spring 2

Year 10

Elizabethan Britain

The Spanish Armada

How much of a threat was the Spanish Armada?

Reasons for the Armada; war in the Netherlands; course of the Armada – events in the Channel, Calais, ‘fireships’ and return to Spain; results of the Armada

The Puritan threat

Why did the Puritans become an increasing threat during Elizabeth’s reign?

Puritanism; challenge to the Settlement; Puritan opposition in Parliament and Privy Council; measures taken to deal with the Puritan challenge

Full mock exam – Elizabethan England (assessing the whole unit)

Summer 1

Year 10

Germany 1919-33

How successful was the Weimar Government in dealing with Germany`s problems between 1919 and 1933?

The impact of war and impact of the Treaty of Versailles; opposition to the government; economic and political reform under Stresemann; improved foreign relations

Iterative tests:
Ongoing knowledge based tests across the term.

Summer 2

Germany 1933-1934

The Rise of the Nazi Party and its consolidation of power between 1933 and 1934? How did the Nazis take total control of Germany by 1934?

Reasons for Nazi support; Hitler as Chancellor; steps to dictatorship; the creation of the police state

Iterative tests:
Ongoing knowledge based tests across the term.

Year 11

Term	Learning Outcomes	Outcomes
Autumn 1	What was life like under the Nazis? What was life like in Germany during WW2? What was the situation in post-war Germany?	45 minute mock exam Iterative tests: Ongoing knowledge based tests across the term.
Autumn 2	What were the relations between East and West Germany? What led to reconciliation and reunification?	45 minute mock exam Iterative tests: Ongoing knowledge based tests across the term.

Spring 1	Revision of USA Revision of Germany	1 hour exam Iterative tests: Ongoing knowledge based tests across the term.
Spring 2	Revision of Medicine Through Time Revision of Elizabeth	1 hour exam Iterative tests: Ongoing knowledge based tests across the term.

Summer 1	Exams
Summer 2	Exam

GCSE Geography Curriculum Breakdown

Year 9

Topic	Learning Outcomes	Assessment
Autumn - Living World	To understand the factors affecting the location and climate of hot deserts and tropical rainforests To explain the economic opportunities within ecosystems and the associated impacts To explore the ways in which ecosystems can be managed more sustainably	Assessed exam questions on adaptation of vegetation, human activity in the rainforest and sustainable management DME about the tropical rainforest Mock exam

Spring - Natural Hazards	To understand the causes, impacts and responses to natural hazards in an HIC and LIC To investigate case studies of two earthquakes To investigate the different plate boundaries To explore how people prepare for hazards To explore why people live close to volcanoes	Assessed questions on the causes of tectonic hazards and the impacts of a tectonic disaster Assessed exam questions on the impacts of earthquakes in HIC/LICs Mock exam paper Iterative testing of living world in a mid-unit assessment

Summer - Tropical storms, Global Atmospheric Circulation and Climate change	To understand the causes, impacts and responses to tropical storms To explain the reasons for extreme weather in the UK and to explore the Yorkshire Floods To understand the physical and human cause of climate change and the adaptation and mitigation strategies being adopted	Exam technique about UK weather Iterative testing of Hazards and Living World through climate change Mock exam

Year 10

Half Term	Topic	Learning Outcomes	Assessment
Autumn	Urban issues and challenges	To understand the ways in which and why cities in LICs and NEEs are growing so rapidly. To understand how urban change in cities in the UK and Nigeria leads to a variety of social, economic and environmental opportunities and challenges. To understand how urban sustainability requires management of resources and transport.	Assessed exam questions on the impacts of rapid growth in NEE cities, sustainable management in UK cities. Mock exam

Spring 1	River landscapes in the UK	To understand fluvial processes and how they shape river valley. To describe the characteristics and explain the formation of fluvial landforms. To explore the physical and human factors that contribute to flooding. To investigate and example of flood management.	Assessed exam questions on the fluvial landforms and flood management
Spring 2	Coastal landscapes in the UK	To understand the physical processes that create coastal landforms. To evaluate the different methods of coastal management.	Assessed exam questions on coastal landforms and coastal management

Summer 1	Fieldtrip and fieldwork skills	Coasts and Rivers recap and mock exam. To apply knowledge of coasts and tourism to collect and analyse fieldwork data.	Sample exam questions from Paper 3
Summer 2	Paper 3	To apply fieldwork data and geographical skills to Paper 3.	Sample exam questions from Paper 3

Year 11

Half Term	Topic	Learning Outcomes	Assessment
Autumn	Changing Economic World	To understand the variations in development globally and the reasons for this unequal development. To investigate how the NEE of Nigeria is increasing its level of development. To investigate the changes to the UK economy over time and the associated implications.	Assessed exam questions on strategies to reduce the development gap, the impact of TNCs on NEEs, the UK’s changing economy.

Spring 1	The Challenge of Resource Management	To understand how the changing demand and provision of resources in the UK create opportunities and challenges. Demand for water resources is rising globally but supply can be insecure, which may lead to conflict. To explore the strategies that can be used to increase water supplies.	Assessed exam questions on the impacts of insecure water supplies and management. Mock exam on Paper 2.
Spring 2	Revision	Students will be using revision guides, their work from the course and past papers to revise systematically for the exams.	Practice exam questions

Summer 1	Revision and preparation for Paper 3	Following the release of the pre-release paper for Paper 3, lessons will be spent exploring the issues covered in the pre-release and how this might be applied in the exam.	Practice questions
Summer 2	Exam leave		Final exams

For further information on the curriculum offered please contact the Academy F.A.O Rachel Smith R.Smith@whiteroseacademies.org (Head of Humanities)