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Y7 Humanities 2012-2013

Year 7 Humanities

Curriculum Outline 2012-2013

Topics at a Glance

Term 1 2a 2b 3a 3b

Theme

Key Skills

Fragile World

Spatial awareness

Shrinking World

Opinions & Bias

My World

Civics & Structure

Diverse World

Using evidence

Dangerous World

Researching

Key Topic Fantastic Places The Renaissance My Place Native Americans Wild Weather

The aim of the Year 7 program of study is to introduce learnersto the subject of Humanities. The course is designed to develop learners sense ofawe and wonder at the world around them and investigate the past, the present and the future. The curriculum is an amalgamation of the best

elements of the British and New Zealand curriculums (for links please see the web addresses at the end of the curriculum outline). Learners will

work individually, in pairs and groups to develop their humanities knowledge and understanding. Each topic will last approximately one half, to one

full term and is linked to a key theme, which learners will follow throughout years 7, 8 & 9. The themes are designed to give learners continuity and

focus for their learning and develop a range of key skills.

Each topic is linked back to the three key learning outcomes, humanities knowledge, enquiry & investigation & skills. The topics are continually

assessed through formative assessment, supplemented by a more formal assessment at some point during each topic. This assessment will take on a

variety of forms, the outline of which can be found below. Homework will be set in the form of Extended Learning Projects (ELPs) individual and

group based extension tasks that overarch the curriculum, providing a richer, deeper learning experience. These ELPs will take many forms and

include research, preparatory work, specific tasks/questions or an enquiry-based project.

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Y7 Humanities 2012-2013

Key Topic Significant Concepts Key Learning Outcomes Assessment Opportunities

Fantastic

Places

Where are the worlds fantastic places? Why are they

here? What are their key characteristics? How do plantsand animals adapt? What impacts do/could humans have

on these fragile environments?

The purpose of this topic is to stimulate an interest in and asense of wonder about places. Learners will explore some of

the most extreme and fragile environments on earth.

Learners will follow a journey of discovery that travels from

the dense tropical rainforests, to the searing heat of some ofthe remotest places on earth; the mysterious hot deserts and

ethereal frozen wastelands of the cold deserts and finally tothe undiscovered chasms of the worlds coral reefs!

Humanities Knowledge: developing learners

geographical imagination of places at a variety of scales.Understanding their physical and human characteristics.

Knowing where places are located and why they are

there (physical & human processes that have created,changed and sustained them)

Enquiry & Investigation: Research and analyse

information about a variety of locations. Using evidence

to support ideas and opinions.Skills:Analytical skills; identifying questions, issues and

problems. Using a range of sources. Communicating

ideas.

Stranded! Learners imagine they

have been stranded in an extreme

environment! They must survive for

5 days and produce a diary accountof their survival.

Save Our PlanetLearners will produce an advertising

campaign explaining why it isimportant to protect our fantastic

places.

ELPEcosystem in a shoebox? Learners will apply their knowledge of a chosen ecosystem to produce a living ecosystem. They will need to consider the

main characteristics, and adaptations of this fragile ecosystem.

The

Renaissance

Why was the renaissance a rebirth? How did people

respond to theses new ideas? How have the ideas ofothers in the past had a lasting impact on the world? How

do new ideas change the world we live in?

The key focus of this topic is for learners to explore how many

ideas are inspired by things that have come before and thatsome new ideas have a lasing impact on the world. We will be

using the Renaissance period, Italy in the 15th century, to start

our journey and then compare to opportunities and threats

raised by new ideas in the telecommunications world today.

Humanities Knowledge: To understand the concept of

change, individuals and ideas, and the effects this has hadover time. Ability to order events chronologically and

make links between past and contemporary cultures.

Enquiry & Investigation: Ask relevant questions to gain

clarification and further understanding. Researchtechniques; how to produce a coherent and useful

search.

Skills: Analyse and interpret information from a wide

range of sources. Demonstrate an understanding of

motivation and causation. Observe, select and record

information. Using a range of sources. Communicatingideas. Recognising bias and assessing the usefulness of

sources of information.

Renaissance Idol Learners will

produce an extended piece of writing

based on the who was the mostimportant figure of The

Renaissance?For a change maker

of their choice they will considerwhy this person was significant and

the impacts they had?

The Future: Survey to find out the

views on the opportunities and

threats presented by rapid change in

telecommunications, today and in

the future.

ELP Inspirational idea to come

My Place

A new unitto be

planned

Why does where matter? Where is my place?How are places interconnected? How is my place

governed?Learners will be exploring my place. Investigating their

environment: the area they live in and the area around the

school, virtually and through a field visit. How is Malaysia

governed? Learners will use enquiry skills to researchMalaysias government system and how it compares withother governmental bodies.

Humanities Knowledge: Recognise and describe basic

patterns and s. Identify basic issues relating to place on a

local scale.Enquiry & Investigation: Decision making skills, posingand defining problems, giving reasons for opinions and

actions.

Skills: Technical skills: Using sources such as maps,

atlases and Google Earth.

My Place Enquiry:

Learners will use a range of thinkingskills to organise and produce a

newspaper article or news report

(iMovie) about the government of

Malaysia. Compare with other

governing bodies.

ELPMy Place: Learners will be apply their knowledge of where they live by producing a Vlog for the Malaysian Government outlining what their place is like

and improvements they would like to see. They will justify their opinions through research and interviews.

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Y7 Humanities 2012-2013

Key Topic Significant Concepts Key Learning Outcomes Assessment Opportunities

NativeAmericans

How did humans come to live in North America? How did

native Americans live? What can we learn from the

Native Americans way of life? Conflicts on the plains;causes and consequences.

Learners will be investigating how the earth has changed,

particularly in the context of North America. They willinvestigate two very different approaches to living and

exploiting the natural environment. Particularly exploring the

relationship between indigenous peoples and European

settlers. Learners will be encouraged to reflect on theparallels facing modern society.

Humanities Knowledge: To understand the concepts of

chronology, bias and opinion.

Enquiry & Investigation: Ask relevant questions.

Learning how to organize ideas into a logically

sequenced manner using description and explanation.

Skills: to be able to work independently and as part of a

group. To research issues and present ideas using a

range of media. Using creativity and imagination todevelop their ideas.

The Wild Wild West: Learners will

work collaboratively to produce a

script and play about the changinglife on the plains.

ELP Inspirational idea to come

Wild

Weather

What is the difference between weather & climate? Why

does it rain? What causes the extremes of weather? Howdoes climate affect human activity?

Learners will explore the climates of today and investigate

why climate change occurs and the impact this has on thevarious locations through the world. The focus of the module

is the causes of extreme weather conditions and how humans

have adapted their lives to minimise the impacts of theseevents.

Humanities Knowledge: To understand thepatterns &

processes associated with weather & climate. Why

climate change occurs and the impact this has on variouslocations and people.

Enquiry & Investigation: Ask key questions, experience

decision-making and use extended vocabulary.Skills: Research and information processing. Using a

range of sources such as atlases and Google Earth,drawing maps, plans and graphs.

Wild Weather

Learners investigate a wild weather

type of their choice. Describing theirexperiences from the perspective of

an eyewitness, a survivor or a news

presenter. They must describe whatthe weather experience is, how it

forms and the impacts on humans.

ELP What have we learnt? Learners work together to research and produce a revision guide reflecting on their learning experiences throughout the year.