Keystage history
Teaching chronology at Key Stage 3
Much neglected for many years, the teaching of chronology is now back centre-stage. Already, leading thinkers such as Ian…
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Teaching interpretations at Key Stage 3. Neglected and misunderstood
It came as no surprise to read in OFSTED’s report ‘History in the Balance’ that the ‘key element’ of interpretations…
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Teaching Enquiry at Key Stage 3
Pupils should learn how to identify and investigate, individually and as part of a team, specific historical questions or issues,…
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Fit for purpose teaching strategies in history at KS3
Having bright ideas for what might make a fun and interesting approach is one thing. Knowing when it is most…
Read MoreWhat to look for in excellent history lessons: Your starter for 12
It has been a while since OFSTED published any revised criteria. With the departure of chief history HMI Mike Maddison…
Read MoreThe teaching process in history at KS3
With so much emphasis placed on the three-part lesson, due largely to the National Strategy, it is tempting to follow…
Read MoreProgression in history at Key Stage 3
Most of you will have a fairly clear idea of what it means to ‘get better’ at history, and will…
Read MoreAPP in history at KS3: where are we now?
This page has been left on the site even though the debate has moved on. Please treat it as being…
Read MorePupil Target setting in history at Key Stage 3
I still find this aspect of assessment troublesome. The curricular targets present few problems: the numerical ones certainly do. I…
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Judging pupils’ history work at KS3
Yes, it IS true. No more levels. Honest. What a weight off our minds. But be careful what you wish…
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Assessment tasks in Key Stage 3 history
The answer to key Stage 3 assessment in history This title is obviously tongue-in-cheek. Schools and departments must find their…
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Key Stage 3 teacher assessment: the 10 key principles
Most history departments were delighted to see the back of the crude and spurious NC levels. Instead of making as…
Read MorePrioritising at Key Stage 3
Most of you will have already carried out some form of self-evaluation and will have a shrewd idea as to…
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Developing your staff at key stage 3
The philosophy this site holds regarding teachers’ continuing professional development is summed up very neatly by the Assessment for Learning…
Read MoreMonitoring in history at Key Stage 3
This is a very significant section of the site as it embraces so much of a subject leader’s role. As…
Read MoreRaising attainment in history at Key Stage 3
In many ways it is harder to raise attainment at KS3 than at KS4 and not just because of non-specialist teaching…
Read MoreSelf evaluation in history at Key Stage 3
Ofsted does not require self-evaluation to be graded or provided in a specific format. Any assessment that is provided should…
Read MorePolicy and vision in history at Key Stage 3
Everything you do as subject leader sends off messages about your passion for the subject and desire to ensure that…
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Long-term planning in history at Key Stage 3
Long-term planning must be much more than listing the topics to be covered. It must identify the main depth studies…
Read MoreMedium term planning in history at Key Stage 3
It is rare now to find history departments who do not use key questions to plan their history work/enquiries. The…
Read MoreShort-term planning in history at Key Stage 3
My view about short-term planning at Key Stage 3 is simple; keep it short. If you are following a detailed…
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Creativity in History at Key Stage 3
You will find examples of creativity in most of the Outstanding Lessons on the site. Often these are the product…
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Thinking Skills in history at Key Stage 3
Although many aspects of the Key Stage 3 strategy have not necessarily placed the emphasis where I would have liked…
Read MoreICT in the KS3 history curriculum
It has always difficult to keep this section of the site totally up-to-date. This is not only because of the…
Read MoreHistory and citizenship at Key Stage 3
So you have dutifully filled in all the boxes. You’ve done the audit. You have seen off the Citizenship coordinator…
Read MoreWhat is history?
This is such an enormous topic and would fill the complete site. All I want to do is to offer…
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The Gunpowder Plot : a moving story
This is an account of a lesson taught by Sarah Duck, now a Leading Primary Teacher. She combined high quality…
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The Gunpowder Plot: Prove it using a gallery of images
This skilfully differentiated lesson places pupils in the role of detectives that have to find evidence to back up statements…
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Starter activity on religious changes in the reign of Edward VI. SMART TASK KS3
A quick small group starter task in which pupils collaborate to show what meaning they can make from an image…
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How significant was Magna Carta? SMART TASK KS3
Pupils have been commissioned to produce two brief podcasts for the British Library website aimed at a teenage audience. The…
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Teaching Primary History: Life in Britain 1930-1945 at Key Stage 2
Inexplicably axed by Gove from the 2014 curriculum, my advice is to carry on teaching this highly successful unit focusing…
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Teaching In Living Memory to Key Stage 1
Within living memory is one of the periods of time KS1 pupils need to study. At first sight it might…
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Polly put the kettle on. Learning about then and now, past and present
This is one of a series of 3 separate sessions on different nursery rhymes, building up children’s understanding of the…
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Can we help our American millionaire to make his castle come alive? SMART TASK
This activity uses the idea of the Mantle of the Expert to engage children in a serious, real-life task. A…
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Spying on your rival lord’s latest new castle
This is a really fun way of helping children to look closely at the detail of a medieval castle. They…
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Great short 5 minute video on Vikings guaranteed fun!
If you’re looking for a clever, funny and informative overview of the Vikings that your Y5s will really enjoy go…
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Bonfire Night when Granny was a girl: Smart Task
These activities have been designed for the current curriculum, covering the past within living memory and commemorative events. The three…
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Ancient Greece – KQ6 Part 3 – How Great is your Greek?
Pupils have to select a team of 11 Great Greeks. They do this by preparing and then evaluating 14 different…
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Washday in the past; helping the hopeless Mr Lather
The children will be familiar with the range of processes involved in washing clothes in the past. They will have…
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Ancient Greece – KQ6 Part 4 – What did the Greeks do for us? Evaluating the video
This task puts pupils in the position as evaluators of a BBC film: BBC Bitesize – Watch: What did the…
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The learning approach in history at Key Stage 4
Learning in Key Stage 4 history lessons is nearly always good but rarely is it outstanding. Because we are so…
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Learning Activities: Key Stage 4
Most evidence of history teaching at Key Stage 4 comes from OFSTED reports which repeatedly paint a picture of highly…
Read MoreLearning at Key Stage 3
This section of the site has been designed to bring greater variety to learning and to work towards making pupils…
Read MoreIndependence History at KS3 and GCSE
Independent Enquirers Learners can develop as independent enquirers when they are provided with opportunities in history to: explore for themselves…
Read MoreView of learners in history at Key Stage 3
With the increasing emphasis now being placed on the ‘pupil voice’, it is important that we make use of feedback…
Read MoreRoles for Learners: KS3
In addition to thinking of imaginative and motivating activities for our lessons, it is often helpful to think about the…
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20 Imaginative products in history at Key Stage 3
This section is included to jog your memory about the range of outcomes that might be expected and to promote…
Read MoreThe learning process at Key Stage 3
Far from being ‘just theory’, understanding how children learn in history underpins all the decisions we make in our classrooms. …
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Using a Victorian census to discover what life was like 100 years ago SMART TASK
There are 4 separate ways of approaching this topic, each becoming increasingly more ambitious. Stage 1 only is featured below. …
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ICT and Film in history at Key Stage 2
You may think it surprising that film and ICT appear together and not separately. Wit hthe advent of digitisation and…
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