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History

History should inspire children’s curiosity to know more about the past. The knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past, and that of the wider world, helps children to understand their own identity as well as the diversity of societies, the process of change and the challenges of their time. History is an active study of the past which maintains a relevance to today’s life. Skills taught in History are skills which transfer to many areas of learning and life; perceptive questioning, critical thinking, weighing evidence, sifting arguments and developing perspective and judgement. We aim to ensure that children have a good understanding of the knowledge, skills and perspective they will need to become keen and able historians and to inspire their interest in finding out about the past.

Progression in history

Early Years

Chronological Understanding
Key Skills - using terminology, ordering and sequencing
 
  • Use simple words to talk about the passing of time
  • Talk about past and present events in their lives and in the lives of family members
  • Begin to organise events using basic chronology; recognising that things happened before they were born.
 
Range and Depth of Historical Knowledge
Key Skills – identifying, describing, explaining, making links and comparisons
 
  • Recognise and describe special times or events for family and friends
  • Comment on images of familiar situations in the past
  • Listen to and recall simple historical stories
  • Compare and contrast characters from those stories
 
Interpretations of History
identifying, interpreting, explaining events
 
  • Identify and talk about simple similarities and differences
 
Historical Enquiry
enquiry, using sources
 
  • Know that information can be retrieved from books and computers
 
Organisation and Communication
using terminology, selecting, organising, communicating, deploying
 
  • Use simple terms to talk about the passing of time
  • Connect and compare situations and characters to develop own ideas and talk about them
 

Year 1

 
Chronological Understanding
using terminology, ordering and sequencing
 
  • Use terms concerned with the passing of time
  • Recognise the difference between past and present in their own life and the lives of others
  • Sequence events or objects in chronological order
 
Range and Depth of Historical Knowledge
identifying, describing, explaining, making links and comparisons
 
  • Begin to describe similarities and differences between artefacts
  • Talk about simple similarities and differences between life at different times
  • Know and recount episodes from stories about the past, understanding key events
 
Interpretations of History
identifying, interpreting, explaining events
 
  • Begin to identify simple ways in which the past Is represented e.g. photos, paintings, artefacts, adults talking
 
Historical Enquiry
enquiry, using sources
 
  • Find answers to simple questions about the past from sources of information e.g. artefacts
 
Organisation and Communication
using terminology, selecting, organising, communicating, deploying
 
  • Communicate their knowledge through discussion, drawing, drama, making models, writing etc

Year 2

 
Chronological Understanding
using terminology, ordering and sequencing
 
  • Sequence photos etc from different periods of their life
  • Recognise that their own lives are different from the lives of people in the past
  • Sequence artefacts closer together in time
  • Place events on a simple timeline
 
Range and Depth of Historical Knowledge
identifying, describing, explaining, making links and comparisons
 
  • Confidently describe similarities and differences between collections of artefacts
  • Show knowledge and understanding of some of the main events and people they have studied
  • Begin to recognise why people did things, why events happened and what happened as a result
 
Interpretations of History
identifying, interpreting, explaining events
 
  • Identify ways that the past is represented
  • Talk about reliability of evidence
  • Compare pictures or photographs of people or events in the past
 
Historical Enquiry
enquiry, using sources
 
  • Use sources and evidence to ask and answer questions about the past based on simple observations
 
Organisation and Communication
using terminology, selecting, organising, communicating, deploying
 
  • Annotate photos
  • Use talk, drawing, role play, ICT, labelling, report writing  etc to communicate their growing knowledge

Year 3

using terminology, ordering and sequencing
 
  • Realise the past can be divided into different periods of time
  • Recognise some of the similarities and differences between times studied
  • Sequence several events or artefacts
  • Place the time studied on a timeline
 
Range and Depth of Historical Knowledge
identifying, describing, explaining, making links and comparisons
 
  • Find out about everyday lives of people in time studied
  • Compare with our life today
  • Identify reasons for and results of people’s actions
  • Understand why people may have wanted to do something
 
Interpretations of History
identifying, interpreting, explaining events
 
  • Identify and give reasons for the different ways in which the past is represented
  • Distinguish between different sources
  • Look at representations of the period e.g. Museum, cartoons etc
 
