There is a real and present danger in KS2 of failing to make links between topics. If we are not careful, topics become silos, seen as separate entities. Much better to make as many links as possible to enable pupils to make important connections and to build their own mental map of the past. We all know that we should link Egypt to other early civilizations, a requirement of the new curriculum. But what else? Well, when studying Stone age Britain are links made to the Ancient Egyptians or the civilizations of the Indus valley. We know from those surviving clay tablets that the Sumerians and Babylonians had sophisticated number systems, but these came after Stonehenge was built. Making comparisons across place and time is enormously helpful, even if pupils don’t take it all in at once.
When looking at the shape of Stonehenge, for example, pupils should be encouraged to consider how they were able to make those roughly circular shapes. So, when did people know the theory behind circles? Enter Ancient Greeks: fast forward nearly 2,000 years to 600 BC.
