Roskear Primary and Nursery School

Learning together for a better future

History overview

Learning: For a better future

"The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future"

THEODORE ROSEVELT

Rationale

Through history, we can learn how past societies, systems, ideologies, governments, cultures and technologies were built, how they operated, and how they have changed. All this knowledge makes pupils more rounded people who are better prepared to learn in all their academic subjects.

INTENT

History is chaotic and random but pupils will begin to understand that the planetary process can offer some explanation to some seemingly unrelated facets of the world history. Historians decipher and interpret humanity's written accounts to tell the story of our earliest civilisations. Archeologists brushing the dust off artefacts to inform us about our prehistory and lives as hunter- gatherers.

Cornwall and Camborne particularly has historically, utilised its natural resources. It has a rich mining history in coal, tin and copper, with Cornish miners to this day being considered some of the best in the world. Pupils will learn how Richard Trevithick, from Camborne, invented the steam engine, which was the beginning of the Industrial revolution.

IMPLEMENTATION

Curriculum Design:

Our units of learning are structured using half-termly whole school themes, with a geography or history focus. Geography units develop the concepts of place, space and scale. Where possible they provide the geographical context for the following history topic. In history, the periods studied enable pupils to make connections in local and world history by developing the key concepts of: chronology, evidence, significance, change and interpretation.

Our Medium Term Plans (MTP) are supported by ‘small steps in progression’ documents- ensuring a progression in both concepts, content and skills.

Lesson Design

Using the the Rosenshine Principles of Instructions pupils will be encouraged to 'think like a geographer or historian'. With the support of the Geographical and Historical Associations documents teachers plan for: enquiry based learning using explicit instruction, modelled examples; use of metacognitive talk using subject specific vocabulary and provide guided and independent practice opportunities.

Pupils will be challenged to consider the danger of a 'single story' by identifying facts and opinions, identifying bias, evaluating evidence, developing empathy, challenging a charity mentality and starting with stories about us and mutual respect and values.

Impact

As the History curriculum is defined and sequenced with attention to the types of knowledge - our assessment design is precise. Our assessment identifies the specific knowledge students have learnt and can apply, it pinpoints misconceptions and is incremental. We identify how far each aspect of the curriculum has been mastered. The evidence of impact is subject specific and ranges from written outcomes, pupils articulation of learning, visual presentations, drama, music or dance.

Assessment for learning- ( daily; in class)

Using consistent feedback and marking strategies- against success criteria (See Marking and Feedback Policy)
Targeted questioning
Pupil self-assessment and peer-assessment- against success criteria
Low stakes testing – ‘Rapid Recall’

Formative Assessment

Teachers assess at the beginning and end of every unit geography and history unit, through Knowledge Harvests and Never Heard the Word grids (NHTWG).
Knowledge, skills and concepts of foundation subjects are assessed through the answering of Fertile questions.
Learning in History is evidenced in are learning conversations (adult/child, child/child, etc).
Learning in History is evidenced in targeted questioning and response.