Heinemann Explore Key Stage 3 History Online Module

www.heinemannexplore.co.uk

KS3 (Years 7 - 9)

History

Description

Heinemann Explore KS3 History Online is a website of History materials for pupils
aged 11–14. The site is a database of historical images, documents, textual briefings
and supporting materials such as a glossary, some online tests and activities, and
other features. Within the website there are six collections of materials: 'Britain
1066–1500', 'Britain1500–1750', 'Britain 1750–1900', 'Europe Before 1914', 'The
World Before 1900' and 'The World After 1900'. This information is also available as
six separate CD-ROMs.

Each section includes a range of ways to learn about that historical period with
menus called 'Exploring', 'Key Questions', 'Digging Deeper', 'Historical Activities',
'Pictures', 'Written Sources', 'Biographies' and 'Test Yourself'.

Exploring provides the core outline text, while Digging Deeper explores issues in
more depth. The Historical Activities menu offers worksheet-style materials and the
Pictures section provides an extensive range of images to support the program.
Written Sources contains transcripts of historical documents. The biographies – of
key people – are usually about 30–40 words long. In the Test Yourself part of the
website, a series of recall questions are asked based on information which is
available in the main body of the 'Focus On' and Exploring themes.

Supporting Documentation

The CD-ROM version has a support booklet, and a user manual is supplied to website subscribers.

Technical Support

Support is available via the Help facilities online, and users are given the publisher's
contact details in the event they are unable to resolve any problems themselves by
using this facility.

Adults and children should be able to become familiar with the structure of the
Explore website rapidly and would face few difficulties in using the site.

Purpose of the Program

The program provides a tool for individual research by teachers or pupils, teacher or
other adult-led use of selected sources or materials, or whole-group activities where
a group or class use the site to carry out independent research or directed activities.

Curriculum Relevance

This is a useful tool across the whole of Key Stage 3 History, and provides materials
of value to all of the core History study units as well as several optional ones. The
materials will support mainstream lessons and will provide a helpful explanation of
the events of each historical period. Teachers could use the program on its own, or
alongside other resources, and will find that it offers good value for money.

Extent

There are six study units. The three units specifically about Britain cover roughly the
same territory, addressing topics such as: Everyday Life; Invasion and Warfare; Key
People and Events; Discoveries, Inventions and Ideas; Change and Influences; and
Beliefs. The unit Britain 1066–1500 focuses on the topics Medieval Knights and
Medieval Monarchs and Institutions. The Focus On topic for Britain 1500–1750 is the
Civil War of 1642–1649, and Britain 1750–1900 Iooks at industrialisation and
colonisation as themes throughout the period.

Europe Before 1914 begins with Ancient Rome and moves on through The
Renaissance, The Reformation and Counter Reformation, and The French
Revolution. The World Before 1900 covers Ancient China, Ancient Wonders, The
Rise of Islam, Indian Empires, and topics on the Americas: Aztecs, Incas, Apaches,
The Plains Indians, The Wild West and Black Peoples of the Americas.?

The World After 1900 begins with The Franchise and Women and finishes with The
Cold War and the War in Vietnam. The other topics addressed are The Russian
Revolution, World War I, World War II and the Holocaust.

Appropriateness

This is a very useful site containing a lot of helpful materials. The site will interest
and engage across a broad ability range, and could be used to develop pupils in
each of the five assessment strands within the History Attainment Target at Key
Stage 3.

Quality

This product is designed to have a broad appeal and has the potential to be very
useful for History teachers and their pupils across Key Stage 3 and perhaps for
some elements of Key Stage 2 or the Citizenship Curriculum. The topics chosen are
appropriate for a very large number of the History study units at Key Stage 3, and
offer considerable potential to interest and engage young people across a broad
range of abilities. This is a well-prepared and carefully structured product.

The text section Exploring has been written at two levels: Path 1 and Path 2. This
allows pupils to work at different reading levels, although both are relatively
challenging for some mainstream pupils in Years 7 and 8. By Year 9, most should be
able to cope with the text and sources without major problems. Teachers will be able
to create differentiated tasks of their own to help pupils use the materials effectively.

This website consists of a suite of materials covering all of the core, and a good
range of the optional, study units for History across Key Stage 3. The database of
text and visual resources is drawn from the period 1066 to modern times in Britain
and from Ancient China to the Vietnam War in world history. This is a strong
collection of resources – each theme includes text-based articles and images drawn
from a good range of historical sources and modern photographs. The site has no
sound files. Most visual items are in colour, and many of the items can be copied
and pasted into other applications. Web-links, worksheets, short comprehension
tests, timelines and a glossary are provided.

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Product Overview

This product is distributed by Heinemann Library (Tel: 01865 314591)