Humanities
What is Humanities?
Humanities consists of the following subjects:
- History
- Geography
- RE
Why Humanities?
Simple! It is the area of the curriculum which explores what it actually means to be a human being and considers where we have come from, the world around us and our attitudes and beliefs.
Through the Humanities, we support wider school aims of improving literacy and numeracy. We promote students' moral, spiritual and cultural awareness. We foster enterprise skills and, particularly through the vocational GCSEs, we develop practical skills that students will need as they seek to find their way in the wider world.
Resources
Each member of the Faculty is provided with a laptop for school use. In addition, classrooms have interactive whiteboards fitted. Teachers have exclusive use of a state-of-the-art photocopier as well as access to colour photocopying.
History
History is useful in many ways. It involves the study of past societies, how those societies were organised and what beliefs and cultures influenced them. So, by studying people and events from the past, students learn more about themselves and their own beliefs and values.
A knowledge of the past allows us see modern times in a broader and deeper context. How we live our lives, the world of work and the wider economy, how we are governed and Britain's relationships with other countries can all be better understood through the study of earlier times and of the development of these and other features of modern life.
Year 7
An Overview of Key Stage 3
| Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 | |
| Autumn Term | The Romans | Britain 1500-1750 | First World War |
| Spring Term | Middle Ages | Britain 1500-1750 | Second World War |
| Summer Term | Middle Ages | Britain 1750-1900 | The Holocaust & JFK |
Year 8
Why was King Charles I executed in January 1649 - and is this really the way it happened?
Britain 1500-1750 – Autumn & Spring Terms
Through a study of the events surrounding the English Civil War, Part 1 of this unit develops an understanding of the origins of democracy in Britain. A particular focus is on portrayals and representations of the past:
•How have key individuals been portrayed - King Charles; Cromwell; Prince Rupert?
•In what different ways have the trial and execution been represented (literally, re-presented) both at the time and by later historians?
•How accurate are these portrayals and representations?
Lesson content includes:
- What is the background to the period 1500-1750?
- Why was there religious division?
- Why was there political division?
- What events led to the Civil War?
- What were the causes of the Civil War?
- What do we want to know about the Civil War?
- What was a battle like?
- What was Prince Rupert really like?
- Why did Parliament win?
- How has the trial of Charles I been represented?
- What happened at the execution of Charles I?
- Who were the Levellers?
In William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, written c1595, Juliet is only 14 when she prepares to marry. Her mother, according to the play, was married at 13. So, was this typical? Did people often get married when they were very young? Ridgeway students investigate this in Year 8.
Part 2 of this unit focuses on some key historical skills through an examination of what Britain was like at this time:
- Describing key features and changes
- Working things out from sources
- Evaluating sources for usefulness and reliability.
Lesson content includes:
- What was life like at this time and what was changing?
- How reliable is a letter written at this time?
- How useful are statistics for our enquiry?
- Did people get married when they were very young?
- How were ideas about the world changing?
- Why were ideas about the world changing?
Year 9
First World War – Autumn Term
Part of the 'Twentieth Century World', the aim of this unit is to focus on aspects of the First World War, not from a narrative point of view but with a particular emphasis on historical skills. Next term, the focus turns to the Second World War, allowing students to reflect on similarities and differences. The main skills and understanding in this unit are:
- The different ways that people and events are portrayed – and reasons why
- Research and investigation skills
- Wartime propaganda – what it is and why it is important
Lesson content includes:
- What is the 'big picture'?
- What happened at Sarajevo on 28 June 1914?
- What was trench warfare?
- What were conditions like in the trenches?
- In what ways are trench diaries useful to historians?
- What happened at the Somme?
- How has the Somme been portrayed?
- What was First World War propaganda like?
- What can we learn from Blackadder?
- How was gas used in the war?
- What were the weapons of the First World War?
Introduction to GCSE History at Ridgeway
At Ridgeway, students now follow the Schools History Project (SHP) GCSE offered by Edexcel. The specification is History B.
Outline & Content
This GCSE is made up of four modules and there are choices about the particular history content to be studied. Ridgeway plans to offer the following topics over the two-year course:
- Depth Study - Germany 1919-1945
- Source-based Investigation - Surgery c1845-c1918
- Development Study: The Changing Nature of Warfare
- Controlled Assessment - content to be decided
Assessment
Students are assessed by written examination (75%) and by controlled assessment (25%).
Geography
In Geography lessons, we aim to:
- Stimulate students' interest in their surroundings and in the variety of human and physical conditions on the earth's surface.
- Foster students' sense of wonder at the beauty of the world around them.
- Help students to develop an informed concern about the quality of the environment and the future of the planet.
Geography offers opportunities to:
- Investigate a wide range of people, places and environments.
- Study geographical patterns and processes and how political, economic, social and environmental factors affect contemporary geographical issues.
- Investigate how places and environments are interdependent.
- Carry out geographical enquiry and investigations.
- Use a range of investigative and problem-solving skills and resources, including different types of maps and atlases, satellite images, aerial photographs, texts and ICT.
There are four key aspects of Geography that we aim to develop:
- The ability to undertake geographical enquiry and use geographical skills.
- Knowledge and understanding of places.
- Knowledge and understanding of geographical patterns and processes.
- Knowledge and understanding of environmental change and sustainable development.
RE
RE is a diverse and interesting subject, in which students consider the world, and their own place within it. They are helped to think about the "Big Questions" in life, such as:
- how did the world begin?
- what happens when we die?
- is there a god?
RE helps students to make sense of their own beliefs, religious or otherwise, and encourages a greater sense of empathy and understanding of the opinions and beliefs of others. It enables them to think deeply and critically about topics, which can bring about fantastic, profound insights into the world and the problems that face it.
RE at Ridgeway does not only teach students about the different religions in the world today; it also allows them to engage in philosophical enquiry about religious and non-religious matters. Students are taught early on in the curriculum how to develop their discussion and communication skills, which are fundamental to the subject.
It is important to mention that RE at Ridgeway is not about converting students to believe in any particular religion, and no-one will not have any beliefs or opinions forced upon them. They are taught in a way that allows them to express their own opinions in a caring and respectful environment.
Overview of Key Stage 3
| Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 | |
| Autumn Term | What is RE? - Has science ditched God? | Why is it hard to believe in God? - From life to death, where are we going? | Good versus Evil - Does suffering make it impossible to believe in God? |
| Spring Term | What makes us human? - Prejudice and discrimination | What are we doing to the environment? - Is it right to eat animals? | War and Peace - The sanctity of life |
| Summer Term | Inter-faith relationships | Why is there poverty? - Charity | Science and ethics |
