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History

History Curriculum Statement

What History looks like in Goodrich CE (VC) Primary School

Through our branches, a broad and balanced curriculum is provided to give our learners a range of skills, knowledge and experiences.’

At Goodrich Primary school we adopt a skills and knowledge-based curriculum which uses building blocks to develop an understanding of historical Big Ideas using various themes e.g. Romans.  We encourage children to reference previous learning before developing that building block further in a cyclical learning approach.  We base our history curriculum on Chris Quigley’s Curriculum Companion as it complements our know more, remember more approach to learning.

CURRICULUM INTENT

Curriculum Intent

What a History looks like in our school.

  • Opportunities to inspire children’s curiosity about the past.
  •  A variety of activities to provide children with the opportunity to explore what happened in the past, encouraging them to think about why these events happened, and more importantly, what we can learn from them.
  • Children working individually, in pairs and groups to develop key historical skills focusing on chronology, knowledge and understanding, historical interpretation, historical enquiry and organising and communicating their findings.
  • Historical topics to provide children with a coherent knowledge of Britain’s history and that of the wider world.

This is our philosophy:

  • Children learning through exploration and enquiry.
  • Children exploring how people lived in the past; looking for similarities and differences between different historical periods.
  • Children learning about the past and thinking about the effect it has had and considering how it shapes the world we live in today.
  • To provide children with a chronological awareness of our past

CURRICULUM INTENT

This is the knowledge and understanding gained at each stage:

By the end of EYFS pupils will: 

  • Have had an opportunity to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places and the environment.

 

By the end of Key Stage 1 pupils will: 

  • Pupils should develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time.
  • They should know where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods. They should use a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms.
  • They should ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events.
  • They should understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.

 

 

By the end of Key Stage 2 pupils will:  

  • Pupils should continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study.
  • They should note connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms.
  • They should regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance.
  • They should construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information.
  • They should understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources.

CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION

Curriculum Implementation

Please refer to:

  • National Curriculum Compliance document – to demonstrate that statutory requirements are met.
  • Building Block Coverage – to plot where building blocks are taught throughout the curriculum.
  • Long Term overview – to identify themes used to explore the building blocks.
  • Vocabulary document – words required to be taught in each milestone or class.
  • Theme webs – which summarise the key knowledge and skills to be acquired in each theme taught.
  • History Progression document – skills and knowledge to be taught in each building block by milestone or class.

This is how it works:

  • Children are given opportunities to develop their historical understanding through this themed approach.
  • The children will then progress with their knowledge and application of vocabulary as they move up throughout the year groups.
  • The skills are covered through carefully chosen themes that will enable the children to develop and use their knowledge of particular building blocks. Time periods are covered and taught through repetition across year groups to help ensure knowledge and understanding of chronology.
  • There may be a ‘hook’ to start the topic.
  • All children at Goodrich Primary School will get the opportunity to go on various trips to develop local, regional and global historical experiences.
  • Links with other areas of the curriculum are embraced to provide a more meaningful learning experience.
  • Lessons may be taught discreetly or as a block of lessons.

This is what the adults do:

  • Plan exciting progressive lessons which build on prior knowledge based upon historical skills and knowledge.
  • Support, encourage and nurture a love of History.
  • Create a learning environment that stimulates children’s interest in the period studied using artefacts, books, photographs and other sources of evidence and outside visitors.
  • Regular book scrutiny, learning walks, pupil meetings and planning audits. 
  • Whole school professional development.

This how we support:

  • We use teacher and self-assessment to quickly identify any child who requires additional support in specific areas.
  • We make cross curricular links whenever possible. 
  • Provide visual and practical prompts.

