IB History HL

Why is History essential to IB?

• It could be the focus of your Extended Essay – Vietnam, Gettysburg, Cuban Revolution

• CAS – Service Learning, Fundraising, Leadership Roles – all relate back to skills learned in a history class!

• TOK – History is at the center of TOK and one of the areas of knowledge. Questioning, researching, developing an argument, and reflection are all core parts to history and your TOK course.

Why is History essential in your education?

• History teaches many skills that are necessary for all classes – Research Skills, Reading & Writing, Determining Bias, Argumentative, Understanding Sequencing, and many more.

• History is the story of the past but we all know history repeats itself!

• Current Events and the world around you!

• It could be your college major! No that does not mean you have to teach;) 30% of history majors go into business and/or finances. There is also a rise in the number of students who are going into the medical field because it teaches real world skills!

Course Description:

(From the IBO Curriculum Guide)

History is a dynamic, contested, evidence-based discipline that involves an exciting engagement with the past. It is a rigorous intellectual discipline, focused around key historical concepts such as change, causation and significance.

History is an exploratory subject that fosters a sense of inquiry. It is also an interpretive discipline, allowing opportunity for engagement with multiple perspectives and a plurality of opinions. Studying history develops an understanding of the past, which leads to a deeper understanding of the nature of humans and of the world today.

The IB Diploma Programme (DP) history course is a world history course based on a comparative and multi-perspective approach to history. It involves the study of a variety of types of history, including political, economic, social and cultural, and provides a balance of structure and flexibility. The course emphasizes the importance of encouraging students to think historically and to develop historical skills as well as gaining factual knowledge. It puts a premium on developing the skills of critical thinking, and on developing an understanding of multiple interpretations of history. In this way, the course involves a challenging and demanding critical exploration of the past.

Materials Needed:

1. Notebook/Binder

2. Chromebooks

3. Hard Work and Dedication!

**Daily Classroom Materials will be provided such as colored pencils, highlighters, notecards, etc.

Components of IB Score

Internal Assessment. 20% of IB score

The internal assessment requires an intensive independent study of a particular historical topic. There is a very specific format that must be followed. You will choose a topic from our course syllabus to complete your in-depth study. If you have a different topic apart from the required areas of study, I will hear any valid arguments on why you should be allowed to research this topic for your IA. I will give you much more direction and explanation as we work towards completion of this assessment that will be completed during the first semester.

IB Exams 80% of IB score

Paper 1. The Move to Global War (DBQs) 20% of total marks 1 hr

Paper 1 is a source-based examination paper based on the prescribed subjects. Each prescribed subject consists of two specified case studies, and in each examination session the paper will focus on one of the two case studies specified for each prescribed subject.

The paper will contain four sources for each prescribed subject. Sources will be primary or a mixture of primary and secondary, and may be written, pictorial or diagrammatic. The paper will consist of four questions for each prescribed subject, and students must answer all four questions from their chosen

prescribed subject. Some questions will be answered using only evidence from one or more of the sources, as indicated. In other questions students will be asked to use their own knowledge of the prescribed subject as well as evidence contained in the sources.

Paper 2. World History Topics 25% of total 1 hr 30 mins

Paper 2 is an essay paper based on the 12 world history topics.

The paper consists of two questions for each of the 12 topics. Students must answer two questions, each selected from a different topic. Some comparative questions on this paper require that examples be drawn from more than one region. When the word “region” is used in a paper 2 question, it refers to one of the four regional options defined by the world map in the introduction to the world history topics in the “World history topics” section.

The maximum mark for this paper is 30. The paper is marked using generic mark bands and a paper-specific mark scheme.

Paper 3. History of the Americas 35% of total 2 hr 30 mins

Each of the four HL regional options has a separate examination paper. Students are registered for one of these papers.

The paper 3 examination paper for each regional option will consist of 36 questions, consisting of two essay questions on each of the 18 sections specified for the regional option. Students must answer any three questions. Questions that refer to specific countries, events or people are restricted to those listed in the syllabus descriptions.

The maximum mark for this paper is 45. The paper is marked using generic markbands and a paper-specific markscheme.