Standard Grade

At the end of second year pupils are given the option to study Standard Grade History. The course focuses on the following areas:

Aims Of The Course

1.    To prepare pupils for successful performance in Scottish Qualifications Authority examinations at this level.
2.    To provide an interesting and challenging programme of study.
3.    To develop pupils' knowledge and understanding of the events which have helped to shape the world in which they live.
4.    To encourage discussion, debate, opinion and independent thinking.
5.    To develop certain historical skills including: use of evidence, explanation of cause, motive and effect and understanding of other people's views.
6.    To develop in students an interest in history which will continue after completion of schooling.

Course Content

The course consists of three study areas:

1.    Changing Life in Scotland and Britain 1830-1930

       Topics include:   

                Population Movement
                Highland Clearances
                Agricultural Change
                Work on Railways and in Coal Mines
                Health and Housing
                Political Change and Votes for Women

    (NB.  Scottish course content is an important part of this study area.)

2.    The Era of the First World War

        Topics include:   

                The Causes of War
                Europe in 1914
                Trench Warfare
                Technology of War
                The Effects of War
                The Search for Peace and Disarmament

3.    People and Power – Germany 1919-1939

         Topics include:   

                German Defeat in World War I
                Germany in the 1920s
                The Rise of the Nazi Party
                Adolf Hitler
                Life in Nazi Germany

Teaching Approach

Class teaching will be important in setting the overall historical context for each topic and ensuring a secure knowledge of the key facts for every pupil.  Much of the class work will deal with pupil’s ability to work with historical resources.

A range of resources including videos, diaries, slides, computer software, posters and newspapers will be used.  The course is not merely concerned with historical facts - pupils will have to evaluate all the evidence they encounter.

A wide variety of tasks will be set building on the experience of pupils in S2.  At times the pupils will research and present ideas by themselves, but some group tasks will also be set.  Time will be spent on consideration of the range of sources available to people who study History.  High standards of presentation and effort will be expected throughout the course.

Assessment Procedures

1.    Assessment is based on ability to show knowledge and understanding, use and evaluate evidence, explain historical events and investigate historical issues.

2.    Pupils' final grades will be determined by examination: Knowledge and Understanding (40%) and Enquiry Skills (60%).

3.    Throughout the course a series of structured assessment tests will be set, as well as an exam in May of S3 and a prelim in November of S4

4.    Pupils achieving a Grade 2 or above in Knowledge and Understanding are encouraged to continue to a Higher course and beyond.  Pupils with Grades 3 or below are encouraged to take an Intermediate course.

Value Of The Course

1.    Success in History is a well-respected qualification for a range of employment and educational opportunities and it remains an important part of any broad and balanced education.

2.    The course itself is interesting, varied and challenging.  It is very well resourced.

3.    The study of the course encourages pupils to consider the context in which their modern world has developed.  To understand the present the past has to be known.

4.    The course helps pupils to develop the ability to question and criticise information and propaganda - an essential aspect of participation in a democracy.