Keystage history

Writing frames in KS2 and 3 history: Uncomfortable Procrustean bed or essential tool for explanatory writing.

For years history teachers have been using writing frames. Some are better than others. Some are downright unhelpful . It…

How to implement successful curriculum change in history: using the EAST model

Most schools will have come up with a new curriculum for history at a time when the statutory changes took…

How should Germany be treated at the Paris peace conference? KS3 or KS4 task

This short but engaging task precedes any detailed analysis of the terms of the treaty itself. It has four distinct…

Using small stories to reveal big pictures in our history teaching: a practical example

Small stories and big pictures As history teachers, we love telling stories. We do this to motivate pupils as we…

Improving your questioning in history to improve learning

We all know that less than 10% of questions we traditionally ask in British classrooms actually caused new learning. Most…

GCSE history wagging KS3 dog says HA survey

Last month the Historical Association published its annual survey of the state of history in its secondary schools. About 300…

Free at Last? How far had the Civil Rights Movement come by 1963?

How far have Afro-Americans come in their struggle for equality over the last 160 years? With many schools operating a…

Don’t bark up the wrong tree with progression-its all about the history curriculum not content-free skills

There has been a lot of confusing talk recently about progression in history. Schools are still wrong-headedly trying to build…

Do all revolutions in history end badly? Historians compare Russian, French and Chinese revolutions.

Interesting article in History Today (one that is free to read), in which authors compare the outcome of three revolutions:…

‘100’ great teaching ideas for teaching history at KS4

This section offers a veritable treasure trove of imaginative tried-and-tested ideas which will be a source of inspiration for you…

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Using place-name evidence to find out about the Vikings at KS2: 3 things you MUST know

Place-name evidence is really important to historians studying the Vikings. Not only is there so much of it, it is…

Curriculum models at key stage 3

By now, most of you will have taught your new KS3 curriculum for over four years. It might seem a…

Using colourful highlighter pens to mark text. Is there a better alternative to promote deeper thinking in history?

Highlighting text is a commonly used technique in history teaching right up to, and including A level. I have spend…

Medium term planning for history at KS2

KS2 History Planning and Plans All compulsory National Curriculum topics now have full medium-term plans rated as outstanding by OFSTED. …

Your KS3 history curriculum and OFSTED’s 2019 Framework

With the OFSTED Framework for 2019 very much in mind the clever people at OneBigHistoryDepartment have come up with a…

Great new outstanding lesson on Richard the Lionheart and 3rd crusade

Given Richard’ failure to capture Jerusalem, his incarceration and his absence from England how could he still be called Lionheart…

How well do your pupils know the periods of history?

Chronology is difficult for young children. They generally get batter as they get older, as they can relate one period…

Are you up-to-date with your teaching of the trial and execution of Charles I?

Sean Kelsey has recently published his research in a paper from the Institute of Historical Research which you can read…

How to engage your KS2 boys with the Maya using football

Football is a religion. As early as 1000 year ago the ancient Mayan ball game drew huge crowds, not just…

How to close the attainment gap in history at KS3 and 4

Kate Smee,Director of Humanities, Fairfield High School, Bristol recently gave a couple of examples of what works for her on…

Widespread ignorance of the Holocaust still shocks

Five per cent of UK adults do not believe the Holocaust took place and one in 12 believes its scale…

OFSTED’s sensible approach to progression

OFSTED’s 2019 draft Framework for Inspection is full of very welcome comments about the central importance of having a high-quality…

Gunpowder Plot Smart Task: Dear producer

Over the last few sessions, the children have become familiar with the story of the Gunpowder Plot using a range…

So when did the Russian Revolution really end?

