Humanities | British School of Alexandria, Egypt

Key Stage 3 Humanities

The Humanities department works enthusiastically to fire pupils' curiosity and imagination, inspiring them about the past, present and in the future. The department recently got two out of two outstanding feedbacks from the ISI inspectors confirming that the quality of teaching and learning is of the highest standard. We are helping pupils develop their own identities through an understanding at personal, local, national and international levels. We promote enquiry based learning getting them to ask and answer questions of the present by engaging with the past. It explains where places are, how places and landscapes are formed, how people and their environment interact, and how a diverse range of economies, societies and environments are interconnected in a drive to become more sustainable linking to the United Nations 2015 Goals.

Geography Topics

Term

Year

Autumn

Geography

Making and mapping connections/ Lets go shopping

The students will learn new map skills looking at the UK and Egypt. Students conduct some fieldwork research into shopping habits and patterns.

Geographical Information Systems/

Investigating the birth of GIS and role it plays in modern day society

Weather and Climate

Understanding how to use weather equipment and why the weather changes.

International Development

students will consider what has caused the development gap, ways development is measured and consider ways it could be reduced.

Plate Tectonics

Students will investigate the physical causes and effects of Hazards such as earthquakes. Furthermore, they will look at the human implications this has.

Spring

Geography

Shopping Enquiry

Learning how to construct a fieldwork project looking at City Centre

Africa

An investigation into the continent looking at physical and human geography.

Coastal Environments

Coastal processes and environments topic with elements of Corniche fieldwork.

The Middle East

A regional study: Students will study the physical and human geography of the Middle East.

Summer

Geography

Egyptian Geography

Exploring the rural and urban areas within Egypt and a focus on the urban problems and solutions in Cairo

Climate Change

A focus on climate change in the 21st century

Russia

A country study: Student will focus on the country of Russia and consider its physical and human geography.

Fieldtrip Matrix for Geography

Year group	Autumn	Spring	Summer
7	Kafr Abdou Garden fieldwork	Shopping Enquiry	-
8	Weather and Climate Microclimate Enquiry around BSA		-
9	-	Environmental Investigation around Kafr Abdou	-
10-11	-	Cyprus Fieldwork Centre	-
12	-	Urban study around Kafr Abdou, focus on the Traffic	-

History Topics

Term	Year
Term	7	8	9
Autumn	Romans	Tudors Slavery	World War One Interwar period
Spring	Medieval period The Crusades	Industrial Revolution Pyramid Builders	World War Two The Middle East
Summer	Project	Causes of World War One	Project

Fieldtrip Matrix for History

Year group	Autumn	Spring	Summer
7	Greco-Roman fieldwork	-	-
8	Rosetta Stone fieldtrip	Pyramid Builders Cairo trip	-
9	-	El Alamein WW2 Trip	-

Please click on the below website addresses from the school to see what wonderful field trips the Humanities Department are leading:

YEAR 7 RESIDENTIAL TRIP AT THE IBEROTEL

http://www.bsalex.net/school-news/year-7-residential-trip-iberotel

http://www.bsalex.net/school-news/year-9-el-alamein-trip

YEAR 9 KAFR ABDOU ENVIRONMENTAL COMPARISON

http://www.bsalex.net/school-news/year-9-kafr-abdou-environmental-compar...

Visit our Facebook Page

YEAR 7 SHOPPING INVESTIGATION AT CITY CENTRE

http://www.bsalex.net/school-news/year-7-shopping-investigation-city-centre

http://www.bsalex.net/school-news/year-7-alexandrian-history-trip

http://www.bsalex.net/school-news/congratulations-outstanding-edexcel-cie-results

The highest Mark in Africa, GCSE History - Nabil Felix Dowidar - Jackson

http://www.bsalex.net/school-news/year-9-el-alamein-trip

http://www.bsalex.net/school-news/y7-greco-roman-history-trip

I’m sure you’ll agree, we certainly do believe in incorporating the theory from the classroom into the practical and real world experiences in Humanities. What a wonderful way to learn at BSA.

The Big Vision!

A big part of the Humanities vision is the promotion of the ‘Green Agenda’. The Eco warriors gang have been instrumental in introducing and promoting recycling through the whole of BSA, ranging from paper to plastic. Also a campaign to save energy in Egypt’s current energy- starved situation has been implemented. We even started the regeneration project in the Allenby gardens next to the British Consulate! A long time charity favourite is raising money for Water Aid and trying to encourage the principle of the universal right to access to clean water and sanitation. It’s clear that the department is hands on when it comes to project work and making a difference in the community! “Act local and think global” is our motto. This interlinks with the school principles of global citizenship and our code of conduct, promoting sustainability and acting responsibly inline with the new Sustainable Development Goals with the United Nations. Check out our pictures below showing the green agenda.

