Most Able - History
Most Able in History
How do we identify a Most Able History student?
A Most Able student in History is one who has a keen passion for the subject, which is shown in their verbal contributions and written work. They also will possess the ability to construct well-reasoned explanations of why something has happened, consider different views of historical events, be able to suggest what they can learn from sources and work hard to improve their work after feedback. Above all, these students also tend to enjoy reading different books, attend extra-curricular History trips in school and may also visit different sites with their families outside of school time.
How can a Most Able student extend their learning outside of the classroom?
To extend a Most Able student’s learning outside of lesson, we can recommend that they do extra reading around historical events- either generally or linked specifically to topics we are teaching during lessons. There are a number of authors who have written historical fiction which allows students to ease themselves into reading history rather than straight into non-fiction or reference books. Horrible Histories books are also a fun way for KS3 students to extend their knowledge before moving onto more serious books as they progress towards GCSE. We also strongly advise that students visit local history sites with their families, there are many around Bedfordshire and some of these are free to enter. Also we are geographically close to London’s historical sites, attractions and museums. Although some cost money to enter, you can find deals online to reduce costs for you on both entry and train travel.
Recommended reading list
FICTION
TITLE |
AUTHOR |
The Watson’s Go to Birmingham - 1963 |
Christopher Paul Curtis |
Fever 1793 |
Laurie Halse Anderson |
Chains |
Laurie Halse Anderson |
The Lions of Little Rock |
Kristin Levine |
Treasure Island |
Robert Louis Stevenson |
Between Shades of Gray |
Ruta Sepetys |
The Book Thief |
Markus Zusak |
The Secret Lake |
Karen Inglis |
Waiting for Anya |
Michael Morpurgo |
War Horse |
Michael Morpurgo |
Private Peaceful |
Michael Morpurgo |
The Boy in Striped Pyjamas |
John Boyne |
Salt to the Sea |
Ruta Sepetys |
Code Name Verity |
Elizabeth E. Wein |
Under a Painted Sky |
Stacey Lee |
Orphan Monster Spy |
Matt Killeen |
Where the World Ends |
Geraldine McCaughrean |
Letters from the Lighthouse |
Emma Carroll |
Number the Stars |
Lois Lowry |
Bud, Not Buddy |
Christopher Paul Curtis |
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry |
Mildred D. Taylor |
Catherine, Called Birdy |
Karen Cushman |
Turtle in Paradise |
Jennifer L. Holm |
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit |
Judith Kerr |
Listening For Lions |
Gloria Whelan |
The Boy Who Dared |
Susan Campbell Bartoletti |
Journey to the River Sea |
Eva Ibbotson |
A Long Walk to Water |
Linda Sue Park |
The Sisters of St Croix |
Diney Costeloe |
The Runaway Family |
Diney Costeloe |
The Girl With No Name |
Diney Costeloe |
NON-FICTION
TITLE |
AUTHOR |
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History |
Vashti Harrison |
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes |
Eleanor Coerr |
Fantastically Great Women Who Made History |
Kate Pankhurst |
The Rotten Romans (Horrible Histories) |
Terry Deary |
The Vicious Vikings (Horrible Histories) |
Terry Deary |
Smashing Saxons (Horrible Histories) |
Terry Deary |
The Diary of Anne Frank |
Anne Frank |
A Short History of the World |
Ruth Brocklehurst and Henry Brook |
The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia |
Candace Fleming |
I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban |
Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb |
Unbroken: An Olympian’s Journey from Airman to Castaway to Captive |
Laura Hillenbrand |
Americanized: Rebel Without A Green Card |
Sara Saedi |
Tasting the Sky |
Ibtisam Barakat |
My Name is Number 4: A True Story from the Cultural Revolution |
Ting-xing Ye |
The 57 Bus |
Dashka Slater |
Alice Paul and the Fight for Women’s Rights: From the Vote to the Equal Rights Amendment |
Deborah Kops |
Blood, Bullets and Bones: The Story of Forensic Science |
Bridget Heos |
Boots on the Ground: America’s War in Vietnam |
Elizabeth Partridge |
The Distance Between Us |
Reyna Grande |
How we support Most Able in lessons
Examples of techniques used to challenge students in History lessons include:
- Extended questioning
- Consider the alternative viewpoint in addition to one we have studied in class
- Paired work to teach another student
- Debating
- Leadership within group work
- Making judgements on interpretations and opinions
Useful websites
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zk26n39 (KS3)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zj26n39 (KS4)
www.senecalearning.com (revision tool)
https://www.history.org.uk/student/categories/history-resources-for-students (Historical Association)
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/ (articles updated monthly)