New Resources for Teaching Black British History at Key Stages 1, 2 and 3.

Walter Tull artwork Jonathan Boast

Five thematic packs have been developed which explore ways of teaching and learning diversity within the history curriculum. Two of the packs are freely available on the Northamptonshire Black History website http://www.northants-black-history.org.uk/ and the rest cost £20 each. Each pack has a different focus and includes high quality resources, schemes of work, activities and an accompanying CD Rom.  A range of authors including Dan Lyndon, Hilary Claire, Dean Smart, Alison Gove- Humphries and Paul Bracey, together with local teachers,  an ethnographer, a museum  community members have contributed to the packs.  Each of 5 different themes uses a different towards exploring the past.

Theme 1: Walter Tull: Sport, War and Challenging adversity (3 separate teaching packs - History at Key Stage 1; Citizenship, PSHE and History at Key Stages 2 and 3; History at Key Stage 3. The KS1 pack also contains a story book called Walter Tull. Professional Black Footballer and First Black Officer in the British Army, which can be purchased separately for £5.

Theme 2 - Representations of Empire: Learning through Objects- KS2/3 Teaching Pack - this encourages children to explore the stories behind artefacts and museum displays and contains a rich selection of pictures of objects.

Theme 3: Living Memories KS2/3 Teaching Pack- this explores the experiences of seven people who have come to Britain looking at childhood and early life, first impressions of Britain, getting a job and home, together with social and cultural life. An accompanying CD includes audio extracts.

Theme 4 - Slavery to Emancipation: Key Stage 3 History Pack -FREE to download www.northants-black-history.org.uk - This pack explores the topic in its widest global and local context and is organised in a flexible way to support the development of this topic as a whole or integrate specific exercises into existing schemes.

Theme 5 Northamptonshire in a Global Context KS2/3 Teaching Pack - FREE to download www.northants-black-history.org.uk -This includes three exercises destined to last two or three lessons which could be integrated into existing schemes.

Finally, a textbook - Shaping the Past: Northamptonshire Black History (£12. 95) is intended for teachers who wish to increase their own subject knowledge of black history.  This provides a model for local research into Black British History which can be undertaken in most parts of Britain