NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS CURRICULUM SUPPORT
History
Added Value Unit:
The Assignment
Advice and Guidance for
Practitioners
[NATIONAL 4]
This advice and guidance has been produced to support the profession with the delivery of
courses which are either new or which have aspects of significant change within the new
national qualifications (NQ) framework.
The advice and guidance provides suggestions on approaches to learning and teaching.
Practitioners are encouraged to draw on the materials for their own part of their continuing
professional development in introducing new national qualifications in ways that match the
needs of learners.
Practitioners should also refer to the course and unit specifications and support notes which
have been issued by the Scottish Qualifications Authority.
http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/34714.html
Acknowledgement
The publisher gratefully acknowledges permission to use the following sources:
image Q6432 and image Q6425 both © Imperial War Museums.
© Crown copyright 2012. You may re-use this information (excluding logos) free of
charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence.
To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open government-licence/ or e-mail psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to
obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
Any enquiries regarding this document/publication should be sent to us at
enquiries@educationscotland.gov.uk.
This document is also available from our website at www.educationscotland.gov.uk.
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Contents
Section 1: Introduction to the Advice and Guidance
4
Section 2: Curriculum for Excellence National Qualifications
5
Section 3: Added Value
7
Section 4: What learners need to do in the Added Value Unit at
National 4
8
Section 5: How learning can be presented for assessment
9
Section 6: Making use of ICT for recording and presenting learn ing
12
Section 7: Considerations for planning
14
Section 8: Exemplification of potential approaches to learning and
teaching for the Added Value Unit in National 4 History
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Section 1: Introduction to the Advice and Guidance
This advice and guidance offers information on national qualifications and in
particular the added value element of courses in Social Studies. The focus is
to provide advice for practitioners to consider and reflect on in planning for
learning and teaching as appropriate to the context of their learners.
The information contained in sections 1-7 is identical in the advice and
guidance documents for National 4 Added Value in Geography, Histor y and
Modern Studies. Section 8 contains subject specific exemplification of
potential approaches to learning and teaching. Practitioners should note that
these examples represent possible approaches to consider in reflection and
professional dialogue. They do not represent assessment standards or
prescribed approaches. Reference should be made to the appropriate SQA
documentation regarding assessment requirements and standards.
The exemplification provided in section 8 of these documents varies in style,
content and level. This allows practitioners to reflect on what may be most
appropriate within their own context and to consider ways of helping learners
progress in their learning through National 4 and beyond. Practitioners are
encouraged to engage with the exemplification provided for Geography,
History and Modern Studies in order to reflect on the variety of approaches
they may wish to develop in their own settings.
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Section 2: Curriculum for Excellence: National
Qualifications
Curriculum for Excellence aims to achieve transformational change, allowing
flexibility for learners and the development of the four capacities.
Throughout the broad general education, learners develop skills and
knowledge through programmes of learning and teaching planned using the
Experiences and Outcomes, informed by the Principles and Practices. To
ensure a smooth progression into and through the senior phase, practitioners
should reflect upon the principles of curriculum design and ensure that
learning experiences reflect these. The National Qualifications have been
designed to provide learners with opportunities to continue to develop the
attributes and capabilities of the four capacities as well as skills for learning,
skills for life and skills for work. They offer flexibility, provide time for
learning and focus on the development of skills and appl ication of learning.
They allow for progression from learning that has happened through the
broad, general education and allow opportunities for learners to develop
breadth, challenge and application.
National 4 qualifications are benchmarked against lev el four of the SCQF
framework and are internally assessed. For more information on the course,
unit and assessment specifications, practitioners should refer to the
appropriate SQA documentation.
Progression from National 4 may lead to study at National 5 and/or Higher
level qualifications. The principles of design are the same; therefore the skills
development and learning experiences at National 4 will support the learning
journey. At National 5, mandatory content is prescribed and external Course
assessment is introduced.
In planning for skills development, practitioners may find it helpful to refer
to Bloom’s taxonomy
( www.educationscotland.gov.uk/resources/b/ genericresource_tcm4659433.asp )
and the related work of Morag McGinlay
( www.educationscotland.gov.uk/video/s/video_tcm4646983.asp ).
McGinlay’s skills path draws on Bloom’s taxonomy and demonstrates how
