Year 8 History Curriculum Plan
In Year 8 pupils study British history, focusing mainly on the Tudor and Stuart periods and looking at cause and effect and change over time. The course includes themes as detailed below.
The Battle of Bosworth
A well explained short summary of the Battle can be found here. A good brief summary of the background together with information on the actual battle can be found here or you could try this BBC recommended site.
The reign of Henry VII
An excellent summary can be found here or you could try this summary and there is some very detailed information here with links to images.
The reign of Henry VIII
You can interview the man himself here so long as you have the password. A good biography with useful links can be found here or a useful timeline and information on his wives here. This page is good for research and exploration.
The Break with Rome
A very useful and detailed explanation can be found here.
The reigns of Edward VI and Mary
A short summary of Edward VI with links here or you might prefer this very short biography. An outline of Mary can be found here or if you prefer try the royal website summary.
Elizabethan England
An ideal starting point for Elizabeth's long reign can be found here. From the BBC you can try this short overview or this detailed article.
The Spanish Armada
There is a lot of material available on this major event. You could try this lesson or there is an extensive explanation with many images here. You will find some good and interesting information from the Channel 4 series Elizabeth's Pirates. An in-depth BBC article can be found here.
James I and the Gunpowder Plot
A good biographical article about the seventeenth century British King can be found here.
A fantastic site on the Gunpowder Plot related to the Channel 4 series is well worth a look and an excellent summary of the two sides can be found here. You may want to try the gunpowder plot game or simply look at this detailed overview.
The Causes of the Civil War
In addition to classroom learning, pupils will develop research and ICT skills by doing project work. There is a clear focus on how people's ideas and attitudes changed across the period.
Progress is monitored through regular homework and by means of a termly assessment which focuses on key skills. Pupils will learn how to evaluate historical evidence and develop an understanding of the usefulness, reliability, purpose and bias of a range of primary and secondary sources. The evaluation skills developed in Years 7, 8 and 9 are the foundations for the study of History at GCSE level.
