Deliberately sequenced to flow directly from the topic on Stone Age to Iron Age this topic develops pupils’ chronological understanding and their ability to see clear contrasts between these contiguous but very contrasting periods. Aimed at Y3/4 pupils, the approach initially focuses mainly on personalities such as Caesar, Claudius and Boudica, concentrating on two the key concepts of causes and consequences.
The emphasis then shifts to the changes the Romans brought to Britain, both at the time and over time.
Opportunities are taken to use the strong archaeological record that exists for the pupils to reconstruct aspects of Roman life from the fragmentary evidence, some of which will be local. Much of the learning is very active, be it the living graph showing the changing fortunes of Boudica, or a reconstruction relay to discover what Roman armour and weapons were like. Recording takes the form of speech bubbles, annotating diagrams, drawing from written descriptions, and designing legacy stamps as well as more extended written explanations. exp.
The home study provides opportunities for more independent research using nonfiction texts and websites. Two diagnostic assessment tasks formally check pupils’ grasp of causation and interpretations.
