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The year without a summer and other cautionary tales
Primary History article
Susie Townsend explores the story of the Tambora volcanic explosion of 1815 and the catastrophic effect that this had on climate around the world. She uses contemporary accounts and images to set the scene. She demonstrates how this one event far away in Indonesia affected climate across the whole world....
The year without a summer and other cautionary tales
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What is so important about interpretations?
Primary History article
Tim Lomas explores one of the key disciplinary concepts that form part of school history – that of interpretations and representations. This has been a staple of the National Curriculum since its inception. While many schools have a successful approach to it, others struggle. In this article Tim Lomas discusses its...
What is so important about interpretations?
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Baghdad: what were its connections across the medieval world?
Primary History article
Baghdad of the Abbasid Caliphate was an architectural marvel, a round city protected by huge walls and surrounded by an intricate canal system. At the centre lay the caliph’s palace with a cupola of green, and the Great Mosque. The city was a series of concentric circles. The surrounding walls were over 240...
Baghdad: what were its connections across the medieval world?
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Significance
Primary History article
What makes a person or event significant? When looking at the past, some people or events stand out in our minds. Individuals such as Florence Nightingale or Walter Tull at Key Stage 1 or events such as the Blitz at Key Stage 2 may have particular resonance. However, if we...
Significance
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How museum collections make ancient Egypt, and the people who lived there, real
Primary History article
It’s a safe bet that ancient Egypt is one of the most exciting topics on the primary history curriculum. But that can come with misunderstandings of a complex 3,000-year-long history and an accomplished group of people, embedded by the sensationalised, gory, and othering approach often shown when ancient Egypt features...
How museum collections make ancient Egypt, and the people who lived there, real
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Smooth transitions: Key Stage 2 to 3
Primary History article
Transitions. Pivotal points in a child’s life and a phase in the educational journey that should be celebrated. How do we ensure that transitions are efficiently prepared for, when an ever increasing list of school pressures means that transitions can feel like the poor relation in the list of priorities?...
Smooth transitions: Key Stage 2 to 3
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Epistemic insights: bringing subject disciplines together
Primary History article
"Teaching epistemic insight goes hand in hand with teaching a broad and balanced curriculum. It includes building students’ understanding of the ways that different types of disciplinary knowledge can help us to address questions that bridge subjects and disciplines." (Teaching and Learning about Epistemic Insight brochure, https://crc.up.pt/wp-content/uploads/sites/101/2017/09/epistemic-insight-brochure.pdf)
The Epistemic Insight Project...
Epistemic insights: bringing subject disciplines together
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Using the back cover image: Communications
Primary History feature
Exploring the everyday objects that shaped our lives in the not too distant past can prove to be exciting historical challenges for primary age children. While we might remember or be familiar with the objects and their use, they can provide confusion for children. This is in part because of...
Using the back cover image: Communications
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Supporting historical understanding in the EYFS through the context of families
Primary History article
This article explores how historical understanding can be developed with our very youngest children using a theme of families as a starting point. It considers all the age ranges identified within the Early Years Framework. It demonstrate how progression can be developed across those age ranges...
Supporting historical understanding in the EYFS through the context of families
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Making history stick: why experiential learning matters in the primary classroom
Primary History article
Scott Cairns considers why we might want to bring elements of experiential learning into our own classrooms and how we might go about it. He provides some ideas for how to set up scenarios to provide immersive experiences for the children...
Making history stick: why experiential learning matters in the primary classroom
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Teaching historical significance and diversity in Key Stage 1
Primary History article
Mae Jemison is a groundbreaking individual who provides a purposeful and diverse addition to the history curriculum. This article outlines the rationale for pairing her with Neil Armstrong through an enquiry-led approach, while offering practical ideas for developing young children’s understanding of disciplinary concepts such as evidence, similarity and historical...
Teaching historical significance and diversity in Key Stage 1
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Planning a unit: ‘Do the Vikings deserve their bloodthirsty reputation?’
Primary History article
This article describes how a unit on the Vikings was planned and developed through creative and challenging activites that engaged children’s interest and imagination...
Planning a unit: ‘Do the Vikings deserve their bloodthirsty reputation?’
