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Cunning Plan 114: building overview understanding of 19th-century social history
Teaching History feature
This five-lesson sequence gradually builds overview understanding of aspects of 19th century social history through a depth study of the campaigner and reformer, Josephine Butler. Through the sequence, pupils build on earlier work on historical significance, first, by reviewing their understanding of the huge range of reasons why things get...
Cunning Plan 114: building overview understanding of 19th-century social history
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Historical scholarship, archaeology and evidence in Year 7
Teaching History article
The stimulus for this article came from two developmental tasks that Barbara Trapani was set during the course of her initial teacher education programme: planning her first historical enquiry and bringing the work of an historian into the classroom. Trapani chose to tackle the two tasks together, using Susan Whitfield’s...
Historical scholarship, archaeology and evidence in Year 7
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The History Ledger, podcasts from the Economic History Society
An HA partnership podcast series with the Economic History Society
The HA and the Economic History Society are developing a new partnership. Affiliates of the EHS contributed to our Teacher Fellowship programme: Teaching the economic history of colonialism in Africa and Asia. As part of the development of closer links, we are delighted to support the dissemination of The History...
The History Ledger, podcasts from the Economic History Society
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Teaching pupils how history works
Teaching History article
In the last edition of Teaching History Jayne Prior and Peter John presented an approach to extended writing that relied upon pupils’ earlier work.1 Pupil indignation was key. Furious at the blandness of some text presented to them, they used their own knowledge of colour, detail and drama to challenge...
Teaching pupils how history works
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Using Horrible History to develop primary literacy and history
Primary History article
When I started planning for my Key Stage 2 literacy lessons last year, I wanted to link them to my history topic, the Tudors, and I also needed them to cover a significant amount of non-fiction English objectives, having focused on fiction and poetry texts in the previous term. One...
Using Horrible History to develop primary literacy and history
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Are we creating a generation of 'historical tourists'?
Teaching History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
A trip to the battlefields of the First World War throws into stark relief the challenges presented by work on interpretations related to historical sites. Andrew Wrenn first drew attention to the difficulties of promoting...
Are we creating a generation of 'historical tourists'?
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One of my favourite history places: The Holy Island of Lindisfarne
Primary History feature
The Holy Island of Lindisfarne is a special place, not just for its stunning scenery and rich bird life, but also for its unique history and medieval religious heritage. This article visits a few of the many places of historical interest on the island and considers ideas for exploring different...
One of my favourite history places: The Holy Island of Lindisfarne
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Webinar series: Historical thinking in a digital world: how history builds digital and media literacy
HA webinar series for secondary history teachers, history subject leaders, senior leaders, teacher educators and KS2–3 transition leads
What does this series cover?
This series makes the case that history is a natural subject for digital literacy because it teaches how knowledge is made, contested, evidenced, and communicated – the exact habits students need for navigating misinformation, manipulated media, and AI-generated content. Across six sessions, participants build a...
Webinar series: Historical thinking in a digital world: how history builds digital and media literacy
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How can I improve my use of ICT? Put history first!
Teaching History article
What is the difference between using lots of ICT and using it well? Dave Atkin draws upon work in his own department and with other Gloucestershire teachers in order to identify criteria for effective ICT use. These boil down to ‘putting history first' and getting maximum value out of the...
How can I improve my use of ICT? Put history first!
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Primary History Articles for the School History Subject Leader
Multipage Article
The Historical Association has been producing its specialist primary journal Primary History since 1992. In that time there have been three editions per year and since 2017 an additional annual digital summer resource.
In 1992 a National Curriculum for history had recently emerged as had the Ofsted inspection process. Since...
Primary History Articles for the School History Subject Leader
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Historical and interdisciplinary enquiry into the sinking of the Mary Rose
Teaching History article
The raising of Henry VIII’s warship, the Mary Rose, from the sea bed set in train an extraordinary programme of interdisciplinary research, relentlessly pursuing the clues to Tudor life and death provided by the remains of the ship, its cargo and crew. In this article Clare Barnes offers fascinating insights...
Historical and interdisciplinary enquiry into the sinking of the Mary Rose
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A noisy classroom is a thinking classroom: speaking and listening in Year 7 history
Teaching History article
Rachael Rudham describes the thinking and discussion that led her department to plan systematically for the integration of speaking and listening tasks into Year 7 history lessons. Speaking and listening is a serious business; it is not a ‘light’ option, argues Rachael, and it should never be used as a...
A noisy classroom is a thinking classroom: speaking and listening in Year 7 history
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What’s The Wisdom On... change and continuity?
Teaching History feature
When it comes to historical change and continuity, what are history teachers asking pupils to think about and do?
What's the Wisdom On... is a short guide providing new history teachers with an overview of the ‘story so far’ of practice-based professional thinking about a particular aspect of history teaching. It...