Historical Enquiry
enquiry, using sources
 
  • Use a range of sources to find out about a period
  • Ask and answer simple questions
  • Select and record information relevant to the study
 
Organisation and Communication
using terminology, selecting, organising, communicating, deploying
 
  • Use Historically accurate terms to talk about the passing of time
  • Communicate knowledge and understanding in a variety of ways including discussions, pictures, writing, annotations, drama, models
 

Year 4

Chronological Understanding
using terminology, ordering and sequencing
 
  • Use dates related to the passing of time
  • Understand more complex Historical terms e.g. BC/AD/Century
  • Place the time studied on a timeline, compare where it fits in to topics previously studied
 
Range and Depth of Historical Knowledge
identifying, describing, explaining, making links and comparisons
 
  • Develop a broad understanding of ancient civilisations
  • Use evidence to reconstruct life in the time studied
  • Identify key features and events of time studied
  • Begin to give a few reasons for, and results of, the main events and changes studied
 
Interpretations of History
identifying, interpreting, explaining events
 
  • Look at and evaluate the evidence available
  • Begin to evaluate the usefulness of different sources
  • Use text books and own growing historical knowledge
 
Historical Enquiry
enquiry, using sources
 
  • Use evidence to build up a picture of a past event
  • Ask and answer a variety of questions
  • Choose relevant material to present a picture of one aspect of life in past times
 
Organisation and Communication
using terminology, selecting, organising, communicating, deploying
 
  • Use historically accurate terms e.g. BC/AD/Century to talk about the passing of time
  • Construct own responses, beginning to select and organise relevant information
  • Display findings in a variety of ways
 

Year 5

 
Chronological Understanding
using terminology, ordering and sequencing
 
  • Use relevant terms and period labels
  • Make comparisons between different times in the past
  • Relate current studies to previous studies
  • Place current study on timeline in relation to other studies
  • Know and sequence key events of time studied
 
Range and Depth of Historical Knowledge
identifying, describing, explaining, making links and comparisons
 
  • Study different aspects of the life of different people
  • Compare an aspect of life with the same aspect in another period
  • Examine causes and results of great events and the impact on people
 
Interpretations of History
identifying, interpreting, explaining events
 
  • Offer some reasons for different versions of events
  • Compare different accounts of events from different sources – fact or fiction
 
Historical Enquiry
enquiry, using sources
 
  • Begin to identify primary and secondary sources
  • Answer and devise own historically valid questions
  • Use texts and internet for research with increasing confidence
  • Select relevant sections of information
 
Organisation and Communication
using terminology, selecting, organising, communicating, deploying
 
  • Use appropriate terms matching dates to people and events
  • Construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant information

Year 6

Chronological Understanding
using terminology, ordering and sequencing
 
  • Use relevant dates and terms
  • Describe characteristic features of past societies and periods showing factual knowledge and understanding of aspects of the history of Britain and the wider world
  • Identify changes within and across different periods
  • Sequence previously studied topics on a timeline to gain greater historical perspective
 
Range and Depth of Historical Knowledge
identifying, describing, explaining, making links and comparisons
 
  • Find out beliefs, behaviour and characteristics of people, recognising that not everyone shares the same views and feelings
  • Compare beliefs and behaviour with another time studied
  • Know key dates, characters and events of time studied
  • Give reasons for, and results of, main events and changes
 
Interpretations of History
identifying, interpreting, explaining events
 
  • Link sources and work out how conclusions were arrived at
  • Consider ways of checking the accuracy of interpretations – fact, fiction, opinion
  • Be aware that different evidence will lead to different conclusions
  • Use texts and internet for research
 
Historical Enquiry
enquiry, using sources
 
  • Recognise primary and secondary sources
  • Suggest omissions and the means of finding out
  • Bring knowledge gathered from several sources together in a fluent account
 
Organisation and Communication
using terminology, selecting, organising, communicating, deploying
 
  • Construct structured work, selecting and organising information and making appropriate use of dates and terms
 

 

    Monks Orchard Primary School

    The Glade, Shirley, Croydon, CR0 7UF
    020 8654 2570