This how we challenge:

  • Lessons will be differentiated or adapted through challenge or support.
  • Additional activities/targets to stretch the learning within the lesson. 
  • Deeper thinking opportunities are given to help identify greater depth historians.
  • Revisiting sticky knowledge regularly

This how we ensure all children can access the curriculum:

  • To support all children, particularly those who have SEN or EAL needs, key vocabulary is referenced and specifically taught to extend the children’s use of vocabulary and develop greater access to the curriculum.
  • Seating children alongside good role models to support one another.
  • Frequent repetition and revisiting to help make knowledge stick. 
  • By providing visual/practical prompts.
  • Teaching lessons using a range of different techniques to appeal to different learning styles e.g. videos, interactive websites, drama, artefacts, texts etc.

 

 

CURRICULUM IMPACT

Curriculum Impact

At Goodrich Primary School, we recognise the importance of History in every aspect of daily life. Our History Curriculum facilitates sequential learning and long-term progression of knowledge and skills. Teaching and learning methods provide regular opportunities to recap acquired knowledge through high quality questioning, discussion, modelling and explaining to aid retrieval at the beginning and end of a lesson or unit. This enables all children to build on their prior knowledge and develop as Historians.

This is what you might typically see:

  • Happy, confident and engaged learners
  • Children practising and applying knowledge to different situations.
  • Children posing their own questions.
  • Children working cooperatively in paired/group work.
  • A classroom environment with displays including vocabulary, to support learning.
  • Children discussing, reflecting and sharing their learning.
  • TIPTOP learning

This is how we know how well our children are doing:

We have identified substantive and disciplinary knowledge which is fundamental to the children’s development and understanding as Historians.  They accumulate this as they move through our school which then gives them a firm foundation to build on when they move on to KS3 and beyond.

 

  • Analysis of assessments – use ‘sticky knowledge’
  • Marking and feedback which also includes peer assessment.
  • Lesson planned based on work done in previous year groups to ensure children are progressing.
  • Lessons are planned based on historical skills which are specific for each year group.
  • Formative assessment though questioning throughout the lesson.
  • Photographic/video evidence/ QR codes/ X (formerly Twitter)
  • Observations of children during investigation and exploration
  • Book scrutiny, pupil meetings and planning audits.
  • Use of surveys and questionnaires. 
  • Regularly monitoring of the standards of children’s work and the quality of teaching and learning in lessons

This is the impact of the teaching:

  • Children who enjoy history.
  • Children who are inquisitive and reflective learners.
  • Children who are able to demonstrate a variety of historical skills and understanding.
  • Children who are prepared to share what they’ve learnt in a variety of ways through using different medias.
  • Children who are passionate about history and ask questions to reason why.
  • Children who use acquired vocabulary within lessons.
  • Children will be ready for the next stage in their education. Pupils with SEND will achieve the best possible outcomes.
  • Children who can name significant individuals to their topic and explain their importance.

 

History Progression Document

HISTORY

Overview KS1 (Milestone 1)

HISTORY

Each Year (Special Days)

Year A

Year B

AUTUMN

GUNPOWDER PLOT

GOODRICH CASTLE/ GILPIN WYE TOUR

QUEEN ELIZABETH II

THE PLAGUE

THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON

SAMUEL PEPYS

SPRING

 

THE PRINTING PRESS

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

THE STEAM ENGINE

THE FIRST FLIGHT

MOON LANDING

NEIL ARMSTRONG

SUMMER

 

MARIE CURIE

FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE

MARY SEACOLE

TIM BERNERS-LEE

ROSA PARKS

EMILY DAVIDSON

 

Overview WOODPECKERS & OWLS KS2- Years 3&4 (Milestone 2)

HISTORY

Each Year (Special Days)

Year A

Year B

AUTUMN

REMEMBRANCE

ANCIENT EGYPT

ANGLO SAXONS

SPRING

 

THE ROMAN EMPIRE

BRONZE & IRON AGE

SUMMER

 

STONE AGE

THE VIKINGS

 

Overview OWLS KS2- Years 4&5 (Milestone 2/3)

HISTORY

Each Year (Special Days)

