History

Intent

Our Longwick History curriculum is designed with a clear intent to instil in our students a deep understanding and appreciation for the importance of chronology in historical learning and how their own personal history fits within it. We believe that chronological awareness is a fundamental skill that enables our pupils to comprehend the past, make connections between events and eras, and develop a coherent historical narrative. By being able to place themselves and different topics studied throughout their education within a clear chronology, our students will be better equipped to critically analyse historical developments, draw meaningful comparisons, and appreciate the significance of cause and effect.

Aims

Foster Historical Understanding: Our curriculum aims to cultivate a solid foundation of historical knowledge, emphasising the progression of events over time. By studying history chronologically, students will grasp the sequences and patterns that have shaped human civilization, leading to a more profound comprehension of the present world.

Develop Analytical Skills: We strive to develop our students' analytical thinking by encouraging them to identify key turning points, significant developments, and long-term trends. Through chronological exploration, they will learn to question the relationships between events, identify consequences, and draw informed conclusions.

Make Meaningful Connections: Chronology aids in establishing meaningful connections between different historical periods, enabling students to perceive the links between cause and effect across time. By understanding how events from the past relate to present-day situations, learners can apply historical lessons to contemporary issues. Our students can then recognise how historical events have shaped the world in which the live and have had direct impacts on them, their family and community.

Encourage Historical Empathy: Exploring history allows our pupils to place themselves in the shoes of people from the past. By understanding the context in which events occurred, they can develop empathy and a more nuanced understanding of the motivations, beliefs, and challenges faced by historical figures.

Promote Critical Thinking: Through inquiry, we encourage our students to evaluate historical sources critically. By exploring different perspectives, they will develop the skills to assess the reliability and bias of historical evidence, promoting a well-rounded understanding of the past.

Foster a Sense of Identity and Belonging: By understanding the sequence of historical events, students can develop a sense of identity and belonging to their local, national, and global communities. This knowledge instils pride in heritage and appreciation for the contributions of diverse cultures and civilizations.

Implementation

To achieve our curriculum intent, we will use Plan Bee resources to deliver the following key strategies:

Progressive Chronological Learning: The curriculum will be designed to build upon previous historical knowledge, introducing students to more complex historical periods as they progress through primary school.

Visual Timelines: Visual aids, such as timelines and historical charts, will be used to reinforce the concept of chronology and illustrate the sequence of events in history. This will be done by frequent reference to our bespoke school timeline found in KS2 area as well as in-class timelines that build and develop throughout each topic and over the year.

Inquiry-Based Learning: Our lessons will be centered around historical inquiries that challenge students to investigate primary and secondary sources, encouraging them to think critically and analyze historical evidence.

Thematic Studies: While focusing on chronology, we will incorporate thematic studies that allow students to explore historical periods in more depth, drawing connections between various historical themes and eras.

Engaging Resources: We will use a variety of age-appropriate resources, including artifacts, literature, multimedia, and guest speakers, to make history come alive and enhance students' understanding of different time periods.

Cross-Curricular Links: We will integrate history with other subjects, fostering interdisciplinary learning opportunities and demonstrating how history connects with various aspects of life.

Educational Visits: Excursions to local historical sites and museums will provide tangible experiences and opportunities to see historical artifacts and architecture in person.

Key Documents

May Garland

May Garland made as part of our Local History topic by year 2 and other children with donations from a local florist.

Longwick historians at work

Characteristics of a Historian

An excellent knowledge and understanding of people, events, and contexts from a range of historical periods and of historical concepts and processes.
The ability to think critically about history and communicate ideas very confidently in styles appropriate to a range of audiences.
The ability to consistently support, evaluate and challenge their own and others’ views using detailed, appropriate and accurate historical evidence derived from a range of sources.
The ability to think, reflect, debate, discuss and evaluate the past, formulating and refining questions and lines of enquiry.
A passion for history and an enthusiastic engagement in learning, which develops their sense of curiosity about the past and their understanding of how and why people interpret the past in different ways.
A respect for historical evidence and the ability to make robust and critical use of it to support their explanations and judgments.
A desire to embrace challenging activities, including opportunities to undertake high-quality research across a range of history topics.