History
We shine brightly in History when we use our skills as a historian to find out about the past. Our History Curriculum includes Golden threads which have been carefully chosen to enable our children to make connections and comparisons between people, places and periods of history. We have also included Big Questions for every topic which enables our children to not only develop their historical knowledge but also to gain the skills to question and think critically about evidence from the past. We have also selected individuals who Shine Brightly throughout our journey into the past. Our main aims in history are to:
- understand the history beneath our feet and gain a chronological understanding of key events in British history from the Stone Age to present day including significant local and national figures and events that have shaped Britain and consequently influenced the Wider World
- know the nature of ancient civilisations and empires and understand how the wider world has influenced Britain
- develop a historical vocabulary
- use historical skills such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity and difference and significance to explore and analyse history forming their own accounts.
- develop their skills of historical enquiry to look at evidence critically understanding differences in reliability and interpretation
Timelines
A good sequence of learning in History begins with the chronology linking the current period studied to what's gone before; please see our year group timelines which build year on year.
Golden Threads
Our history curriculum begins with 4 golden threads in the early years
- Time passes
- We grow and change over time
- Make and keep memories,
- Remember things together – communal memories
This then progresses into six golden thread which express some of the big ideas in history, there will be 2-4 of these in each History topic. They will help our children to make connections and compare different periods of history and as they move through the curriculum their understanding of each thread will deepen. Our six Golden Threads are:
Rulers - children will begin their understanding of King and Queens learning who is on the throne now in Reception and exploring Kings and Queens further in Castle and Knights in Y1. Children will move on to study Pharaohs and Emperors as they move through school and also look at what a Prime minister is.
Oppression – children will explore oppression through slavery (Christopher Columbus and Ancient Civilisations) , equality for women (Suffragettes WW1 Y4) and for African Americans (Rosa Parks Y2)
Invasion - the children will be able to explore the different causes and consequences of invasion and notice similarities and differences as they move through the curriculum.
Beliefs - children will look at the beliefs of ancient civilisations and compare these to belief systems around today. They will also look at the significance of the decision to split from Rome during the Tudor era and the impact on religion in Britain.
Inventions - as the children move through the curriculum they will learn about key inventions which will support their chronological understanding of events. These include inventions such as the television, cameras, printing press, the first photographs and various forms of transport.
Settlement - exploring where people live throughout the ages and why they lived there will help our children to understand continuity and change. From caves and huts in the Stone Age and Castles in medieval times to the grandeur of Tudor houses and the cramped houses on Newcastle's Quayside which led to the great fires.
We have also developed a history lesson sequence.
"We are not makers of history, we are made by history." Martin Luther King Jnr
In addition to our History Book Spine, which is full of texts to enhance the delivery of the history curriculum, our school library also has a range of history books for the children to read at their leisure.
| Well - nurtured | History by it's very nature is all about learning from mistakes in the past and exploring the lasting effect of people's actions and how they impact on others. These are concepts which we endeavour to help the children understand in their own behaviours and actions and how this can effect others. |
| Well - rounded |
We study a diverse range of individuals throughout our History Curriculum from Greta Thunberg in modern history to Henry VIII. We look into those influential figures from the North east such as George Stephenson and William Armstrong as well as those who came to the north east such as Mary Ann Macham, who escaped slavery in America and made a new life in North Shields, and Septimius Severus, the first African Roman Emperor who spent time at Hadrian's Wall.. |
| Well - equipped | Our children will develop a range of skills as they explore what it is to be a historian; they will think critically and question the evidence in front of them and be able to communicate their own opinions both verbally and in written form. They will have the tools to research areas of history and question the reliability of what they find which is an essential skill to develop in our digital age. |
| Well -read | Reading is everywhere in history from primary and secondary sources to stories and interpretations of sources; it will be a part of all lessons. In addition to non fiction texts, we have a history book spine including stories such as Stone Age Boy and The Corinthian Girl. These fiction texts help to spark our children's curiosity and engagement and help bring the history to life so children can gain a better understanding of what life was really like. |
| Well - connected | Our curriculum goes far beyond British History; we have included the Ancient Egyptians at the end of Year 2 as a transition topic which links to the Ancient Greeks studied at the start of Year 3 and then we move through to the Romans in Year 4. We look at how our own history has impacted on World events such as WWI and the far reaching effects of decisions made in the past such as the establishment of the Church of England during the Tudor period. |