Year A

Year B

AUTUMN

REMEMBRANCE

ANCIENT EGYPT

ANGLO SAXONS

SPRING

 

THE ROMAN EMPIRE

BRONZE & IRON AGE

SUMMER

 

STONE AGE

THE VIKINGS

 

Overview PEREGRINES KS2- Years 5&6 (Milestone 3)

HISTORY

Each Year (Special Days)

Year A

Year B

AUTUMN

REMEMBRANCE

THE VICTORIAN ERA

THE SECOND WORLD WAR OR

THE TUDORS

SPRING

 

THE MAYA

EARLY ISLAMIC CIVILISATION

SUMMER

 

THE ANCIENT GREEKS & LOCAL STUDY COMPARISON

THE ANCIENT GREEKS & LOCAL STUDY COMPARISON

 

Our curriculum sets out progression in the form of three ‘Milestones’. The children work towards each Milestone for two years. During the first-year pupils attain an understanding of the skills set out in the Milestone and during the second year they develop an advanced or deeper understanding. Each Milestone contains a range of descriptors which provide details of the skills to be covered. Over a two-year period, students become more and more familiar with these details by exploring them in a breadth of contexts. This helps pupils to “know more” and “remember more.”

Links to learning in EYFS

Communication and language - Express themselves effectively, showing awareness of listeners’ needs. - Use past, present and future forms accurately when talking about events that have happened or are to happen in the future.

 

Understanding the World - Remember and talk about significant events in their own experience. - Talk about past and present events in their own lives and in the lives of family members. They know that other children don’t always enjoy the same things and are sensitive to this. They know about similarities and differences between themselves and others, and among families, communities and traditions.

Links to other subjects and curriculum areas

Art - exploring art from the period of history being studied / famous artists from this time and using this to inspire own work –

 

RE - the history of major religions, the link between their spread / change and global events (eg. the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire), religious beliefs of ancient peoples (eg. Egyptians & Mayans).

 

DT - constructing models and replicas of buildings, vehicles or armour from the past.

 

Science - the lives and impact of famous scientists.

 

English - reading for research, particularly original documents & writing to present and share findings.

 

Understanding the history of countries will almost always link to their human and physical geography - eg. rivers topic links to learning about Ancient Egypt when considering the importance of the Nile

 

Substantive knowledge – the historical facts we teach that form the narratives of the curriculum. Substantive knowledge In history, this is the knowledge and understanding of the key concepts taught within historical contexts including the key vocabulary. The substantive knowledge is progressive through conceptual development from Reception to year 6.

Disciplinary knowledge – this is how we make use of the facts that are learned. In history, the disciplinary knowledge is also the interpretation of some of the key concepts.

 

Year Group/ Milestone

Year 1 and 2 milestone 1

Year 3 and 4 milestone 2

Year 5 and 6 milestone 3

Investigate and interpret the past

• Observe or handle evidence

to ask questions and find

answers to questions about the

past.

• Ask questions such as: What

was it like for people? What happened? How long ago?

• Use artefacts, pictures, stories, online sources and databases to find out about the past.

• Identify some of the different

ways the past has been represented.

• Use evidence to ask questions and find answers to questions about the past.

• Suggest suitable sources of evidence for historical enquiries.

• Use more than one source of

evidence for historical enquiry in order to gain a more accurate understanding of history.

• Describe different accounts of

a historical event, explaining some of the reasons why the accounts may differ.

• Suggest causes and consequences of some of the main events and changes in history.

• Use sources of evidence to

deduce information about the past.

• Select suitable sources of evidence, giving reasons for choices.

• Use sources of information to

form testable hypotheses about the past.

• Seek out and analyse a wide range of evidence in order to justify claims about the past.

• Show an awareness of the

concept of propaganda and how historians must understand the social context of evidence studied.

• Understand that no single source of evidence gives the full answer to questions about the past.

• Refine lines of enquiry as appropriate.

Build an overview of world history

• Describe historical events.

