AQA Health and the People Significant Individuals Overview

Explanation of the Resource: “Significance of Individuals in Health and the People”

This resource is designed to support teachers in delivering engaging and evaluative lessons on the theme of significance within the context of the “Health and the People” study from c.1000 to the present day. It focuses on helping students develop a deep understanding of what makes an individual historically significant by exploring their impact, short-term and long-term effects, and comparative importance within their field.

Structured Framework for Analysis:

• Provides clear definitions and criteria for evaluating significance, including “impact,” “short-term effect,” “long-term legacy,” and “comparisons.”
• Offers key vocabulary (e.g., “transformative,” “pioneering,” “inspirational”) to guide students in articulating their arguments.

Chronological Organisation:

• The sequence of lessons is divided into four time periods: Medieval Medicine, Renaissance Medicine, Industrial Medicine, and Modern Medicine.
• This allows teachers to track the evolution of medical ideas and the role of key figures across time.

Practical Activities:

• Includes tasks to categorise individuals by their contributions to causes, treatments, and preventions.

• Encourages students to write evaluative responses comparing individuals and justifying their choices with evidence.

  1. Support for Differentiated Learning:
     • Includes sentence starters and scaffolds for students who need additional support in structuring their answers.
     • Higher-level prompts encourage more able students to compare and contrast the significance of different individuals.
  2. Engaging Presentation:
     • The resource uses a visually appealing format with clear objectives, key questions, and prompts that help maintain student interest.

Why This Resource is Useful:

• Promotes Critical Thinking: By focusing on the concept of significance, the resource encourages students to think beyond surface-level facts and engage with deeper analysis.
• Versatile Application: While tailored for “Health and the People,” the framework can be adapted for use in other historical contexts where significance is a key theme.
• Saves Teacher Time: Provides a ready-to-use sequence of lessons with all the necessary prompts and activities, reducing planning workload.
• Exam Preparation: Aligns with the skills required for GCSE history, particularly for questions that ask students to evaluate significance or compare individuals.

This resource will be a valuable addition to any history teacher’s toolkit, providing a clear, student-friendly approach to understanding and evaluating historical significance.