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War memorials as a local history resource
Primary History article
War Memorials Trust (WMT) is the charity that works for the protection and conservation of war memorials in the UK. It defines a war memorial as ‘any physical object created, erected or installed to commemorate those involved in or affected by a conflict or war' (WMT 2009, ‘Definition of a...
War memorials as a local history resource
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Eweka's story: Benin and Big Picture History
Article
The prospect of teaching Benin as a non-European Study within the time frame 900-1300 AD is challenging! Traditional oral evidence suggests that the critical event during this period in Benin's past was a transition from the Ogiso to the Eweka Dynasty, named after its first Oba, which resulted in it...
Eweka's story: Benin and Big Picture History
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Alan Turing
Article
The man who helped win the war, invented computing and inspired artificial intelligence researchEditorial note: Alan Turing was a major figure in the cracking of the Germans' Enigma code at Bletchley Park which could well have helped shortened World War II by a couple of years. The more general importance...
Alan Turing
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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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Significant people: Mary Wollstonecraft
Primary History article
‘I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves’ – Mary Wollstonecraft
The National Curriculum gives the freedom to select any significant individual and many schools have already chosen those outside the commonly-used ones such as Florence Nightingale, Christopher Columbus and Queen Victoria. There is also...
Significant people: Mary Wollstonecraft
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Animation case study: Indus Valley figurines
Primary History case study
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum.
Since the advent of animation software for schools, I wanted to trial an animation project, inspired by the quirky human and animal figurines, model wheeled carts and toys, all of terracotta, from the Bronze Age Indus Valley civilisation which clamour for clay...
Animation case study: Indus Valley figurines
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Using museums, libraries and art galleries
Primary History 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...
Using museums, libraries and art galleries
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Teaching Famous People at Key Stage One
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated
Studying famous people at Key Stage One has obviously been an issue for many years and no matter how long you have been teaching the name Florence Nightingale seems to appear as the only famous...
Teaching Famous People at Key Stage One
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Queen Victoria's visit to Wolverhampton, November 30 1866
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum.
When Prince Albert died in 1861 Queen Victoria went into deep mourning and ceased all public duties. By 1866 she had still not made any public appearances. Wolverhampton, like many other towns, raised a subscription to commission a statue in Albert’s memory....
Queen Victoria's visit to Wolverhampton, November 30 1866
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EYFS Medium Term Plan - Toys and Games
Article
This EYFS Medium Term Plan is based around the theme of Toys and Games. It is designed to give teachers and early years practitioners different starting points for learning about the past, across all areas of learning. The activities could be led with a whole class or as small group...
EYFS Medium Term Plan - Toys and Games
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A living timeline
Primary History case study
The problem
Pupils' background knowledge - Tudors and Victorians
Here at Knebworth House, primary school children visit us to enhance their learning of both the Tudors and the Victorians, in particular; both are popular periods to study within the primary curriculum and both have special significance for us at Knebworth....
A living timeline
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From Champion to Hero: Engaging Pupils in a study of significant Olympians
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
Allocated the task of researching and presenting ideas for teaching about significant Olympians, I thought: ‘Brilliant, this is the easy one'. How wrong can one be! I expected to be able to access a plethora of...
From Champion to Hero: Engaging Pupils in a study of significant Olympians
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Shropshire's Secret Olympic History
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
What has a small Shropshire town got to do with the modern Olympic Games? Why is a country doctor a key figure in the development of the modern games? Why is one of the 2012 mascots...
Shropshire's Secret Olympic History
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How should we remember Rosa Parks?
Primary History Article
Rosa Parks died in October 2005, aged 92. It's a life story which resonates with any age group. In a recent visit to a nursery, I saw 4 year olds who had lined up the chairs to make a bus, playing out Rosa's refusal to move from her seat. She...
How should we remember Rosa Parks?
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Queen Victoria as a Politician
Article
Even had Queen Victoria not presided over the achievements of the age which bears her name, her career would still hold a fascination for the historian. She was, for one thing, the solitary woman in a male political world. She was possessed of a personality at once perceptive and simple,...
Queen Victoria as a Politician
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About Nuffield Primary History
Nuffield Primary History project, 1991-2009
The Nuffield Primary History project developed a range of approaches and techniques for doing history with children, between and 1991 and 2009. The resources produced by the project are all real lessons which have been taught by real teachers. They include guidance on teaching and examples of children's work. Many...
About Nuffield Primary History
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Flight
Lesson Plan
Please note: this resource pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
Download the attached lessons below.
Cross-curricular lessons in History, Science, and Design & Technology:
the story of Icarus and his flight to the Sun (is this possible?),
the story of the Montgolfier brothers and their...
Flight
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Victorian Britain - Lessons
Lessons
Please note: these free resources pre-date the 2014 National Curriculum.
You could start the Victorians with a story.
See the Victorian chimney sweep short lesson exemplar and the Upstairs Downstairs story in the History section of the Urban Spaces material.
Lessons and short lesson exemplars available on this site:
Victorian Britain: short...
Victorian Britain - Lessons
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Gordon & Woburn Squares
Lesson Resources
This material is to help primary schools to use Gordon and Woburn Squares in central London. On the right is a link to material for urban schools everywhere.
Download Gordon & Woburn Squares materialWe've put here those documents for which we have permission for website use.
(These resources are attached...
Gordon & Woburn Squares
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Urban spaces near you: cross-curricular work
Lesson Resources
This material covers the following areas - see the page on each one:
History
Literacy
Art & Design
Science
Urban spaces such as parks and gardens offer a range of opportunities for children's learning. There children can investigate, observe, wonder, record and create.
Our urban spaces project presents ideas and...
Urban spaces near you: cross-curricular work
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Urban spaces
Lesson Resources
Please note: these free resources pre-date the 2014 National Curriculum. For a more recent resource see Scheme of work: Local history - the story of our high street.
1. Urban spaces near you: cross-curricular work
History, Literacy, Art & Design, Science: ideas and activities. Citizenship too. These materials are based on...
Urban spaces
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Tudor World Lessons
Article
Please note: these resources pre-date the 2014 National Curriculum.
Lessons available on this site.
See also these short lesson exemplars: Finding out about Tudor life from topic books, Columbus a hero? (discussion and debate) and Columbus (story-telling).
Lessons
ReformationHow the Tudors came to PowerQueen Elizabeth ITudor Portraits: Who am I?Spanish...
Tudor World Lessons
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Urban spaces: inner-city Leeds
Lesson Resources
Please note: this free resource pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum.
This is an account of a series of six lessons focusing on a local urban square. Teachers can adapt this to suit their own circumstances. The teaching took place in an inner-city Leeds primary school, with pupils from 48 different...
Urban spaces: inner-city Leeds
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Magic History of Roman Britain
Article
Please note: this lesson was produced as part of the Nuffield Primary History project (1991-2009) and pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum.
The Magic History of Roman Britain by Jon Nichol provides a great deal of information about life in Roman Britain in story form. It tells the story of Sam and Jane,...
Magic History of Roman Britain
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A European Study: Ancient Greece
Primary Study Unit
Ancient Olympic Games and other lessons available on this site:
Ancient Greek Government is one of the most popular lessons this website - it's good for citizenship too.
Olympic GamesTheseus and the MinotaurAncient Greek Government at KS2Archimedes and the Kings CrownArchimedes and the Syracusan WarAncient Greek Ideas: ScienceThe IliadAncient Greek...
A European Study: Ancient Greece