History - We aim to deliver a high-quality history education which will help pupils to gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain s past and that of the wider world. We aim to inspire pupil s curiosity to find out more about the past. We also aim to foster perceptive questioning, critical thinking which will help pupils to understand the complexity of people s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identities. The following historical skills are taught ongoing throughout the year. Please see the topic overview below for details of the specific periods in history that are being studied in your child s class. Skills Chronological Understanding Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Using words and phrases like: old, new and a long time ago. Ordering up to three objects in chronological order. Explaining about things that happened when they were little. Recognising that a story that is read to them may have happened a long time ago. Identifying some objects that belong to the past. Retelling a familiar story set in the past. Explaining how they have changed since they were born. Using words and phrases like: before I was born, when I was younger. Using phrases and words like: before, after, past, present, then and now; in their historical learning. Using the words past and present accurately. Using a range of appropriate words and phrases to describe the past. Sequencing a set of events in chronological order and giving reasons for their order. Describing events and periods using the words: BC, AD and decade. Describing events from the past using dates when things happened. Describing events and periods using the words: ancient and century. Using a timeline within a specific time in history to set out the order events may have happened. Using their mathematical knowledge to work out how long ago events would have happened.
Knowledge and Interpretation Appreciating that some famous people have helped to improve our lives. Recognising that we celebrate certain events, such as bonfire night, because of what happened many years ago. Understanding that we have a queen who rules us and that Britain has had a king or queen for many years. Beginning to identify the main differences between old and new objects. Identifying objects from the past such as vinyl records. Recounting the life of someone famous from Britain who lived in the past giving attention to what they did earlier and what they did later. Explaining how their local area was different in the past. Recounting some interesting facts from an historical event, such as where the Fire of London started. Giving examples of things that are different in their life from that of their grandparents when they were young. Explaining why Britain has a special history by naming some famous events and some famous people. Explaining what is meant by a parliament. Understanding that the early Brits would not have communicated as we do or have eaten as we do. Imagining what life would have been like for the early settlers. Recognising that Britain has been invaded by several different groups over time. Understanding that invaders in the past would have fought fiercely, using hand to hand combat. Suggesting why certain events happened as they did in history. Suggesting why certain people acted as they did in history. Enquiry Asking and answering questions about old and new objects. Identifying old and new things in a picture. Answering questions using an artefact/photograph. Giving a plausible explanation about Finding out something about the past by talking to an older person. Answering questions by using a specific source, such as an information book. Researching the life of a famous Briton from the past using different Recognising the part that archaeologists have had in helping us understand more about what happened in the past. Using various sources of evidence to answer questions. Using various sources to piece
what an object was used for in the past. resources to help them. Researching about a famous event that happens in Britain and why it has been happening for some time. Researching the life of someone who used to live in their area using the Internet and other sources to find out about them. together information about a period in history. Researching a specific event from the past. Using their information finding skills in writing to help them write about historical information. Identifying, through research, the similarities and differences between given periods in history. Skills Chronological Understanding Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Plotting recent history on a timeline using centuries. Placing periods of history on a timeline showing periods of time. Using their mathematical skills to round up time differences into centuries and decades. Using dates and historical language in their work. Drawing a timeline with different time periods outlined which show different information, such as periods of history, when famous people lived, etc. Using their mathematical skills to work exact time scales and differences as need be. Showing where a period of history fits on a timeline. Placing a specific event on a timeline by decade. Placing features of historical events and people from past societies and periods in a chronological framework. Knowledge and Interpretation Explaining how events from the past Can they describe historical events Summarising the main events from a
have helped shape our lives. Understanding that wars happened a very long time ago and they are often associated with invasion, conquering or religious differences. Knowing that people who lived in the past cooked and travelled differently and used different weapons from ours. Recognising that the lives of wealthy people were very different from those of poor people. Appreciating how items found belonging to the past are helping us to build up an accurate picture of how people lived in the past. from the different period(s) they are studying/have studied. Making comparisons between historical periods; explaining things that have changed and things which have stayed the same. Explaining the role that Britain has had in spreading Christian values across the world. Beginning to appreciate that how we make decisions has been through a Parliament for some time. Understanding that significant events in history have helped shape the country we have today. Understanding how crime and punishment has changed over the years. specific period in history, explaining the order in which key events happened. Summarising how Britain has had a major influence on world history. Summarising what Britain may have learnt from other countries and civilizations through time gone by and more recently. Describing features of historical events and people from past societies and periods they have studied. Recognising and describing differences and similarities/changes and continuity between different periods of history. Enquiry Researching two versions of an event and say how they differ. Researching what it was like for a child in a given period from the past and use photographs and illustrations to present their findings. Providing more than one reason to Testing out a hypothesis in order to answer a question. Understanding how historical artefacts have helped us understand more about British lives in the present and past. Comparing two different versions and saying how the author may be attempting to persuade or give a specific viewpoint. Identifying and explaining their understanding of propaganda. Describing a key event from Britain s
support an historical argument. Communicating knowledge and understanding orally and in writing Offering points of view based upon what they have found out. past using a range of evidence from different sources. Year Group Term 1 and 2 Term 3 and 4 Term 5 and 6 Changes within Living Memory Significant Individuals Changes within Living Memory Year 1 What has changed since my grandparents were young/why is the Wii more fun than my grandparents Would the Beetles have won X Factor/Who was famous when my parents were little? Where and why did the wheels on the bus go? toys? Significant Individuals Comparing Features Changes within Living Memories How have Rosa Parks and Nelson Where would you prefer to live: Africa or England? What were the people who lived here like Mandela helped to make the world a a 100 years ago/what was it like when Year 2 better place? Why were Christopher Columbus and the Queen came to the throne in 1953? Neil Armstrong brave people?
Victorians Stone Age to Iron Age Ancient Greece Year 3 How did the Victorians shape London? Who were the first people to live in Britain? Have the Greeks always been in the news? The Roman Empire and its Impact on The Norman Culture Crime and Punishment Year 4 Britain Why were the Romans so powerful and Why were the Norman castles certainly not bouncy? Who were the early lawmakers? what did we learn from them? Gunpowder,Treason and Plot Ancient Egypt Anglo-Saxons Year 5 Why should gunpowder, treason and plot never be forgot? How can we rediscover the wonder of Egypt? Were the Anglo-Saxons really smashing? World War Two Islamic Civilisation the Golden Age The Vikings Year 6 Why was this period known as the Golden Age? Were the Vikings always victorious and vicious?