History

At Sunnyfields, the children are very keen to learn about the past and they love their history lessons.

At Sunnyfields, we are teaching the 2014 New Curriculum; studying a range of historical periods, such as the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, the Romans, Saxons and Vikings and the Tudors. Generally speaking, the curriculum is arranged in chronological order so that the younger children learn about ancient civilizations of the past and older children study more recent times such as the Falklands and Second World War. We believe that it is important to cuild historical knowledge so that children learn aobut the famous people from the past, for example, Neil Armstrong and Christopher Columbus. We also find out all about famous events from a particular period in local history; the Great Fire of London for example. However, we are also very keen to ensure that children develop historical skills. Therefore, teachers will also organise various activities so that children can compare and contrast the past and the present, or between different periods and develop a chronological awareness. For example, pupils may be asked to compare and contrast an Anglo Saxon dwelling with a modern day home.

Teachers make learning interesting and fun. For example, they may provide opportunities for pupils to work as real historians by handling objects from the past to encourage children to ask questions, carry out research, consider possible answers and share their findings with their classmates. At Sunnyfields, we have an Ecology Garden where we organise archaeological digs to engage children's interest. We have arranged various other special events such as 'History Day'. The children and staff all dressed up as people from different periods in History. For example, one Reception child dressed up as Henry VIII whilst others dressed up as his six wives. Such events ensure that children truly enjoy their learning.

We also encourage educational visits as we believe that trips to places like a Roman villa or a Tudor palace serve beautifully to bring history to life. The photographs of children actively participating in historical activites hopefully help to explain not only way so many pupils enjoy the subject at Sunnyfields but why history plays such an important role in their education and personal development and why the children do so well.

History Curriculum 2015/2016

Year 1

Changes within living memory

Toys

Changes over time

Homes

Famous people with international achievements

Explorers

· Christopher Columbus

· Neil Armstrong

Year 2

Significant local event

The Plague of London

Significant local event

Great Fire of London

Famous people with international achievements

· Florence Nightingale

· Edith Cavell

Year 3

Stone Age

to the

Iron Age

Early Civilizations

· Indus Valley

· Sumer

· Shang Dynasty

· Ancient Egypt

Influence of Greece on western world

Ancient Greece

Year 4

Causes and Consequence

The Romans

Using artefacts to find out about past

Anglo Saxons

and

Scots

Similarities and Differences

Vikings

Year 5

Non European Society

Mayan Civilisation

Theme of study beyond 1066

Henry V111 and the Tudors

Year 6

Local History Significant turning point in British history

The Battle of Britain

Theme of study beyond 1066

Crime and Punishment

Objectives of History Units

Year 1

Toys from the past

To be able to speak to family members to find out about the toys they used to play with,
To be able to use artefacts to learn about toys from the past,
To be able to use artefacts to answer questions about the past,
To be able to recognise how toys have changed within living memory in terms of the materials used etc.,
To be able to compare and contrast toys from different times,
To learn about the features of an era.

Homes

To be able to speak to family members to find out about the homes they used to live in,
To be able to use secondary sources to learn about homes from the past,
To be able to use artefacts to answer questions about the past,
To be able to recognise how homes have changed,
To be able to compare and contrast homes from different times,
To learn about the features of an era.

Explorers

To find out about the acheivements of Christopher Columbus,
To find out about the achievemnts of Neil Armstrong,
To consider how their actions shaped history,
To be able to ask and answer questions about the past,
To learn about the features of an era,
To be able to compare and contrast different periods of history.

Year 2

The Plague

To find out about the history in the local area,
To be able to use secondary sources to answer questions about the past,
To learn about the features of an era,
To consider similarities and differences between Stuart era and present,
To find out about the causes of a historical event,
To consider the consequences of a historical event.

The Great Fire of London

To find out about the history in the local area,
To be able to use secondary sources to answer questions about the past,
To learn about the feautres of an era,
To consider similarities and differences between Stuart era and present,
To find out about the causes of a historical event,
To consider the consequences of a historical event.

