The skill in planning a topic on the Seaside is not to make it too static. Building in still imaging of activities on an Edwardian beach, a quick burst of ‘I do like to be beside the seaside’ or writing an authentic postcard home, can enliven the topic, which works really well in Year 1 term 3. For those of you wanting to teach this in summer of Year 2 a word of warning. Try to go beyond the simple ‘then and now’ to look at the concept of change through time. By looking at the 1950s as well as today and 1900, children will be able to talk about three periods of time.
Castles is a great topic. Not only does it make the Homes topic really come alive, but it also helps low attaining pupils to grasp what really old means. The contrasts with the present are so clear-cut that all can get involved. And they love it! Build in a visit and the whole topic takes off!
If you have ever asked children in Y1/2 to write a postcard home as if it were from Victorian times you'll know the problem. After hours of your time teaching the topic and creating the beautifully authentic postcards, all you get in return is:...
This lesson finds children producing a questionnaire, collecting data from grandparents, feeding data into a database and then drawing conclusions. When they then compare their findings with those of another parallel class they become aware that not all people's experiences were the same. How...
