Holy Trinity Academy History Skills Based Curriculum
Chronological
Understanding
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
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Describe memories of key events
in lives
Sequence photographs & objects
from different periods of their life
Sequence some events from a
famous person’s life
Place objects/ artefacts in
chronological order
Use a timeline to sequence events
within a period correctly, using
dates
Use common words & phrases
relating to the passing of time.
Say what’s the same and what’s
different between the Neolithic
period and today, and how Calne
has changed over the past 200
years.
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Place the time studied on a time
line
Divide the past into different
periods of time & represent this
on a timeline
Sequence several events or
artefacts from different time
periods.
Use dates and terms related to the
study unit
Use dates & vocabulary relating
to the passing of time
I can say what’s stayed the same
and what’s different between the
periods I am studying.
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Place events from the period
studied on time line
Place events , people & changes
into correct periods of time
Use terms related to the period
and begin to date events
Further develop their
understanding of the major
periods of British history.
Understand BC/AD or BCE/CE,
and the meaning of e.g. 13th
century or C13 as the 1200s.
Use dates & vocabulary relating
to the passing of time.
Learn that civilizations have risen
and fallen; describe
understanding that was lost. E.g.
comparing Romans with AngloSaxons.
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Know and sequence key events
of periods studied.
Place events , people & changes
into correct periods of time
Describe the effects on different
peoples and cultures of being
brought together by voyages of
discovery. How this process has
shaped the modern world.
Use dates & vocabulary relating
to the passing of time including
ancient, modern, BC, AD,
century and decade.
Take and justify a view point on
when a period of history should
be seen as beginning or ending.
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Learn from the historical
evidence available in the locality
of Calne: Avebury, The Green,
The Heritage Centre.
Recognise why people did things,
why events happened and what
happened as a result
Know that some events from the
past still affect people’s lives
today (eg Remembrance day)
Identify differences between
ways of life at different times
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Ancient times: Egyptian
civilization contemporary with
Avebury.
Roman empire
Interrelationship of history with
geography – Rivers, empires.
Find out about every day lives of
people in the periods studied
Know that the lives of people in a
historical period were not all the
same
Recognise similarities &
differences between periods of
time
Compare with our life today
Identify reasons for and results of
people's actions
Understand why people may
have wanted to do something
Roman numerals (1-12)
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The Anglo-Saxons, Vikings,
Normans & middle ages.
Use evidence to reconstruct life
in time studied – experience of
archaeological techniques.
Identify key features and events
of time studied
Look for links and effects in time
studied
Offer a reasonable explanation
for some events
Roman numerals to 100.
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Tudors and Stuarts, exploration
and discovery of the new world.
Study differences between groups
of people - men and women,
protestant and catholic, cavalier
and roundhead.
Examine causes and results of
great events and the impact on
people e.g. economic & social
impact of Black Death.
Compare life in early and late
'times' studied.
Compare an aspect of life with
the same aspect in another period
Describe characteristic features
of past societies & periods,
including; ideas, beliefs, attitudes
& experiences of men, women &
children, social, cultural,
religious & ethnic diversity.
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Identify and give reasons for
different ways in which the past
is represented.
Look at different points of view
to find out about different
versions of historical events.
Distinguish between different
sources – compare different
versions of the same story.
Understand that some evidence
gives us limited information and
that results in different
interpretations.
Look at different representations
of the period – e.g. sculpture,
mosaic, renaissance art, Asterix
cartoons.
Begin to give reasons for &
results of events & changes.
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Compare accounts of events from
different sources – fact or fiction
Offer some reasons for different
versions of events
Examine how and why history is
used in propaganda.
Identify key changes and events
that have had a lasting influence
through time.
Interpret information about the
past given in graphs, tables or pie
charts.
Give reasons for & results of
events & changes, expressing
own opinion of the relative
importance of each reason.
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Range and depth of
historical knowledge
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Sequence events in own life
put objects in order of how old
they are : Sequence 3 or 4
artefacts from distinctly different
periods of time
Match objects to people of
different ages
Use timelines to order things that
happened in the past: events in
my lifetime.
Use words like ‘before’ , ‘after’
and ‘between’ to describe when
things happened.
Use common words & phrases
relating to the passing of time.
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I can say what has stayed the
same and what is different in my
lifetime.
Relate study mostly to own
lifetime and that of living
relatives.
Recognise the difference between
past and present in their own and
others lives
Know and recount episodes from
stories about the past
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Interpretations of history
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Use stories to encourage children
to distinguish between fact and
fiction
Compare adults talking about the
past – how reliable are their
memories?
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Compare 2 versions of a past
event
Know that events from the past
are told in many different ways.
Identify different ways in which
the past is represented
Compare pictures or photographs
of people or events in the past
Discuss reliability of photos/
accounts/stories
Give reasons for some of the
actions of a famous person or the
reasons for a famous event.
Express an opinion – e.g. whose
fault was it? Was it right or
wrong? Was someone kind or
selfish?
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Look at the evidence available
and identify gaps in it.
Begin to evaluate the usefulness
of different sources
Consider interpretations of an
event by looking at other
information, keeping in mind that
some information is more reliable
Identify and give reasons for
different ways in which the past
is represented & interpreted.
Give reasons for & results of
events & changes, allocating
relative importance to each
reason.
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Use relevant dates and terms
Identify key discoveries and
inventions in the periods being
studied and describe how they
have shaped the modern world.
Understand how the current
world order has been established
through 2 world wars.
Reflect on continuity and change
through history: review the
sweep of history studied:
Neolithic to present day.
Use an increasing depth of
factual knowledge to describe
past societies & periods.
