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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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She sells seashells by the seashore: teaching Mary Anning at Key Stage 1
Primary History article
Mary Anning was a fascinating individual who would be a purposeful addition to a history curriculum. This article outlines the rationale behind including her as a significant individual but also offers ideas for developing young children’s understanding of historical interpretations.
She sells seashells by the seashore: teaching Mary Anning at Key Stage 1
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An approach to teaching the British Civil Wars in the primary classroom
Primary History article
Denise Greany and Andrew Hopper show how to make the British Civil Wars of the mid-seventeenth century readily accessible to primary-aged children by focusing on the experiences of people who lived through these tumultuous times.
An approach to teaching the British Civil Wars in the primary classroom
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Teaching Gypsy, Roma and Traveller history
Article
Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people are the largest minority ethnic group in some communities (and therefore in some schools) in the UK. Yet the past of Gypsy, Roma, Traveller people may rarely be part of history lessons. The result is that pupils of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller heritage may not...
Teaching Gypsy, Roma and Traveller history
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Planning a post-1066 thematic study
HA Primary Subject Leader Area
The requirement in National Curriculum rubric at Key Stage 2 for a study or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066 can appear intimidatingly broad at first sight, but Andrew Wrenn is here to help! Drawing on non-statutory examples provided in the National Curriculum – such as...
Planning a post-1066 thematic study
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Animals who help us: teaching past and present in EYFS
Primary History article
Remembrance Day is a useful time to explore with EYFS pupils the people who help us. But of course animals also play a part in human conflicts. This article explores animals who have helped us in wartime now and in the past. The article includes useful teaching ideas and picture...
Animals who help us: teaching past and present in EYFS
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Pull-out posters: Primary History 101
The British Civil Wars; Young Quills 2025
Poster 1: The British Civil Wars
Poster 2: Young Quills 2025
Pull-out posters: Primary History 101
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Battersea: here for every dog and cat – 165 years and still going strong
Primary History article
In this article Karin Doull looks at the 165th anniversary of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. Our treatment of our most popular pets is reflective of society in a given time and Karin highlights several ways in which the history of Battersea can be used to spotlight different aspects of...
Battersea: here for every dog and cat – 165 years and still going strong
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The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR)
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 a celebration of the 200-year anniversary of the Stockton...
The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR)
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Pull-out posters: Primary History 100
Exploring the early 1990s; Train travel
These resources are 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
Poster 1: Exploring the early 1990s
Poster 2: Train travel has...
Pull-out posters: Primary History 100
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When your parents were young…
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
Susie Townsend explores the theme of life in the 1990s,...
When your parents were young…
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Artificial intelligence’s ChatGPT program: a powerful tool for teaching 7- to 11-year-olds history
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 Jon Nichol’s ‘Voice from the past’, he considers how...
Artificial intelligence’s ChatGPT program: a powerful tool for teaching 7- to 11-year-olds history
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Film: Brezhnev's legacy
Film Series: Power and authority in Russia and the Soviet Union
In this film Dr Edwin Bacon looks back at Brezhnev’s 18 years and how is has been described as an era of stagnation, producing an appetite for change from younger leaders such as Mikail Gorbachev.
Dr Bacon reflects that this was a period of relative peace, stability and predictability which...
Film: Brezhnev's legacy
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Unlocking the treasures of early Islam
Primary History article
Lucy Hawker demonstrates her school’s approach to teaching early Islam though focusing on its significance and demonstrating how lessons are effectively sequenced to develop subject knowledge and understanding. The article also indicates rich opportunities that this topic provides for links with other subjects...
Unlocking the treasures of early Islam
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Using children’s illustrators as a focus for learning about ‘Past and Present’ in EYFS
Primary History article
The EYFS framework places a key emphasis on the value of giving children rich encounters with stories and picture books. With World Book Day just around the corner, this article suggests how a focus on children’s illustrators could be used to develop children’s understanding of ‘past and present’...
Using children’s illustrators as a focus for learning about ‘Past and Present’ in EYFS
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Developing disciplinary knowledge: how and why castles and forts developed
Primary History article
Disciplinary knowledge is often identified as a key area of development by subject leaders. In this article, Susie Townsend explores the concepts of change, continuity and causation through the lens of forts and castles. Emphasizing the importance of enquiry, she provides a range of historical activities that could be used in...
Developing disciplinary knowledge: how and why castles and forts developed
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Making the most of a census
Primary History article
This article looks at how children can utilise and manipulate mathematical data to make sense of a historic past. The focus is on helping children see the numbers as a resource for understanding the experiences of those that lived in this place.
Aim: Understand historical concepts such as continuity and...
Making the most of a census
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Four objects in search of a story: why artefacts matter in history
Primary History article
The well-known children’s historical fiction author Tom Palmer relates how he uses artefacts as an important element in encouraging children to read and engage with history. The examples are from the First and Second World Wars, but artefacts from any period can make an excellent stimulus as well as an...
Four objects in search of a story: why artefacts matter in history
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The Battle of Monte Cassino and the D-Day Landings
Article
The Second World War is no longer a recent war. Very soon, there will be no veterans left to tell us how they saw things and what it was really like for them. While some eyewitnesses who were children at the time might be with us to see the centenary...
The Battle of Monte Cassino and the D-Day Landings
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Exploring the story of elections and voting with your primary students
Primary History article
David Carr introduces us to some of the educational resources and opportunities linked to the Houses of Parliament. With the prospect of a general election, it provides some interesting background information as well as suggestions for engaging children with the democratic process...
Exploring the story of elections and voting with your primary students
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Time travel to the Early Modern period...
Primary History article
This article describes how children in a German primary school explored some documents from the early modern period (seventeenth and eighteenth centuries) relating to the capture of merchant vessels. It makes use of a digital resource ‘The Prize Papers’ linked to the National Archives and found here: www.prizepapers.de The article also explains how...
Time travel to the Early Modern period...
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Musings and misconceptions about Remembrance Day
Primary History article
Very few primary schools do not address Remembrance Day in some form or another. We assume a broad awareness of what it stands for but Susie Townsend suggests that this may not always have been the case. We may be making assumptions about children’s awareness that are not justified. This...
Musings and misconceptions about Remembrance Day
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Disability in primary history teaching
Primary History article
This article is based on a session by Bev Forrest and Mel Jones at the HA Conference in May 2024. The central concern is to support teachers to weave the experiences and lives of disabled people in the past into the primary curriculum. It looks at possible opportunities in EYFS, Key Stage 1...
Disability in primary history teaching
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Earth heroes: Etta Lemon, ‘The Mother of Birds’
Primary History article
In this article Ailsa Fidler considers Etta Lemon and her role in halting the plume boom, which saw many bird species driven to the edge of extinction, all in the name of fashion. Linking a study of Etta to the government’s policy on Climate Education, the article shows how Etta’s...
Earth heroes: Etta Lemon, ‘The Mother of Birds’
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Exploring sustainability in the Early Years
Primary History article
Lucy Hawker has thought about how we might begin to explore the idea of sustainability with very young children. She suggests focussing on why we might save or reuse materials and objects. She presents a loose structure that could be used to develop talk. She also considers how we might...
Exploring sustainability in the Early Years
