As primary schools have been so heavily criticised by OFSTED for failing to select strategies that are fit for purpose, I thought it would be helpful to show the range and style of activities that best relate to specific objectives. You will see that there is still plenty of scope to ring the changes. For brevity’s sake I have simply given the name of the activity. For fuller descriptions look at the alphabetical list under either 50 imaginative learning activities or 100 Great Teaching ideas, looking for the key stage or stages that are most relevant to you.
Chronology
- Timebox
- Anachronism pictures
- Sequencing pictures
- Human timeline
- Number lines to look at duration and interval
- Venn diagrams
- Coloured strips of card representing different lengths of time: match to periods in a person’s life
- Happy families
Characteristic features, attitudes and beliefs
- Thought tracking
- Role play
- Hot seating teacher to find out motivation and reasons for actions when facing dilemmas
- Would you?
- Conscience alley
- Talking heads
- Spectrum, showing range of ideas and beliefs
Experiences of men, women and children
- Overheard conversations e.g. During World War Two.
- Who said this?
- Venn diagrams
- Role play
- Conscience alley
- Who’s in the bag?
Causes
- Diamond 4 / 9
- History mysteries
- Text
