Leading History
Jacqui Dean Here is advice on leading history, including planning, organising, progression, recording learning, and assessment.
It is written by Nuffield Primary History project director Jacqui Dean.
The British government does not plan to introduce its revised primary curriculum until 2011. However, if you have already begun thinking about how to teach history as part of the new area of 'Historical, Geographical and Social Understanding', see our cross-curricular piece for specific advice.
The advice in this section still holds good, as History fits naturally with its new partners, Geography and Social Understanding. History is above all a study of how societies work and why and how people within these societies act as they do. It is also about Place, as well as Time. Intrinsic to both subjects are patterns of settlement and action, maps and plans, and the effects of geographical factors on events.
Leading history: sections
The history curriculum in schools
Knowledge, skills and understanding
Organising history
History and citizenship
History knowledge for teachers
Planning
Longterm planning: principles
Medium-term planning: individual study units
Assessing history
Recording learning
Progression
Theories of learning
Jacqui Dean says: The year 2/3 topic was 'Flight' - mainly history and science. I was preparing to tell the children the Icarus myth as the intro, but I wanted them first to think about how to design a flying contraption without using modern materials such as plastic, or using engines. Here is one of my favourites.
Pupil observation table