Teaching Humanities Through Enquiry
Why?
Enquiry and 2014 Curriculum
Because enquiry is fundamental to understanding history and the process is now
recognized as a common thread through primary and secondary history
curriculums.
A high-quality history education will…inspire pupil’s curiosity to know
more about the past. Teaching should equip pupils to ask perceptive
questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments and develop
perspective and judgment.
The new curriculum states that children should…’understand methods of
historical enquiry, including how evidence is use rigorously to make
historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and
interpretations of the past have been constructed.’
KS1: They should ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of
stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key
features of events.
KS2: They should regularly address and sometimes devise historically
valid questions...
They should construct informed responses that involve thoughtful
selection and organization of relevant historical information They should
understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of
sources.
Unfortunately this is not the case with the Geography curriculum, where
Geographical Enquiry Skills, from the previous curriculum, are now known as
Geographical Skills and Fieldwork. There is also no longer a requirement for
students to ask geographical questions or express their own views, analyse
evidence and draw conclusions.
However, in the purpose of study it states that…’A high- quality geography
education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the
world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.’
The requirement to complete fieldwork in both key stages also lends itself to the
enquiry process. The geography curriculum states that it, ‘aims to ensure all
pupils are competent the geographical skills needed to collect, analyse and
communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of
fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes’
KS1: use simple fieldwork and observational skills to study the geography
of their school and its grounds and the key humans and physical features of
its surrounding environment
KS2: use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and
physical features in the local area using a range of methods
The process
This process of historical enquiry is always the same, no matter what key stage.,
but will be differently supported depending on age and ability.
1. Provide source material – an interesting problem to solve or a situation or
issues that needs explaining. This can be an overarching question, which
is shared.
2. Ask questions about material – what questions do we need to ask to solve
the problem
3. Suggest hypothesis to question(s) – make guesses and speculate on
possible explanations
4. Investigate further source materials, testing the hypothesis and reflecting.
This may repeat until sufficient questions are answered
5. Reach an answer, which is backed up by source materials, present and
reflect
6. Evaluate – what has been learnt? What do we want to find out next? –
Linking into next enquiry.
With Geography fieldwork, this same process can be adapted:
1. Asking questions – what do I know/what to know
2. Collaborating and selecting – which are the best questions, tools,
techniques?
3. Doing – fieldwork, research
4. Reflecting – what have we found out? What does it mean? How reliable is
it?
5. Communicating - what can we do with this knowledge? Who should we
share it with and how?
6. Evaluating – What have we learnt? What new questions do we have?
Where next?
Questions to consider
Is the chosen area or content interesting and relevant?
What aspect of historical knowledge, skills and understanding will be the focus
of the enquiry? Why?
What would be a rigorous and motivating enquiry question?
How will we hook the children at the start of the enquiry?
How will we sequence the learning, to maintain motivation?
What will the varied activities be?
How can we use learning objectives and outcomes effectively?
Are we using rich resources?
How can we help children to chose and use information?
How will the children communicate their understanding through an engaging
end product?
How can we set challenging expectations for children of varying abilities?
Does the enquiry fit with the school’s long-term plan?
How can I link it to other parts of the curriculum?
Developing Enquiry Questions
History
Question stems
Continuity and Change
What were the differences…?
How did life change…?
Was life in…always…?
What were…?
What made…?
Cause and Effect
Why did…?
What were the effects of…?
Why do we remember…?
Time and Chronology
When did…take place?
Which object is older? How do we know?
Which event/activity/clothing is the oldest/newest?
Evidence
How do we know…?
What do the songs, paintings, letters, etc, tell us…?
Synthesis, Interpretation and Communication
Does…tell us the truth about…?
Why do people disagree/still argue about…?
Was…a hero/villain as portrayed?
What’s the story behind…?
Why have such different stories been told about…?
What was so important about…?
Why was…a failure/so successful?
Enquiry
What can we find out about…?
What was it like…?
Empathy
What was it like in/for…?
How do you think…felt when…?
Features of societies
Why was…so important to the …people?
What was so important about…?
What lay behind..?
Examples of overarching questions
How did the Ancient Egyptians build the pyramids?
Why were the Olympic Games so important to the Ancient Greeks?
How much can we find out about people’s daily lives in Roman Britain?
What made Elizabeth I so powerful?
Why did Henry VII Marry so many times?
How was life changed in Newbury over the last 150 years?
Who was responsible for the Great Fire of London?
Why have people come to Britain?
How have the Greeks been remembered?
How bad were the Vikings?
Why did Boudicca resist the Romans?
Example using Sutton Hoo
This begins by focusing on a single discovery/evacuation and then leads into
more substantial enquiry:
What they discover at Sutton Hoo? Question posed with images, perhaps with
information from archaeologists or drama setting with children in role.

What do the Sutton Hoo discoveries tell us about the Anglo Saxon peoples?

What did the Anglo Saxons do for us? Did they really change the lives of British
people?

Who made the bigger difference to people in Britian – the Romans or the AngloSaxons?
Geography
Five key questions:
What is this place like?
Where it is?
What do you expect it to be like?
What is it actually like?
What does it look like?
Why is this place as it is?
What made this place as it is?
Who lives here, and why?
Why do people visit this place?
What journeys do people make?
What jobs do people do?
What do people do in their spare time?
Can the environment be improved? If so, how?
What services are there?
Does tourist affect this place? If so, how?
How is this place connected to other places?
What links does this place have with other places?
How does it interact with them?
What global connections are there?
How is this place changing?
Is it? How? Why?
How do people use and care for the environment?
What issues affect the people who live there?
What are the views of the people who live there?
Who should decide what happens in this place?
What would it feel like to be in this place?
Why is this place special?
What are the main similarities and differences between this place and
where we live?
Example overarching questions
How is my place changing?
How are we affected by the seasons?
How do rivers alter the landscape?
How are coasts affected by erosion?
How might a specific place be affected?
How am I connected to the world?
What might happen to this place in the future?
What are the problems facing this children of…following a natural disaster?
Should a landfill site/waste incinerator/wind turbine be built here?
Why is tourist affecting rare animals?
What does it mean to be British?
How does the environment affect farming?
What is the future for our woodlands and forests?