History Curriculum Intent
Our History curriculum is planned to provide rich and varied teaching that ignites our children’s curiosity about the past in Britain and the Wider World.
We want our children to be curious to know more about the past and to have the skills required to explore their own interests. History lessons focus on learning key facts about the past , working as historians and developing historical skills and we provide many opportunities for the curriculum to be enriched through historical visits, visitors and events held in school.
We aim for our children to be inspired, engaged and challenged. Children are encouraged to ask questions, think critically and weigh evidence. They will begin to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time.
We strive to ignite a love of learning, fascination and understanding of how the world has changed through time that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.
History Curriulum Implementation
The History curriculum at Aspire is covered in 3 units taught over the school year. These units are taught across the whole school and differentiated for the age and stage of each pupil. The content to be taught is clearly set out in knowledge organisers for each unit and includes relevant vocabulary to be taught. The units cover a range of local and Global History as well as significant events and people in the past and cover all National Curriculum objectives over a 4 year cycle.
Other relevant historical events may also be taught during the year eg: Remembrance Day.
Each unit is planned using 4 key questions:
- Who are we learning about?
- How do we know?
- When did they live?
- What did they do for us?
Where possible themes include hooks for the children which may be visiting workshops, whole school curriculum days or a relevant school trip. These both enhance the topic and encourage a love and excitement for learning.
Teachers are encouraged to use a range of resources such as artefacts, videos, photographs and written material during lessons to help create immersive learning experiences. Careful consideration is given to any worksheets used to ensure they are relevant and enhance learning.
Cross curricular links are made where possible and key learning is often reinforced with art and DT activities.
All classrooms have a history learning wall that is used throughout the unit to record answers to the key questions and showcase pupils' work and experiences.
History Curriculum Impact
The impact of our History curriculum is measured in a variety of ways: questioning during lesson time, listening to child-led discussion,using images/videos of children’s practical learning, marking children’s written work, talking to pupils across the school about their learning and book monitoring at the end of each History unit.
By teaching History skills and knowledge at Aspire we hope children will:
- be curious about events in History and want to learn more;
- know and understand key periods in the history of Britain;
- know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world;
- understand historical concepts, such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance;
- understand some methods of historical enquiry and decide on the validity of a range of sources;
- begin to gain historical perspective by looking at historical events from a variety of points of view
