Castle Manor Academy

Year 7 History

History

Welcome to History

The purpose of the study of history is to develop students’ sense of identity, understand their place in the world, how and why the world and society has changed and the different experiences of a variety of people in the past, giving students the ability to navigate the global society they will find themselves in. Through the study of history, students will develop a tolerance and a world view that will provide a foundation not just for their historical study but also for their wider lives. We will ensure students finish KS3 with a broad knowledge of both local, national and worldwide events of historical significance. 

Through the history curriculum, students will develop certain skills, such as being able to understand where the perspective in a source may come from, how this affects what is being presented and why this is important.  As well as being a key historical skill, in today’s world this is also a crucial life skill to possess as the population needs to think critically about any information they are presented with. Large parts of our curriculum will be based upon academic historians work and using both this and contemporary evidence, students will work hard to research, collate and interrogate evidence to form a reasoned and sustained argument. Not only is this crucial for GCSE History, should they choose to take it, but it is important in all walks of life in both professional and personal capacities.

  1. The Golden Age of IslamThis unit focuses on Medieval Baghdad, intruding students to the importance it had in the medieval world in terms of trading links, medicine, mathematics and culture. 
  2. The Effects of the Norman ConquestStudents are asked to examine the extent of change that the Normans brought to England in terms of the Church, language, culture, castles and power. We utilise sources from people such as Orderic Vitalis and the historian, Marc Morris. 
  3. The Importance of the Medieval ChurchThis unit looks at how much impact the Medieval Church had on people’s every day lives in England. Students study doom paintings, the rules that came out of the Church and why the Church needed to keep this level of power. 
  4. The CrusadesLinking to the importance of the Medieval Church, this unit examines the motivations of the Crusaders as well as the events of the period.
  5. African KingdomsThis study showcases the riches and variety of Medieval Africa including countries like Mali with a study on Mansa Musa, the richest man that ever lived.
  6. Medieval WomenThis unit looks at the extraordinary lives of some medieval Woman in both Europe and Africa, challenging stereotypes of how much power women usually had. 
  7. The Development of Parliament This topic builds the foundations for the later topics in Key Stage 3 which examine British Democracy. Here we look at key events such as the development of the Magna Carta, the Peasant’s Revolt and the early development of Parliament. 

Staff that teach this year group:

Ms Jones

Miss Byrne