Key Stage 1 History

How did people live in the past and who were the key men and women that helped shaped society as we know it today - these are the questions children focus on at key stage 1 history. They continue to build on learning from the Foundation Stage exploring changes in their own lives and the way of life of their family or others around them.

They will learn about people who lived in the local area or elsewhere in Britain. And they will learn about significant people in their roles as artists, engineers, explorers, inventors, pioneers, rulers, saints, scientists and so forth. Some of the significant topics studied at this stage include the Gunpowder Plot, the Olympic Games and other events that are commemorated.

Some lesson examples

After looking at a poster of a castle and noting the key features, such as the windows and drawbridge, Year 1 pupils draw pictures of their own castle highlighting its special features. Cameron's castle highlights the drawbridge, small windows and thick walls as features that make it strong.

A Year 2 class is given the task of finding out information about toys from the past. They then have to share their findings with each other and use the information to place the toys in a chronological order, starting with the oldest. Once the pupils have agreed on the correct placement of the toys, they then move onto adding approximate dates, completing an illustrated timeline.