history
History for Infants
At Devonshire Infant Academy we aim for our children to develop an understanding of their own recent history and of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. We want to inspire their curiosity to know more about the past and to develop their critical thinking and ability to ask perceptive questions. Through History we want our children to understand how changes over time have impacted the way we live today and to begin to understand why those changes came about.
- Children to develop an awareness of the past using vocabulary related to the passage of time
- Know about common changes within and beyond living memory
- Know about individuals in the past that brought about significant changes nationally and globally
- Know about historical events, people and places in their local area.
- Ask questions using a range of sources to show they understand key features and events
- To understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past
- To compare how things have changed over time and know why
As children returned to school in September 2020, we chose to focus on ‘History in the Making’ for children to understand and explain their own experiences of the pandemic which will one day be part of our history. We ‘discovered’ a time capsule from the 2nd World War that had been buried on the allotment by an evacuee. As the children followed his story they were able to draw comparisons with the situation in Lock Down and understand that we can overcome very difficult situations when everyone works together. We finished by burying our own time capsule about the pandemic in a ceremony on our school field, hoping that one day in the future it would help others to understand a little more about our experiences.
History for Juniors
The intent for History at Devonshire Junior is to build upon children’s understanding of what history is and what historians do. It should provide them with the knowledge necessary to make conceptual links and analyse sources in a critical manner. Consequently, it should inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past.
As outlined in the National Curriculum, children will learn about Britain’s past, our place in the world and other non-European civilisations as part of ‘world building’, to help them understand changes throughout time. They will learn of an ancient civilisation from the wider world and undertake a local history study.
Children will receive a foundation of learning which encompasses identified ‘big concepts’ of History including chronology, civilisations, movement of people, invasion & conflict, trade & empire, monarchy & rule and trade. These will lead to an understanding of the impact of previous civilisations and settlers on Britain. Children will make cross curricular links between History and other subjects, with particular reference in Geography to settlement, trade, and empire. In PSHE the British values of democracy, citizenship and law and order will reflect change, continuity, cause and consequence.
Art, music and D&T will be reflected in primary and secondary sources, artefacts and replicas. The progression of substantive concepts and disciplinary concepts are directed through our knowledge organisers, and our procedural knowledge map.