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History and language
Primary History article
Pupil writing is present at every point in studying history - from initial questioning to the writing and presentation of a finished piece of work. Children continually explore, acquire and build upon both existing and new historical vocabulary and phrases, p. 30. Writing depends totally upon pupils' linguistic knowledge and...
History and language
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Creativity and history
Primary History article
Creativity now plays a central role in the English National Curriculum. Pupils ‘Doing History' can draw upon and develop their creativity, grounded in the historical record. Hilary Cooper has produced the first book on History & Creativity and guest edited a recent edition of Primary History, PH 63, on History and...
Creativity and history
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The importance of history vocabulary
Primary History article
Teachers and schools should surely be forgiven for quickly turning to the pages containing the ‘subject content' - within the new 2014 history curriculum - and finding out ‘what' they should be teaching. This is especially true for Key Stage 2 where children must now learn British history from the...
The importance of history vocabulary
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Primary History summer resource 2020: Historical Fiction
Article
This year's free summer resource for primary members explores historical fiction and how we can use it in our teaching and learning.
Historical fiction can be a potent tool for creating a ‘sense of period’, immersing us in the past through the power of narrative. When studying a particular historical period,...
Primary History summer resource 2020: Historical Fiction
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Exploring the history of space
Primary History article
Children have long been captivated by the idea of space exploration and this year marks the anniversary of several significant events, including the 50th anniversary of the European Space Agency and the 10th anniversary of Tim Peake’s launch to the International Space Station. In this article, Kate Rigby explores how...
Exploring the history of space
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Children's thinking and history
Article
Hilary Cooper outlines the main features of children's historical thinking in History. These ideas are reflected in the government's provisional plans for the 2014 NC for History...
Children's thinking and history
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Churches as a local historical source
Primary History Article
At Key Stage 1 children should learn about significant events, (e.g. the Great Fire of London) and about people and places in their locality. At Key Stage 2 they should learn about British settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots (e.g. Anglo-Saxon art and culture) and do a local history study (e.g....
Churches as a local historical source
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Primary history and British values
Article
In this article, Michael Maddison provides an overview of what schools must do in relation to promoting British values, as well as preventing extremism and radicalisation, and why it is so important that opportunities are taken in history to deal with these two pressing issues. It is an updated version...
Primary history and British values
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Using shoes as an historical source
Primary History article
There is something fascinating about what people wore in the past. From corsets to clogs, the evolution of clothing and footwear can give an insight into different periods of history, an excellent way of engaging with the past. Shoes, in some form or another, have been around from the earliest...
Using shoes as an historical source
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Using stories to support history in the EYFS
Primary History article
Stories can be used as starting points for planning topics. Activities suggested below relate to ‘Understanding the world’ including Early Learning Goal 13 – People and communities:
Children talk about past and present events in their own lives and in the lives of family members.
They know about similarities and...
Using stories to support history in the EYFS
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Pandemics in history: similarity and difference
Primary History article
I was inspired to put pen to paper to include an article putting Coronavirus in some sort of historical perspective after reading Peter Frankopan’s article in The Times newspaper on 28 March. The article entitled ‘Pandemics are terrifying but they can make the world better’ is written by Peter Frankopan...
Pandemics in history: similarity and difference
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Using apps in the history curriculum
Primary History article
There are a lot of apps out there on multiple platforms and searching for ‘History’ does not really narrow anything down. Knowing which ones are useful, usable and worth paying for is often a case of trial and error. However, this list will save you trawling through the myriad of...
Using apps in the history curriculum
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Music in the history curriculum
Primary History article
Music is a dimension of teaching history that is under used. Rosie explores key ideas about its value for teaching history. The first Aim of the proposed 2014 National Curriculum highlights the role of history: perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles...
Music in the history curriculum
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Using inventories in Key Stage 2 history
Primary History article
Continuing the focus on using historical sources, this article by Clare Lally introduces us to the use of historical inventories. Using examples from the Tudor period, Clare considers how inventories can be used to explore diversity of experience between rich and poor.
At every stage of historical enquiry, from primary...
Using inventories in Key Stage 2 history
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Primary History 70
The primary education journal of the Historical Association
04 Editorial
05 HA Primary News
06 Learning in the Early Years through Local People and Places: developing historical concepts in the Early Years Foundation Stage - Alison Hales (Read article)
08 Enquiry: developing puzzling, enjoyable, effective historical investigations - Ian Dawson (Read article)
15 Key Stage 1 local history...
Primary History 70
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Exploring the history of our place with very young children
Primary History article
Karin Doull considers how we can develop historical thinking in the Early Years in this article about locality and place. Karin offers helpful suggestions for developing historical vocabulary and assessing understanding.
How can we seek to encourage Foundation Stage children to engage with historical thinking and processes? What appears to...
Exploring the history of our place with very young children
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Progression and coherence in history
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
"The focus for much of the planning and the teaching is on pockets of knowledge at basic levels. Thus, the notion that pupils can progress and do better over time in history is not well established...
Progression and coherence in history
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History through children’s voices
Primary History article
This article is free to everyone. For access to hundreds of other high-quality resources by primary history experts along with free or discounted CPD and membership of a thriving community of teachers and subject leaders, join the Historical Association today
In this article, we explore examples of children’s writing, from...
History through children’s voices
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The world at our feet: a history of shoes
Primary History article
From the moment we start to walk, shoes become an ever-present part of our daily life, protecting our feet from damage, moisture, heat and cold, expressing our personality and fashion tastes and enabling us to carry out a variety of activities both safely and effectively. Shoes are an essential part...
The world at our feet: a history of shoes
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Back to basics: using maps in primary history
Primary History article
Maps tend to be more associated with geography but they have always been vital to history. This article focuses on the way maps have evolved in history, what they provide for the historian and ways in which they can be used when teaching primary history. A chronological account of the...
Back to basics: using maps in primary history
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Significance and interpretation in primary history
Primary History article
The terms ‘significance’ and ‘interpretation’ often go hand in hand with one another, but what do each of them mean and why is it that they fit together? Understanding both terms separately and how historians use interpretation to identify what is significant in history, and why historians cast their interpretations as to what...
Significance and interpretation in primary history
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Knowledge-rich approaches to history
Primary History article
In recent years, there has been growing support from policy makers in England for knowledge-rich curricula which view subjects like history as having cultural capital that all pupils should have access to regardless of background. The work of E.D. Hirsch has been particularly influential in arguing that a lack of...
Knowledge-rich approaches to history
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A local history toolkit
Toolkit
Produced by the Historical Association for the National Literacy Trust's "The Olden Times" newspaper resource, May 2011. For more recent resources on local history enquiries see:
Local significant individuals
Local history scheme of work: your local high street
Local history scheme of work: transport
Incorporating local history into a scheme...
A local history toolkit
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Pull-out posters: Primary History 86
Re-imagining statues: how should we do this? and Historical fiction prizes: Summer 2020
Re-imagining statues: how should we do this?
Historical fiction prizes: Summer 202
Pull-out posters: Primary History 86
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Artefacts in history education
Article
In history when we say objects we mean artefacts, that is, things made by people rather than natural objects. They provide archaeological evidence and can have various forms, from something tiny like a button to a huge building or ruins. The most ordinary objects can yield much historical evidence and...
Artefacts in history education
