History
History Curriculum Intent at Whitstone
At Whitstone we value the importance of History and its place in the children’s learning. We aim to inspire and ignite the curiosity of the past and present and to and understand the impact that historical events can have on our lives. Through careful planning, we deliver high-quality history education which will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world in order to on how this has effected us today.
We aim to inspire pupils’ curiosity and to know more about the past and equip them to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, shift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. As historians to uncover more of the past to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time.
Our History Curriculum:
KS1 History Information:
In Cycle A, the children will begin the autumn term by studying the project School Days, exploring our own school and locality, both today and in the past. Where we will compare schooling in the Victorian era to our experiences today.
In the summer term, the children will study Hospitals and Healthcare, which will enable the children to learn the history of how Florence Nightingale and Edith Cavell have had an impact on hospitals and healthcare today. The children will look at each of them in turn, exploring why they acted in the way they did and why they are still remembered. Comparisons are made between hospitals and healthcare of the past and the modern day.
Through Cycle B, the children will extend their studies to explore a broader range of time frames during autumn term with Magnificent Monarchs. The children will look at the different kings and queens in time order, starting with King Charles III and going back in time until William I. The children will discuss and compare the different castes they lived in and the lives they led.
During summer term the children will continue to develop their knowledge of significant people with the topic Excellent Explorers, looking at how explorers of the past have made significant discoveries and shaped the world that we live in. Each lesson will look at the different places that have been explored so far, such as below the sea, the world's continents and even space. The children will also have the opportunity to consider the places on Earth that are still to be explored.
Lower KS2 History Information:
The children will begin Cycle A by studying the chronology of British history in Through the Ages, where the children learn about prehistory in Britain and how we find out about prehistory. They discover what life was like through each of the main time periods of the Stone Age, right through to the Iron Age. The children will learn about how civilization started, and how agriculture became so important for survival and how different metals, such as bronze and iron changed how we interacted with each other.
In the summer term, the children will continue to develop their knowledge of early civilizations through Ancient Egypt. This topic explores how early civilization started in Egypt. The children will discover how the upper and lower kingdoms joined together to create the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. Comparisons are made between the timelines of Ancient Egypt and Neolithic Britain. The children will then learn all about the Egyptian gods, what Ancient Egyptians believed about the afterlife, how the pyramids were built and some of the greatest pharaohs in all of Egypt's history.
In the autumn of Cycle B, the children will resume their learning about British history during the topic Roman Empire, which explores the Romans and their achievements from 43 CE to 410 CE. The children will discuss what life was like in early Rome, who was in charge and held power across the Empire and how the Emperors trained up their powerful armies. There is an introduction to significant historical figures of the time, such as Boudica, and the children will think about and consider the events that led to the downfall of the Roman Empire.
Adventurers class will then end the summer term with the study of ancient history in Groundbreaking Greeks. Where the children will learn about the Ancient Greeks and their achievements from around 3000 BCE to the reign of Alexander the Great around 330 BCE. Children will think about and discuss how we know about the early Greeks by looking at excavation evidence and what this tells us about their way of life. Comparisons are made between Athens and Sparta and at the end of the unit, the children will discuss and analyse the impact that the different leaders Ancient Greece had.
Upper KS2 History Information:
Trailblazers will continue to build on their knowledge of ancient civilizations with an in-depth analysis of Traders and Raiders. This topic explores the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings and their achievements from 410 CE to 1066 CE. The children will think about why the Anglo-Saxons travelled to England's shores and decided to settle. They will move on to find out how England was ruled during the settlement of the Anglo-Saxons and how they kept control of the 7 different kingdoms across the land.
In the summer term, the children will further research ancient and world history in the second topic of Cycle A with Magnificent Mayans. Where they will explore the Ancient Maya civilization and its achievements from 250 CE to 950 CE. During this topic the children will cover who the Maya people were, when and where in the world they lived, and the reasons why they were so successful. The children will make comparisons between the Ancient Maya civilization and Anglo-Saxon Britain, focusing on the similarities and differences between the Maya city-states and the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, drawing on the archaeological evidence available to us.
Cycle B will then involve the study of more complex historical issues in Crime and Punishment, exploring how this has changed over time in Britain. Children will explore what was seen as a crime over time and the different gruesome punishments that were handed out to criminals. The children will find out about the development of the police force from the Victorian period right through to the new millennium.
The final topic for history completes their historical studies with the topic Britain at War, which enables the children to inquire how World War Two began and gives the children a wider understanding of how concepts such as empire influenced Hitler and his plan to dominate Europe. The children will explore the significance of the Battle of Britain, looking at a range of sources from different regions of the United Kingdom.