What am I going to learn in history?
Year 1 – Discovering History
The ‘Discovering History’ unit introduces children to the discipline of history and creates a solid foundation to help our children understand what a historian is, what an archaeologist is, and how sources and evidence help in uncovering facts about the past. Our key objective for this unit is for all pupils to understand that history is the story of the past. This unit will introduce children to the concept of the past. They will look at pictures, hear stories and will begin to understand that there were lives lived before theirs. Children will be able to recognise things that happened in the past and differentiate between events a long time ago (the Crimean War and the work of Mary Seacole) and a very long time ago (dinosaurs and prehistoric periods). They will reflect on things that happened before they were born, and before their parents or grandparents were born. Children can begin to understand the passing of time and are able to start to develop a sense of chronology. As the children progress, they will build on their understanding of ways in which we know about the past, they will develop an awareness of time and build mental timelines, as well as an awareness of past realities and an understanding of historical change.
Year 2 – Toys
This term, Year 2 pupils will become toy historians as they explore how toys have changed over time. Through hands-on investigations, photographs, artefacts, timelines and interviews, children will compare toys from the past with those they play with today, developing their understanding of life within living memory. Throughout the six-lesson unit, pupils will build key historical skills, including chronology, enquiry, comparison and the use of evidence, while learning important vocabulary such as past, present, artefact, timeline and technology. By the end of the unit, children will be able to explain how toys have changed across generations and use a range of historical sources to support their ideas.
Year 3 - Stone Age to Iron Age
Throughout the unit, children will look at the disciplinary concept of continuity and change; a lot of things stay the same for a very long period of time (for example, there is very little change in housing until well into the Iron Age.) However, in another sense, quite a few dramatic changes take place that completely change the lives of people of Britain, such as the introduction of farming. The children will also look at sources and evidence in each lesson. The children will be introduced to some important discoveries that archaeologists have made, such as Skara Brae and Must Farm, which will help them see first-hand how interpretations about the past can be constructed from the objects left behind. The children will also look at how human remains can teach us about British people in the past, such as the discovery of the ‘Cheddar Man’, who would have had dark hair, light eyes and dark skin, and was a Mesolithic hunter-gatherer. Studying this unit helps children to understand the history of Britain as a coherent, chronological narrative, starting from the earliest times.
Year 4 - Ancient Greece
Children will see examples of realistic sculptures and statues that the Greeks created and will learn how their artistic style went on to influence the Roman art of the Renaissance. Children will encounter Alexander the Great and will learn about how he built a vast empire. They will use their knowledge of world geography to recognise the size of Alexander’s empire and will begin to understand how culture, religion and language can spread as an empire grows. Children will learn about the development of Athenian Democracy and will contrast the values held by the citizens of Athens with those of the war-focussed Spartans. Importantly, children will see how long-held hatred between enemies can be put aside when an outside threat, King Darius and his Persian Army, required the city-states to unite to defend Greece from invasion. Studying this period of history provides children with a fascinating insight into how Greeks from different city states lived, the Gods they worshipped and the stories they told of monsters, heroes, challenges and bravery. It equips them with an understanding of what a legacy is; how there are things in our lives, such as how we vote, words we speak, sports we participate in, stories we tell, that remain from an earlier time.
Year 5 – The Victorians
During this unit, the children learn about the significant life of Queen Victoria: both her personal life and some of her decisions as a monarch, including her involvement with the British Empire. In addition to the political context of this time, this unit also delves deeper into the social aspects of Victorian Britain, looking in particular at the lives of the poor. During the unit, children will consider the similarities and differences between the lives of the rich and the poor in Victorian England. Children will have access to primary sources to explore what it was like to live in a Victorian slum or workhouse and discuss how attitudes to the poor were reflected in new legislation. The children will also learn about more positive aspects of the Victorian period, looking at the significance of the Great Exhibition and the growth in technology and new discoveries made by the Victorians. This will build on children’s previous learning about the Industrial Revolution. The children will complete the unit by looking at the legacy of the Victorians, analysing the similarities and differences between life in the 1900s and life in Britain today and considering the question, what has changed/stayed the same since the Victorian era. During this unit, children build on their knowledge of the substantive concepts of monarchy, industrialisation, urbanisation, empire, imperialism and poverty.
Year 6 - World War I
This unit focusses on developing two key substantive concepts: Empire and War. An understanding of the role that empire played in European politics at this time is essential to understanding the growing tension that eventually sparked the First World War. The children will begin this unit by looking at the causes that led to the war. They will be able to use their existing knowledge of the British Empire to understand how the desire to create vast empires, and the growing conflict, distrust and dislike amongst European powers meant that the assassination of one person – Archduke Franz Ferdinand – was enough to spark a world war that took the lives of millions of people. During this unit, the children will be able to apply their knowledge of previous wars, such as the Seven Years' War, to look at the similarities and differences between wars fought in the past and World War I. Many historians have argued that World War I was the first truly modern war and the children will be able to explore and discuss the reasons behind this. They will be able to use their knowledge of industrialisation to look at how the role of new technology resulted in the introduction of new weapons such as armoured tanks. Children will continue to build upon their understanding of war tactics, such as trench warfare, and weaponry. While this unit analyses the political context of World War I, looking at the causes and consequences of wartime, it is also dedicated to learning about what life was like for people at that time. Children will have access to oral history to learn about life on the Western Front. This includes accounts from British soldiers as well as an Indian solider, recruited from the empire to fight for Britain. In contrast, the children will learn about the lives of those on the Home Front and the important role that women, and even children, played in supporting the war effort.