learners can progress through their learning and develop higher -order
thinking skills.
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Reflective questions
Consider your current approaches to learning and teaching in National
Qualification courses:
- How active is the learning in your current courses?
- In what ways are the skills of learners effectively developed? What
evidence do you have to support your conclusions?
- What aspects could be improved through increased use of active learning?
- What would the impact on learners be?
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Section 3: Added Value
The Added Value is what makes the course more than simply the sum of its
parts. Added Value assessment describes how the breadth, challenge and
application of the skills, knowledge and understanding developed by the
learner throughout the Course will be assessed.
For National 4 courses, the Added Value unit serves as the assessment and is
internally assessed on a pass or fail basis. (At National 5, Higher and
Advanced Higher the Added Value is externally assessed through the Course
assessment).
The Added Value Unit for Geography, History and Modern Studies takes the
form of an assignment. For further details on the requirements of the unit,
practitioners should refer to the relevant SQA Course and Unit specifications
on the SQA website – www.sqa.org.uk.
Practitioners should note that the Added Value assignment is not necessarily
an end of course activity, but rather it can be undertaken at any point. It
involves selecting appropriate skills, knowledge and understanding an d
presenting the learning in a chosen format. The topic or issue chosen by the
learner may relate to a single unit or may emerge from learning across units.
The assignment is an opportunity for learners to demonstrate the skills,
abilities, knowledge and understanding which they have gained throughout
the period of their broad, general education and which they may further
develop through their studies at National 4. It should allow learners the
opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the topic cho sen. The
assignment also allows for personalisation and choice within the curriculum.
It gives learners the opportunity to choose the topic or issue for study and the
method of presentation.
Reflective questions
- How will you facilitate for personalisation and choice in topic choice?
- What kinds of approaches to learning and teaching will best prepare
learners for undertaking the assignment?
- How can you support all learners in achieving success in the Added Value
Unit?
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Section 4: What learners need to do in the Added
Value Unit
This section of advice and guidance provides a brief overview of what
learners need to do for the assignment, however, practitioners should refer to
SQA documentation for detail on assessment requirements of the Added
Value unit.
In History, learners will:
 Choose a theme and question for study
 Select and organise evidence
 Respond to the question by describing and explaining the key features of
the answer
 Refer to the sources used
 Present their findings, demonstrating the skills they have used and
knowledge gained.
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Section 5: How learning can be presented for
assessment
Learners can present their assignment in a way that will allow them to best
demonstrate their knowledge and understanding and skills in order to meet
the outcomes of the unit. There are many methods available. Practitioners
should refer to the relevant SQA documentation regarding the detail of
assessment requirements. It should be noted that the assignment presents
opportunities for learners to engage with topics of their choice and should be
an enjoyable experience of moving into more depth in an area of interest to
the learner. Therefore, over assessment should be avoided. The following list
of potential presentation methods is in no way prescriptive a nd simply
outlines some of the many possibilities. Learners may demonstrate
achievement of the outcomes of the unit in any appropriate form.
Digital
presentation
Video
 Learners may choose to present their assignment
through a presentation to the class, a group or
the practitioner.
 A variety of digital presentation programmes
could be used depending on availability and the
expertise of the learner.
 Could be a short film which contains the
learner’s response.
 Could allow the learner to make use of filmed
interviews or recorded interviews.
 Could involve the use of software such as Movie
Maker to include a variety of information.
 Could take the form of a stop–go animation with
voiceovers.
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Written
piece
Podcast
 This could be used to record the learner’s talk or
presentation.
 Could take the format of a scripted or unscripted
interview with a peer or expert in the subject.
 Could be presented in the style of a news
broadcast.
Wall display
 This could include a range of styles of
presentation of learning.
 May facilitate a creative response that would
allow for wider presentation of the learning with
others.
 Displays can be employed in an interactive
fashion as questions can be asked by anyone
who views this.
Oral
presentation/
interview
with the
practitioner
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 A written report could be carried out with a
range of possible options, including:
- essay (possibly employing writing frames)
- newspaper/magazine article
- blog/wiki
- learning log or journal
- Comic Life.
 This could take the form of a short talk to the class,
a group or the practitioner. A talk may be expected
to last around 5 minutes.
 A well-organised talk will be structured in a
