Table Of ContentTeaching
Humanities
in Primary Schools
Second edition
Pat Hoodless, Elaine McCreery,
Paul Bowen, Sue Bermingham,
First published in 2003 by Learning Matters Ltd
Reprinted in 2003
Second edition published 2009
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
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Learning Matters.
# 2009 Pat Hoodless, Sue Bermingham, Elaine McCreery, Paul Bowen
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Contents
Acknowledgements iv
Introduction 1
1
Aims and values in humanities education 9
2
Knowledgeand understanding:key concepts, skills and content 23
3
Humanities in the Early YearsFoundationStage 37
4
Planning for progression in the humanities at Key Stage 1
and Key Stage 2 50
5
Teaching strategies in the humanities 73
6
Creativity and cross-curricularplanning 89
7
Monitoring and assessment 104
8
Equality, inclusion and diversity in the humanities curriculum 125
9
Making themost of links with literacy and mathematics 149
10
E-learning and ICT through humanities teaching 167
11
Out-of-school learning; multi-professionallearning 181
12
Children’s spiritual, moral,social and cultural development and
citizenship education 196
References 212
Index 217
iii
Acknowledgements
TheauthorswouldespeciallyliketothankDianaSelbyandLyndsayThomsonfortheirhelp,
advice and provision of resources which have informed many parts of this book, Andrea
KershawandLindaKingfortheiradviceonSEN,andAnnaNeave,SallyShawandLisaGillie
for their contributions. We would also like to thank Ben Steel for his illustrations in the
planning chapter.
Theauthorswishtothankallthechildrenandstudentswhohavedonatedexamplesofwork
to illustrate the text. We would like to thank teachers in the following schools for their
examples of school planning and help with selecting examples of children’s work: Button
LanePrimarySchool,Sale,Manchester;ProspectValeCountySchool,Cheshire;HiltonLane
County Primary School, Manchester; Linden Road County Primary School, Greater
Manchester; Frodsham Church of England Primary School, Cheshire; Frodsham Manor
House Primary School, Cheshire; The Brow Community Primary School, Cheshire; and
HurstheadPrimarySchool,Cheshire.
Everyefforthasbeenmadetotracethecopyrightholdersandtoobtaintheirpermissionfor
theuseofcopyrightmaterial.Thepublisherandauthorswillgladlyreceiveanyinformation
enabling them to rectify any erroror omissioninsubsequent editions.
iv
Introduction
About this book
ThisbookhasbeenwrittenforprimarytraineesonallcoursesofInitialTeacherTrainingin
EnglandandotherpartsoftheUK.Bytheendoftheircourse,traineesmustbepreparedto
teachtheNationalCurriculuminselectedhumanitiesdisciplines,eithergeographyorhistory,
andReligiousEducation(RE).Thisbookfocusesontheplanning,teachingandassessment
methodsnecessaryforsuccessfulteachingofchildrenintheEarlyYearsFoundationStage
andatKeyStage1andKeyStage2.Theroleofcitizenshipisalsodiscussedasanimportant
elementofprimaryeducation.ThebookwillbeusefulforthoseworkingtowardsQualified
Teacher Status (QTS), but will also be useful to Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) in their
inductionyearandotherteachersandprofessionalsworkingineducationwhohaveidenti-
fied areas within humanities pedagogy that are in need of further development. It has the
Professional Standards for Teachers (TDA, 2007) firmly at its core. Many of the general
Standards for the award of QTS within each section apply to the humanities disciplines,
and in this book the specific characteristics of each discipline are clearly linked to the
relevantStandards.Thebooksetsouttheknowledgeandprocesseswithineachdiscipline
requiredbytraineestosecurechildren’sprogressineachofthesecurriculumareas.Where
athematicortopic-basedapproachisused,theplacewithinitofeachhumanitiessubjectis
clearlyspecified.
Features ofeachchapterofthisbook include:
. chapterobjectives;
. clearlinkswiththeProfessionalStandardsforQTS;
. linkstotheNationalCurriculumforEnglandingeography,historyandcitizenship;
. linkstotheAgreedSyllabusesforREandQCAModelSyllabuses;
. knowledgeandunderstandingofgeography,history,citizenshipandRE;
. classroomstoriestoillustrateimportantpoints;
. researchsummaries;
. practicaltasks;
. reflectivetasks;
. summaryofkeypoints;
. furtherreading;
. movingon.
