Intent
The intent of our Meadowside History Curriculum is to shape children who:
· understand their place in the world, and in the long story of human development
· are engaged learners that can strive to make sense of the similarities and differences in the long story of human development.
· have a good chronology of the historical eras and events they are studying
For each subject, we use an aspirational Golden Thread statement that is important to our school vision and values at Meadowside. We have considered how each subject can help the children in their journey to secondary school and beyond.
Our Meadowside Golden Thread for History is:
To be able to understand historical events in order to learn from the mistakes & successes of the past.
History Coverage across year groups and topics
Implementation
At Meadowside Primary School, we teach history within our main topic themes. We use a range of approaches from storytelling, drama, visiting actors and investigating artefacts to using books, technology and other secondary sources. Our curriculum carefully follows a progression of knowledge and skills based on National Curriculum objectives. In history lessons, children will be encouraged to make links with prior learning and where appropriate, make links with their own lives and experiences.
Impact
The children are assessed throughout the year by their class teacher, based on the work being produced in class. Three times a year, the History subject leader will hold a pupil voice session to moderate the assessment judgements made by the class teacher. This gives our subject leader the chance to see strengths and areas for development in the teaching and learning of History at Meadowside.
How can I support my child with learning in history?
There are many sites to visit on the internet and it is a valuable tool to build knowledge. However, please ensure that your child is safe online and that they do not just accept opinions relating to historical events. Encourage older children to question a source of information. Consider: who is presenting the information, why they might hold that point of view, if there is another point of view and what else might they be able to deduce or infer.
In Gloucestershire and wider afar in the United Kingdom, we are fortunate to have access to so many places of historical interest. Fostering curiosity by encouraging a child to make comparisons between life today and at various points in the past is a great way to help them make meaningful links and to understand the world we live in. Perhaps one of the more intimate ways of encountering history is for children to talk to older relatives about changes that have occurred in their lifetimes. For example, primary children find it hard to conceive of a time not so long ago when technology was perhaps not so embedded into our daily lives!
Here are a few ideas to stimulate curiosity outside of school!
· From a safe distance, look at a partially built house or development. Have settlements always been constructed this way? What materials/ methods have been used?
· Talk to an elderly relative or trusted person about their childhood. Were there any conflicts that they remember, for example, the Falkland War and how they felt when peace returned.
· Visit a castle or old building and try to recreate a version using Lego or Minecraft.
· Go to Gloucester Museum and find out five interesting facts about their city to share with friends.
· Use Purple Mash or create a PowerPoint to share something about the past that has captured their interest.
· Go to the library and discover a wealth of books relating to history; Horrible Histories books and programmes are great fun and a good way of acquiring knowledge.
· Visit the National Archives and hear the past come alive again with voice recordings that have been stored for future generations to access.
Useful websites
