Did you know that:

– the Mongolian Empire, at its height, was the largest in land mass?

– the Mongols started the first information superhighway?

– that Genghis Khan wasn’t just a brutal, bloodthirsty leader?

– that the Mongols actually built many of the early public buildings in (what is now) Beijing?

The Year 8s helped to come up with many statements about the Mongols – some
deliberately provocative – to help get the Year 7s thinking about their learning and make value judgements about this Empire.  Each Year 8 student was in charge of facilitating the discussion around their topic, encouraging students to write positive and negative arguments on the sheets of paper. They then reported their findings back to the class as a whole.

The study of History encourages students to look at different cultures, perspectives, and religions and draw comparisons with our own. Some empires are able to achieve extraordinary things and, yet, all are dependent on God’s common grace. Interpreting, analysing and evaluating can be difficult at times as these processes call students to look beyond their society and immediate sphere to the bigger picture of what God is doing in the world.

So… how did Year 8 go?

They questioned, probed, challenged and encouraged the Year 7s. I was so proud of their efforts.

Mrs Jocelyn James

Years 7/8 History and Humanities