HISTORY
- ANCIENT EGYPT –
YEAR 4
KEY SKILLS

Knowledge and understanding of events, changes and people of the past.

The ability to interpret evidence.

Understanding of the chronological order of events.

Historical enquiry.

Organisation and communication.

Devising historical questions.
TOPIC CONTENT

Locate Ancient Egypt in time and place

The importance of the River Nile

Pyramids, pharaohs and the discovery of Tutankhamen

Examining artefacts and discovering their importance

Mummification

Research a topic of their choice eg. Clothing, Food/ Farming, Buildings, Art/ Buildings

Hieroglyphics

Gods

Egyptian Hierarchy

Visit to the British Museum

HISTORY
- THE ROMAN EMPIRE AND ITS IMPACT ON BRITAIN –
YEAR 3
KEY SKILLS

Knowledge and understanding of events, changes and people of the past.

The ability to interpret evidence.

Understanding of the chronological order of events.

Historical enquiry.

Organisation and communication.

Devising historical questions.
TOPIC CONTENT

KQ 1: Why would Julius Caesar want to leave sunny Italy invade cold Britain and
what would he have found here?

KQ 2: Why did the Emperor Claudius invade Britain a cold bleak country, on the
edge of the empire?

KQ 3: Why did Boudicca stand up to the Romans and how do we remember her
today?

KQ 4: How can we explain the power of the Roman army at this time?

KQ 5: What can we tell about Roman life from a study of this villa/fort? Case
study of places such as Caerwent, Fishborne, Lullingstone

KQ 6: How far did the Roman change the life of people living in Britain after the
conquest?
HISTORY
- ANCIENT GREECE –
YEAR 3
KEY SKILLS

Knowledge and understanding of events, changes and people of the past.

The ability to interpret evidence.

Understanding of the chronological order of events.

Historical enquiry.

Organisation and communication.

Devising historical questions.
TOPIC CONTENT
KQ 1: What’s so special about Greece now and in ancient times?
To investigate where Greece is and how to get there
To understand that Greece still has world-famous remains of important buildings which have
influenced people for over 2,000 years.
KQ 2: What can we learn about Ancient Greece from what has been left behind?
The focus here is on the built environment (Parthenon) and the pots evidence found in museums.
KQ 3: What was so special about the Greeks and what did they care about?
The focus is on: a. Myths and legends linked to pots.
b. Ideas of democracy
c. Justice
d. The role of women. The diversity issue is important here as it highlights the role of women
and slaves.
KQ 4: What would a study of the Ancient Olympics tell us about the Greeks?
It has a strong religious theme and also prepared men for war.
KQ 5: How have the Ancient Greeks influenced the people who came after them?
Focus on architecture; Mathematics using and applying reasoning skills: music.
HISTORY
– CHANGES IN BRITAIN FROM THE STONE AGE TO THE IRON AGE –
YEAR 3
KEY SKILLS

Knowledge and understanding of events, changes and people of the past.

The ability to interpret evidence.

Understanding of the chronological order of events.

Historical enquiry.

Organisation and communication.

Devising historical questions.
TOPIC CONTENT
KQ 1: Is it true to say that Stone Age man was just a simple hunter gatherer only
interested in food and shelter? The evidence is based on a case study of Star Carr.
KQ 2: How different was life in the Stone Age when man started to farm? Pupils explore
different ideas and have to divide them into BIG change and little change before creating a
before and after image/tableau.
KQ 3: What can we learn about life in the Stone Age from a study of Skara Brae? Pupils
hear the dramatic story of the excavation of the settlement before going on to make
deductions from the buildings that have survived.
KQ 4: Why is it so difficult to work out why Stonehenge was built? Having looked at how
and when Stonehenge was built, pupils speculate as to its purpose before judging which of the
modern theories seems most plausible.
KQ 5: How much did life really change during the Iron Age and how could we possibly
know? This lesson based on the Iron Age Hill Fort at Danebury has already been published - see
above.
KQ 6: Can you solve the mystery of the 52 skeletons? This is a source-based history
mystery based on a case study of the Dorset Hill Fort, Maiden Castle.
HISTORY
- BRITAIN’S SETTLEMENTS BY THE ANGLO SAXONS AND THE SCOTS –
YEAR 4
KEY SKILLS

Knowledge and understanding of events, changes and people of the past.

The ability to interpret evidence.

Understanding of the chronological order of events.

