Work in History is embedded in our Learning Journeys and provides an opportunity for the children to begin to develop the skills necessary to understand and interpret the past.  Children develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time. They know where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods. They use a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms. They ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events. They understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.

The children learn about:

• changes within living memory – where appropriate, these should be used to reveal aspects of change in national life
• events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally e.g. the Great Fire of London, the first aeroplane flight or events commemorated through festivals or anniversaries.
• the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements, some are used to compare aspects of life in different periods e.g, Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria, Christopher Columbus and Neil Armstrong, William Caxton and Tim Berners-Lee, Pieter Bruegel the Elder and LS Lowry, Rosa Parks and Emily Davison, Mary Seacole and/or Florence Nightingale and Edith Cavell.
• significant historical events, people and places in their own locality

Learning experiences may involve activities such as handling artefacts, listening to people talking about their memories, using stories, photographs, non-fiction books and audio visual resources. These include videos, DVDs and research on the internet as well as discovering more about our local history.