10 Things to do to make your history teaching better at KS2
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Teaching and Learning
The top 10 things you need to know about chronology at KS2, but were afraid to ask.
The top 10 things you need to know about chronology at KS2, but were afraid to ask.
1.There is more to chronology than sequencing. While sequencing is fundamentally important, you also need to think about a range of other issues too. These include:
duration,
interval,
overlap and
anachronism
as well as...
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Views of learners in history at Key Stage 2
There has been very little published research on the views of KS2 pupils on their history work, other than lots of ranking activities which place history at, or near, the top of the list of most popular subjects. That is both a blessing and...
The learning process in history at KS2
Given that this site specialises in giving practical support to busy teachers and subject leaders, you may be surprised to find a section on the theory of learning. Well, don't worry it is very short! With so much theory and so many research findings...
50 imaginative learning activities to use in history at Key Stage 2
Currently these top 50 imaginative ideas are just listed in alphabetical order with a brief description of each, cross-referenced to an Outstanding Lesson in which the strategy is used. If you would rather search by learning style, you will notice a coloured letter next...
Roles of learners in history at Key Stage 2
One of the best ways of exciting young children in history is to put them in role. Dorothy Heathcote's approach, called Mantle of the Expert, invests expertise in the pupils, giving them a real, adult role to play. Shown on the accompanying diagrams (see downloadable...
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20 cool ideas creative products for history Key Stage 2
This section accompanies the ones on teaching and learning approaches. It offers you a few ideas you may not have tried for a while, or at least not within the current topic. It is always a good idea to whet pupils' appetite for a...
Personalised learning in history at KS 2
This is certainly one of the key areas to be focusing on in the next few years and lies at the heart of the government's Every Child Matters agenda.
But a few points are worth making quickly before you go there.
1. It is NOT individualised learning,
2. Nor...
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Gender issues in history at Key Stage 2
It is hard to think of a teaching and learning strategy that one would use with boys. We all know that boys seem to like more active approaches, but so would many girls. When I analyse the research evidence it seems to me to conceal...
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Gifted and talented pupils in history at Key Stage 2
Much has been written in general terms about identifying and then catering for able pupils in history. OFSTED and others have criticized schools for not moving beyond identification and general provision to looking at what happens in 'subjects' within the curriculum. Clearly they...
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Key motivational factors in history teaching at Key Stage 2
The essence of what appeals to pupils can often be summed up by the words, People, Puzzle and Point. Children engage best if there is human interest . They like to feel that history is a bit of a mystery so a puzzling starter is...
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S.E.N. in history at Key Stage 1 and 2
By inclusion we mean three things here: setting suitable learning challenges, responding to pupils' diverse needs, and overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups. Below are featured a range of ideas for differentiation that you might like to try. Later additions...
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Grasping the chronology nettle
Everyone knows that chronology is one of the key historical concepts pupils need to learn, and yet in very few schools is it given serious attention. Unless the subject leader makes a determined attempt to plan for the progressive development of chronological understanding across...
′100′ great ideas for teaching history at KS2
This section describes the best of the imaginative ideas I have seen work successfully in the teaching of history at Key Stage 2. The figure'100' is in inverted commas because it is rather an arbitrary number and it will inevitably increase as more and more...
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History for pupils with EAL in Key Stages 1 and 2
Most of you will be well-versed in strategies for helping children with EAL access other subjects in the curriculum and will not need detailed guidance on general issues. To help contextualise the support for history some of these ideas are simply summarised with history examples. ...
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ICT and Film in history at Key Stage 2
You may think it surprising that film and ICT appear together and not separately. Wit hthe advent of digitisation and easy manipulation of images, including moving images, using computers the two are now intertwined. So, although there are headings for each, expect the two to...
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Strategies for using artefacts in teaching history at KS2
Nobody would seriously doubt the value of using artefacts in history at Key Stage 1, but at Key Stage 2 they are used far less regularly. In part, this reflects the need to work on more text-based material, and in part a question of availability...
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Teaching Interpretations at Key Stage 2
Although challenging, teaching interpretations in history at KS2 level is immensely rewarding when you see the 'penny drop' in pupils' minds. It is hard because it is abstract. It is hard because you are dealing with uncertainty, and it is hard because pupils need...
Teaching enquiry in history at Key Stage 2
You will hear a lot spoken about historical enquiry, but very little written down and easily accessible. Given its central importance to an understanding of the nature of history, this is regrettable. What I write here then is an attempt to encapsulate what enquiry means...
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Fit for purpose history teaching strategies at Key Stage 1 and 2
As primary schools have been so heavily criticised by OFSTED for failing to select strategies that are fit for purpose, I thought it would be helpful to show the range and style of activities that best relate to specific objectives. You will see that...
What makes an outstanding history lesson at KS2?
With very little national guidance now coming from OFSTED by way of revisions to the subject-specific criteria for outstanding primary history, we have to fall back on the survey reports that HMI write when they visit individual schools to look just at history. At Fox...
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The teaching process in history at KS 2
Key Stage 2 history teaching is often unfairly caricatured as a teacher telling interested pupils lots of interesting stories: fun at the time, but of little lasting benefit. We need to ensure that shallow learning is transformed into deep learning and that pupils develop a...
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