Florence Nightingale and Edith Cavell

To find out about the achievements of Florence Nightingale,
To find out about the achievements of Edith Cavell,
To consider how their actions shaped history,
To learn about the features of an era,
To be able to compare and contrast different periods in history,
To consider different points of view about a person or event.

Year 3

Stone Age to the Iron Age

To find out how man used to live in Ancient times,
To learn about the features of the Stone, Bronze and Iron Age,
To consider similarities and differences between the periods in history,
To compare and contrast with present times,
To examine secondary sources and use them to answer questions,
To discuss how mans: beliefs, abilities and lifestyles developed over time.

Ancient Egyptians

To find out where and when ancient civilizations appeared,
To learn about the cultural beliefs and practices in Ancient Egypt and the features of the period,
To consider the achievements of this ancient civilization,
To compare and contrast with present times,
To examine secondary sources and use them to answer questions,
To discuss how mans: beliefs, abilities and lifestyles developed over time.

Ancient Greeks

To learn about the achievements of this ancient civilization,
To learn about how the Ancient Greeks used to live,
To identify the key features of the period,
To compare and contrast with present times,
To examine secondary sources and use them to answer questions,
To consider how the Ancient Greeks have influenced the Western World.

Year 4

The Romans

To learn about Julius Ceasar's attack on the Celts in 54BC,
To learn about how Claudius was able to invade successfully in AD43,
To identify the reasons why the Romans built an Empire and where,
To identify the key features of the period,
To compare and contrast with Celt period and present times,
To examine artefacts and use them to answer questions about the past,
To find out about the life of Boudicca and her effect on St. Albans,
To consider the impact the Romans had on Britain still evident today,
To discuss the reasons for the decline of the Roman Empire.

The Anglo-Saxons

To identify the reasons for the Anglo-Saxons invasions and Scots settlements,
To identify the key features of the period and compare and contrast with Romans and present,
To examine artefacts and secondary sources from Sutton Hoo and use them to answer questions about the past,
To learn about the Anglo-Saxon art, culture, justice and the story of Beowulf,
To find out about Anglo-Saxon beliefs and the growth of Christianity.

The Vikings

To identify the reasons for the Viking raids and how they invaded,
To identify key features and compare and contrast with present,
To examine artefacts and use them to answer questions about the past,
To consider the similarities and differences between periods and learn about the struggle between Anglo-Saxons and Vikings for England,
To consider the impact the Vikings had on Britain stll evident today,
To find out about the life of Alfred the Great and the death of Edward in 1066,
To develop an understandinding of chronology.

Year 5

Mayan Civilization

To identify where and when the first civilizations appeared,
To find out about the key features of the Mayan civilization,
To consider the greatest achievements of the Mayas,
To compare and contrast cultural beliefs with other periods and the present,
To develop a sense of chronology,
To understand that our knowledge about the past is constructed from a variety of sources,
To consider different theories about the decline of this civilization.

Henry VIII and the Tudors

To consider why people in the past acted as they did,
To find out about the key features of Tudor times,
To identify about the dissolution of the monastries, cause and effect,
To develop a sense of chronology within the Tudor period,
To understand the difference between a fact and an opinion,
To consider how different interpretations can be made about people in the past, such as Drake and Raleigh.

Year 6

The Battle of Britain

To identify the causes of the Second World War and consequences,
To consider the influence Britain had on WW2 and how Britain has been influenced,
To find out the history of the local area relating to WW2,
To interview people to discover their experiences and place them in a historical context,
To understand connections between local, national and international history,
To develop an overview of how wars
have changed in recent times,
To understand continuity and change.

Crime and Punishment

To find out about the crime and punishment during particular eras such as the Anglo-Saxon, Tudor and Victorian times,
To compare and contrast crime and punishment between periods and present,
To understand continuity and change,
To gain deepere understanding of chronology,
To analyse trends, make connections and draw conclusions,
To discuss the merits of different types of punishments and use historical evidence to back an argument.