Adapting the scheme
Teachers who use this scheme may find that there are parts they wish to modify to meet the needs of children in their school. In deciding whether, or how, to use this scheme of work, individual schools may wish to consider:
- whether opportunities offered by the circumstances of the school suggest particular units or aspects should be emphasised or expanded;
- whether the material should be adapted to meet the needs of the children, particularly if they are not attaining at levels broadly appropriate for their age;
- whether the material should be adapted to meet the needs of any gifted or talented children in the school;
- whether the attainments of the children in the school are such that adaptation alone will not provide a relevant structure for teaching history. This may be the case for some children with significant learning difficulties. In this case, schools may wish to use the exemplar scheme as a resource for developing a scheme that offers children opportunities to experience a range of work across the key elements drawn from the programme of study.
In history, it is important that schools design plans that maximise the opportunities provided by the local area. The exemplar units may therefore need adapting to each school's own needs.
Teachers may wish to consider the extent to which the exemplar units need amendment in the light of their response to the following questions:
- What features of the local area can be used to enhance the units? (For example, historic houses, museums, galleries and other sites.)
- How can children's own experience be built on?
- How many of the resources identified are available already? Are there alternative resources that can be used?
- Are there aspects of existing schemes that need to be retained or incorporated to fulfil the school's aims and purposes?
In all schools, teachers are best placed to judge whether the learning objectives meet the learning needs of individual children and to adapt them to provide appropriate opportunities for all children to succeed. Some of the teaching activities will need to be adapted to ensure that children with special educational needs of all kinds may participate fully and demonstrate their achievements.
Assessing progress
Learning outcomes in each unit show how children can demonstrate what they have learnt within each unit. The work the children do will serve as a record for classes working on each unit. It is not necessary to make detailed records for each child in relation to these outcomes. The end of unit expectations provide broad descriptions of achievement within each unit and should help teachers decide where a child's progress differs markedly from that of the rest of the class. Teachers may wish to make a note of this, and the reasons for the difference, to pass on to the next teacher.
Links with other areas of the curriculum
English
Reading and writing are essential for the processes of finding out about and communicating an understanding of history. Discussion, drama and role play are aspects of the programmes of study for speaking and listening and are important ways for children to develop their understanding that people have different viewpoints and perspectives on history.
The key goal of history lessons should be to develop children's historical understanding. However, history lessons can also provide valuable opportunities to reinforce what children have been doing during the literacy hour and to apply it in a different context.
With careful planning, history texts and the reading and writing tasks completed in history can provide opportunities for children to develop and apply their skills and understanding of literacy. Some examples of the links that can be made between history and English are given in the table below.
The units of work provide an indication of where links between history and literacy and speaking and listening can be made in two places:
- the vocabulary section on the front of the units;
- the 'points to note' column.
| Activity |
History focus |
English focus |
Taking opportunities to focus on historical texts for reading comprehension
Read fictional and non-fictional accounts of bombing raids in the Second World War (
Unit 9)
Children read stories about different Greek gods (
Unit 14) |
- To learn about a past event from the history of Britain, using a written source of information
- To find out about the beliefs of the ancient Greeks
|
- To 'understand time and sequential relationships in stories'
- To 'identify and classify the features of myths, legends and fables'
|
Using history as a focus for writing composition
Ask the children to make labels and a guide book for a museum display of toys (
Unit 1)
Children write a response to the question What have been the most important changes in British life since 1948? (
Unit 13) |
- To communicate what has been learned about old toys in a variety of ways
- To demonstrate knowledge and understanding of changes, and their causes, in British life since 1948
|
- To write in a variety of ways
- To structure accounts
- To use writing frames as preparation for completing the task
|
Providing opportunities for speaking, listening and extended talk
A parent/carer talks about childhood seaside holidays. Children ask questions (
Unit 3)
Children prepare and debate the arguments about the benefits and disadvantages of building a railway in the area (
Unit 12) |
- To ask questions of an adult to find out about seaside holidays in the past
- To demonstrate some of the attitudes of different people to changes in the locality
|
- To listen carefully to the visitor and identify important information
- To consider how an argument can be made more persuasive
|
ICT and IT
Opportunities to use ICT (information and communications technologies), and links with IT (information technology) are indicated in the units. ICT is the facilities and features that support teaching and learning, eg CD-ROM sources of information and appropriate software. ICT can help children's learning in history:
- by enhancing their skills of historical enquiry;
- by providing access to a range of information sources, many of which are unavailable in any other form;
- by supporting the development of their understanding of historical patterns and processes.
Where units involve the collection of data, analysis can be assisted by the use of a database or spreadsheet. Many units may be enhanced by source material from CD-ROMs or the internet. An example of links that can be made between history and IT is given below.
| Activity |
History focus |
IT focus |
| Why do we remember Florence Nightingale? (
Unit 4) |
- To order the events in Florence Nightingale's life correctly
- To identify why she is remembered today
|
- To word-process the story and use a word bank to improve the account
- To use a CD-ROM encyclopedia for research purposes
|
Other subjects
Where there are opportunities for links with schemes of work in other subjects, notably science, geography, and design and technology, these are made explicit. Opportunities to link with other curriculum subjects, for example art, religious education, physical education, are also highlighted.
Work at home and outside lessons
Many units provide opportunities for teachers to set worthwhile tasks that can be completed outside formal teaching time. Suitable tasks to set include:
- finding out more information from family, friends and other adults;
- collecting material from home;
- collecting data and information by researching topics at home, in local libraries and via the internet;
- visiting places of historical interest in the locality.
Children could also be given opportunities to practise some of the skills of investigative work. They could think of questions to ask about a topic, and ways to find out the answers.
Modifying existing plans
Currently schools are not required to teach the full programmes of study in the foundation subjects at key stages 1 and 2, although they may continue to do so if they wish. Schools that are moving towards a stronger emphasis on literacy and numeracy are still required to provide a broad and balanced curriculum and to have regard to the programmes of study. They must continue to teach history.
Where schools wish to reduce the time spent on history, they may find it helpful to look at how they can retain a balance of the key elements and of coverage of personalities and events in the recent and distant past in the local area and more widely.
Find out more about getting around the schemes of work
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