History

‘the more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future.’

^{Theodore Roosevelt}

Intent

At Milton Mount, we are HISTORIANS! We believe learning about the past should be relevant, engaging and stimulating all children’s interests. We intend to help develop children’s sense of identity and cultural understanding based on their historical heritage and those of the ancient civilisations, enabling them to learn about and value their own and others’ cultures in modern-day Britain. This allows children to gain knowledge from the past and how this can impact the present/ future.

Our curriculum starts in the Early Years Foundation Stage focusing on Understanding the World area of learning: past and present, and continues through to Year 6, following the National curriculum content guidance.

Do More

The curriculum is structured and sequenced so that all children actively engage in enquiry-based lessons that they will be able to answer in detail at the end of each unit. Our aim is to plan, create and teach exciting lessons that include children engaging with history in a variety of ways, for example, investigating timelines, story-telling, drama, hot seating, debating and independent enquiry.

Know More

At the start of each unit, we try to help children understand what the world was like for that time of study. ‘World building’ helps create a sense of awareness of the place or time in which they are investigating. This also helps children to develop a sense of chronology recalling dates, times and events. Story telling plays a pivotal role in this, especially in Key Stage 1. This enables children to know the ‘why’, embedding a more in-depth understanding.

Remember More

Sticky starters are used at the start of each lesson which allows children to recall key dates, knowledge and information. 3 questions are asked: one from the previous week, one from the previous unit (term) and one from the previous year. This enables children to bring previous knowledge into current learning, helping them to make connections within the world around them.

Experience More

A combination of visitors, trips and a focus on first hand experiences help to ensure a memorable learning experience for all. Some trips have included: Gatwick airport in year 2, Egyptian day in Year 4 and a visit to Hever castle in Year 5.

Consider more

By doing, knowing, remembering and experiencing more, children at Milton Mount will have gathered a historical perspective of the world around them. They will be able to make links, connections to the substantive concepts we consider important at our school as well as generate their own lines of enquiry.

Implementation

Throughout the school, our substantive concepts are interwoven within our units. This will enable children to have a firm understanding of the key terms by the time they leave Milton Mount. Our concepts we have chosen are: Trade, Settlement, Empire and Power.

In EYFS, the history early learning goals are implemented through their key topic questions and every day routines such as the washing line in the classrooms using the key vocabulary: past, present, future. Stories are shared that draw reference on the past enabling children to make links with the wider world.

In Key Stage 1, children start to develop a sense of chronology and timelines through key events, people and places in more recent history. Children will develop this understanding through a more story-led approach, making links with other areas of the curriculum.

In Key Stage 2, British history is taught chronologically – starting with Stone age in Year 3 and moving through to World war 2 in Year 6. We feel this helps children to create a clear understanding of British history and how it has developed to present day. Each year group also teaches into an ancient civilisation which allows children to make further links, connections within history on a local and world-wide level.

History lessons in Key Stage 1 and 2 are planned around 2-3 enquiry questions per unit which are broken down into 6 lesson sequences. These are smaller step questions which, once taught, will enable children to answer the over-arching enquiry questions. Each lesson will be linked to the history progression document, enabling children to develop historical skills as a discipline.

Structure of a lesson.

1. Sticky starters are shown and discussed to help recap and draw on previous knowledge. These range from recalling dates and facts, to explain why or how and event happened. Children are encouraged to use their oracy skills to talk to their learning partner before recapping with the whole class. This enables the class teacher to address any misconceptions and ensure what knowledge children have been able to retain from the last lesson, last term and last year. (Remember more/ Know more)
2. The lesson sequence questions will then be shared with the children so they are aware of the journey of their learning. Teachers will link this to the bigger picture of which enquiry question this links to. Each lesson will link to a clear history skill such as developing chronology, looking at historical sources, historical interpretation. Classroom displays show this journey which aids as a visual reminder for the children to know what has been previously taught and where their learning is leading.
3. Teacher input can be led in a variety of ways - This might be through telling a story, sharing a timeline/ map, looking at artefacts or different types of evidence. Key questions will be used to develop discussions within the classroom. (Experience more)
4. Task – independent / paired / group. For children in the upper school, this might be recording and recalling what information they have acquired or using the history focus to help answer the lesson question. For children in the lower school this might be a sorting task, ordering or questioning activity. Teachers will think carefully about all needs in the classroom, supporting and differentiating the tasks to enable all children answer the lesson sequence question either as a group or independently. Challenge questions will be used to develop further children or previous learning. Key stage 2 are using topic books to record this learning whereas key stage 1 are using folders. (Do more/ Consider more).
5. Finally, children will have the opportunity to reflect on their learning and answer the lesson question if they have not already. This might lead to further questioning or an opportunity to share thoughts and opinions on a given topic. (Consider more).

Impact

Our aim is that through the delivery of our history curriculum, children will develop the following skills that we believe to be crucial for future success:

EYFS - Knowledge and Understanding of the World

• Talk about the lives of people around them and their roles in society.
•  Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.
• Understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling.

KS1

• An awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time.
• Know where events they study fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.
• Use a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms.
• Understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.
• Ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features and events.
• Start to develop an awareness of the substantive terms – settlement, trade Empire and power.

KS2

• Develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods studied.
• Make connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms.
• Have a clear understanding of the substantive terms – settlement, trade, Empire and power, and know where these fit into different places in history.
• Construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information.
• Regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarities and difference and significance.
• Understand how our knowledge if the past is constructed from a range of sources.