Begin to observe patterns in
history and use this as a basis to
comment on current social issues
and speculate about the future.
Compare beliefs, behaviour and
characteristics of people across
cultures and periods, recognising
that not everyone shares the same
views and feelings
Identify & describe reasons for &
the results of historical events,
situations & changes in the
periods & societies studied.
Write an alternative explanation
of a past event in terms of cause
and effect using evidence to
support and illustrate the
explanation
Know key dates, characters and
events of time studied
Recognize features of periods &
societies studied
Recognize social, cultural,
religious & ethnic diversity of
societies
Link sources and work out how
conclusions were arrived at
Choose and justify a viewpoint
combining primary and
secondary sources.
Describe ways in which ideas
from ancient civilizations are
influential today.
Consider ways of checking the
accuracy of interpretations – fact
or fiction and opinion
Confidently use reference books
and internet for research
Use statistical analysis of historic
data to support an argument. (e.g
mean age of infant death)
Historical Enquiry
 Find out about how things were
similar to or different from the way
they are now. – asking older
people, investigating artefacts that
are not used any more, comparing
pictures of the same place over
time.
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 Raise and find answers to simple
questions about the past from
sources of information.
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 Come up with alternative answers /
explanations and say which is the
best.
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Ask questions about the past
Introduce the term ‘source of
evidence’
Observe and/or handle sources,
making simple observations to
find out about the past
Ensure primary and secondary
sources are used
Answer questions about the past
on the basis of evidence.
Observe & handle a range of
sources of information
Practical experience – e.g.
investigate how Avebury’s stones
could have been moved, use
Neolithic pot-boiler stones.
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Organisation and
communication (cross
curricular – English)
Communicate historical
knowledge through:
Discussion….
Drawing pictures…
Drama/role play..
Making models…..
Writing..
Using ICT…
Storytelling: Recount episodes from
stories about the past
 Use thinking frames to
communicate historical
understanding:
“Is that because…”,
“I notice that…”,
"What would happen if...", "What's the
same and what's different?",
"I wonder if...",
"It is similar to..."
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Use sources of information
including ICT to find out about
events, people & changes.
Use the terms primary and
secondary sources of evidence.
Observe small details of artefacts,
pictures and verbal testimony.
Select and record information
relevant to the study.
Begin to use reference books and
the internet for research
Use information to ask & answer
questions about events in the
past- (This investigation goes
beyond what I can see –
inference & deduction)
Know what a reproduction is and
why it might be made.
Use an ICT simulation to learn
about the past. –
romansrevealed.com
Practical experience – clean and
research a Roman coin,
investigate the Roman grave in
Holy Trinity churchyard.
Begin to recall, select and
organise historical information
National literacy framework units:
Myths and Legends, Reports,
Instructions, Information texts.
understanding the applications and
implications of science.
Dinosaurs – comparing sizes.
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Choose relevant material to
present a picture of one aspect of
life in time past
Use reference books and internet
for research
Identify primary and secondary
sources of evidence
Give clear & detailed reasons
why key events happened or
historical people behaved as they
did.
Compare reproductions with
original artefacts
Use an ICT simulation to learn
about the past – BBC history
Viking Quest.
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Ask & answer questions
Record information relevant to
the focus of the enquiry
Use & evaluate a range of
sources
Use evidence to build up two
different possible interpretations /
representations of a past event
Use the library and internet for
research with increasing
confidence
Compare and contrast aspects of
the past with aspects of today.
Know what reenactment is and
how it can be a useful source of
information about the past.
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Recall, select and organise
historical information
NLS units: stories with historical
settings, information texts, explanation
texts, persuasive texts.
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Select & combine information
from different sources
Produce structured work, making
appropriate use of dates & terms.
Select knowledge of history
& communicate in a variety
of ways
Great fire of London – making
houses.
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NLS units: stories from other cultures,
Traditional stories, fables, myths and
legends, older literature, recounts,
persuasive writing.
National literacy framework units on
– traditional stories, explanation texts,
information texts.
Application of mathematical
skills
Science links: AT1 AF2,
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Interpret primary and question
secondary sources.
Bring knowledge gathered from
several sources together in a
fluent account.
Highlight gaps in evidence and
suggest means of filling them.
Sift evidence, selecting what is
relevant and discarding what is
not.
Sift evidence, judging what is
reliable and discarding what is
not.
Sift evidence, selecting that
which supports a chosen view
point.
Combine primary and secondary
sources to support an
interpretation of an historical
person or event.
Attempt to discredit evidence
which does not support a chosen
viewpoint.
Select and organize information
from a variety of sources, to
produce structured work, making
appropriate use of dates and
terms.
NLS units: Biography &
autobiography, Journalistic writing,
argument, persuasion,
formal/impersonal writing, stories
with flashbacks. Diary writing.
Progression of recording in line
with English curriculum: varied
styles and genres of writing.
Rivers: using direction vocabulary
Invaders: representing dietary
information in graphs and charts.
Level 1:
Level 2:
Level 3:
Identify and link to science in familiar objects or
contexts
Recognise scientific and technological
developments that help us
Describe, in familiar contexts, how science helps
people do things
Identify scientific or technological phenomena and
say whether or not they are helpful
Explain the purposes of a variety of scientific or technological developments
on scientific ideas
Civil war – costs of raising armies.
Plague – data on fatalities spreadsheet.
Level 4: Describe some simple positive and negative
consequences of scientific and technological developments
Recognise applications of specific scientific ideas
Georgian architecture – applying the
language of shape.
Level 5: Describe different viewpoints a range of people may have about
scientific or technological developments
Indicate how scientific or technological developments may affect different
groups of people in different ways
Identify ethical or moral issues linked to scientific or technological
developments