Each chapter of this book addresses particular areas of the Professional Standards for
Teachers.Thebookconcentratesonissuesofpedagogy(howtoteachgeography,history,
RE and citizenship to primary-aged children) and children’s development and learning in
eachof these curriculum areas.The knowledgethatteachers needin orderto teach these
subjects effectively is provided in the form of examples, stories and activities within each
chapter. The agendas of the Primary National Strategy (DfES, 2003b) and Every Child
Matters(DfES,2004) underpindiscussionthroughoutthe book.
1
Introduction
What are the humanities?
Learning in primary humanities begins with a deepening of children’s understanding of
themselves, the people around them, their communities and eventually the wider world.
Thisknowledgeandunderstandingenableschildrentodevelopanawarenessoftheiriden-
tity,theirplace(bothinspaceandtime)andtheirsignificancewithinthesocial,culturaland
religiouscommunitiesinwhichtheylive.Theywillbegintolearnwhatisspecialaboutthe
humancondition.
Theteachingandlearningofhumanitiessubjectsorthemesintheprimaryclassroomseeks
tomakeuseof,andbuildon,children’sdirectexperienceoftheworldaroundthem,making
use of a range of key concepts and skills. It also aims to inform, interest, enlighten and
challenge children. Most significantly, perhaps, teaching in the humanities aims to encou-
rageawarenessandquestioningofvalues,attitudesandbeliefsand,aboveall,aninformed
andcriticalviewoftheworld.Thehumanitieshaveastrongpoliticalandmoraldimension.
Therefore, humanities teaching aims to engender a respect not only for the individual in
society,butalsofordifferentsocietiesandcultures.Childrenshouldbeempoweredbythis
education,andbe ableto interpret and respond toevents thataffect theirlives.
The place of geography in children’s education
Tomanypeople,geographyinvolveslearningthenamesofcapitalcitiesandfactsaboutthe
longestriversandtallestmountains.However,likeotherhumanitiessubjects,itinvolvesfar
more than simply memorising factual information. In common with history, geography
requires the development of subject-specific concepts such as a sense of place. As part
ofthisprocess,childrendevelopanunderstandingoftherelationshipbetweenpeopleand
theirsurroundings.Methodologicalconceptsunderpinmuchgeographicalstudy;concepts
suchaschange,continuity,causation,andparticularlyconflictandconsensus,forexample,
whenthereisaconflictofinterestsoverthebuildingofanewairportrunwayormotorway.
Above all, geography involves the use of a wide range of skills, which are set out in the
documentationoutliningstatutoryrequirementsforearlyyearsandprimaryeducation.Inthe
EarlyYearsFoundationStage(DCSF,2008a),geographicalskillsandcontentmaybefound
throughout the requirements for ‘Knowledge and Understanding of the World’, and more
specificallyintherequirementsto‘Observe,findoutaboutandidentifyfeaturesintheplace
theylive’ and ‘Findout about theirenvironment’(DCSF,2008b, p15).
ThroughoutbothKeyStages1and2oftheNationalCurriculumforGeography(DfEE/QCA,
1999), children are required to ask questions, identify, describe and explain, gather and
record evidence, analyse and communicate findings, use subject-specific language and
techniques, use sources, plans and maps, ICT, and a range of decision-making skills to
enablethemtofullyunderstandhowtoworkasageographer.Thebreadthofstudyrequires
children to use these skills in looking at local, regional, national and international localities
andtostudyspecificthemes,suchassettlements,andenvironmentaleffectsonlandscapes,
leading to change and the management of sustainabledevelopment. Geographers investi-
gateareasofmajorglobalsignificance,suchaspollutionintheenvironment,climatechange
andits effectsand sustainability.
Cross-curricularworkisanimportantpartofgeographicallearning.Geographyhasaparti-
cularly significant rolein providing a context for much work in history, RE and citizenship.
2
Introduction
Withoutagraspoftheenvironmentsinwhichsocietieshaveevolved,children’sdeveloping
understandingoftheirhistories,beliefsandsocialsystemswouldbeincomplete.Aspartof
theprocessofdevelopingasenseofplace,childrenlearntoseethemselvesascitizens,not
just of their own community and nation, but of an increasingly interdependent world.
