History teaching tips
Using mini whiteboards in history
So you have you set of mini whiteboards, your zip bag of pens and your whiteboard cleaners. What next? Mini-whiteboards have multiple uses in primary history lessons. You don’t need…
Read More
Take a new look at assessment in history in your school.
Now is the perfect time to get your assessment system for history in better shape. If colleagues know the criteria against which pupils’ work in history will be judged (and …
Read More
What can you do at KS3 to make your history curriculum more representative?
In a recent article for the Historical Association ( HA news- Autumn 2020) Jake Subryan Richards offers his advice: ” For teachers it is at KS3 where there is most…
Read More
What is primary history? Have a look at this ‘at a glance’ diagram which encapsulates the essence of the subject
The accompanying diagram attempts to display all the main elements of developing your pupils’ historical understanding, in one place. You’ll see that pupils’ historical knowledge broadens over time as does…
Read More
Linking your early civilizations at KS2
There is a real and present danger in KS2 of failing to make links between topics. If we are not careful, topics become silos, seen as separate entities. Much better…
Read More
Thinking about evidence at KS2. How do we know what happened in Saxons times?
Where does our knowledge of the Anglo-Saxons come from? It is important that we ask the recurring question “How do we know?” at least once in each topic, if pupils…
Read More
The importance of getting your key questions right in your KS2 history planning
Scanning through a number of KS2 history websites recently, I realised just how narrow a view of history was being presented. Although the material was attractively presented, the opportunities for…
Read More
How much do you need to talk about chronology when studying Ancient Egypt?
This is a question that has concerned many primary teachers for a long time. I have sat in the back of classrooms where the first activity was a meaningless and…
Read More
Improving diversity in your KS2 history curriculum
Amid the current state of heightened racial tension across Britain and the USA, I thought it might be a good time to think about what we are doing in history…
Read More
Getting your enquiry questions right for your history topics at KS1
Getting your enquiry questions right at KS1 On the Historical Association website is a scheme of work on George Stephenson as a famous person , a significant figure who helped…
Read More
Thinking historically: ‘learning to’..as well as ‘learning about’
While so many of you are locked down, it seems a good time to remind you of the key features of what it means to think historically. Much is encapsulated…
Read More
Improving history in your primary school: a short cameo of a success story
So what does effective leadership of primary history look like? A case study When Lara took over as history subject leader 3 years ago this was her first whole-school role….
Read More
GCSE history: Answering the question set , not the one they would prefer to answer.
Many of you teaching GCSE will be familiar with the issue. Your students answer the question they think the examiner will ask and the one they’ve prepared for., not the…
Read More
Key ideas in primary history
When we are teaching 11 subjects it is often difficult to catch the essence of each. If we’re not careful we can simply deliver the scheme of work very professionally…
Read More
Great learning activity: Prove it! See examples for Scott of the Antarctic, Man on the Moon, Tudor theatre, Grace Darling, Louis Braille
One of the most effective learning activities which you will find in a small number of the outstanding lessons is one called Prove It! Staff and children love it. Pupils…
Read More
Creating your own timelines at KS2: one school’s recent find.
Charley Chanter of HertfordHeath primary school has just brought this Timeline making package to my attention He wrote:.I have been looking into some resources for our chronology/timebox units and came…
Read More
At last a way forward with KS2 assessment for history that will work for my school
Even though we will have had the National Curriculum for history ( albeit in different guises) for nearly 30 years, there hasn’t been a great deal of attention paid to,…
Read MoreWe learn by being excited not by being told; abiding principle of Keystage history
I get a lot of enquiries about Keystage history, largely from teachers who want to know what to expect from the site,prior to purchasing a subscription. Most of the site’s…
Read More
Did you know there were over 1000 Roman sites in England and Wales?
The numerous discoveries of Roman finds, often by private metal detectors, have revealed more than 1,000 Roman sites in England and Wales, often in places where archaeologists were not looking….
Read More
Teaching the Iron Age at KS2: are you teaching the right things?
In a recent article in Primary History by Karen Doull of the Historical Association adumbrated a list of the ‘Ten things your pupils need to know about the Iron Age’….
Read More5 things primary history subject leaders should be doing next term
It obviously makes no sense to ordain a calendar of must-do tasks that all primary history leaders should be following. After all, each school is at a different stage of…
Read More
KS2 update on Saxon conversion to Christianity-the first stone churches
Excavations in Kent have just revealed that there were STONE Saxon churches being built in England as early as AD 633. The one at Lympinge was believed to have been…
Read More
Making the Saxons relevant for BAME pupils
In the corridors of academia there has been much debate about the relevance of the british university and school history curricula to pupils.The popular author of a book on King…
Read MoreMaking links in history at KS3: 5 simple questions to ask your pupils
5 quick and simple questions to help pupils make links in history at KS3 When else have we come across a diagram like this to show how society was organised?…
Read More
Swapping a Great Fire for a volcanic eruption? Looking for a new famous Event at KS1?
In a recent article in the Historical association’s Primary History Sue Townsend makes a very strong case for introducing the teaching the volcanic eruption at Pompeii at KS1. One had…
Read More
How many of these 50 KS2 history concepts do your pupils understand?
