History
"We are not makers of history, we are made by history."
Martin Luther King Jr
Our History Lead is Mrs J Lunn
History Intent
Our curriculum engages and excites our pupils' curiosity about the past, developing a real interest in history. We want our pupils to become skilled historians, who analyse historical sources, think critically, weigh evidence and develop perspective and judgement.
Our curriculum will provide a high-quality history education that will help children gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that
of the wider world, helping develop their understanding of the world and build on their cultural capital. They will develop their understanding of chronology, make links between different periods of history, and develop their use of substantive concepts. Through conducting enquiries and questioning, pupils will form their own opinions and interpretations of the past.
History at Dronfield Juniors is ambitious and inspiring. Ambitious in our planning and learning opportunities, and inspiring through stimulating hands-on learning, trips and visitors that provide all children with an opportunity to explore and question the past.
History Implementation
History is taught for a whole term through a project approach. Each year group studies one period of history with a philosophical enquiry question at the heart of learning, which is selected specifically to engage and inspire our pupils in that age group.
Cross curricular links are made, creating a greater depth of study, thus enabling
children to have more opportunities to make associations and increase long-term memory.
Our curriculum has been developed using the objectives from the National Curriculum; planning of units of work and progression of skills / historical vocabulary devised through use of Historical Association resources.
Lessons begin by reflecting on prior learning and the use of vocabulary is a principle part of the learning process. Pupils are given the opportunity to use and develop a range of history skills: understand chronology, ask questions, explain events of the past, analyse and compare sources, gather evidence and communicate their knowledge in a variety of ways.
Learning is enhanced through ‘hook days’, school visits and visitors in school (eg. The History Van).
Pupils work individually, in mixed ability pairs or small groups to undertake enquiries. Learning is celebrated through an authentic outcome; pupils create posters showcasing their work at the end of a project, which are exhibited at local venues.
Teachers carry out formative assessment throughout the project and a summative
assessment of knowledge and skills at half term and end of project; enabling us to review progress and make any adjustments to teaching accordingly.
History
History Impact
Pupils are enthused by history and are engaged, curious and resilient in lessons. Regardless of ability, the pupils actively participate throughout their learning and, at times, devise historically valid questions.
Pupils are enthusiastic to talk about history using appropriate vocabulary, making reference to significant events and people from the past. They have an understanding of continuity and change and cause and consequence; they
have an awareness of how historical events have shaped the world today. They understand that our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources and that some are more useful and reliable than others. They are able to form their own opinions based on a range of evidence.
Our pupils are curious to find out more and make links between periods of history studied. Progress in history is evident from children’s books and assessments.
We hope that our history curriculum forms a foundation for life-long learning and enjoyment of history.
These are some of the websites we use for planning and teaching history:
BBC Bitesize - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes
The National Archives - https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources
Historical Association – https://www.history.org.uk
History news
October 2023 - I am sure that it will not have escaped your notice that this month is Black History month. There are some great resources on the BBC website at Black History Month 2024 - CBBC - BBC which would be good to share with your child to support what we are doing in school.
As a school, we do not necessarily do all our learning of different cultures during Black History month but rather where it fits within the concepts and topics we chose to study throughout the year. We have looked at women of black heritage from Science, Sport, Music and Politics. Children have also learned about Thomas Wiggins, a blind enslaved man who became a concert pianist and composer. As part of their work on the British Empire, our Y4s have looked at negative effects on the lives of slaves and the hardships endured by working on plantations.