Geographical concerns about the beautiful yet fragile world we live in forges links with
science and technology. Geography also provides wide opportunities for the use of core
skillsinliteracyandnumeracy,andparticularlymathematical,graphicalanddata-processing
skillswhichcanbeappliedtoreal-lifecontexts.Skillsandunderstandingoftheapplicationof
ICTisalsoavitallyimportantlinkwiththerealworld.AstheGeographicalAssociationsaysin
its leaflet forprimaryschoolparentsandgovernors,geography islearning:
. fromtherealworld;
. abouttherealworld;
. intherealworld.
The place of history in children’s education
Learning about the past enableschildren to begin to build up a ‘context’ for their under-
standing of the present. Practically everything that we see or do, or know about, has its
rootssomewhereinthepast.Historyentailsastudyofthehumanconditioninpasttimes,
and looks at how people learned to live in different circumstances from our own. It
provides contextual material for the development and extension of key humanities
concepts, such as the methodological concepts of continuity and change, cause and
effect, conflict and consensus. It also encompasses key substantive concepts, such as
power,communication,warandempire.Adistinctivefeatureofhistoryistheopportunity
itprovidesforchildren,fromtheEarlyYearsFoundationStagetoKeyStage2,todevelop
an understanding of time and to see where significant events and people fit within the
overall chronological framework.
Historyprovidesacontextforthedevelopmentofarangeofimportantskills.Theseinclude
theintellectualskillsrequiredintheuseofsources,suchasinference,analysis,synthesisand
hypothesis.Socialawarenessisdevelopedinhistorythroughworkonthefeaturesofpast
societiesandevents,andthroughstudyoftheexperiencesofpeoplesofvaryingreligious,
ethnicandculturaltraditions.Socialskillsmaybefosteredthroughtheteachingofhistorical
methods,whicharemosteffectivewhentheyinvolvecollaboration,withdiscussion,argu-
ment and consensus in the analysis and reconstruction of the past. Historical activities in
school should provide children with opportunities to critically examine evidence, to
research, to ask questions and to put forward their own viewpoints – key skills which are
valuableacrossthe wholecurriculum and subsequently the world ofwork.
Perhaps most importantly, history is a vehicle for developing the affective domain in chil-
dren’s education, in that it provides opportunities for empathy with people in other
circumstances and times, and an appreciation of how and why life was different from the
present.ByprovidingchildrenwiththeopportunitytoexplorethehistoryofBritainandthe
wider world, multicultural understanding can be promoted, which is of benefit in today’s
culturally diverse society. History is also an important discipline for promoting a variety of
values and clearly has much to contribute to the developing area of citizenship within the
primary curriculum.
3
Introduction
Finally,historyprovidesexcellentcontextualbackgroundandmaterialfordevelopingwork
inotherareasofthecurriculum,particularlythecoresubjectssuchasliteracyandnumeracy.
Thevastrangeandvarietyofwrittensourcesfromthepastencompassallthetextgenres
required to teach the literacy hour. Skills and concepts in history contribute to aspects of
mathematicalknowledgeandunderstanding–forexample,thoseoftimeandchronology,
whereasoundgraspofnumberisfundamental.Aboveall,thestudyofgeography,REand
citizenshipisenrichedbyanunderstandingofthehistoricalcontextofeachoftheseaspects
of humanexperience.
The place of RE in children’s education
Despite the fact that RE has been a compulsory part of the curriculum since 1944 (Butler
EducationAct),formany,theroleandpurposeofREinchildren’seducationisstillnotclear.
The 1988 Education Reform Act states that RE in community schools is not designed to
convert children or promote belief in one religious tradition. Instead the emphasis is on
‘education’–childrenaretobeeducatedaboutreligion.Thisemphasisrecognisesthatthe
childrenweteachcomefromarangeofreligiousbackgrounds,andthatformanychildren,
religion is not part of their daily experience. The purpose of RE, then, is to help children
explore the notion of religion and the part it plays in human experience. It recognises that
religionisauniversalhumanphenomenonthathashelpedshapetheworldweknowtoday.
