History

 #foxhillhistory

History at Fox Hill

Intent

History is taught in a chronological context with a focus on subject disciplinary and substantive knowledge through the recurring historical concepts of:

We want children to think and behave like an Historian.  We want children to develop an enquiry based approach to learning that will help them to make connections between and within subjects and periods in history so that they remember key concepts and vocabulary that help them to make sense of history.  Children will be able to discuss the area of history in some depth. Children will have an understanding that other civilisations have contributed positively to Great Britain and left a legacy that has shaped our current lives and ways of working, learning from the past to inform our present and future and by doing so, developing our understanding of the importance of British Values.

At Fox Hill Primary School, we:

• Aim to deliver inspiring, engaging and exciting history lessons
• Keep the class working together so that all children can explore the past as a team
• Embed a rich vocabulary within every lesson to deepen children’s understanding of past events and key figures
• Revisit key vocabulary and concepts to ensure all children have a strong understanding of them and can provide examples from a range of units
• Aim to provide a wider picture of British and worldwide history through the use of an on-going timeline that is carried up with each class from year 3 to year 6.
• Encourage children to explore the links between different periods of study and countries in the world
• Spend a longer time on unfamiliar concepts, judging the needs of all children and classes individually and adapting our planning appropriately
• Demonstrate the skill of debate and how to assess the reliability of evidence thus allowing our children to become true historians
• Provide opportunities for children to ask their own questions and research potential answers independently
• Insist children show respect to others during any historical debate or discussion
• Expect a high level of literacy skills to be used within history lessons
• Encourage children in Upper KS2 to explore and compare the opinions of key historians, preparing them for KS3 History     

Implementation

Children are taught how to be a good historian using and applying disciplinary knowledge: thinking and behaving like a historian through the use of rich narratives, handling original and/or reproduced artefacts, visits to historical places and first and second-hand accounts. Children will build up and extend their substantive knowledge of historical events through an enquiry based approach to learning, they will be supported to make connections between historical concepts, other subjects and periods in history.  There is a focus on recurring concepts and vocabulary to help children to retain that knowledge, make connections between past learning and help them to make sense of future learning.  Reading is central to provision.

What might you typically see?

• An introduction lesson at the beginning of each new topic that explores ‘Meanwhile, Elsewhere’ around the world and why the period is said to start at that point in time.
• An opportunity to carry out a ‘Knowledge Harvest’ at the beginning of each topic which then informs future planning
• Children accessing a range of materials- reports, artefacts, photos, websites, appropriate books, off site visits and visitors
• A ‘Big Question’ being posed to the class at the beginning of the study, which will guide the overall direction of teaching
• Whole class direct teaching with lots of opportunities to discuss and explore concepts, events and key figures  
• Talk partners of mixed ability (with lots of opportunities to talk and reason)
• Teachers using AFL to assess children’s understanding
• Children speaking in full sentences
• Children working in small groups to investigate, record and present their findings to their peers and teachers
• Children engaging in a respectful and informative debate
• The unit ending with a written answer to their overall ‘Big Question’ of that particular period of history
• The unit ending by exploring why it is said to end when it does and what comes next in British or worldwide history
• A class timeline displayed clearly within the room, including key dates, figures and vocabulary.
• Children ‘note-taking’ from resources rather than copying large amounts of text

How we provide additional support to those struggling and stretch and deepen the learning of the ‘rapid-graspers’:

• AFL will be used throughout lessons to determine a child’s level of understanding; class TAs may be used to support discussion for those children who need extra help.
• Teachers may plan short ‘pre-teaching’ sessions for those who need help understanding key concepts, events or vocabulary
• Children who have demonstrated that they have a secure understanding are challenged further through pre-planned deeper questions or by being asked to demonstrate their understanding of a key concept by finding examples from a previously taught period of history and discussing the similarities and differences e.g. trade, empire, invasion.
• Misconceptions are addressed to the whole class promptly
• Parents are kept up to date on their child’s progress and given ideas to support at home if necessary.

Impact

Children express what they know, remember and can do in a range of creative ways that showcases the substantive knowledge they have gained over a unit.  They will be able to articulate what a historian does and how they behave.  They will know that historians cannot be certain and that the validity of evidence needs always to be considered when seeking answers.

Formative assessment

• Immediate feedback and mini plenaries are used throughout lessons so that teachers can intervene swiftly to help pupils having difficulties
• Peer to peer feedback where appropriate
• Individual stamping or verbal feedback to any written pieces of work

Summative assessment

• Photographic evidence on the school P drive or in children’s learning logs
• Written pieces of work, particularly at the end of the unit addressing the ‘Big Question’