History

What can students do to develop their skills in this subject area?

Produce their best entry for the Inter-house History competition – it runs every year.
Attend History Club at lunch time.
Challenge themselves by completing the additional homework projects available for each unit of work.
Create a revision guide for the unit of work that they are studying.
Create a glossary of new vocabulary that they acquire during History lessons.
Take a lead role in teaching key concepts and ideas to others during lessons.
Challenge themselves to complete more 'hot' homework or complete a wider range of homework tasks from the takeaway menu.
Try to use higher order concepts to make links to topics studied at primary school.
Find out more about the era being studied – what were the fashions like? What entertainment existed? What were houses like?
Create a scrapbook on local history.
Watch historical films and read historical novels. Try to critically evaluate how accurate they may be.
Speak to older generations about the past – ask them how society has changed.
Create your own multi-media videos about an aspect of history that really interests you.

What wider reading can be completed to support the curriculum?

The following texts may be of interest:

Encyclopaedia Britannica could assist in exploring topics fully.
Read the 'Bygone' section of the Grimsby Telegraph (or look it up on the internet) to learn about the history of our local area.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne.
Goodnight Mr Tom - Michelle Magorian.
The Eagle of the Ninth - Rosemary Sutcliffe.
Conn Iggulden novels.
Bernard Cornwell novels.
Private Peaceful - Michael Morpurgo.
War Horse - Michael Morpurgo.
The Machine Gunners - Robert Westall.
Horrible Histories.
Carrie's War - Nina Bawden.
Wave Me Goodbye - Jacqueline Wilson.
Eliza Rose - Lucy Worsley.
D'aulaire's Book of Greek Myths.

What websites could students visit to support the curriculum?

Can television and film assist with supporting the curriculum?

Certain television programmes can be useful:

Watching films such as:

How can parents/carers help and what can be done at home?

Discuss and debate current affairs, and try to find links back to historical events.
Research your family tree.
Take your child to a museum, or discuss buildings of historical significance in the local area.
Discuss students' homework and classwork – getting them to explain and justify the judgements they make.
Ask your child to teach you about an aspect of history that they are learning about.
Ask your child to act out an important historical event/moment for you.
Encourage students to use the local library in order to access a wider range of historical reading material, or to access newspaper archives.
Visit places of historical interest when the opportunity arises. This could be locally, nationally or internationally.
Examples of places to visit include: National Fishing Heritage Centre in Grimsby, Lincoln Castle, Lincoln Cathedral, Hull's Museums Quarter, Clifford's Tower in York, Jorvik Museum, York Dungeon, Eden Camp, Beamish, The Tower of London, Windsor Castle, Warwick Castle - the opportunities are endless!
Visit National Trust properties and English Heritage sites.
Whilst on holiday, make an effort to find out about the history of the area that you are visiting.
Go to the theatre or cinema to watch a historical play or film.