History

Upon completing Step Two pupils:

  • know the routines of the day.
  •  know that they do not come to school at the weekend or during holidays.
  •  know and have some awareness of events in the recent past in which they were involved.
  •  can recognise themselves and other familiar people in pictures of the recent past.
  •  can recognise people and places from video.
  •  can listen to stories using photos and video of past events in which they were involved and recall the event using verbal language, pictures, symbols or objects.
  •  can communicate about activities and events in their past by matching item/toys/pictures of items e.g. baby toys to pictures of them as a baby.

Upon completing Step Three pupils:

  • know differences between old and new items.
  • know some events that have happened in a familiar person’s past e.g. parent, older sibling.
  •  can recognise and comment on familiar people including themselves in pictures from the past.
  •  can look at pictures and video of events and people from the more distant past and comment on what they see.
  •  can identify differences in pictures from the past and those of today.
  •  can pick out historical artefacts from a collection of items.
  •  can sort old and new from a range of objects.
  •  can comment on the stages of a person’s life.
  •  can listen to and watch stories about people and events from the past.

Upon completing Step Four pupils:

  • know the days of the week.
  •  know the terms now/then, today/tomorrow, before/after.
  •  know if an object is from the present or the past.
  •  know some different types of homes.
  •  can answer simple questions about historical stories and artefacts.
  •  can ask simple questions to find out about the past using pictures, video or a visitor as the source.

Upon completing Step Five pupils:

  • know about and can recount an event from their own past.
  •  know about and can recount an event from the past involving other people.
  •  know similarities and differences between historical and modern places.
  •  know how to place some historical events/objects in order.
  • can find out the answers to simple questions about the past using pictures, video, the internet, visitors, visits to an historical building or place.
  •  can use a broadening range of vocabulary to describe the past – old, new, long ago, began, next, then, last.
  •  can develop understanding of the past through reference to a class timeline when discussing other learning.

Upon completing Step Six pupils:

  • know and can sequence two events from an historical story.
  •  know two ways in which my life is different from people living in the past.
  •  know a way in which we can find out about the past.
  • can explore ways of finding out if something is old.
  •  can draw simple conclusions about life in the past by handling artefacts and asking questions.
  •  can with guidance create a collection of information and label artefacts for what they tell us e.g. clothing tells us what people wore.

Upon completing Stage One pupils:

  • know and communicate ways in which their life is different from people living in the past.
  •  know ways in which we can find out about the past.
  •  know that we cannot always use these ways to find out about the distant past and why e.g. video, photos, interviews with people.
  •  know ways of finding out if something is old.
  •  can draw simple conclusions about life in the past by handling artefacts and asking questions.
  •  can create a collection of information and begin to label artefacts for what they tell us.
  •  can sequence events from a historical story.

Upon completing Stage Two pupils:

  • know that the past is divided up into different periods of time and where the Middle Ages fits into the time line.
  •  know some of the events that changed how people lived.
  •  know the reasons why people settled in a certain place – for food, water, shelter, safety, materials.
  •  know and use historical vocabulary – archaeologist, remains, evidence, excavate, invade.
  •  know about events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally.
  •  know about the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements.
  •  know about significant historical events, people and places in their own locality.
  •  can select information to explain and illustrate the answer to a question from a range of sources.
  •  can use maps to locate places and the location of events.
  •  can use a range of sources to find out about the past.

Upon completing Stage Three pupils:

  • know the difference between a fact and an opinion.
  •  know if evidence is a primary or secondary source.
  •  know historical terms and dates and can use them in oral and written work.
  •  know about events and the lives of people living at this time drawing on the information available.
  •  can investigate an event or an idea using a range of sources of information.
  •  can experience history through reconstructing an experience – role play, cooking, shelter building, visits to historical sites.

Upon completing Stage Four pupils:

  • know what key events and changes took place during a period of history and how they impacted on people at the time.
  •  know that events in history may be presented differently by different groups of people and suggest reasons for this.
  •  know key dates and can use these to place events and periods of history in chronological order.
  •  can compare the lives of people during one period of history with those in another.
  •  can make links between different events and changes.
  •  can give reasons for the actions of people.
  •  can use a range of historical sources to provide evidence in written work, selecting sources most useful for the task.
  •  can compare different sources of evidence.
  •  can draw conclusions from information presented.

Upon completing Stage Five pupils:

  • can use their detailed factual knowledge and understanding to describe the past societies and periods.
  •  know how to find out about events, people and changes using research (various resources).
  • can examine and are beginning to question the reasons for, and results of, events and changes.
  •  can place events and people into correct periods of time.
  •  can describe the characteristic features of a period of history eg the Roman Empire.
  •  can identify and explain the impact of one group upon another eg Roman Britain of Celtic life.
  •  can discuss similarities and differences between main events and changes eg in early Roman Britain
  •  can identify and describe why key historical situations occurred eg in Roman Britain
  •  can describe beliefs of the people during a period of history eg Roman Empire period.
  •  can ask and answer questions about an area of enquiry and start to select and record information.
  •  can identify and discuss where remains of a period of history, eg Roman Britain, is still around us.
  •  can discuss and explain why events took place and their consequences eg the Iceni rebellion.
  • can use appropriate historical vocabulary to describe the period being studied.
  •  can recognise words from an historical period eg Roman words (Latin) being used today.
  •  can start to recall, select and organise historical information and know where to find it.                 
  •  can start to recognise and give reasons for changes.
  •  can describe the characteristics of life during an historical period eg Viking life.
  •  can discuss similarities and differences between the main events and changes in an historic period eg Saxon and Viking Britain.
  •  can use appropriate historical vocabulary to describe a period in history eg  the Vikings.
  •  can discuss how people of the past displayed strengths and skills in specific area eg the Vikings were great seafarers.
  • can use vocabulary relating to the passing of time including BC, AD, decade, century, ancient and modern

Upon completing Stage Six pupils:

  • can make historical links between features during particular periods of history and across periods, such as from Medieval to Tudor periods.
  • can start to suggest their own ideas of enquiry.
  • can discuss and understand the reasons for a key event in history eg the Battle of Hastings.
  • can ask and answer questions about an area of enquiry and start to select and record information from different sources.
  •  can understand how the power of groups and organisations were used in everyday life eg the church.
  •  can discuss why groups prioritised or acted in certain ways eg the barons insisted on a Magna Carta.
  •  can discuss aspects of key pieces of historical evidence eg the Doomsday Book.
  •  can identify the initial causes of key events of the past eg the Crusades. 
  •  can start to recognise and give reasons for historical changes.
  • can explain why situations developed eg trench warfare came to a stalemate.
  •  can understand the actions of key people in history eg Gavrilo Princip in the context of the Balkan crisis.
  •  can describe and explain the human experience of key events in history eg  horrors of trench warfare.
  •  can understand the chronology of events that led to a specific event in history eg WW1.
  •  can recall, select and organise historical information and know their sources.
  • can ask and answer questions about a specific aspect of history eg the significance of D-Day to the outcome of WW2.
  •  can discuss reasons for the actions of people and groups in relation to historical events eg why the Allies decided to drop the A-bomb on Japan.