This article from Miriam Dobson’s at Sheffield University give us a variety of answers. Rex Wade writes: ‘The dispersal of…

Don’t over-complicate your teaching

OFSTED recently published this exemplification of successful history teaching in one school using the new EIF 2019 Framework criteria. Teachers…

Elizabeth I: awful weather

As reported in The Times, yesterday marked the Coronation of Elizabeth I, 460 years ago. It was cold and wet…

‘Fitness for purpose’ teaching and learning strategies in KS1 history

Throughout the site there are lots of examples of imaginative activities, for both teaching and learning. These need to be…

In Living Memory: Key Stage 1

Comparing pupils’ lives with the recent past not only enables pupils to handle more familiar sources and make direct comparisons…

Using role play area when teaching Castles at KS1

There are at least 6 ways you can help young children make sense of the past using your role play…

Dos and Don’t of concluding your history lesson

When the National Strategies were all the rage over a decade ago now, a lot of attention was paid in…

What does good leadership of history look like at KS 1 and 2?

A recent report from a history HMI to a primary school reveals what they are looking for : One of…

The reasons why Labour won the General Election of 1945.

If Churchill’s popularity rating rarely dropped below 80% during the Second World War, why then was there a landslide victory…

Kristallnacht: Did the press allow itself to be taken in by Nazi propaganda?

This lesson starts by creating tension between what students have read in preparation for the lesson and a contemporary newspaper….

LESSON IDEA: Why have there been so many different theories as to why Stalin carried out the Terror?

Varied and active lesson in which students: generate a list of relevant questions; prioritise their own reasons; role-play the arguments…

Using history puzzles to encourage deep cross-curricular thinking.

I would strongly urge you to consider throwing in a few of these from time to time. Here is a…

Keeping up-to-date with your teaching of the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings at KS2- dealing with fake news

Subject knowledge is vital for any KS2 teacher. You can rely on this website to provide not only the background…

Teaching Caxton and Bell at Key Stage 1

These two famous people are linked by the theme of communication; spreading the word. Tim Berners-Lee founder of the world…

GCSE Medicine and World War One. How did a weapon of war ( mustard gas) lead to a blood cancer treatment?

Fascinating short article looking at war as a factor in medical advances. Those who suffered most from mustard gas attacks…

Comparing different nursery rhymes: Wee Willie Winkie

This fun lesson uses images and very simple text as well as artefacts. It provides an essential grounding in an…

In many schools primary history curriculum found wanting by OFSTED

Seven of the 33 primaries schools visited by the inspectorate under phase 3 of its curriculum study, published today, had…

OFSTED rails against gimmicks rather than getting basics right

The chief inspector of schools at OFSTED has warned against resting hopes on the latest educational gimmicks and urged us…

Top 10 Command words when your primary history activities

As well as listing and describing, what other forms of command words can we use to make sure that pupils’…

New find reveals Roman relationship with the Celts

Yesterday the BBC ran this interesting article on an important find at Vindolanda Roman fort on Hadrian’s Wall which challenges…

How can I raise standards in learning in history in my primary school? Doing the right things.

One of the hardest jobs for a history subject leader in primary schools is to build up a clear idea…

7 ways to ensure that your history curriculm is 2019-ready

There has been a lot of coverage recently of OFSTED’s intention to focus more on the quality , range and…

So, are we getting the emphasis right in our teaching of the Peterloo massacre at KS3?

The Peterloo massacre is one of the best-documented events in British history and now the subject of Mike Leigh’s recent…

Moon Landing story book to use with Year 2

Those of you teaching Man’s First Moonlanding at KS1 but like to know that there is a cute fiction title…

Scott of the Antarctic – KQ6 – How should Scott be remembered today?

Exciting finale to the topic sees pupils analysing different ways in which Scott has been commemorated in the past, coming…

Getting the level of difficulty of your history work just right.

We all know that pupils’ minds wander. Some brave researchers claim that this happens, on average, as much as 50%…

Making your Y9 key questions harder than those for Y7

With OFSTED’s renewed focus on the curriculum many schools are re-examining the quality of their Ks3 curriculum, mostly written without…

Keystage history

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