manner that will satisfy the demands of the Added
Value Unit.
 Following any form of presentation, it may be
appropriate for the learner to answer some oral
questions from peers and/or the practitioner.
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Care should be taken not to over-credit such factors as IT skills and
oral/written communication skills as opposed to the subject specific skills,
knowledge and understanding. The activity is p rimarily about developing the
skills of the subject but, of course, presentation and communication skills are
also important in the context of developing skills for learning, skills for life
and skills for work.
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Section 6: Making use of ICT for recording and
presenting learning
Blog
A blog can also be described as a ‘web log’. There are many ways in which
learners could use a blog to communicate their progress and findings with
practitioners, peers and parents.
Blogs allow learners to update their progress from a computer or smart phone
and provide a platform for keeping a log or journal if desired.
You may wish to consider using Glow Blogs: http://glo.li/vQYjDO
Wikis
Wikis provide opportunities for learners to collaborate with other learners
and teachers, and share what they have learned. A wiki is a website that lets
any learner (or indeed anyone else you want) become a participant: you can
create or edit the actual site contents without any special technical
knowledge. A wiki is continuously under revision. One famous example is
Wikipedia, an online encyclopaedia with no authors but millions of
contributors and editors. Wikis have controlled access to ensure learner
information remains private. If a learner uses a wiki to present his/her
findings, then the wiki can be built up throughout the research process. There
are many examples on the internet of learners effectively using wikis for
learning.
You may wish to consider using Glow Wikis: http://glo.li/t9wE1u
Digital Presentations
If learners opt to present their assignment in the form of a presentation, they
may wish to support this by employing some presentation software. In many
cases this will take the form of a PowerPoint presentation. However, learners
may have the ability to create their presentation in some of the many other
formats available, such as Keynote, Prezi, Empressr, Powtoon.
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Other ICT
Learners may make use of other ICT in their assignment. Software such as
Comic Life allows learners to create comic strip style documents and
presentations where the detail of their learning can be demonstrated in
creative and engaging ways. Programmes such as Photostory or Movie Maker
allow learners to create presentations that can capture and display their
learning. The use of video cameras and USB microphones allow s for a
flexible approach to gathering material and presenting learning.
Reflective questions
- How will you facilitate for personalisation and choice in meth ods of
presentation for learners?
- What strengths do you have in using ICT to support learners?
- What considerations will you need to discuss regarding assessing the
Added Value unit?
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Section 7: Considerations for planning
In planning for the Added Value assignment, practitioners should bear in
mind, as noted previously, that learning developed througho ut the course can
be drawn upon. Sources and materials gathered in other aspects of
coursework can be utilised and that the assignment can be carried o ut at any
point during the course.
It will be important to allow learners the opportunity to engage in dialogue
and reflection over their choice of topic or issue and to consider in detail
what they will need to do. It may be beneficial for some learners to work with
peers on many aspects of the assignment before producing an individual final
piece. A collegiate approach to thinking about and planning the assignment
may help to foster an ethos that supports quality peer and self evaluation of
learning and may support learners in developing their higher order thinking
skills through discussion.
There is an expectation that practitioners will support learners, as
appropriate, throughout all stages of the assignment, including in the phase of
choosing topics and issues.
Allowing learners the opportunity to engage in activities that help the class
consider potential assignment topics and issues, sources of information and
ways of carrying out research, processing research and presenting findings,
will support learners and encourage engagement.
Practitioners may consider ways of helping learners to benefit from
opportunities to learn outwith the classroom when working on the Added
Value unit. There may be local people, places, groups, organisations that
would be useful places either for classes, groups or individuals to visit as part
of their course that would contribute to the assignment, or purely to inform
research for the assignment.
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Section 8: Exemplification of potential approaches
to learning and teaching for the Added
Value Unit in National 4 History
This table outlines the exemplification provided.
The examples are designed to encourage reflective thinking for practitioners
in considering the Added Value Unit in their own contexts. They do not
represent prescribed approaches or assessment standards.
In addition to these examples a range of potential questions are provided to
encourage practitioners to reflect on the areas learners may wish to study.
Potentially useful websites and questions for learners to consider are also
provided following the exemplar material.
Topic
Research skills
Processing techniques
The Great War

