Humanities
What does Humanities look like at Brill school?
The Vision For Our Curriculum
Intent
At Brill School, we aim to provide our children with geographical and historical experiences to add breadth and depth their knowledge and understanding of the world around them. Building on the children’s experiences we will enrich their knowledge of the physical and human processes that form our landscapes and environments.
Through exploring the world together at Brill School, we aim to challenge our children to become inquisitive and equip them with awareness, resilience and the ability to ask questions about our planet and its inhabitants. As children progress, they are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, as well as their place in it. Through enriching experiences, the children will gain knowledge of the physical side of the Earth’s natural features such as mountains, deserts, rivers and oceans. They will learn about human geography including the impact that humans have had on the world and how the natural world has affected them. Introducing awareness of environmental issues will equip the children to understand and formulate their own ideas regarding sustainable development.
Through the teaching and learning of History and geography, children will be able to make links and comparisons between past events and the impact on today’s society. We believe that through this approach we will be supporting our pupils to becoming a ‘Brill Child’.
Implementation
Our wide-ranging topics ensure our children at Brill School develop a broad understanding of the world and our history. The content of our lessons is diverse and offers children the opportunity to study the relationships between different groups, the significance of individuals and the challenges faced by communities. Geography and history’s is taught throughout the year through engaging and challenging lessons which are age appropriate.
Geography lessons develop a range of geographical skills and a variety of learning styles to engage all learners, including those with SEND.
At Brill School, we recognise the importance that fieldwork in educational visits plays in developing the children as geographers and learners. We utilise the local area as well as residential visits in KS2 to provide children with exciting and engaging first hand and practical experiences.
Impact
At the end of their Brill journey, pupils will have questioned how hunter-gatherers became farmers in the Stone Age, understood how climate impacted the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece, marvelled at the significance of Rosa Parks’ split second decision and considered how different our lives would be without the Romans. Children will understand the importance of tolerance and compassion. They will have an understanding of the sacrifices some have made, and the impact past decisions have had on our future. They will have developed a passion for the world around them and a sense of their place within it. Most importantly, they will be well prepared for the inevitable challenges and changes of their time.
We want to equip our children with the knowledge of how their actions impact the world. The children will have a breadth and depth of knowledge that will equip them as they progress into KS3.
Our Humanities Showcase Day!
Thank you to all the parents and families that took the time to visit our amazing showcase. The children loved sharing their work with you and talking about what they have been learning in their lessons. We hope you enjoyed seeing how much time and effort the children have put into their activities and work. It was the perfect opportunity for us celebrate their successes so far this year!
HUMANITIES BLOG
Crazy Continents!
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This week, year 1 have been started their new geography topic of 'Where am I?' They have kick started this by looking at the continents of our world and have learn a fabulous song to help them remember! Super work year 1!
Investigating India!
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To start this half term, Year 2 have begun their geography by exploring Indian culture. They were able to try onion bhajis and vegetable samosas, they explored the geographical location using google street view and looked at the different buildings, along with looking at a beautiful Saree and feeling the textures!
Magnificent Maps!
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This week year 6 have been using maps to locate where the Mayans lives. They started with a map of the words so they could locate Central America. They then moved onto looking more closely at South America and enable them to find Guatemala, Belize and El Salvador. These are are key skills in Geography and will help the children gain foundational knowledge about these people!
Year 4's Trip To Cogges Farm
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Year 4 visited the amazing Cogges Farm. Through our topic work this term, we have been learning all about farms, the history of the farms, the process of running a farm and the importance of them. During our visit we took part in lots of different activities. We ground grain to make flour, made our own butter, learnt how to milk a cow and made healthy vegetable crisps. We had the opportunity to walk about the farm to see the variety of animals and even got to feed the goats. It was a brilliant experience that left the children saying it was 'THE BEST TRIP EVER!' It was lovely to see the children share their knowledge with the staff and learn even more about the amazing world of farming!
Which way to go!?
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Year 3 have been working on compass points this week and using their compass to discover where different areas of the village are compared to school. They were thinking about the human and physical geographical features in the village along and then recorded these in brilliant sketch maps. Well done year 3! A great skill to have learnt!
How do we learn?
All Humanities teaching is purposeful so that children understand why they are focusing on a particular topic or skill. Enquiry and skills-based learning is fundamental in shaping resilient, life-long learners. Our children learn what it is to be a Historian and Geographer: they ask perceptive questions about bias, investigate primary source material, think critically, weigh evidence and make links and comparisons with existing knowledge. They consider multiple perspectives and narratives and learn to make informed opinions and judgements. We conduct fieldwork in the grounds and local area, visit exciting places, study artefacts and use drama to bring these subjects to life. Our topics are often child-led by following a line of enquiry or a burning question asked at the outset. A strong focus on chronology, and cause and effect, is woven through each lesson.
What do they learn?
Our wide-ranging topics ensure our children develop a very broad understanding of the world and our history. Themes of memory and significance, change and adaptation, physical vs. human processes are threaded through every year group’s topics. The content has a diverse, global reach: our children have the opportunity to study the relationships between different groups, the significance of hidden individuals and the challenges faced by remote communities. They study the sites of famous battles and the homes of forgotten historical individuals. They compare ancient natural environments with our modern-day world, and consider the impact humans have had over time. At the end of their Brill journey, pupils will have questioned how hunter-gatherers became farmers in the Stone Age, understood how climate impacted the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece, marvelled at the significance of Rosa Parks’ split second decision and considered how different our lives would be without the Romans. Children will understand the importance of tolerance and compassion. They will have an understanding of the sacrifices some have made, and the impact past decisions have had on our future. They will have developed a passion for the world around them and a sense of their place within it. Most importantly, they will be well prepared for the inevitable challenges and changes of their time.
Remembering the war
Following the 75th anniversary of VE Day on 8th May, we have been hearing about the very special research some of you have been doing into the war and its impact on our local area, and on our families too. Speaking to older friends and relatives is a fantastic way to learn about the past.
Felicity & Rupert have interviewed several of their relatives, neighbours and friends and have found out incredible facts about what life was like during World War Two. Here are a few little snapshots of what they found out.
"This is my Grandad with an air raid siren from the war.
You need to wind it up and it is really loud so everyone can hear.
My Grandad is wearing a Casualty Clearing helmet from the war."
"This is my Great Grandad Bobby on the cart and his dad walking the horse.
They were hay making. He thinks this was during the war."
"In London Great Granny Jean had an Anderson Shelter in the garden.
The family had to build it. It was dug down in the ground and then bricked up with a roof on it.
They had to climb down to get in it. Jean remembers that she slept in a bunk bed with her brother."
Great Grandad Tony was in a Air Raid Shelter under the laundrette which is in the picture above.
He remembers on November 19th 1940 he was asleep here with his mum when he was suddenly woken by a huge bang.
The Germans had dropped a parachute mine on the Pavilion in Victoria Park which was close to the air raid shelter."
"Our Great Great Grandad Fredrick was awarded a Military Medal for Bravery in the Field."
"Our Great Grandma still has the doll she had as a child during the war. She remembers knitting clothes for her."
Testimonials
Year 4 - I like thinking and learning about the world. I really liked using google earth to look at the 7 continents and the countries within them.
Year 4 - We get to learn about lots of new things that we didn't know before, like Antartica is a desert.
Year 4 - I really enjoy learning about our world and the different countr
