Tuesday 16 July 2013

New contribution to historiography argument


As the centenary of the outbreak of war in 1914 approaches, a lot is appearing in the media on many different aspects of the war and how it should be remembered or commemorated. In June, Max Hastings launched a 'controversial' attack on the government, criticising them of avoiding the true history of Germany's aggressive role in the outbreak of war. Now Sir Richard Evans has responded.


The link below will take you to a very interesting article about British nationalism. It is excellent for giving you another interpretation of the key controversy question - Was Germany responsible for the outbreak of war in 1914? The whole article is worth a read but the relevant section is further on...

http://m.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/jul/13/michael-gove-teaching-history-wars?CMP=twt_fd

Friday 14 June 2013

New - Follow us on Twitter!


As part of our continued drive to engage our students and also provide them with support outside of the classroom, we have joined Twitter! You can now follow us; @fcchistory
We aim to provide A Level students with links, news items, ideas and advice, principally targeting the Unit 2 'Experience of Warfare' course (see our Yr12 sister blog - fccexperienceofwarfare.blogspot.co.uk) and the Unit 3 'From Kaiser to Fuhrer' course. We also provide some ideas about leading academics who you can follow. The account also allows you to ask any questions which you might have!

Already we have tweeted about;

Max Hastings' 'controversial' comments regarding the Germany and Austria's role in the outbreak of war in 1914
The Rudolf Hess conspiracy
The Hitler kettle!
The England football team giving the Nazi salute in 1938

Thursday 16 May 2013

Preparing for the exam

Every year my students ask me to try and predict what will come up in the exam. Every year I give them the same answer... "I don't have a crystal ball!" But what we do each year is take a look at what has come up in the past in order to help focus revision onto key topics. This table will show you what has been assessed in the past.


However, it is anybody's guess as to where the examiner will choose to go next. Therefore, it is very important in these final weeks that you identify your weaker areas and focus your revision around those. My students have RAG'ed their knowledge and are working hard to turn those ambers 'not so sure' areas into greens 'I am happy with that'. You even have enough time to get on top of those 'Reds' - 'I haven't got a clue'!

Also make sure that you know the nature and structure of the two questions. Use the links at the top of this page to find out more about the specific Assessment Criteria for each question.


Finally, remember that Work only comes after Success in the dictionary! Use these last few weeks to get yourself ready for the exam. Good luck!






Tuesday 23 April 2013

New page created - Practice essay questions for Part A.


Over the last few years I have worked on creating a bank of possible essay questions to allow my students to practise and prepare for Part A style questions. My students have been using these to aid their revision in the run up to the exam. For each question they review the knowledge needed to answer that question by producing a mind map using their notes and the textbook/blog. They then produce a detailed plan in direct response to the question. Some students will then go on to write out the full essay; others have used it to practise writing an effective paragraph or a conclusion. Whatever approach you decide to take it is important that you practise incorporating both the knowledge and specific essay skills required for Part A.

The essay questions cover all four exam topics.




Friday 1 March 2013

Some highly recommended reading!


I have recently come across two books which I highly recommend! Both are easily available and would be very useful as you start to revise.

1. The Brief History of the Third Reich: The Rise and Fall of the Nazis

Written by Martyn Whittock, this book gives an excellent insight into many aspects of the period. All areas of the course are covered in an engaging and concise manner. Each section is clearly headlined, helping you get to the bits you need but as a 'proper' book it gives lots of interesting detail, not only about the broader context of events but also disucsses how this affected ordinary people. I highly recommend this to those who are keen to develop their subject knowledge in the run up to the exam.

2. My Revision Notes: Edexcel A2 History: From Kaiser to Fuhrer: Germany 1900-45

This book is the latest release in the 'My Revision Notes' series from Hodder. My students raved about these last year at AS and the publication of this title has been eagerly awaited. Now availble I have no doubt that this will prove very useful to those beginning their revision.

Now is a good time to be starting your revision. Go back over the elements of the course already studied and work out which bits you are less confident about. Start developing your knowledge on these areas now; don't leave it until the last minute!

Saturday 26 January 2013

Holocaust Memorial Day 2013 - a survivor's story



Sunday 27 January 2013 will mark this years Holocaust Memorial Day - the date when Auschwitz was liberated in 1945.

The BBC will be showing a programme entitled 'Prisoner Number A26188: Henia Bryer' on Sunday evening at 22:25 on BBC One.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qfr39

The BBC News website is also running an article about Henia Bryer and her Holocaust survival story. The article can be read here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21200051