• Describe significant people

from the past.

• Recognise that there are

reasons why people in the past acted as they did.

• Describe changes that have

happened in the locality of the school throughout history.

• Give a broad overview of life in Britain from ancient until medieval times.

• Compare some of the times

studied with those of other areas of interest around the world.

• Describe the social, ethnic,

cultural or religious diversity of past society.

• Describe the characteristic

features of the past, including

ideas, beliefs, attitudes and

experiences of men, women

and children.

• Identify continuity and change

in the history of the locality of

the school.

• Give a broad overview of life

in Britain from medieval until the Tudor and Stuarts times.

• Compare some of the times

studied with those of the other areas of interest around the world.

• Describe the social, ethnic,

cultural or religious diversity of

past society.

• Describe the characteristic

features of the past, including

ideas, beliefs, attitudes and

experiences of men, women

and children.

Understanding chronology

• Place events and artefacts in

order on a timeline.

• Label timelines with words or

phrases such as: past, present, older and newer.

• Recount changes that have occurred in their own lives.

• Use dates where appropriate

• Place events, artefacts and

historical figures on a timeline

using dates.

• Understand the concept of

change over time, representing this, along with evidence, on a timeline.

• Use dates and terms to

describe events.

• Describe the main changes in

a period of history (using terms

such as: social, religious, political, technological and cultural).

• Identify periods of rapid change in history and contrast them with times of relatively little change.

• Understand the concepts of

continuity and change over time, representing them, along with evidence, on a timeline.

• Use dates and terms accurately in describing events.

Communicate historically

• Use words and phrases such

as: a long time ago, recently,

when my parents/carers were

children, years, decades and

centuries to describe the passing of time.

• Show an understanding of

concepts such as civilisation,

monarchy, parliament,

democracy, and war and peace.

• Use appropriate historical

vocabulary to communicate,

including:

• dates

• time period

• era

• change

• chronology.

• Use literacy, numeracy and

computing skills to a good

standard in order to communicate information about the past.

• Use appropriate historical

vocabulary to communicate, including:

• dates

• time period

• era

• chronology

• continuity

• change

• century

• decade

• legacy.

• Use literacy, numeracy and computing skills to an exceptional standard in order to communicate information about

the past.

• Use original ways to present information and ideas.

History Sticky Knowledge

HISTORY

BIG IDEAS

INVESTIGATE & INTERPRET THE PAST

UNDERSTAND CHRONOLOGY

COMMUNICATE HISTORICALLY

BUILD AN OVERVIEW OF WORLD HISTORY

Building Blocks

Artefacts

Main Events

Vocabulary

Location

Food & Farming

Beliefs

Settlements

Culture & Pastimes

Travel & Exploration

Conflict

Society

 

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History Vocabulary

History

Milestone 1

Milestone 2

Milestone 3

EYFS

 

artefact

observe

past

present

recent

year

 

YEAR 1 and 2

 

appropriate

future

law

monarchy

nation

century

civilisation

decade

democracy

parliament

recount

represent

 

account

BCE (Before Common Era (Formerly BC)

CE (Common Era formerly AD)

cause

change

concept

consequence

culture

enquiry

ethnic

evidence

historical enquiry

historical source

locality ancient

medieval

primary source

represent

secondary source

social

society

source

analyse

bias

characteristic

culture

diverse

hypothesis

justify

propaganda

racial

reliable

suitable

testable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

History Recommended reads/ Websites/ Apps

Recommended reads for KS1

Recommended reads for KS2

Recommended Websites

KS1 History - BBC Bitesize

KS2 History - BBC Bitesize

KS1 History - BBC Teach

KS2 History - BBC Teach

Key Stage 1 History - Topmarks Search

Recommended Apps

The History of Everything

This vertical timeline gives users the ability to navigate, compare, and explore events over time, be it the birth of the Internet or the Big Bang. The beautiful illustrations and animations for every event help make learning more fun and interactive.