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Schools need to decide which opportunities to develop as explicit citizenship provision. This unit can be delivered through citizenship and/or history. It provides a template for studying a contemporary conflict in the context of its historical background. As such, it meets some of the teaching requirements of the national curriculum programmes of study for both citizenship and history at key stage 3. Aspects of the unit that are specific to history are identified in this typeface. The structure, investigations and activities could be applied to the study of present-day conflict anywhere in the world. The war in the Balkans has been used as an example and information is provided in the 'Points to note' section. Other conflict situations such as Northern Ireland or the Middle East could provide the focus for this unit. The Teacher's guide also has helpful information on how to plan for enquiry in citizenship (see appendix 8).
In this unit pupils investigate a current conflict in the world. They learn about the different ways the media cover conflict situations and the effect this can have on our understanding and opinions of events. They analyse information from a range of sources to identify key issues and events. Pupils discover that understanding current events requires some knowledge of the historical, political, social, cultural and economic contexts of the people and places involved. They appreciate issues of diversity and see events from other people's points of view. Pupils find out how ordinary people are affected by violent events and how governments and voluntary organisations work to protect human rights and alleviate the consequences of these events.
Pupils learn about the cultural, religious and ethnic diversity of societies in conflict and analyse how far this has contributed to the crisis. They consider the importance of key events in another people's national history. They explain the reasons for, and results of, some twentieth-century political changes. They see how history is used or abused in different ways by different people, and why. They learn how to use a range of sources to find out about a current situation and how to evaluate those sources.
This unit builds on the knowledge and understanding pupils have gained in history about, for example, diversity in societies and why events happen. They build on their understanding of why events in history are interpreted differently. The unit also provides opportunities to consolidate and develop their ability to use sources of information and to communicate their knowledge clearly.
Sensitivity is needed with pupils who might find aspects of this unit upsetting, such as those from refugee or service family backgrounds.
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