Outside the classroom

Learning in history should not only take place in the classroom. Making use of the built and landscape environment can be an integral part of learning and progression in history, whether through a visit to a historic site, surveying of the landscape to find historical clues, or forming a human timeline across the school field.  

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  • Curriculum planning: How to write a new scheme of work for history

    Article

    Please note: this article was originally written in early 2014 for schools needing to prepare schemes of work for the new National Curriculum coming into effect that September.   The implementation from September 2014 of the new national curriculum programme of study for history gives you a time-scale for reviewing, refreshing and resourcing your new scheme...

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  • Churches as a local historical source

    Article

    At Key Stage 1 children should learn about significant events, (e.g. the Great Fire of London) and about people and places in their locality. At Key Stage 2 they should learn about British settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots (e.g. Anglo-Saxon art and culture) and do a local history study (e.g....

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  • Teaching diversity through drama

    Article

    Teaching diversity through drama at the Museum of London: Stories of London people From Roman times to the present, London has been shaped by the diversity of its people. London is home to500 different nationalities, 300 different languages,14 major faiths and a host of other religions. The Museum of London...

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  • The world on the wall: exploring diversity on Hadrian's Wall

    Article

    Built in AD 122 by the order of the Emperor Hadrian, the 73 mile (80 Roman miles) long frontier goes from Bownesson-Solway in Cumbria to Wallsend on the River Tyne. Since 1987, the area has been inscribed as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage Site....

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  • Urban spaces near you

    Article

    The public spaces in built up areas contain a rich collection of historical clues about our identity - the way in which the past has framed the present. Such spaces are available for all pupils to study in all areas. Jacqui introduces this fascinating and valuable aspect of our historical...

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  • Case Study: Creative chronological thinking

    Article

    Personal biographies I often ask groups to collect and record their own personal chronologies. They are asked to bring in evidence to tell the stories of their own lives or of the life of a relative, which they will then weave into a ‘photo book' story. The photo books become...

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  • Geosong: a transition project

    Article

    How do we engage young people with their Heritage, answer curriculum needs and make that big leap of transition from primary to secondary school that bit easier? English Heritage's Geosong treasure hunt website went some way to providing answers. What does the website do? Using handheld GPS devices, groups must...

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  • Creating the 'creative history' website

    Article

    Editorial note: The role of ICT in the Digital Age is a major, perhaps even, the major factor, in enhancing creativity in the learning and teaching of history. This paper illuminates another dimension of ICT in the Digital Age and creativity. It shows how a teacher's creativity  has produced a...

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  • Using museums, libraries and art galleries

    Article

    Lessons for Sustainablility: From the Experiences of Early Primary Student Teachers Student teachers, local museums, libraries and art galleries. This article is based on the experiences of student teachers on a BA (Hons) Early Primary Education Programme, during their placements in local Museums, Libraries and Art Galleries. We asked students...

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  • Museums: Entries to Learning

    Article

    Editorial comment: Mick Waters raises the crucial point of awe and wonder - the visceral, affective impact ‘the real thing' can have on pupils and adults. One rider is the need to give the onlooker a clear, full explanation of the objects so they can come to life in their...

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  • Co-ordinators' concerns: Visits and Ofsted

    Article

    Since Ofsted published its 2012 new guidance for the inspection of schools, it seems that aspects such as visits will not be a high priority. What advice can I give to the senior management team in response to its pressure to avoid these kind of frills? Ofsted will judge the...

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  • Making use of outstanding resources in museums

    Article

    ‘An embarrassment of riches' is not an inappropriate description of the new ancient Egyptian galleries in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. The Ashmolean has always been famous for its Egyptian collection, being the product of the work of Oxford academics for over a 100 years, but the problem in the...

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  • A View from the Classroom: Writing History

    Article

    Introduction I imagine many people have memories of staring at a blank piece of paper - and wondering what to write.....and where to start? There are many questions to consider. How do children become eager and confident writers in the context of history? When is writing the best response, and...

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  • The History around us: Local history

    Article

    Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated. History is an important aspect of the development of even very young children. They need to begin to develop the foundations of an understanding of the past and how it has developed and affected our present....

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  • Doing history with objects - A museum's role

    Article

    Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated. If you have heard the excited buzz of voices as a class of children enters a museum you will be aware of their potential as inspiring learning spaces. Teaching in a museum context we see this...

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  • Artefacts handling at Brunel's SS Great Britain

    Article

    Editorial note: This article introduces teachers to ss Great Britain as an artefactual teaching resource. It links closely to Teachers TV programmes, see page 30, and should be read in conjunction with them.

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  • A history of the world - 100 objects that tell a story

    Article

    Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated. Editorial comment: A History of the World is the most creative, imaginative and dynamic development in primary History Education for thirty years. It ties in perfectly with and supports the government's re-vitalisation of primary education that...

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  • Hearts, Hamsters and Historic Education

    Article

    Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated. This is a reflection on a project, set up with a variety of different thoughts about education in its widest sense. Or, to put it another way, a primary school teacher's record of a unique...

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  • History in the Urban Environment

    Article

    Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated. A study of the local environment can make a vital contribution to children's sense of identity, their sense of place and the community in which they live. More importantly, a local study can enable children...

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  • Building learning places

    Article

    Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated. The built environment is hugely important to all of us, allowing us to live our lives in particular ways, and perhaps even constraining our lives in ways we don't yet recognise or understand. The buildings...

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