History Curriculum
YEAR 3 – ANCIENT HISTORY AND PREHISTORY
Key questions:

How was life different in the distant past to today? How did life change for the people during these periods?
 What inventions and innovations helped society and civilisation to develop?
 Why do we know about the Ancient Egyptians?
What is history?
How was life
different 50
years ago?
What was life
like in the Stone
Age?
How can we
know?
What changes
occurred in the
bronze and iron
ages?
How were the
Ancient
Egyptians
different to
people in Stone
Age Britain?
Why were the
Pyramids built?
How can we
know about the
Ancient
Egyptians?
Old photographs;
then/now
comparison; look at
history of 50 years
ago (newspapers)
Nature of historical
evidence;
Archaeology at a site
(eg. Scara Brae);
Artefacts and
interpretation
Decline in special
places (eg
Stonehenge); metal
tools; trade with
Europe
Compare and contrast
the two civilisations,
focusing on WHY the
Egyptians were
different (agriculture,
cities, resources, etc. )
Egyptian religion (and
gods), power of the
Pharaoh, monument
building and reasons
for it, the need to be
remembered.
What evidence is
there from Egypt?
Canopic Jars,
Pyramids, Tombs,
Tutankhamoun,
Mummies.
Chronology
Enquiry and
using sources
Events, people
and changes
Events, people
and changes
Interpretation
Enquiry and
using sources
History Curriculum
YEAR 4 – CLASSICAL HISTORY
Key questions:
 Why are the Greeks remembered today?
 How did life change through the period? (City states, invasion, war, democracy, trade)
 Why were the Romans so successful at building an empire?
How do we
know about
the Greeks?
What was it
like to live in a
city state?
How do we
remember the
Greeks?
Who were the
Romans? How
were they
different to
the Greeks?
Why and how
did the
Romans invade
Britain?
What did the
Romans do
for us?
What evidence is
there from Greece?
Pots, buildings,
histories, myths,
names.
Sparta vs. Athens,
daily life, military
duty and different
styles; end of the
system under
Alexander.
Democracy,
philosophy, medicine,
alphabet(s), buildings,
Olympics. Famous
Greeks
Compare and contrast
Greek/Roman systems:
democracy vs
dictatorship; belief
systems; societies; city
state vs. Empire.
Reasons for the
Roman invasion;
Caesar and Claudius,;
Boudicca; Hadrian’s
wall.
Life in Roman Britain:
Celts and
roundhouses;
druidism; homes and
frontier life; life in
camps.
Enquiry and
using sources.
Communication.
Events, people
and changes.
Interpretation.
Chronology
Events, people
and change.
History Curriculum
YEAR 5 – New Beginnings
Key questions:
What differences and similarities are there between the Anglo-Saxons and the Maya?
How were the Anglo-Saxons and Maya different to what came before and after? (Romans/Vikings and Olmec/Aztecs respectively)
What problems are there when studying the distant/unrecorded past?
How did Britain
under the AngloSaxons change
from Britain
under the
Romans?
How do we
know about
the Anglo
Saxons?
How did the
Anglo Saxons
live?
How were the
Maya different
to the Anglo
Saxons?
What did a
Mayan city
look like?
What did the
Maya leave
behind?
Timeline work; Why
did the Saxons come?
(Why did the Romans
leave?); Why did the
Saxons stay?
Written sources;
Archaeology; Sutton
Hoo; Coins and
treasure; Offa’s dyke.
Myths and
mythology;
Roundhouses;
Warfare and warriors;
trade.
Differences in:
location; buildings;
people; culture; gods
and goddesses;
duration of stay.
(Contrast with Aztecs)
– ball games; temples
[El Castillo]; Mayan
glyphs (writing
system); houses and
dwellings.
Maya today: language
and people; Temples
and ruins (and
problems with these
being in jungle);
writing; folk stories.
Chronology
Enquiry and
use of sources
Events, people
and changes.
Events, people
and changes.
Interpretation
Communication
History Curriculum
YEAR 6 – New Frontiers
Key questions:
What evidence is there that Britain was once settled by the Vikings?
Why might Historians now believe that Vikings were settlers and not invaders?
What technological advances occurred to allow things to happen?
Who were
the Vikings?
Where did
the Vikings
settle? Why?
How was
Britain
different
under the
Vikings?
What was
life like in
Baghdad in
900?
What was the
House of
Wisdom? What
happened there?
What would
life be like
without the
House of
Wisdom?
Where did they come
from? What did they
look like? What did
they believe? Nature
of historical evidence.
Britain; Iceland;
America; France
(Normandy);
Jerusalem.
Comparison of life
under Vikings and
AngloSaxons/Romans
(/Normans?)
Danelaw; Language
Life in 10th Century
Baghdad. Political
structure – Caliphate and
caliphs; Baghdad as a seat
of learning; differences
between modern and
medieval middle-east.
Case study on thinkers
from the house of
wisdom (EG): Al-Jazari
(Medicine) ; AlKhwarizmi (Alegbra);
Musa (Physics); Al-Idrisi
(Maps)
Technological
advances led by
house of wisdom and
their effect on
modern society.
Events, people
and changes.
Interpretation/
Events, people and
changes.
Enquiry and use
of sources.
Why did the Vikings
leave their homes?
Communication
Events, people
and changes.
Chronology
History Curriculum – Local History
LOCAL HISTORY WEEK – Thematic British History
Key questions: -How do we know about the past?
-How does the past compare to the present?
- How have we got to where we are today?
Year 3 – Transport
Year 4 – Work
Year 5 – Buildings
Year 6 – My Local Area
Why do we move around? How do
we move around? How has travel
changed? What has been the
impact in our local area?
Farming & subsistence, the
How can we tell the age of buildings?
How have buildings changed and
why? What types of buildings
characterise different historical eras
and why? What do our local buildings
tell us about the history of this place?
The history of the school and its
locality. How is history recorded?
Looking at sources and how these
are different for different eras.
How are buildings from different
periods different? Why? (Styles,
technology, materials.) What types of
buildings are around? (Learning walk)
Can we date an area from its
buildings?
Nature of history – using sources
(written, pictorial, artefacts). What
was here before the school? How has
technology changed the way that
history can be recorded? (Internet,
publishing, photos).
Roads, horses and carts. What were
the roads like? (Clues in road names to
where the used to lead.) Canals,
waterways, Ship canal. Motorways,
cars, modern ways of moving.
development of labour and
industrialisation. How this has
impacted on our local community –
focus on child labour & women’s role
(Suffragettes).
What jobs have people done?
(Farming, subsistence work, soldiers,
miners, factory hands). What jobs
have children had? (Chimney sweeps,
labourers, mines, etc.)
Women and work.
Events, people and changes
Events, people and changes
Events, people and changes
Events, people and changes
Chronology
Chronology
Chronology
Chronology
Enquiry and using sources
Enquiry and using sources
Enquiry and using sources
Enquiry and using sources