Carousel source activity


Internet research
Annotation of
sources

Text book research

Talk with display
board

Questioning
The Clearances
Civil Rights in
the USA

Visit to site (possibly virtual)


Viewing/listening to
interviews
ComicLife / Movie
Maker presentation

Written report

Consulting primary source
texts

Historical Site
brochure

Interview or communication
with first hand witness

PowerPoint
presentation

Viewing of relevant speeches
online

Podcast or video of
talk

Reading of newspapers
cuttings or other texts
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Exemplar 1
The Great War
The following materials relate to the Western Front 1914 –1918. They are
relevant to learners studying the topic ‘Were tanks an effective weapon on the
Western Front?’
Learners may work in groups to read the following primary source materials.
They may do this as a ‘carousel’ activity. The sources are printed in large
font and stuck to poster paper, then stuck on walls or tables around the room.
Learners move around the room in their groups, reading the material and
highlighting or adding notes. (Several other sources could be added to this
activity)
Source A
By Private Charles Cole, 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards. He was serving on
the Somme in 1916.
Well, we were at the parapets, waiting to go over and waiting for the tank.
…The tank never came. It was split-second timing, we couldn’t wait for it,
we had to go over the top. Well, we went over the top and we got cut to
pieces because the plan had failed.
Eventually, the tank got going and went past us. The Germans ran for their
lives – couldn’t make out what was firing at them. …the tank went on,
knocked brick walls, houses down, did what it was supposed to have done –
but too late! We lost thousands and thousands.
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Source B
A photograph of a British male tank.
Source C
A photograph of a British tank. It was taken by an official British
photographer in 1917.
A learner who opts to answer this question for their assignment may select
source A and source C to explain both the benefits and problems of tanks.
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They may also carry out research from the internet and use text books to
enhance their understanding and deepen their knowledge.
They could annotate notes on the text and photo. They may then choose to
present their findings as a talk using a display board with their annotations to
emphasise their key points. It may be appropriate for peers or practitioners to
ask questions following the talk.
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Exemplar 2
The Clearances
Different topics may present opportunities for learning outside the classroom
depending on the context and setting of the centre. In studying the clearances,
it may be possible for the class or individual learne rs to either visit sites
related to specific episodes or to use the internet or videos to virtually
explore sites (eg. Croick Church). Following a live or virtual visit a learner
may have pictures of the historical site (or elements of it) to use as source
material for their assignment (eg. the etched writing on the windows of
Croick Church).
The learner may then watch or listen to online interviews with historians
discussing the clearances and/or consult some primary source texts.
The learner may present their findings in a variety of ways. In this exemplar
it may be appropriate to produce a ComicLife or Movie Maker presentation
utilising the pictures from the visit. Another appropriate option may be a
written report either using writing frames or present ing it in the style of a
brochure. These could include advertising the historic site, with the key
historical knowledge and skills displayed, including the discussion of the
usefulness and reliability of the source material.
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Exemplar 3
Civil Rights in the USA
During learning as part of a unit on Civil Rights it may be possible for
learners to hear from someone involved first hand in these issues, either
through a visitor in the classroom or through a video conference. If this is not
possible it may be possible to communicate with an expert through emails
which can be written by the learners. Through this communication a learner
wishing to study an element of this topic for their assignment could use their
notes from this as one source.
There are many famous speeches accessible online for learners to watch/listen
to that would support a study of Civil Rights in the USA. A selection could
be viewed with learners entering into discussion surrounding the usefulness
and reliability of these. A learner studying this area for their assignment
could use this learning as a starting point for investigating one of these
speeches in more detail either online or by researching using newspaper
cuttings or other texts.
Presentation of the learning in this example may take the form of a
PowerPoint presentation. Alternatively, given the nature of the source
material, a learner may be inspired to produce a podcast or a video of
themselves delivering a talk on the subject.
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Exemplar Questions for Assignments
The learner will select a question with support from the practitioner.
One of the most obvious ways to provide a question is to make a statement
that can then be challenged. For example:
‘The Alliance system increased tension in Europe.’
To what extent would you agree with this statement?
 ‘What role did Gavrilo Princip play in sparking the Great War.’
 ‘Were Tanks an effective weapon of war on the Western Front?’
Other types of question that could be used are:
 Explain why life changed for British civilians bet ween 1914 and 1918.
 Explain why the Battle of the Somme resulted in a large number of British
casualties.
Practitioners may wish to encourage learners to make use of the local
environment and history of their area. The History Excellence Group
recommended:
‘Curriculum for Excellence allows schools to explore history from a local
perspective before setting it within a wider context. The Group has looked at
several excellent examples of active local history learning, which has
included positive feedback from learners. This approach of starting local and
then moving towards the global should be endorsed and encouraged. ’
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/91982/0114494.pdf
The assignment should therefore be viewed as an opportunity to engage with
the interests of the learner and innovative approaches and local topics should
be encouraged. For example:
 To what extent does Skara Brae show early people living in Scotland
forming communities?
 In what ways did the building of Hadrian’s Wall change the lives of people
living nearby?
 Why should Mary Slessor be considered a great Scot?
 To what extent could James Watt be considered the father of the industrial
revolution?
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Birth of a Nation