Religion has been, and remains, a motivating force in people’s lives, providing a way of
understanding the world and one’s place within it. Religion seeks to answer the perennial
questionsthathumansface–whoamI,wheredoIbelong,whatkindoflifeshouldIlive?In
thiscontext,REinschoolattemptstopresenttochildrentherangeofreligiousexperience
byintroducingthemtotheworldviewssharedbytheirneighbours.Ithelpsthemtounder-
standwhatitisliketoliveone’slifeaccordingtoaparticularsetofbeliefs.Atthesametime,
REgiveschildrentheopportunitytoreflectontheirownbeliefsandexperiences–whether
ornot thesearedrawnfrom religioustraditions.
The Professional Standards for Teachers and
their application to the humanities
The Professional Standards for Teachers (TDA, 2007) provides the framework of require-
mentsforallclassroomteachers.UnderpinningtheseStandardsarethefivekeyoutcomes
identifiedinEveryChildMatt ers(DfES,2004)andthesixareasofthecommoncoreofskills
and knowledge for the children’s workforce. A further requirement is that the work of
teachers should be informed by the legislation concerning the development and well-
being of children (see www.tda.gov.uk page 1). This book focuses primarily on the
Standards for QTS, pointing out opportunities in the teaching of the humanities subjects
formeeting theagenda ofEveryChildMatters.Therewill,whererelevant,bereferenceto
the Professional Standards for induction year and main scale teachers seeking further
guidanceontheteachingofgeography,history,RE and citizenship.
TheProfessionalStandardsaresetoutinthreesections:professionalattributes,professional
knowledge and understanding and professional skills. While there are no additional
Standards or annexes for geography, history, RE or citizenship, this book refers to those
Standards in each section which have direct relevance to teaching in the humanities and
discusses how they can be effectively addressed through the humanities disciplines. The
Professional Standards are shown at the beginning of each chapter, which then provides
ideasandexamplesofhowto meet them.
4
Introduction
The organisation and major themes of the humanities
subjects
Thecurriculum requirementsasspecifiedintheNationalCurriculum (DfEE/QCA,1999)are
outlinedbelow.However,shouldtherecommendationsoftheRoseReview(DCSF,2009)be
implemented, the requirements for teaching each separate humanities subject will be
substantially reduced. For example, children will be required to study in depth only two
specific periods in history. There will, however, be greater flexibility for schools to decide
what to teach in outline or in depth, and for cross-curricular thematic work. For further
informationoncurrentdevelopments,seewww.dcsf.gov.uk/primarycurriculumreview/.
Geography
GeographyintheNationalCurriculumisconceptualisedthroughfouraspectsofknowledge,
skillsand understanding:
. Geographicalenquiryandskills,whichrequirechildrento:
–askgeographicalquestions;
–observe,collectandrecordinformationandevidence;
–analyseevidenceanddrawconclusions;
–expresstheirownviews,andidentifyandexplainotherpeople’sviewpoints;
–communicateinavarietyofways;
–usedecisionmaking;
–usegeographicalvocabulary;
–usefieldworkskills;
–useandmakeglobes,mapsandplans;
–usesecondarysourcesofinformation;
–useinformationandcommunicationtechnology(ICT).
. Knowledgeandunderstandingofplaces,includingtheconceptsoflocation,humanandphysical
features,similaritiesanddifferences,changeandwidergeographicalcontexts.Childrenshouldbeableto
settheirinvestigationsaboutplacesinthepresentwithinatimeframewhichdrawsonthepastand
predictsthefuture.
. Knowledgeandunderstandingofpatternsandprocesses,i.e.recognisingandexplainingpatterns
createdbybothhumanandphysicalfeatures,andhowchangestoplacesandenvironmentsarebrought
aboutbyhumanandphysicalprocesses.
. Knowledgeandunderstandingofenvironmentalchangeandsustainabledevelopment,i.e.
recognisinghowpeoplehavepositiveandnegativeimpactsontheenvironmentandhowthose
environmentsmaybemanaged.Childrenareencouragedtotakeaparticipatoryviewaboutdecision
makinginthelocalandwiderenvironment.
Inordertodevelopanintegratedunderstandingofgeography,childrenshouldusethefirst
oftheseaspects,geographicalenquiryandskills,whendevelopingtheotherthreeaspects
of geographical knowledgeand understanding.
