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Ancient Greeks: The Olympics' War Games - Teaching through Drama
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
When I was a boy the Greek Olympics was one of the perennials of the primary history curriculum, alongside the Battle of Hastings and the execution of Charles I.
I have memories of an old text...
Ancient Greeks: The Olympics' War Games - Teaching through Drama
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Teaching and learning about Grace O'Malley as a significant woman at Key Stage 1
Article
"Why are you so angry Grace?" Teaching and learning about Grace O'Malley as a significant woman at Key Stage 1
Grace O'Malley was an Irish queen in the Tudor period and her story provides insights about life in Ireland at the time of the Elizabethan conquests. Grace, also known as...
Teaching and learning about Grace O'Malley as a significant woman at Key Stage 1
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Slavery in Britain
Primary History article
Images reflect the social customs and attitudes of the society in which they are produced, and we may nowdisapprove of these attitudes. Conversely, our own ideas of what is right and wrong may well have been unacceptable in the past. Among these are the rights accorded to children, the disabled,...
Slavery in Britain
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Music in the history curriculum
Primary History article
Music is a dimension of teaching history that is under used. Rosie explores key ideas about its value for teaching history. The first Aim of the proposed 2014 National Curriculum highlights the role of history: perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles...
Music in the history curriculum
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A History of the World: 100 objects that tell a story
Primary History article
‘A History of the World in 100 Objects' was the most creative, imaginative and dynamic development in primary History Education for thirty years. It ties in perfectly with and supports the government's draft NC for History...
A History of the World: 100 objects that tell a story
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Podcast Series: Charles Darwin
Multipage Article
In this set of podcasts Project Director Professor Jim Secord and Associate Director Dr Alison Pearn of the Darwin Correspondence Project discuss the life, work and legacy of Charles Darwin.
Podcast Series: Charles Darwin
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Story telling: how can we imagine the past?
Primary History article
Story and its bedfellow narrative with their chronological spines are central to children ‘Doing History' and developing a sense of personal identity within a national context. Grant Bage raises the role of storytelling, using dramatic moments to develop understanding...
Story telling: how can we imagine the past?
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Political literacy: citizenship through the English national curriculum's the Romans in Britain study unit
Primary History article
Hilary Claire raised fundamental issues about the relationship between History and Citizenship for the development of a sense of identity. Her paper stresses the importance of sceptical thinking, perspective, sequence and progression - the essential chronology that underpins pupil's education for citizenship in the timeframe that history provides...
Political literacy: citizenship through the English national curriculum's the Romans in Britain study unit
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Chronology - an Olympic timeline
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
Pat Hoodless illuminates how chronology can provide a spine, a backbone and an ‘essential framework' to support and shape pupil learning of NC History.
The Olympic movement provides the perfect opportunity to consider the broad sweep...
Chronology - an Olympic timeline
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World War II evacuation project - A living history experience
Primary History case study
Editorial note: The WOW factor. When we first received and read the World War II Evacuation Project case study we simply went WOW! It was genuinely mind-blowing. Below we publish the main sections of the report. They bring to life an invaluable, ground-breaking case-study of national significance.
The case-study involved...
World War II evacuation project - A living history experience
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Creativity and history
Primary History article
Creativity now plays a central role in the English National Curriculum. Pupils ‘Doing History' can draw upon and develop their creativity, grounded in the historical record. Hilary Cooper has produced the first book on History & Creativity and guest edited a recent edition of Primary History, PH 63, on History and...
Creativity and history
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Writing history
Primary History article
Writing, composition, is the hallmark of the historian - and a central aspect of pupils' historical education. So, who better to describe what being a writer of history entails than the president of the Historical Association...
Writing history
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Local history and literacy using written (and other) sources
Primary History article
Jo Barkham shows how creative and challenging teaching can stimulate and engage even the youngest pupils in the reading of written, printed and multi-modal sources...
Local history and literacy using written (and other) sources
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History and language
Primary History article
Literacy was at the heart of the Nuffield Primary History Project. The paper below summarises the eight linguistic areas which were a major focus. Here there is considerable congruence with the proposed 2014 NC for English and Literacy with its language across the curriculum focus...
History and language
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History is literacy: 'doing history' with written and printed sources
Primary History article
Introduction: English, Literacy & History - The Bullock Report
In 1975 the British government published a very great and wise man, Lord Bullock's report, on the teaching of English. Lord Bullock, a world-class historian, worked closely and intensely with distinguished figures in the teaching of English [literacy]. Lord Bullock, with...
History is literacy: 'doing history' with written and printed sources
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Constructivist chronology and Horrible Histories
Primary History feature
Hilary Cooper illuminates how Horrible Histories can be effectively used to develop an understanding of chronology. She researched two topics: children and law and order. You can download her full paper: it is included in Primary History 59 on Teaching Chronology.
Constructivist chronology and Horrible Histories
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Children's thinking and history
Article
Hilary Cooper outlines the main features of children's historical thinking in History. These ideas are reflected in the government's provisional plans for the 2014 NC for History...
Children's thinking and history
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Teaching famous people at key stage one
Primary History article
The draft English NC for history highlights the study of ‘significant individuals and people'. Michelle Dexter provides an insight on how to approach this biographical requirement; it also opens up biography as a major genre for pupils to master - augmenting their development of literacy...
Teaching famous people at key stage one
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Local Archaeology in the Classroom: Ebbsfleet Case Study
Local Archaeology Case Study
The Ebbsfleet Valley in Kent, home of Ebbsfleet International station and the high speed rail link between London and Kent has a long history. The site is close to the old Roman road between Dover and London of Watling Street. It is close to the river mouth and once benefitted...
Local Archaeology in the Classroom: Ebbsfleet Case Study
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Urban spaces near you
Primary History 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...
Urban spaces near you
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History and identity
Article
A sense of identity is at the heart of the proposed new NC for History. Sir Keith explores what this means for immigrant children of mixed heritage who grew up in Britain. Significantly, the last sentence of his paper dovetails with the government's views...
History and identity
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Teaching history as a national grand narrative
Article
There is no reason why highly sophisticated, intellectually challenging, creative and enjoyable ways to teach history to young children should not continue when a National Curriculum for History is based upon a country's Grand Narrative, know that knowledge, that can require knowledge of ‘facts' such as key dates, the names...
Teaching history as a national grand narrative
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Writing & History Overview
Primary History article
History provides an extremely rich context for literacy and writing, see Case Study 3: Evacuees. As such, Writing History is an element in a whole school policy towards literacy that emphasises Language Across the Curriculum for all subjects and areas. references. Case Study 1 illuminates the concept that pupil writing permeates...
Writing & History Overview
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Significance at Key Stage 1
Significance at KS1
Teaching significant individuals remains a key element in Key Stage 1. Significance is an extremely difficult concept to develop with young children, so how do we sow the seeds? This unit looks at just one approach for developing early ideas of significance with young children through the individuals of the...
Significance at Key Stage 1
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Podcast Series: From the Stone Age to the Romans
Multipage Article
In this podcast Professor Richard Bradley of the University of Reading looks at Britain and Ireland from their prehistoric beginnings to the arrival of the Romans.
Podcast Series: From the Stone Age to the Romans
