Curriculum Principles
We believe the study of history inspires children’s curiosity, encourages them to ask critical questions and enables them to have a better understanding of their own local and global community, unlocking the potential of every child. When children leave Great Dunham, they will have developed an awareness of the past and be confident historians. They will have developed an understanding of significant events and figures that have played key roles in global, national and local development. History is the focus subject of the Autumn term project but interconnects with other subjects within the learning in Spring and Summer terms.
The EYFS framework (2021) states that Understanding the World requires children to make sense of their physical world and their community.
We teach the children:
- Historical knowledge~ people, events and developments from the past
- Skills~ researching and communicating findings
- Concepts~ change, continuity, causation, consequence, similarity, difference and significance
Progression in History involves developing :
Chronological knowledge / understanding (including characteristic features of periods) EYFS: Use everyday language related to time; Order and sequence familiar events; describe main story settings, events and principal characters; Talk about past and present events in their own lives and in lives of family members KS1: Develop an awareness of the past; Use common words and phrases relating to the passing of time; Know where all people/events studied fit into a chronological framework; Identify similarities / differences between periods KS2: Continue to develop chronologically secure knowledge of history; establish clear narratives within and across periods studied; Note connections, contrasts and trends over time
Historical terms eg empire, peasant EYFS: Extend vocabulary, especially by grouping and naming, exploring meaning and sounds of new words. KS1: Use a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms KS2: Develop the appropriate use of historical terms
Historical enquiry – Using evidence / Communicating ideas EYFS: Be curious about people and show interest in stories; Answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions … in response to stories or events; Explain own knowledge and understanding, and asks appropriate questions; Know that information can be retrieved from books and computers; Record, using marks they can interpret and explain KS1: Ask and answer questions; Understand some ways we find out about the past; Choose and use parts of stories and other sources to show understanding KS2: Regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions ; Understand how knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources; Construct informed responses by …; Selecting and organising relevant historical information
Interpretations of history KS1: Identify different ways in which the past is represented KS2: Understand that different versions of the past may exist, giving some reasons for this
We use questions relates to these key concepts to underpin all historical enquiry and develop them through regular re-visiting in a range of contexts:
Continuity and change in and between periods EYFS: Look closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change; Develop understanding of growth, decay and changes over time KS1: Identify similarities / differences between ways of life at different times KS2: Describe / make links between main events, situations and changes within and across different periods/societies
Cause and consequence EYFS: Question why things happen and give explanations KS1: Recognise why people did things, why events happened and what happened as a result KS2: Identify and give reasons for, results of, historical events, situations, changes
Similarity / Difference within a period/situation (diversity) EYFS: Know about similarities and differences between themselves and others, and among families, communities and traditions KS1: Make simple observations about different types of people, events, beliefs within a society KS2: Describe social, cultural, religious and ethnic diversity in Britain & the wider world
Significance of events / people: EYFS: Recognise and describe special times or events for family or friends KS1: Talk about who was important e.g. in a simple historical account KS2: Identify historically significant people and events in situations
We use guidance from the Historical Association and other resources to support our work.
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