Subject Philosophy: Humanities (History and Geography)

At Queen’s Park, we have chosen Humanities as one of our main curriculum drivers. We teach the Humanities with passion and outstanding subject knowledge. We facilitate engaging learning experiences for our children to ensure that new skills and knowledge are acquired and applied successfully.

We teach with:

• A strong understanding of the Humanities curriculum expectations in term of both knowledge and skills.
• An awareness of our pupil’s interests.
• An awareness of what has been taught before and what will be taught in the future.
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We teach to:

• Ignite curiosity in the Humanities.
• Equip pupils with essential skills and knowledge about the world to prepare them for later life.
• Encourage students to initiate their own learning and to complete tasks independently and confidently.
• Enhance learning and develop cultural capital through purposeful trips, activities and workshops.
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Our Humanities curriculum supports and supplements the delivery of the National Curriculum. Our curriculum provides:

• Bespoke, theme-based learning experiences;
• Purposeful, well-planned learning ‘journeys’;
• Broad and balanced coverage of a range of subjects;
• Opportunities to respond to the needs and interests of our students and the local community;
• An awareness of local, national and global issues.
• Opportunities to develop cultural capital in our learners

Curriculum Rationale

We take a topic-based approach to our Humanities curriculum and make cross curricular links when possible however we avoid forcing curriculum links which simply are not there.

Each Humanities topic starts with a ‘Big Question’ with the aim that children will be able to answer the big question confidently at the end of the unit, drawing upon knowledge and skills acquired during the lessons. Sometimes, these big questions may link with other curriculum areas however, as stated above, this is not a forced link and we understand that some subjects will need to be taught without cross-curricular links.

Key vocabulary, skills and concepts to be taught are outlined in our curriculum maps along with some precise knowledge however, we encourage teachers to tailor each topic to specific year groups’ needs and interests. Our intent is to ignite curiosity and a love of learning about the world (local, national and historical) so the right conditions for engaged children and meaningful learning must be set. Teachers are free to plan and deliver the outlined skills and knowledge in any way they see fit for their individual class.

We have identified vocabulary as a key area for development as a school. Subject specific vocabulary is clearly outlined in our curriculum maps and teachers discuss and teach this vocabulary during the unit of work. Many words are ‘tier 2’ words: words which have multiple uses. These words are relevant to the topic being studied but we also encourage teachers to explore their other meanings with the children too.

Reading is at the heart of our curriculum and we have made strong links with the Humanities through our guided reading lessons in Key Stage 2. Reading a Humanities based text in guided reading or whole class story time allows key knowledge to be learnt and also rehearsed. This in turn frees up time to focus on skills in Humanities lesson time. This approach has been incredibly successful in Key Stage 2 so we are now developing our Key Stage 1 reading to introduce these ideas too.

Our History Curriculum

Our History curriculum in Key Stage 1 and 2 is arranged into 3 key areas:

• Historical Knowledge
• Historical Concepts
• Historical Enquiry

These key areas are then split further into more specific learning points as shown below:

Each year group will study 3 history topics per year (3 half terms) however there may be opportunities to teach additional history during geography based topics.

Our Geography Curriculum

Our Geography curriculum in Key Stage 1 and 2 is arranged into 3 key areas:

• Geographical Knowledge
• Geographical Understanding
• Geographical Skills

These key areas can then be defined further:

Humanities in the Early Years

Humanities in the Early Years is known as the Early Learning Goal ‘Understanding the World’. EYFS teachers constantly change and evaluate their topics to follow the interests of the children when planning for provision in this area. Currently planned topics are as follows, but these are subject to change depending on cohort:

In EYFS, children are given real-world experiences to help them understand the world. Selected areas of learning are flexible but frequently rooted in concepts based on children’s lived experiences.

As with Key Stage 1 and 2, linking reading is incredibly important and high-quality texts have been identified and purchased to support teaching in the EYFS. Children are also taken on local trips and visits to enhance their learning in this area.

Our Humanities teaching will have the following principles:

Vocabulary – our curriculum maps outline key vocabulary which appears during a unit. These words will be constantly revisited and applied throughout the unit. At the start of each unit, teachers choose 6 of these key terms to assess in a pre-unit vocabulary check. This vocabulary check is repeated at the end of the unit to show progress and understanding.

Explanation – our well-connected, clear curriculum means subject knowledge for teachers is secure and knowledge is clearly shared with pupils in engaging ways. Pupils are encouraged to remember what they learnt previously and consider how this links to what they are learning now. Older children may also be guided into think about how this will link to future learning.

Challenge – we have high expectations for all students. We scaffold and differentiate when needed but we also do not limit, encouraging all children to develop critical, higher level thinking skills at their own pace.

Practise and Application – after direct teaching, all children will be given the opportunity to apply new knowledge or practise a new skill. Sometimes, this may also happen in other subjects after the initial Humanities teaching e.g. children may be required to apply new knowledge to a written piece in English.

Questioning – we will use questioning and quizzing techniques to assess the understanding of and retention of key knowledge. We will also extend children through higher level questioning.

Feedback – we will provide both verbal and written feedback to our children (as per the marking policy) and ensure that this happens ‘live’ during lessons as much as possible. This will enable misconceptions to be addressed immediately.

Layered Provision - we will provide a range of activities linked to a Humanities topic through a layered provision approach. Layered provision has been used successfully in EYFS however children can often lose resilience and independence as they move to formal classroom teaching in Key Stage One and beyond. We continue this approach throughout the rest of the school to allow children to take charge of their own learning and interests. Children in Key Stage 1 and 2 should be given dedicated time for access to layered provision. It can also be used when a teacher wishes to work with smaller groups. Whilst it can be used occasionally when children have finished all of their directed tasks, this should not be the sole use of layered provision.

Partnerships

Parents and Guardians

We aim to engage parents in our Humanities curriculum in a number of ways. We strongly believe that home support can contribute to high standards of attainment and progress. We engage parents in the following ways:

• sharing curriculum maps at the beginning of every topic, outlining what the Humanities focus will be and the texts we will look at
• holding termly exhibitions where children will share their learning with their parents
• ‘stay and play’ sessions in EYFS
• joining in with morning reading in EYFS to settle children
• Homework Projects – see policy

Wider Community and Cultural Capital

Children at Queen’s Park regularly attend educational visits across London. Where possible, we encourage teachers to take their class on one educational visit per half term. Whilst this does not always have to be Humanities related, London has a lot to offer for this curriculum area and we have produced a document of recommended trips for each Humanities topic. As well as trips, the list also contains workshops and possible visitors to the school.

Topics and learning journeys are planned to give our children an understanding of their local community and the wider world whilst also developing their cultural capital. Teachers plan units of work which raise awareness of local and global issues and children are encouraged to write and create for real purposes. Some examples of this so far are:

• Writing to Theresa May for the Send My Friend to School Campaign and getting a response
• Fundraising after being inspired by the novel ‘A Long Walk to Water’
• Writing to other well-known companies to persuade them to use less plastic and palm oil in their products
• Adopting an endangered animal