History
The study of the past offers us all, young and old alike,
a unique opportunity to reflect on our own national identity,
and to increase our understanding of human behaviour - from
heroic to the ridiculous! All life, as they say, is
here!
In the junior part of the Upper School - that is to
say Forms 4, 5 and 6 - we continue to follow the project-work
emphasis of the Pre-Prep Department, and we maintain the
links that exist between History, Geography and Science in
the Pre-Prep Environmental Studies Programme. However,
these three Departments operate in a more independent fashion
in the Upper School, and the younger children in Form 4 and
beyond soon learn to realise History as a discrete activity
with is own interests, concerns and rewards!
Within the junior years, we study a wide array of periods
and cultures from Vikings, Aztecs and Ancient Greeks to Victorian
Children, Medieval Knights and ‘New Elizabethans’. The
great emphasis here is on the ‘story-telling’ aspects of History. This
is immensely enjoyable and here one can re-create the sense
of excitement that once surrounded the sagas and oral traditions
of former times. There is, of course, a more serious
academic purpose in all of this. Thus, the children
are encouraged to use the Department’s Reference library
and the internet to pursue their own fact-finding or personal
research, and they present their findings in a written or
visual form. Our Viking Museum Display and our great
navy of Greek triremes are particular favourites on the visual
side of things.
Towards the end of Form 6 and in Forms 7 and 8, we turn
our thoughts to the Tudors and Stuarts, and to a more traditional
approach to matters historical. We try very hard to
preserve the ‘story-telling’ aspect of the subject,
but we begin the serious and fascinating business of discovering
how historians go about their work, and we find ourselves
examining and evaluating source material. This focus
on provenance helps to sharpen the mind, and to hone our
critical skills! We also find time to practise our
extended writing skills, and to establish the techniques
and skills associated with essay writing. The children
are, in this way, prepared for the source-work and essay
writing aspects of their Common Entrance or Scholarship Examinations.
Visit to Crannog CentreWe do, of course, from time to time, abandon the classroom
with the idea of visiting the sites of historical interest
that surround us here in Scotland. We operate regular
trips to Bannockburn, Huntingtower Castle, New Lanark and
Holyrood, and the School’s bi-annual Rome Trip contains
a strong historical component.
The work that goes on in History here at Cargilfield equips
each child with a sound foundation for their studies in the
future, and provides them with a clearer vision, and
a more reliable understanding of our world today.