For Junior Secondary Levels (Secondary 1 to Secondary 3):

The aims of learning history in junior secondary are to:

  • Foster students' interest in the past.
  • Help students understand the relevance of the past to the present.
  • Enhance students' understanding of their community, local culture, and major world cultures.
  • Introduce students to the unique skills and techniques used by historians to develop their thinking abilities.
  • Cultivate students’ civic awareness and prepare them for adulthood.

 

Learning Objectives

By the end of the Secondary 3 curriculum, students should be able to:

  1. Knowledge and Understanding:
  • Acquire knowledge and understanding of the major characteristics of world cultures in different periods from different perspectives (political, economic, technological, social, religious, artistic).
  • Recognize and understand the major features of Hong Kong history and its relationship with global historical developments.
  • Master the basic concepts and vocabulary related to historical studies.
  • Identify the cause-and-effect relationships in historical events.

-  Identify the evolution and continuity of major historical events and developments.

-  Understand that history can be interpreted from different perspectives and viewpoints

 

  1. Mastering skills to enable them to:
  • Understand and use historical vocabulary accurately and correctly.
  • Arrange events in chronological order according to established criteria.
  • Describe the features of historical maps, models, graphics, charts, pictures, tables, and comics.
  • Make inferences and draw conclusions from historical data.
  • Identify different interpretations of major historical events and figures.
  • Differentiate between historical facts and opinions.
  • Use imagination to reconstruct the past.
  • Select, organize, and apply data effectively, expressing ideas coherently.

Cultivating attitudes and values to enable them to:

 

  1. Develop an interest in and appreciate the achievements and ideals of individuals in the past.
  • Understand the relevance of historical study to contemporary life.
  • Understand and accept different perspectives, beliefs, and values held by different societies and in different eras.
  1. Foster positive attitudes towards moral, civic, and environmental education.
For Senior Secondary Levels (Secondary 4 to Secondary 6):

Teaching Objectives:

The objectives of this course are to enable students to:

  1. Understand the changing relationships between people, places, and events in the past and their impact on human society.
  2. Appreciate the characteristics and values of their own culture and respect the cultures and heritage of other societies.
  3. Cultivate an interest in studying history and appreciate the uniqueness of the subject.
  4. Approach historical issues with a fair, impartial, and empathetic attitude.
  5. Develop themselves into knowledgeable and rational individuals with a global perspective, contributing to the local, national, and global communities.

Curriculum Goals:

 

Recognition and Understanding:

  1. Students will be able to construct knowledge and understand:
  • Basic historical concepts such as cause and effect, evolution and continuity, and comparisons of similarities and differences.
  • Different ways of presenting and interpreting history, as well as the diverse perspectives expressed through various interpretations.
  • Beliefs, experiences, and behaviors of their own country and other countries, and how these factors influence the development of the contemporary world.
  • The interconnectedness of major events/movements in the 20th century within the local, national, Asian, and global contexts.

 

  1. Historical Skills:

Students will be able to master the following skills:

  • Distinguish between facts and opinions, identify biased perspectives, implicit assumptions, and fallacious arguments.
  • Select appropriate historical sources to present logical and consistent arguments.
  • Interpret historical data and draw reasonable conclusions based on available evidence.
  • Identify and explain how historical documents and archives reflect the attitudes, values, and emotions of the authors/contemporaries.
  • Collect and analyze data, list and evaluate various feasible approaches to make decisions and assessments.
  • Evaluate personal actions and decisions based on the influence of environmental factors.
  1. Attitudes and Values:

Students will be able to cultivate the following attitudes and values:

- Understand the need to reevaluate historical conclusions based on new evidence and interpretations.

- Respect and embrace diverse opinions, recognizing that different ethnic groups have different experiences, beliefs, and behaviors, while acknowledging shared     human emotions and ideals.

- Develop a sense of national identity and become responsible citizens.

 

Course Structure:

The course is organized thematically, with a focus on cultivating students' global perspectives. It consists of two main themes that cover the world context:

 

Theme 1: Modernization and Transformation in 20th Century Asia

  1. The growth and development of Hong Kong
  • From British colonial rule to the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
  • Development into an international city
  1. Modernization and transformation in China
  • Early efforts towards modernization
  • Exploration of the socialist path
  1. Transformation and development in Japan and Southeast Asia
  • Transformation in Japan
  • Transformation in Southeast Asia

 

Theme 2: Conflict and Cooperation in the 20th Century World

  • The relationship and signing of treaties after the two World Wars
  • Major conflicts and efforts for peace after World War II
  1. Collaboration and prosperity in the 1930s

-  International cooperation in the economic aspect

-  International cooperation in the social and cultural aspects

 

Assessment Format:

 

The assessment consists of two exam papers.

 

Paper 1: It accounts for 60% of the total grade and has a duration of two hours. The paper consists of four historical data questions that cover the compulsory parts of the course. All questions must be answered. The exam questions will be based on various forms of historical data, including documents, statistical data, maps, cartoons, and photographs.

 

Paper 2: It accounts for 40% of the total grade and has a duration of one hour and thirty minutes. The paper consists of seven essay questions that cover the compulsory parts of the course. Students are required to choose and answer any two questions.

 

These assessment formats aim to evaluate students' understanding of historical concepts, their ability to analyze historical data, and their skills in constructing well-reasoned arguments. By including both data-based and essay questions, the assessment encourages students to apply their knowledge and demonstrate their critical thinking and communication skills.