Humanities

From Year 1 onwards, all class teachers explicitly teach the History and Geography topics using a TOPIC approach.

Knowledge organisers are used to ensure children have a set of information they will be expected to remember from their lessons.  Each topic begins with a wow day and a collecting of what the children already know.  From that they then build the learning journey.  Planning starts with the knowledge, the ‘what’, the concepts and how we learn about a subject, incorporates vocabulary including etymology of words and then worked examples leading to independent tasks.

History chronology is addressed through the Timeline in the hall which is referred to during each termly topic to ensure there are comparisons and connections being made.

Our learning sequences for History and  Geography have been carefully planned, ensuring children are building on prior learning and children are exposed to the vocabulary of each topic. 

History

During key stage 1, pupils should develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time. They should know where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods. They should use a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms. They should ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events. They should understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.

During key stage 2, pupils should continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study. By making connections and contrasting and trends over time they should develop the appropriate use of historical terms. They should regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance. They should construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information by understanding how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources.

Geography

During Key Stage 1, pupils investigate their local area and a contrasting area in the United Kingdom or abroad, finding out about the environment in both areas and the people who live there. They also begin to learn about the wider world. They carry out geographical enquiry inside and outside the classroom. Whilst doing this they ask geographical questions about people, places and environments, and use geographical skills and resources such as maps and photographs.

During Key Stage 2, pupils investigate a variety of people, places and environments at different scales in the United Kingdom and abroad, and start to make links between different places in the world. They find out how people affect the environment and how they are affected by it. They carry out geographical enquiry inside and outside the classroom. Whilst doing, this they ask geographical questions, and use geographical skills and resources such as maps, atlases, aerial photographs and ICT.