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Lest we forget
Primary History article
Early Years classrooms are often celebrated for their creativity, playfulness and child-led exploration. Yet they are also powerful spaces for nurturing children’s emerging sense of identity, community and connection to the past. At Ayr Grammar Early Years Centre in South Ayrshire, one practitioner, Joanne, has demonstrated exceptional practice in history teaching...
Lest we forget
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British Museum in your Classroom
Primary History article
This article describes work undertaken by Tees Valley Museums and the British Library to explore artefacts with primary children. The project integrated cross-curricular learning to enhance children’s engagement with an unfamiliar period and culture. It describes how classroom museums can be created and how these can benefit school and community...
British Museum in your Classroom
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A primary teacher on the Rolf Schild and Holocaust Educational Trust Professional Recognition Award
Primary History article
This article describes a CPD experience in Holocaust education with the Holocaust Educational Trust. It reflects the teacher’s own learning experience, considering the value of CPD, especially when considering how to approach teaching challenging historical events...
A primary teacher on the Rolf Schild and Holocaust Educational Trust Professional Recognition Award
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Celebrating history across your school: why displays matter
Primary History article
This article explores how displays of historical learning celebrate key understanding, promote engagement and enhance the school environment. The difference is highlighted between what constitutes a display and what is a working wall. The pictured displays demonstrate the school’s commitment to an inclusive and diverse history curriculum...
Celebrating history across your school: why displays matter
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Engaging young children with local history through outdoor learning
Primary History article
Local history is a fundamental part of the Key Stage 1 National Curriculum, yet creating learning that feels meaningful and accessible for young children can be challenging. This article looks at one school’s approach to bringing local history to life, through outdoor learning and community partnerships. With the installation of...
Engaging young children with local history through outdoor learning
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What’s the importance of… sound?
Primary History article
In this article, Susie Townsend considers how to use sound to enhance our teaching in history. She looks at the importance of auditory learning and suggests how we might incorporate a range of sound into our history lessons...
What’s the importance of… sound?
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Primary History 104: Out now
The primary education journal of the Historical Association
Read Primary History 104
I think the autumn term is one of my favourite periods. It heralds the start of a new school year as we return, refreshed, to the learning journey. It is also the term of festivals and remembrance.
We start with the festival of harvest. For many...
Primary History 104: Out now
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Using the back cover image: Exploring the collections of Victorian naturalists
Primary History feature
Many museums around the country house natural history collections that offer children the opportunity to engage with a wide variety of species from around the world. Using the collections of Victorian explorers and naturalists offers children a historical perspective with a cross-curricular approach which has a great appeal. Yet for...
Using the back cover image: Exploring the collections of Victorian naturalists
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Primary History 103: Out now
The primary education journal of the Historical Association
Read Primary History 103
This edition appears too early to reflect the National Curriculum history refresh. Although this is being done by a team co-ordinated by the Historical Association and colleagues are already busy, there seems no point in giving in to speculation and idle gossip. The changes will be...
Primary History 103: Out now
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Exploring environmental impact alongside early skills development in the EYFS
Primary History article
Mary Potts draws on actual practice at St Patrick’s School in Liverpool to show how a focus on growth using seeds can help EYFS children understand ideas relevant to historical understanding such as change over time. Such potentially complex ideas can be made much more comprehensible to young children through...
Exploring environmental impact alongside early skills development in the EYFS
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Pupil voice with SEND pupils in primary history
Primary History article
In this article, Lorna Spencer suggests that pupil voice is particularly important with SEND children. At the same time, this can cause challenges, as the way it is done with mainstream pupils may not be feasible with SEND pupils. She suggests some ways in which challenge might be confronted...
Pupil voice with SEND pupils in primary history
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Local fires as a subject of historical enquiry
Primary History article
The Great Fire of London is a popular Key Stage 1 history topic. In this article, James explores the widespread occurrence of ‘great’ fires and the potential of local examples for historical enquiry. Comparison between London and these local fires allows for discussion of similarities and differences in terms of...
Local fires as a subject of historical enquiry
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Teaching primary history thematically – why it makes sense
Primary History article
Recognising that most schools deliver history as separate units that are then divided into themes, Nick Mackintosh argues that this means a lack of a narrative thread, which can result in children struggling to analyse it effectively. A thematic history curriculum is much better at developing children’s understanding of chronology,...
Teaching primary history thematically – why it makes sense