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Student comments

“I really enjoy Geography because we do lots of different activities like debates, which really help me to learn.”

“we need Geography, it teaches us about real world problems.”

“Geography is amazing because it expands our knowledge and teaches us how to think for ourselves.”

Learning first!

Our students are encouraged to learn activity and using assessment for learning (AFL). Here are two of the engaging ways our students take their learning to the next level. A example of using the ‘hot seat’, asking the expert helping with consolidation prior to a year 10 assessment piece. Another example of the Year 9’s debating intensely about China’s one child policy, helping to promote a good ethos of debating ready for the school trip to the BSME conference in Bahrain and generating key skills in life.

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Student’s work and wall displays

Here is an example of our assessment policy using the ‘what went well; WWW and even better if; EBIs’ to help raise standards and actually help them not only know what they need to do next, but how to do get to that next step in their learning. The display work in Humanities is always well kept and promotes the excellent active learning throughout the department.

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Edexcel IGCSE Geography overview

Geography is optional at IGCSE and A Level.

Here are a few of the key skills developed in Geography:

develop and apply practical geographical enquiry skills
undertake geographical investigations that include both primary and secondary

data collection and presentation, analysis and drawing conclusions

develop and apply their learning to the real world through fieldwork
develop their awareness of global issues and recognise the need for a

sustainable future.

The Examination is one three hour paper covering the following topics:

Section A – The Natural Environment: The Coastal Environments and Hazardous Environments
Section B – People and their Environments: Energy and Industry/ Urban Environments
Section C – Practical Geographical Enquiry: Fieldwork Techniques
Section D – Global Issues: Fragile Environments

We encourage and challenge our students not just in lesson time but at home. Here are some useful websites to consolidate and further research topics:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/levels/z98jmp3

www.theday.co.uk (see Mr.Abbott for access)

http://www.geography-site.co.uk/

http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/

http://www.s-cool.co.uk/gcse/geography/

http://www.bbc.com/news/science_and_environment/

There are two papers for Edexcel AS Level:

Paper 1

IAS Unit 1: Global Challenges *Unit code WGE01 • Externally assessed

60% of the total IAS raw marks 30% of the total IAL raw marks

Content summary

The meaning, causes, impacts and management of global challenges. How we can influence global challenges through our own attitudes and actions.

There are two compulsory topics that form this unit: • Topic 1: World at Risk • Topic 2: Going Global

Paper 2

IAS Unit 2: Geographical Investigations *Unit code WGE02 • Externally assessed

40% of the total IAS raw marks 20% of the total IAL raw marks

Content summary

A closer look at how physical and human issues influence lives and can be managed, at a local scale.

There are two compulsory topics that form this unit: • Topic 1: Crowded Coasts • Topic 2: Urban Problems, Planning and Regeneration

Edexcel International GCSE History overview

History is optional at GCSE and A Level.

http://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-internationa...

Paper 1: Depth Studies

Students study two depth studies.

Germany: development of dictatorship, 1918-45

A world divided: superpower relations, 1943-72

Paper 2: Investigation and Breadth Studies

Students study one historical investigation and one breadth study.

The Vietnam Conflict, 1945-75

The Middle East: conflict, crisis and change, 1917-2012

Summary of the paper in History:

Paper 1: 50% of exam total. 1 examination of 1 hour and 30 minutes

Paper 2: 50% of exam total. 1 examination of 1 hour and 30 minutes

Useful websites to consolidate and further research can be found on:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/levels/z98jmp3

http://www.johndclare.net/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/

http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/revision/

http://www.mrallsophistory.com/revision/

International A Level Edexcel

This course is modular and is not solely examined at the end of the two year course. Students have the flexibility to resit any module during different times of the two year course.

http://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-internationa...

Unit overview

IAS Units:

Edexcel International Advanced Subsidiary GCE in History. Course code: XHI01

Unit 1: Depth Study with Interpretations

Germany, 1918-1945

Unit 2: Breadth Study with Source Evaluation

Russia, 1917-91: From Lenin to Yeltsin

Unit 1: 1 paper of 2 hours

Unit 2: 1 paper of 2 hours