Knowledge,skillsandunderstandingofgeographyarecurrentlytaughtthroughthestudyof
localities at differentscalesthus ensuring a breadthof study.
. AtKeyStage1childrenstudyatalocalscaleandfocusonthelocalityoftheirownschoolanda
contrastinglocality(eitherintheUKorabroad).
. AtKeyStage2thisbroadensintothestudyofalocalityintheUKandalocalityinanlesseconomically
developedcountry.Additionally,atKeyStage2,childrendeveloptheirknowledgeskillsandunderstanding
5
Introduction
ofgeographythroughthreethemes:wateranditseffectsonlandscapesandpeople,howsettlements
differandchange,andenvironmentalissues(changeandsustainablemanagement).
. AtbothKeyStages1and2childrenarerequiredtocarryoutfieldworkinvestigationsoutsidethe
classroom.Thiscantaketheformofworkintheschoolgrounds,theimmediatevicinityoftheschool,
thelocalareaoracontrastinglocality.
History
History in the National Curriculum is currently organised under the same headings of
‘Knowledge, skills and understanding’ and ‘Breadth of study’. The ‘Knowledge, skills and
understanding’,althoughincreasinglydetailedandcomplex,arecommonacrossallNational
Curriculumkeystages,andaretobetaughtthroughthespecifiedcontent.Thesearethekey
concepts and skills thatunderpinhistoricalstudy:
. Chronologicalunderstanding.Thisrequireschildrentobetaughthowtoplaceevents,peopleand
changesinchronologicalorder,andtousedates,commonphrasesandincreasinglyrefinedvocabulary
relatingtothepassingoftime.
. Knowledgeandunderstandingofevents,peopleandchangesinthepast.Thisrequireschildrento
betaughtabout:thekeyfeaturesofpastsocietiesandtheircultural,religiousandethnicdiversity;the
causesofhistoricaleventsandchanges;howtomakelinksbetweenthemainevents,situationsand
changeswithinandacrossthedifferentperiodsandsocietiesstudied.
. Historicalinterpretation.Thisrequireschildrentobetaughttorecognisehowandwhythepastis
representedandinterpretedindifferentways.
. Historicalenquiry.Thisrequireschildrentobetaughthowtousehistoricalsources,suchasartefacts,
pictures,music,historicbuildingsandsites,galleriesandmuseums.TheyarealsorequiredtouseICT-
basedsources,suchasCD-Romsandcomputeriseddatabases.
. Organisationandcommunication.Thisrequireschildrentobetaughthowtorecall,selectandorganise
historicalinformation;usedatesandhistoricalvocabularytodescribetheperiodsstudied;communicate
theirknowledgeandunderstandingofthepastinavarietyofways,suchastalking,writingorusingICT.
The ‘Breadth of study’ outlines the subject content that needs to be used in teaching the
‘Knowledge, skills and understanding’ in history. The content specified in this section is
differentatKey Stage 1and KeyStage2.
AtKeyStage1,childrenarerequiredtobetaughtthe‘Knowledge,skillsandunderstanding’
through thefollowingareasof study:
. changesintheirownlivesandthewayoflifeoftheirfamilyorothersaroundthem;
. thewayoflifeofpeopleinthemoredistantpastwholivedinthelocalareaorelsewhereinBritain;
. thelivesofsignificantmen,womenandchildrendrawnfromthehistoryofBritainandthewiderworld;
. pasteventsfromthehistoryofBritainandthewiderworld.
During Key Stage 2, the content to be covered is considerably greater, and gradually
attemptstowidenthescopeofthechild’sawarenessofthepast.Itincludesalocalhistory
study,threeBritishhistorystudies,aEuropeanhistorystudyandaworldhistorystudy.The
BritishhistorystudiesarespecifiedasRomans,Anglo-SaxonsandVikingsinBritain;Britain
andthewiderworldinTudortimes;andVictorianBritainorBritainsince1930.TheEuropean
history study is a study of the way of life, beliefs and achievements of people living in
AncientGreeceandtheinfluenceoftheircivilisationontheworldtoday.Theworldhistory
study similarly looks at the key features of a past society selected from: Ancient Egypt,
Ancient Sumer,theAssyrianEmpire, the Indus Valley, theMaya,Benin,orthe Aztecs.
6