What’s The Wisdom On... change and continuity?
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Diversity resources and links for secondary history
Articles, podcasts, films, webinar recordings and links
Categories
Diversity: general | Race and ethnicity | Empire and decolonisation | Transatlantic slavery | Non-European | Migration and immigration | Women's history | Working-class history | LGBTQI+ | Disability & accessibility | Gypsy, Roma & Traveller history | Teaching controversial issues | Inclusion and SEND
Please note that this is a...
Diversity resources and links for secondary history
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What’s important about...? Sources and evidence
Primary History article
In this timely article, Ailsa Fidler and Chris Russell explore the use of sources and evidence in the teaching of primary history. Referring to Ofsted’s history subject report (July 2023), Ailsa and Chris explore how sources can be used effectively in the classroom and how children’s understanding of the role...
What’s important about...? Sources and evidence
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Primary History 52: Education and the Environment
The primary education journal of the Historical Association
03 Editorial
04 In my view: Education and the built environment – Dominic Balmforth
06 In my view: Primary history and Engaging Places – Rochelle Whitty
08 In my view: Engaging Pupils: An A Level student describes her experience of collaborative working with Key Stage 2 – Bernice Waghorn
09...
Primary History 52: Education and the Environment
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Ideas for Assemblies: Linking historical events with geography
Primary History article
In this edition we highlight some interesting anniversaries that might provide a link with geography, either through maps, ideas about climate change or conservation and protection of wild animals. We hope these anniversaries might inspire some stimulating historical investigations, as well as provoke lots of discussion and debate. Some of...
Ideas for Assemblies: Linking historical events with geography
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On-demand webinar: Teaching disciplinary knowledge directly: interpretations
Webinar series: Direct history teaching
Webinar series: Direct history teaching
Session 4: Teaching disciplinary knowledge directly: interpretations
In this fourth session, Jacob and Mike will explore how history teachers can teach disciplinary knowledge (how we know about the past) directly – specifically, historical interpretations. They will share examples of lessons that directly teach pupils how historians (and...
On-demand webinar: Teaching disciplinary knowledge directly: interpretations
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Recorded webinar: Devising and using rigorous historical enquiry questions to lead learning in primary history
Webinar series: History and literacy: better together
This webinar will guide teachers on how to devise rigorous historical enquiry questions, how to spot and weed out weak ones, and how to sequence them in an effective way across medium-term plans. It will show how disciplinary concepts can be revisited and pupils supported in the careful accumulation of...
Recorded webinar: Devising and using rigorous historical enquiry questions to lead learning in primary history
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The Historian 168: Out now
The magazine of the Historical Association
Read The Historian 168: Economic History
It is only in recent decades that economic history has become integrated into the mainstream work of historians. Those of us who were undergraduates in the late twentieth century can remember university economic history departments being located in buildings on the other side of...
The Historian 168: Out now
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On-demand webinar: Supporting pupils in reaching independent conclusions in primary history
Avoiding confusion and challenging misconceptions in primary history
Avoiding confusion and challenging misconceptions in primary history
Session 5: Supporting pupils in reaching independent conclusions in primary history
This practical webinar will demonstrate how people can be supported in, reaching their own independent conclusions about the history, they are studying. It will suggest a number of careful ways of...
On-demand webinar: Supporting pupils in reaching independent conclusions in primary history
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New alchemy or fatal attraction? History and citizenship
Teaching History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
The citizenship curriculum at both Key Stages 3 and 4 is currently being redefined and much has been said recently about the contribution that history could or should make to citizenship agendas and to the...
New alchemy or fatal attraction? History and citizenship
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Cunning Plan 154: Who is buried in the box?
Teaching History feature
Question: Who is buried in the box?
Seeking a new and exciting way to introduce my Year 7 students to history, I looked to a practical solution. Ian Dawson once used a Thinking History exercise where students looked at the idea of ‘layers of history'. It was useful in structuring...
Cunning Plan 154: Who is buried in the box?
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Polychronicon 134: The Great War and Cultural History
Teaching History feature
Over the past two decades the historiography of the Great War has witnessed something of a revolution. Although historical revisionism is, of course, nothing out of the ordinary, the speed with which long-held assumptions about the First World War and its impact have been swept away has been quite astonishing....
Polychronicon 134: The Great War and Cultural History
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Teaching History 134: Local Voices
The HA's journal for secondary history teachers
02 Editorial
03 HA Secondary News
04 Relevant, rigorous and revisited: using local history to make meaning of historical significance – Geraint Brown and James Woodcock (Read article)
12 Cunning Plan: Local history at KS3 – Dan Moorhouse (Read article)
15 Nutshell
16 Riots, railways and a Hampshire hill fort: exploiting local...
Teaching History 134: Local Voices