Why were the Romans unable to conquer Scotland?
What impact did the Vikings have on Scottish culture ?
Were the Picts the original Scots?
Why did Shetland become part of Scotland?
How far did David the 1 st develop Scotland as a nation?
Wars of Independence
 Describe how the death of the Maid of Norway led to problems for
Scotland?
 Why did Wallace win at Stirling Bridge and lose at Falkirk?
 ‘Wallace was a failure as Guardian of Scotland.’ How far would you agree
with this statement?
 Explain why Bruce won the Battle of Bannockburn.
Mary, Queen of Scots
 ‘Mary, Queen of Scots’ problems were caused by men.’ To what extent
would you agree with this statement?
 How far do you agree that ‘Mary, Queen of Scots was involved in the
murder of her husband.’?
Empire
 What impact did Irish immigration have on Scotland after 1830?
 ‘Scots played an important role in the growth of the British Empire.’ To
what extent would you agree with this statement?
 Why were Scots moving abroad after 1830?
 Why was Britain so keen to keep Hong Kong?
Clearances
 ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie caused the destruction of traditional Highland life.’
To what extent would you agree with this statement?
 Describe why many crofters left Sutherland after 1800?
 What was life like for Scottish immigrants in North America?
Social Change
 ‘The work of Booth and Rowntree revealed the true extent of poverty in
Britain.’ To what extent would you agree with this statement?
 ‘The Liberal Reforms successfully tackled the problems of poverty in
Britain.’ To what extent would you agree with this statement?
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 Describe how successful the Labour reforms of 1945 –1951 were in
challenging Beveridge’s five giants.
The inter-war years





To what extent was the Munich settlement a victory for Chamberlain ?
How successful was the Treaty of Versailles?
Why did Britain follow a policy of appeasement in the 1930s?
Did the twenties really roar?
What impact did the Great Depression have on people’s lives?
Hitler and Nazi Germany





How important was propaganda to the Nazis?
What impact did the Nazis have on children’s lives after 1933?
How successful was resistance to the Nazis?
Was the German population unaware of concentration camps?
Were all Germans who spoke out against the Nazi regime treated equally?
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Research
The following websites may be suitable for use by learners carrying out
research for their assignment:
A Multimedia history of World War One
http://www.firstworldwar.com/
BBC history zone with multimedia information on World Wa r One
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/
BBC history zone with multimedia information on Scottish history
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/
Scotland’s History – Education Scotland’s multimedia resource
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/scotlandshistory/index.asp
Interactive timeline of Scotland’s written history from the National Library of
Scotland
http://digital.nls.uk/scotlandspages/timeline.html
Stories and information focussing on the people involved in the history of the
Highland Clearances
http://www.theclearances.org/
The official website of Croick Church in Sutherland
http://www.croickchurch.com/
A range of resources from the National Archives
http://www.scottisharchivesforschools.org/
Scotland’s Places – a website allowing the user to search across databases to
access information on specific places and areas
http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/
Information on Scottish history from Britannia
http://britannia.com/celtic/scotland/history_scotland.html
BBC history zone with multimedia information on British history
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/
Information on British history from Britannia
http://britannia.com/history/
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A video based, timeline resource
http://timelines.tv/
The National Archives website contains a range of support for practitioners
and learners, including opportunities for joining videoconferences , virtual
classroom experiences and podcasts.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
BBC history zone with multimedia information on World War One
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/
Online, text based encyclopaedia of historical topics
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk
The Spartacus Educational website provides a series of history
encyclopaedias. Entries usually include a narrative, illustrations and primary
sources.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
http://www.ushmm.org/
Scran is a UK charity with a learning image service.
www.scran.ac.uk/
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