History lessons

History lessons over the last few weeks have been full of discovery, adventure, and debates across Skolkovo Campus!

Discovery – In year seven, students this term have been learning about the mysterious wonders of Ancient Egypt, who the different Gods were and how Egyptian society was structured and benefitted from the natural gifts of the river Nile. They have created their own hieroglyphic alphabets and looked at the different Pharaohs who ruled this mystifying country. This week, students are creating a ‘Guide to the Afterlife’ researching why Mummification and the Pyramids had such an influential role on what Egyptians believed awaited them in the afterlife!! Over half term, students will be tasked with making their own mummies or pyramids, so parents beware of the gore!

Adventure – In year eight, students have been submerged in the exceptional minds of Da Vinci and beauty of Michelangelo in Renaissance Italy. They have been writing persuasive speeches, encouraging local Italians to take part in treasure hunts seeking ancient works of literature and manuscripts! In groups, this week students will be delivering presentations looking at influential individuals of the Renaissance era and how their achievements have left a legacy which has helped lay the foundations of the world we live in today.  

Debate & Inquiry – Year nine have been studying the Triangle Trade and examining the impacts that the Slave Trade had on Britain, Africa and the Caribbean’s in the seventeenth century. Students have already studied the emotional impact experienced by the slaves on crowded slave ships and the inhumane slave auctions of the America’s. This term however, students have had to take a more academic historian approach, where they have been using their analytical and debating skills to argue whether or not slavery should be abolished. They had to compile their own research of the Social, Economic, Political and Moral impacts of the slave trade. Students presented an opening and closing statement and argued with maturity and to a high academic ability. Our students clearly love an opportunity to argue! Building on their learning experiences from their study of the slave trade, students will next have the opportunity to read behind the lines and bring to life the stories of various migrants to the USA during the early 20^th century – a story which has relevance and intrigue for all of us in our ever-changing global society. 

Analysis & Evaluation – Our GCSE and A-Level students have been busy over the last few weeks preparing for mock exams and working towards their exams. Year 10s have explored the forces and individuals who shaped and influenced the period between the First and Second World Wars, a period of history which leaves so many unanswered questions and one which we can find parallels in the current political climate of today. We have now started one of the most intriguing parts of this period history; the Rise of the Nazi Party. Throughout their GCSE study, our Year 10s have been developing and sharpening their skills of analysis and critical enquiry in preparation for their final exams in 2020 and have shown a sharp eye for detail and explaining causation and identifying significance in their enquiry. Meanwhile, in Year 11 learners have been a credit to both the school and themselves in how well they have applied themselves throughout the course and are in the process of completing their final coursework piece – a 2000 word essay on the relative significance of the many reasons behind the Bolshevik victory in the Russian Civil War. 6^th Form has continued looking at various European Revolutions and how the eighteenth through to the twentieth century has such a huge influence; politically, socially and economically in the modern world in which we live today. Moving onwards into the 20^th century our Year 13 course explores the forces and ideologies which fueled the British Imperial Age and are now assessing the causation and significance of the events, individuals and ideologies which fueled the Cold War era of the 2^nd half of the 20th Century. As the Cold War forms an integral part of what we study at both GCSE and A-Level History the humanities department have organized an excursion to the Bunker 42 exhibit at Taganskaya next week to provide hands-on and interactive insight into what life was like at the height of Cold war tensions! The skills of analysis, evaluation and building their own historical arguments are ones which are crucial in a number of academic fields and we hope they provide solid foundations for our wonderful learners to move into a successful career post CIS Skolkovo!