Humanities
Humanities is delivered following the National Curriculum and we are passionate about the teaching and learning of Humanities across the school. Humanities covers the teaching of Geography, History and Religious Education.
At Collingwood we want our pupils to leave us with the knowledge and skills that they need to understand the world that they live in. It is this world that they will need to use and engage with. We want our pupils to learn to cherish and appreciate the diverse world around them, to make choices that sustain it and make a positive difference.
“People must feel that the natural world is important and valuable and beautiful and wonderful and an amazement and a pleasure” – David Attenborough
Humanities subjects are about how people if different cultures and societies relate to each other and the world in which we live, or in which people have lived in the past, providing a means by which pupils can apply their understanding of it in personal, local, national and global contexts. At Collingwood we aim to develop the skills and understanding needed to equip young people to play an active, well-informed role in the community, and prepare them for further education in the world of work in a rich range of fields.
At Collingwood, our learning activities are chosen to engage, challenge and motivate our pupils. We match our teaching to the needs of our learners and activities are designed so that pupils of all abilities can maximise their learning. A range of teaching techniques are used to accommodate the individual difference in learning
styles, interest and aptitude. Activities are planned to ensure the most able pupils are stretched and that those who are struggling are fully supported.
The pupils are able to access ASDAN short courses in both History and Geography.
Humanities Curriculum Overview
Humanities in Primary
In Key Stage 1 pupils learn about Geography – what is Geography, Our school and the local area, weather, explorers, travel and transport followed by Why Do We Love Being Beside the Seaside, Oceans and Seas, Sappho the Destruction of Pompeii, Florence Nightingale and finally Everyday Materials & Let’s Build
In Key stage 2 our pupils learn about earthquakes, the Stone Age, Beyond the Magic Kingdom, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age.
Humanities in Year 7
What is Geography?
Human/Physical; what are our global connections; field sketches; how to use an atlas; world map – continents, oceans, lines of latitude; climate graphs; how to read a map; points of the compass; grid references; explore an environmental issue; Caribbean island project.
Geography: Extreme Earth
Mountains on world map; earth’s layers; plate tectonics; how are volcanoes formed? How do volcanoes affect people’s lives? Pompeii case study; what causes earthquakes? Tsunamis and how they affect people; tornadoes and how they are caused; how tornadoes affect people?
What is History?
What is chronology? What is a timeline? What are historical sources? What is bias in history? A historical mystery; how can we use archaeological evidence? What is an anachronism? Using evidence to explain a theory; conduct an enquiry; visit to Great North Museum.
History: The Norman Conquest
1066 and all that! Who should be King? Events of 1066; what happened at the Battle of Hastings? How did William gain control of England? What was the Feudal System? Motte and Bailey castles; Square Keep castles; medieval life; visit to local castle; thinking skills activity.
RE: What does it mean to be Buddhist?
Who was Siddhartha Gautama? Four Noble Truths; Eight Fold Path; karma; important symbols; main beliefs; special places; festivals – Wesak; meditation; visit to Compassion Centre/Monk to visit school; Buddhism and the environment; The Dalai Lama.
RE: What does it mean to be Sikh?
Who are Sikhs? Who is Guru Nanak? How do Sikhs pray? Gurdwara; Langar – heart of the community; Sikh creation story; what is the Guru Granth Sahib and its importance; visit to Gurdwara; The Five K’s; festivals – Vaisaki
Humanities in Year 8
Geography: Weather and Climate
What is weather? How does weather affect human activities? Measuring the weather; how are clouds formed? Different types of clouds; how is rainfall formed? What is air pressure? Heatwaves; air masses; depressions; 2013 Christmas storms; climate graphs; climate zones; UK climate; extremes of climate.
Geography: Africa
Perceptions of and location of Africa; map work; what are the physical and human features of Africa? What are National Parks and why are they set up? Population; animals; Maasai culture; the illegal ivory trade; environmental issues affecting Africa; life in Egypt; tourism
History: Local History
Roman invasion and its impact on region; Anglo Saxon arrival and influences; Viking invasion at Lindisfarne; Viking influences on the region; Norman arrival and impact on the North East; local Plague outbreaks and effects; Industrial Revolution – impacts and innovations; significant local individuals – George Stephenson, Grace Darling, Newcastle today.
