We have had a great Autumn term at Archibald being Historians. The children have explored different concepts and applied these to their learning to deepen their understanding of key skills.
In Early Years the children begin their journey as historians by thinking about their own lives and how they’ve changed over time. They had great fun bringing in baby photographs and commenting on how they have grown and how different they now look.
In Year 1 the children are introduced to the concepts above and they are revisited each year in all humanities lessons.
In History, Year 1 have been looking at significant people within and beyond living memory. We have learned about their achievements and decided if they are heroes or villains by exploring how they have had an impact on our lives today.
“I think Florence was most significant because she cleaned hospitals which means that now when we go to hospital we get better. If they were still dirty then not many people would survive.”
“The Wright Brothers are the most significant to my life because they invented aeroplanes. They just kept getting better and better and now we can go on holiday and explore our world much more safely.”
In Year 2 the children start to look at significant events that have shaped history. The sinking of the Titanic in 1912 was a tragic disaster, but one that could have been avoided. The children have explored evidence and looked at reliability to decide what really happened.
“Some people think it was an unsinkable ship, but it wasn’t! If they had gone a different route or seen the iceberg sooner then it wouldn’t have sunk.”
“We have learned that we have to have enough life boats for everyone and be able to contact the coastguard in case of an emergency. These are rules for all boats now.”
By Key Stage 2, the children look at the significance of different periods of time. Year 3’s topic, As Time Began, looks at the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. Even though this was millions of years ago, it has still impacted our lives today!
“Without the Stone Age and beyond we wouldn’t have discovered fire and weaponry which really helped our country in different battles and wars.”
“They invented so many things and over the years we have changed it and improved it.”
Year 4 have continued to look at significance and impact by studying the Ancient Greeks and what they did for us.
“They invented the Olympics and we still celebrate it all over the world today.”
“They also gave us democracy which is how our government in our country works. It keeps things fair for everyone.”
“They even invented the alphabet!”
