History

Intent

In history, at Dame Dorothy Primary, we aim to stimulate all children’s interest and understanding about the life of people who lived in the past. We teach children a sense of chronology and to discover links and connections to the history they learn. We carry out a local history topic each year, where the children are given an area of local heritage to research and investigate, hence understanding the legacy that has been passed down to them. Children at Dame Dorothy Primary develop their knowledge and explanations of change and continuity over time. By considering how people lived in the past, they are better able to make their own life choices today. We teach them to investigate past events and, by doing so, develop the skills of enquiry, analysis, interpretation and problem-solving.

 Implementation

At Dame Dorothy Primary, we encourage greater learner involvement in children’s work. This requires deeper thinking and encourages learners to work using investigation and enquiry. Our history curriculum is planned and sequenced so that new knowledge and skills build upon previous learning. Key drivers within history units are:

• Teaching of subject specific vocabulary
• Application and use of historical skills such as: analysis of primary and secondary sources; sequencing photographs, artefacts and events on a timeline; examining cause and effect
• Open homework tasks to develop home-school bond within learning
• Showcasing/communicating their information/knowledge/findings in a variety of ways
• Revisiting key facts to aid long term memory

Impact

Pupils at Dame Dorothy Primary will be increasingly aware of how historical events have shaped the world they currently live in. They will also have a further understanding of history on a local level. Children will have a better understanding of where events happened in history, improving their knowledge of the past. They will become increasingly critical and analytical with their thinking, making informed and balanced judgements based on their knowledge of the past. Children will develop enquiry skills to pursue their own interests within a topic, leading to a greater depth and understanding of the topic. The end of key stage content is known and built upon through school. This is measured by:

• Pupil voice
• Book monitoring
• Teacher/parent voice
• End of unit tasks

Quote; We are not makers of history. We are made by history: – Martin Luther King, Jr.