How many of these KS2 history concepts do your pupils understand? Afterlife Army Blitz Border Christianity City Civil war Civilization Colony Conflict Conquest Coronation Country Democracy Emperor Empire Enemy Fleet…
Read More
What does greater depth look like in history at KS2 and 3?
What does greater depth mean in history? So, we all know it doesn’t just mean knowing more stuff. We also know its not like mastery in mathematics. Perhaps these 8…
Read MoreWriting frames in KS2 and 3 history: Uncomfortable Procrustean bed or essential tool for explanatory writing.
For years history teachers have been using writing frames. Some are better than others. Some are downright unhelpful . It s not that structure is unnecessary its just that some…
Read More
How to implement successful curriculum change in history: using the EAST model
Most schools will have come up with a new curriculum for history at a time when the statutory changes took place. But with the new focus that OFSTED is placing…
Read More
Using small stories to reveal big pictures in our history teaching: a practical example
Small stories and big pictures As history teachers, we love telling stories. We do this to motivate pupils as we know they are interested in them and find them relatively…
Read MoreImproving your questioning in history to improve learning
We all know that less than 10% of questions we traditionally ask in British classrooms actually caused new learning. Most concern rehearsing what pupils already know or are about classroom…
Read MoreDon’t bark up the wrong tree with progression-its all about the history curriculum not content-free skills
There has been a lot of confusing talk recently about progression in history. Schools are still wrong-headedly trying to build up a bank of ‘can do’ statements that are content…
Read More
Do all revolutions in history end badly? Historians compare Russian, French and Chinese revolutions.
Interesting article in History Today (one that is free to read), in which authors compare the outcome of three revolutions: Russian, Chinese and French. Plenty for your budding historians to…
Read More
Using place-name evidence to find out about the Vikings at KS2: 3 things you MUST know
Place-name evidence is really important to historians studying the Vikings. Not only is there so much of it, it is also very descriptive and helps us with everyday Norse language…
Read More
Using colourful highlighter pens to mark text. Is there a better alternative to promote deeper thinking in history?
Highlighting text is a commonly used technique in history teaching right up to, and including A level. I have spend many a deliriously happy hour on inspection looking through so…
Read More
How well do your pupils know the periods of history?
Chronology is difficult for young children. They generally get batter as they get older, as they can relate one period to the next in context. Of course they can learn…
Read More
Are you up-to-date with your teaching of the trial and execution of Charles I?
Sean Kelsey has recently published his research in a paper from the Institute of Historical Research which you can read in full here What I offer here are some quick…
Read MoreHow to close the attainment gap in history at KS3 and 4
Kate Smee,Director of Humanities, Fairfield High School, Bristol recently gave a couple of examples of what works for her on the HA site Onebighistorydepartment.As a starting point I would recommend…
Read More
Don’t over-complicate your teaching
OFSTED recently published this exemplification of successful history teaching in one school using the new EIF 2019 Framework criteria. Teachers present the historical content clearly, promoting lively discussion and debate…
Read MoreDos and Don’t of concluding your history lesson
When the National Strategies were all the rage over a decade ago now, a lot of attention was paid in the Foundation subjects to lesson starters and what were known…
Read More
What does good leadership of history look like at KS 1 and 2?
A recent report from a history HMI to a primary school reveals what they are looking for : One of the key features underpinning the high quality of history learning …
Read More
Keeping up-to-date with your teaching of the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings at KS2- dealing with fake news
Subject knowledge is vital for any KS2 teacher. You can rely on this website to provide not only the background knowledge you need but also the key learning activities that…
Read More
Top 10 Command words when planning your primary history activities
As well as listing and describing, what other forms of command words can we use to make sure that pupils’ thinking is likely to be historical? It may be helpful…
Read More
How can I raise standards in learning in history in my primary school? Doing the right things.
One of the hardest jobs for a history subject leader in primary schools is to build up a clear idea of what it is that makes the biggest impact on…
Read More7 ways to ensure that your history curriculm is 2019-ready
There has been a lot of coverage recently of OFSTED’s intention to focus more on the quality , range and impact of the curriculum, rather than simply looking at data….
Read More
So, are we getting the emphasis right in our teaching of the Peterloo massacre at KS3?
The Peterloo massacre is one of the best-documented events in British history and now the subject of Mike Leigh’s recent film, which has brought it to more people’s attention. The…
Read MoreGetting the level of difficulty of your history work just right.
We all know that pupils’ minds wander. Some brave researchers claim that this happens, on average, as much as 50% of the time for the majority of pupils. What can…
Read More9 ways to ensure that your local history topic is successful at KS1 and 2
9 ways to ensure that your local history topic is successful Don’t even begin your chosen local topic unless you are sure that there are enough suitable resources. Local…
Read More10 things you must know about King Alfred before you teach about Saxons and Vikings at KS2
1. Was Alfred born to be king? An unlikely ruler for a start. Although he was the son of the king of Wessex, Æthelwulf, who had himself inflicted a famous…
Read MoreUsing stories in history at KS3 and 4 as well as primary classes
Daniel Willingham and other have long made the case for the use of story in history teaching at all keystages not just in primary history classes . And its easy…
Read MoreWritten by Neil Thompson
All content on Keystage history is written and quality assured by Neil Thompson, a former history teacher, county history adviser and Ofsted inspector with more than 30 years’ experience in history education.