History

History

At Stonehill School we want the teaching pf History to inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past. Children should have a deepening knowledge of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. Our History curriculum aims to promote this curiosity and ensures full coverage of the national curriculum.

Our aim is to ensure children:

know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind
know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’
understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses
understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed History – key stages 1 and 2 2
gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.

At Stonehill School we aim to teach History through interesting, engaging lessons with historical enquiry at their core.

We intend to do this by:

Ensuring our children have access to a high quality History curriculum that clearly covers all aspects of the curriculum.
Providing a stimulating, challenging and engaging learning environment.
Ensuring children are curious historians who are not afraid to ask questions and investigate them further.
Fully developing independent learners with inquisitive minds who have secure historical knowledge and enquiry skills and a keen interest in expanding this knowledge throughout their lives.

History Topics

All history projects are taught in the autumn and summer terms, with opportunities for pupils to revisit historical concepts in some of the spring term geography projects.

Summer Term

Year 1 School Days	This project teaches children about their own school and locality, both today and in the past. They compare schooling in the Victorian era to their experiences today.
Year 2 Magnificent Monarchs	This project teaches children about the English and British monarchy from AD 871 to the present day. Using timelines, information about royal palaces, portraits and other historical sources, they build up an understanding of the monarchs and then research six of the most significant sovereigns.
Year 3 Emperors and Empires	This project teaches children about the history and structure of ancient Rome and the Roman Empire, including a detailed exploration of the Romanisation of Britain.
Year 4 Ancient Civilisations	This project teaches children about the history of three of the world’s first ancient civilisations: ancient Sumer, ancient Egypt and the Indus Valley civilisation. Children will learn about the rise, life, achievements and eventual end of each civilisation.
Year 5 Groundbreaking Greeks	This project teaches children about developments and changes over six periods of ancient Greek history, focusing on the city state of Athens in the Classical age, and exploring the lasting legacy of ancient Greece.
Year 6 Britain at War	This project teaches children about the causes, events and consequences of the First and Second World Wars, the influence of new inventions on warfare, how life in Great Britain was affected and the legacy of the wars in the post-war period.

Autumn Term

Year 1 Childhood	In the Childhood project, your child will learn words and phrases related to the passage of time. They will explore artefacts to help them to understand childhood in the past and how childhood has changed over time. They will explore the six stages of life and explore timelines and family trees. Everyday life in the 1950s will be explored, including shopping, transport, family life and childhood. They will also learn about the significance of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953 by studying photographs and online sources. The children will use maps to explore how places have changed over time and highlight any similarities or differences between childhood today and childhood in the 1950s. At the end of the project, they will create knowledge organisers for children who are about to study the topic of childhood.
Year 2 Movers and Shakers	In the Movers and Shakers project, your child will learn five statements from Dawson's model that will help them identify people who are historically significant and use the words year, decade and century to describe dates and times. They will study the life and impact of a significant person in the locality and of 10 significant individuals from around the world. They will complete in-depth studies of significant explorers Christopher Columbus and Neil Armstrong, and significant activists Emmeline Pankhurst and Rosa Parks and think carefully about the impact of their actions. The children will also carry out an independent study of a significant person from the past and learn about people who are significant today. They will also learn how significant people are commemorated and design a memorial for a person they have studied.
Year 3 Through the Ages	In the Through the Ages project, your child will learn about three different periods of British prehistory: the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. They will discover terminology relating to time and sequence dates to make a timeline. They explore the changes to people, homes and lifestyle throughout the different periods and investigate examples of prehistoric settlements, monuments, burials and artefacts in detail. They will also study how technology improved over time, including how the discovery of different metals changed the way that people lived.
Year 4 Invasion	In the Invasion project, your child will explore the effects of the Roman withdrawal and the chronology and geography of subsequent invasions. They will study the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings in detail, examining their reasons for invading, their settlements and their everyday life. Your child will also look at monasteries and the Anglo-Saxon legacy. They will consider how we know about life in this period and investigate the Sutton Hoo ship burial. They will learn about Athelstan, an Anglo-Saxon king, and what happened after his death, before ending the project by learning about the Norman invasion of 1066.
Year 5 Dynamic Dynasties	In Dynamic Dynasties, your child will learn about periods of ancient Chinese history. They will explore a timeline of the first five Chinese dynasties and learn about the legends surrounding the beginning of Chinese civilisation. They will take a deep dive into the history of the Bronze Age Shang Dynasty and explore evidence found in the ancient city of Yin. They will study oracle bones, learn about religious beliefs and explore bronze artefacts that set the Shang Dynasty apart from other civilisations. They will also study the hierarchy of the Shang Dynasty and discover who was powerful and who was powerless. They will look at warfare and find out how bronze technology gave the Shang Dynasty an advantage over their enemies. They will learn about the life of the great military leader, Fu Hao. The children will then look at significant aspects of life after the Shang Dynasty, including the work of Confucius in the Zhou Dynasty, the short but significant reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin Dynasty and the importance of the Silk Road created by the Han Dynasty. To end the project, your child will find out how ancient China’s lasting legacy can be seen in the world today.
Year 6 Maafa	In the Maafa project, your child will learn about Africa today and the ancient kingdoms that thrived on the continent for thousands of years. They will learn about the origins of the transatlantic slave trade in the 15th century and Britain’s involvement from the time of Elizabeth I, when John Hawkins became the first British slave trader. Your child will understand the structure of the transatlantic slave trade and the consequences of enslavement for enslaved people. They will also discover how the people of Britain benefited from the money and goods produced by the slave trade. They will learn about the causes and consequences of the abolition of slavery in the 19th century, the worldwide African diaspora and the European colonisation in Africa. They will explore the lives and actions of black people in 20th century Britain. They will understand how the Race Relations Act of 1965 became the first piece of British legislation to tackle racial discrimination and know that the Equality Act 2010 provides people with protection against racism and other forms of discrimination, today. Your child will also explore the lives of black people who have made significant contributions to Britain and will celebrate black culture in Britain today.