History at Excalibur

" I liked learning about the stone age because it dates back to what we used to do."

"I liked looking from back then and seeing how much we have evolved."

"I loved learning about toys and playing with the old toys from the past."

"I love doing drama in History"

"I like to compare what people did in the past to what we do now"

"I like seeing what is different now"

Pre-School FS1

During the autumn term, pre-school have been exploring their own personal history. Each child brought in a 'well-being box' into school. inside the box, the children chose photos of their family and special events, as well as special objects which mean something to them. They then shared their boxes with their peers, giving details of their family, holidays, days out and favourite objects. It gave the children a fantastic opportunity to recall events from their past.

EYFS - Reception

During the autumn term reception class have been developing their historical thinking and vocabulary. 

Chronology:

• They talked about members of their immediate family and the relationship to them, name and describe people who are familiar to them both in the past and present.

• They have begun to develop a sense of continuity and change by comparing characters from stories.

How we did it:

Through listening to stories, sharing photographs of people and events and talking about them. Using the language of chronology to talk about what happened today, yesterday, last week, last year, before we were born, a long time ago, a very long time ago. 

Talking about important events and people such as bonfire night and Guy Fawkes, why we are wearing poppies?, Diwali and the story of Rama and Sita and The Christmas Story. 

Using a simple timeline to place events like today, last week, being born, our grown-ups being born, and then back 400 years ago to the time of the gunpowder plot and Guy Fawkes and then 200 years to the birth of Jesus. 

Year 1

During the autumn term, Year 1 have been learning all about the history of Bonfire Night! They shared how they celebrate, before journeying back in time to explore what happened on the 5th November 1605. Year 1 acted out the events, including Guy Fawkes hiding in the Houses of Parliament. They then compared their own Bonfire Night celebrations to those in the past, exploring the difference between past and present.

Year 2

During the autumn term, year 2 learnt all about the Great Fire of London! They looked at how we know that the fire happened, exploring lots of different historical sources. They investigated why the fire spread so quickly and burned down so many houses, as well as finding out about how they fought the fire. It was very different to today's fire brigade's equipment, especially their fire engine! They were lucky enough to handle artefacts from Nantwich Museum to learn about what life was like in Nantwich at the time of their great fire in 1538. They enjoyed a visit to the museum to learn more about the Great Fire of Nantwich and visit places which were affected all those years ago!

Year 3

During the Autumn Term, Year 3 journeyed all the way to prehistoric times to explore the period from the Stone Age to the Iron Age. They learnt that life in the Stone Age changed significantly as people moved from being hunter-gatherers to farmers, living in settled communities, training cattle to pull ploughs, and growing crops. They enjoyed exploring evidence from sites such as Skara Brae which showed them that Stone Age people could fish, farm, and even play games. They also learnt about the Bronze Age including new developments such as metal tools, roundhouse settlements, barrow burials and textile production. They made use of archaeological evidence to learn what life was like in Iron Age hillforts. They learned about what daily life was like in more depth including farming, food storage, and clothing production.

Year 4

In History in the Autumn term, Year 4 have been learning about the Anglo-Saxons and how they came to Britain after the Romans left. We explored who the Anglo-Saxons were, where they came from, and why they decided to settle here. The children learned about everyday life in Anglo-Saxon times, including homes, jobs, laws and beliefs. We also looked at important kings and how small kingdoms were formed, helping pupils understand how England began to take shape during this period.

Year 5

In year 5 we looked at why and how World War II began. The children discovered how and why children were evacuated and what life was like for them. They linked this to their learning in English too, reading Carrie's War. We discussed the government's use of propaganda and why food was rationed in Britain.

During our visit to RAF Cosford, we took part in interactive activities, examined real artefacts, learned about life during wartime and discovered the important role the RAF played in protecting Britain.

Year 6

In their history lessons during the autumn term, Year 6 learnt about Black British history, beginning with the first Black visitors to Britain during the Roman period, moving through the Tudor period with a trumpeter called John Blanke and then on to the World Wars and the Empire Windrush. They then considered what life was like for Black people currently living in Britain. During the topic, they used a range of sources to learn about what happened, including looking at Roman artefacts such as an ivory bangle, which was found in the north of England and dates back to the later part of the Roman Empire. The children also considered the experiences of people based on their witness statements and how events of the time shaped how they felt about the country as a whole.