Year 11 History

History is a subject that offers an understanding of human activities in the past in the context of change through time. It enables students to understand politics, their heritage and that of their community, society and nation, as well the examination of other society’s heritage. Students are encouraged to read and analyse a range of source materials carefully with discrimination and insight. They learn to research and write effectively for a range of purposes, expressing their perspectives in a clear, well-organized and convincing manner. Students taking History will learn a number of important and highly transferable social skills including how to develop clear critical thinking, diplomacy, research, communication, reasoned debate, observation, recognizing differing points of view, and detect bias and propaganda.

1. Nature of History Big Ideas. Historical narratives are constructed.  Historical narratives are contested. 
2. Knowledge Big Ideas. Power relationships often drive history. Place shapes the historical narratives of peoples. Identity is interwoven with history and is shaped by turangawaewae, whakapapa, and whanaungatanga.   

Unuhia te rito o te harakeke kei wheat e komako e ko?  Remove the heart of the flax bush and where will the komako sing?

Whakatairangitia- rere ki uta, rere ki tai.  Proclaim it to the land, proclaim it to the sea.

Ui mai koe ki ahau he aha te mea nui o tea o. Ask me, what is the greatest thing in the world?

Maku e ki atu he tangata , he tangata , he tangata! I will reply, it is the people,

it is the people, it is the people!

Key Competencies in History

Developing Key Competencies through History

Learning in History provides meaningful contexts for developing Key Competencies from The New Zealand Curriculum. These Key Competencies are woven through, and embedded in, the Big Ideas and Significant Learning. Students will engage with critical thinking and analysis, explore different perspectives on historical events and places, and develop their understanding of the role of evidence in historical research.

Thinking

The thinking Key Competency is about using creative, critical, and meta-cognitive processes to make sense of information experiences and ideas.

Students of History will:

• consider the historical concepts that are at play within the contexts they are exploring.
• think about how to determine significance through relevant frameworks in their historical contexts.
• evaluate strengths and weaknesses of sources, such as ngā taonga tuku iho
• weigh conflicting evidence and justify conclusions.
• challenge perceptions and assumptions
• consider meta-narratives, which can explain the context of the history being studied.
• identify and analyse different interpretations of the past.

Using language, symbols, and texts

This Key Competency is about working with and making meaning of the codes in which knowledge is expressed.

Students of History will:

• process and synthesise varied and complex materials, including non-textual sources.
• analyse historical evidence, and identify what is missing, incomplete, or inconclusive.
• use a variety of media to produce history.
• organise the past and construct history, using historical concepts.
• give clear and effective oral and written presentations.
• substantiate their arguments and judgements.

Relating to others

Relating to others is about interacting effectively with a diverse range of people in a variety of contexts.

Students of History will:

• develop historical empathy, including the ability to think beyond themselves and their personal, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds.
• engage with different historical contexts and perspectives.
• grow an understanding of the origins of our diverse society in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific
• appreciate differences in how people understand the world.
• develop their own identities and sense of place.

Managing self

This Key Competency is associated with self-motivation, a 'can-do' attitude, and students seeing themselves as capable learners.

Students of History will:

• show initiative in research.
• employ a robust methodology when conducting historical research.
• manage their own assumptions, biases, and perceptions.
• persevere with difficult sources and processes.

Participating and contributing

This Key Competency is about being actively involved in communities.

Students of History will:

• take a position, using evidence to support it.
• engage in collaborative and group work, as citizens interpreting and understanding sources
• contribute to a body of knowledge or historical narratives.
• challenge 'myth-takes' of history
• connect with whānau, iwi, and local groups.

Key Competencies

This section of The New Zealand Curriculum Online offers specific guidance to school leaders and teachers on integrating the Key Competencies into the daily activities of the school and its Teaching and Learning Programmes.

Connections

History supports multiple learning and career pathways for ākonga. Within the immediate context of senior secondary education, ākonga can apply the historical understandings they gain in History to other subjects within the Social Sciences, as well as other Learning Areas such as the Arts, Sciences, and English.

Later, if they choose to undertake tertiary study, ākonga with a foundation in History can use their existing knowledge to deepen their further study in this discipline towards a career as a historian, teacher, researcher, or analyst. History may also enrich their study of other disciplines at the tertiary level, such as the arts, physics, medicine, law, commerce, management, languages, archaeology, anthropology, and health studies. There is also an opportunity for ākonga to develop subject-specific literacy and numeracy skills. These skills support ākonga in their journey through both education and the workforce.

Learning Pathway

History is a broad and transformative subject that reaches beyond both secondary and tertiary study. It allows ākonga to connect to their heritage and engage with their own history, as well as the histories of others, which helps them better understand the world around them and influences how they connect with their community beyond the learning environment.

When looking at pathways, we aim to look broader than pathways into specific occupations. While it is important to prepare ākonga for further education, training, or employment post-NCEA, we also want to emphasise NCEA's ability to prepare them for pathways in life. This can look like engaging meaningfully with their education to develop skills which help them become who they want to be, providing space to explore their interests and aspirations, as well as discover new ones.

As a subject, History develops strong research skills and critical thinking, as well as conscientisation and the drive towards achieving an in-depth understanding of society, politics, and the wider world. It strengthens a range of transferable soft skills – for example, self-management, time management, and so on. Although these skills are foundational for tertiary study, they are also applicable in all walks of life, whether ākonga choose to pursue further study or embark on non-tertiary vocational pathways.

Historians carry skills and ways of perceiving the world that make them excellent problem-solvers, as they can look at an issue from a variety of perspectives to come up with the best solution. This makes students of History the problem-solvers of the future and valuable assets in any group or organisation they become part of. The society and economy of Aotearoa New Zealand want young people who are strong and ethical thinkers who can move into communities and the workforce, have their ideas challenged, and eventually be able to challenge their ideas themselves.

Through the learning of history, ākonga can go into local communities with a deeper understanding of tūrangawaewae, whakapapa, and whanaungatanga. This allows rangatahi to connect more deeply with hapū and iwi to support iwi development, advocacy roles, and liaison work to ensure culturally appropriate understandings and methodologies are used. Through these pathways, ākonga can become a force in decolonising and indigenising Aotearoa New Zealand industries.

 LEVEL 1

Course Outline 2024

Course Aims:

1.  Develop in students a deeper awareness of themselves as New Zealanders, their heritage, cultures and shared values and an understanding of the past of Aotearoa New Zealand, our place in the Pacific and in the wider world.
2. Develop the skills of inquiry, interpretation and communication used in history.
3. Develop in students the ability to enter imaginatively into the events of the past.
4. Foster among students an understanding of other people’s distant in time and place.
5. Further students understanding of some major trends and developments in New Zealand society and beyond through the perspective of history.