Aims and purposes of history
History teaching offers opportunities to:
- develop children's sense of identity through learning about the development of Britain,
Europe and the world;
- introduce children to what is involved in understanding and interpreting the past.
Content of history at key stages 1 and 2
Key stage 1
In key stage 1, history is about the lives and lifestyles of familiar people in the recent past and about famous people and events in the more distant past, including those from British history.
Children:
- learn about familiar and famous people and about events from the recent and more distant past in Britain and elsewhere;
- look for similarities and differences between life today and in the past and use common words associated with the passing of time;
- talk and write about what happened and why people acted as they did;
- find out about the past using different sources of information and representations.
Key stage 2
In key stage 2, history is about people and important events and developments from recent and more distant times in the locality, in Britain and in other parts of the world.
Children:
- find out about people and important events and developments from recent and more distant times, making links across different periods of history;
- learn about different aspects of local, British and world history;
- discuss why things happened or changed and the results;
- carry out historical enquiries using a variety of sources of information and look at how and why the past is interpreted in different ways;
- use their understanding of chronology and historical terms when talking or writing about the past.
Language and communication
Children:
- develop language skills through talking about their work and presenting their own ideas using sustained and systematic writing of different kinds;
- use historical language and draw maps and diagrams to communicate historical information;
- read historical fiction and non-fiction and extract information from sources such as reference books, CD-ROMs and the Internet.
Values and attitudes
Children:
- learn about the experiences of people in the past, and why they acted as they did;
- develop respect for and tolerance of other people and cultures;
- learn how people in the past have changed the society in which they lived;
- develop respect for evidence and the ability to be critical of the evidence;
- develop an understanding of right and wrong and the ability to handle moral dilemmas in a responsible way.
Building on children's earlier experiences
Many children will have attended nursery and reception classes where they will have had opportunities to find out and learn about the world in which they live and to develop a range of skills. These experiences are likely to have included:
- talking about their families and past and present events in their own lives;
- showing sensitivity to the needs and feelings of others;
- showing respect for people of other cultures and beliefs;
- listening and responding to stories, songs, nursery rhymes and poems;
- taking part in role plays;
- exploring objects and looking closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change;
- comparing, sorting, matching, ordering and sequencing everyday objects;
- talking about their observations and asking questions to gain information about why things happen and how things work.
This scheme aims to build on these early experiences.
Expectations
Broad issues of progression can be expressed as expectations for each key stage.
By the end of key stage 1, most children will be able to:
- speak and write about familiar and famous people and events from the recent and more distant past, using everyday terms concerned with the passing of time;
- distinguish between aspects of their own everyday lives and the lives of people in the past;
- identify some ways in which the past is represented;
- find out about the past by asking and answering questions using a range of sources of information.
By the end of key stage 2, most children will be able to:
- describe the contribution made by people, events and developments in the recent and more distant history of Britain and other countries and make links across the periods of history studied;
- give some reasons for, and results of, main events and changes and provide explanations about why people in the past acted as they did;
- find out about the past by asking and answering questions using a range of sources of information;
- give some explanations for the different ways the past is represented and interpreted;
- record their knowledge and understanding about the past in a variety of ways using dates and historical terms.
Features of progression
Progress in history can be characterised by:
- asking and answering more complex questions;
- making links and connections between different areas of learning;
- recognising patterns and categorising;
- understanding more abstract concepts;
- providing more reasoned explanations;
- understanding what is more and less important;
- appreciating the relevance of learning;
- using a greater depth and range of historical knowledge to back up judgements;
- becoming independent in learning.
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