Historical enquiry.

Organisation and communication.

Devising historical questions.
TOPIC CONTENT

This covers the period before King Alfred.

This could include: Roman withdrawal from Britain in c. AD 410 and the fall of the
western Roman Empire.

The Scots invasions from Ireland to north Britain (now Scotland).

Anglo-Saxon invasions, settlements and kingdoms: place names and village life.

Anglo-Saxon art and culture

, Christian conversion – Canterbury, Iona and Lindisfarne.
HISTORY
- THE VIKINGS AND THE ANGLO-SAXON STRUGGLE –
YEAR 5
KEY SKILLS

Knowledge and understanding of events, changes and people of the past.

The ability to interpret evidence.

Understanding of the chronological order of events.

Historical enquiry.

Organisation and communication.

Devising historical questions.
TOPIC CONTENT

This covers the time up to Edward the Confessor.

This could include: Viking raids and invasion.

The resistance by Alfred the Great and Athelstan, first king of England.

The further Viking invasions.


Danegeld - Anglo-Saxon laws and justice.
Edward the Confessor and his death in 1066.
HISTORY
-ASPECT/THEME IN BRITISH HISTORY BEYOND 1066 –
- THE VICTORIANS YEAR 5
KEY SKILLS

Knowledge and understanding of events, changes and people of the past.

The ability to interpret evidence.

Understanding of the chronological order of events.

Historical enquiry.

Organisation and communication.

Devising historical questions.
TOPIC CONTENT
KQ 1: What do you think were the most important changes to take place during this
period?
KQ2: A time of inventors. Who should the Dragon’s Den investors put most money on?
KQ3: What was life really like for children in the cotton mills? Role play of a parliamentary
commission.
KQ4: If life was so hard for people living in the factory towns, why then did so many
people move there?
KQ5: Was the coming of the railways a mixed blessing? Pupils make a TV programme
interviewing different 19th century characters (pupils in role) for their views.
KQ6: What can we work out about the life of young servants by using our local census
returns? OR what can we work out about life in Victorian times from films and novels.
There are two aspects to this study;
a. The first aspect looks at change through time. Using the census material from 1861,1871,
1881 ,1891 and 1901, pupils look at significant change in their town/village.
b. The second looks at one aspect in more detail. Within the context of a study of school, take
the local census for 1881 and ask children to work out how old children were before they went
to school and how old they were when they left. This is interesting because there is a
temptation for children to look at the first scholar and think that tells them the answer. What
they need to do is to cross-reference. As soon as a pattern emerges they can suggest their
hypothesis. You could ask children to work on different villages to see if they all agree.
c. You could, of course look at family size, nature of occupations and movement into the area.
The 1891 census might be better for this purpose.
7 “Should we remember Victorian times as a Golden Age of tremendous change for the
better, or a Dark Age of human suffering”.
HISTORY
- LOCAL STUDY –
YEAR 6
KEY SKILLS

Knowledge and understanding of events, changes and people of the past.

The ability to interpret evidence.

Understanding of the chronological order of events.

Historical enquiry.

Organisation and communication.

Devising historical questions.
TOPIC CONTENT

Land Use

History of the Canal

History of the Nickey Line

History of Hemel Hempstead throughout the ages

Focus on people of Hemel in World War I and II (in the forces and evacuees)

Robert Snooks

Extracting information from maps, documents and old photographs

Why people chose to live/work in Hemel?

History of the families living in Hemel

Changes in Hemel in their life/parent’s life time

Predictions for the future
HISTORY
- BENIN (WEST AFRICA) C AD 900 - 1300 –
YEAR 6
KEY SKILLS

Knowledge and understanding of events, changes and people of the past.

The ability to interpret evidence.

Understanding of the chronological order of events.

Historical enquiry.

Organisation and communication.

Devising historical questions.
TOPIC CONTENT

KQ1: What sort of place was Benin 1,000 years ago and how do we know?
Introduction to the nature of sources, especially oral testimony and artefacts.

KQ2: When was Benin at the height of its power? A collaborative living graph to
show the ups and downs of the civilization over time.

KQ3: What changes took place when the European settlers started trading? Case
study of one of the Benin bronzes.

KQ4: Soap, Margarine and tyres: Why did the British get involved in Benin and
what were the effects for the Benin people?

KQ5: Should the British have taken these valuable and sacred objects and put them
in museums? A class debate followed by letter to British Museum arguing for the return