History: The Tudors
Who were the Tudor monarchs? Importance of religion in Tudor times; Church hierarchy; life of Henry VIII and his six wives; religion in Edward VI’s reign, changes during Mary I’s reign; the life of Elizabeth I; images of Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots’ execution; the defeat of the Spanish Armada,
Tudor everyday life.
RE: What does it mean to be Jewish?
What is Judaism? What is special to you? The Torah; Shabbat; the Jewish creation story; the Jewish people in the land of Egypt; Kosher foods; the Synagogue; Jewish lifestyle; Hanukkah; Rosh Hashanah; Pesach – the Seder; Scripture and stories; Ten Commandments; Role of the rabbi; isit to local Synagogue.
RE: What does it mean to be Muslim?
Who is Muhammad? Who is Allah and what is the Qur’an? What is a mosque and what are they like? What is Zakah? What is sawm? What is the hajj? Mecca; Eid-ul-Fitr; stories in the Qur’an; rites of passage; visit to school by Islamic Diversity Centre.
Humanities in Year 9
Geography: Rivers and Coasts
The water cycle; rivers of the UK; seas of the UK; rivers of the world; features of a river system; how are rivers used? The impact of damming; causes and effects of flooding; water pollution; coastal features of the UK; how are coastal features formed?
Geography: Ecosystems (Brazil)
Locating rainforests on a world map; rainforest climate; layers of rainforest; water cycle; life in the rainforest; environmental issues in the rainforest; deforestation; the effects humans have on the rainforest; protecting the rainforest.
History: WW1
Long term causes of WW1; short term causes of WW1; Triple Entente and Triple Alliance; life in the trenches; The Western Front; Battle of The Somme; trench warfare; the impact of propaganda during WW1; war poetry; the role of animals in WW1; involvement of USA in WW1; the end of WW1 and the consequences for Germany, Treaty of Versailles.
History: WW2
End of WW1 and consequences; democracies and dictatorships; background on Hitler – his ideas and aims; how did Hitler keep control in Germany? Causes of WW2; the war in Western Europe; The Battle of Britain; Dunkirk; the impact of war on ordinary people; evacuation; the Blitz; propaganda; the atomic bomb.
RE: What does it mean to be a Hindu?
Divali and Holi; God has many faces/ manifestations; Rama and Sita; Hindu lifestyle; puja tray; food for special occasions; Hindu naming ceremony; Hindu scripture – Ramayana; Stories in the Ramayana; role of Brahman, Vishnu and Shiva; Ganesh, Hanuman and Lakshmi; Holi stories about Krishna; Holi story about Prince Prahlad; visit to a mandir.
RE: What does it mean to be Christian?
Who was Jesus and why was he important? Main beliefs of Christianity; The Trinity; special places; visit to St Aidan’s; main Christian festivals; why is the Bible special to Christians? What are the key symbols in Christianity? Jesus the Healer; the stories Jesus told.
Humanities in Key Stage 4
Geography: Holidays
Producing a leaflet on three holiday destinations; investigating the positive and negative pints about a tourist destination; produce a holiday brochure on a UK seaside resort; investigating different types of holidays; investigate the places that overseas visitors would like to go in the UK; investigate the work of the Regional Tourist Board in Northumberland.
Geography: Physical Processes
What is weathering? Why do earthquakes happen? What modern methods are used to construct earthquake proof buildings; how can the school grounds be improved? Visit a local area of natural beauty and consider why people go there
History: European History
Choose a leader from Europe and create a mind map of their achievement; looking at photographs of cities in Europe and describing similarities and differences; investigating how WW1 or WW2 affected people in European countries; design and make a memorial to remember a key event in the history of Europe; watch a film about an event in European history, and write and publish a review of the film; study a painting of a European leader and talk about hoe the artist portrayed them in a positive light.
British History: Our Island Story
Studying a British monarch and describe key events in their reign; comparing ways in which a famous British person or event has been portrayed in recent representations; exploring images on the current British bank notes; examine paintings of a British monarch and their symbolism; exploring the history of the Union Flag.
Beliefs and Values
Positive and negative peer pressure; the concepts of uniqueness, personal qualities and making a positive contribution; moral decisions are complex and choices have consequence; people have religious and non-religious beliefs, and that these views affect moral decisions; recognise that we live in a multicultural society where everybody matters.
The Environment
Recognise that we all affect the environment; understand global warming and its importance; understand how human activity contributes to global warming; understand that people with similar views form environmental action groups; understand that there is a huge amount of natural energy that we can use.