History at key stages 1 and 2 (Year 3/4)

Unit 18: What was it like to live here in the past?
Section 7: What was it like to live in our area in the past?

Objectives

Children should learn:

to synthesise what they have found out about the local area
to put their findings into chronological context
to contribute and cooperate as part of a group
to organise information and communicate it in a variety of ways appropriate to the audience

Activities

Outcomes

Children:

The results of the different activities can be organised and communicated to other audiences in various ways and children should consider the intended audience. For example:

Wall or table display
Ask groups to make detailed labelled drawings to surround a large picture or model of their chosen building, to show lifestyle, costume, transport.

Guide book
Decide, as a class, who the guide book is for, its format, content and length of text.

Tape/slide show
Plan a slide/tape presentation using a storyboard technique. Discuss with the children the best length for a presentation for a chosen audience and the number of slides that will be needed.

Oral presentation
What questions would the children ask if they became time travellers and visited their area in the past? Ask different groups of children to take on the role of experts on a particular place at a certain time, while the rest of the class ask them questions.

Drama
Give out a picture or an object associated with each building to small groups. Ask them to devise a story based on it and act it out.

Time line
Select a range of information from the presentation to create a class time line for the history of the local area.

make a presentation showing the knowledge and understanding of the history of the local area developed through the unit
present information in a way that is appropriate to the intended audience
produce an accurate class time line

Points to note

Ensure that the key questions that form the enquiries are made explicit by being used as headings.

Use ICT and links to other subjects, eg Geography, PSHE, English, where appropriate to support the children's presentation.

This activity provides an opportunity to explore with the children their own interpretations and representations of the past - how they are similar or different and the reasons why.

Use the time line as a consolidation of what has been learnt. Use dates carefully, try to work in larger blocks of time if possible.

Sections in this unit

<< previous section

This unit is divided into sections. Each section contains a sequence of activities with related objectives and outcomes. You can view this unit by moving through the sections or print/download the whole unit.


	1. What is our area like today?
	2. How can we use maps to explore how our area has changed?
	3. What can local buildings or sites tell us about the past?
	4. What do pictures and photographs tell us about past life in our area?
	5. Which written sources can we use?
	6. How can oral sources help us to find out about how people lived?
	7. What was it like to live in our area in the past?