Intent
At Daven Primary School, our long-term planning is coherently structured to ensure that each stage matches the demands of the National Curriculum so that children meet the age-related expectations. We have designed our curriculum so that each term and year build upon one another. Pupils have opportunities to recall previous knowledge, make connections, develop fluency and take their understanding to a deeper level.
We have ensured that the history curriculum offers a wide range of opportunities: both inside and outside the classroom, so that children really can develop a sense of awe and wonder about the world around them.
Implementation
The history curriculum at Daven Primary School is delivered as weekly sessions (when being taught) and is designed to enable pupils to not only be academically successful, but to also develop the knowledge and skills to be able to be life-long historians.
The history curriculum enables pupils to not only gain a coherent and chronological knowledge of the past, but to also understand the world around them by analysing past events, people and communities. We have ensured, when appropriate, historical periods are taught in a chronological order. Our history curriculum explores a rich variety of time periods to ensure that pupils gain an understanding of the wider world and the influence Britain and other countries have had on shaping the world that we live in today. Through developing pupils' disciplinary knowledge, we aim for our learners be able to critically evaluate, form logical arguments and draw conclusions when presented with evidence from a variety of different sources.
“The procedure of first teaching in small steps, and then guiding student practice, represents an appropriate way of dealing with the limitation of our working memory.” Rosenshine, 2012.
The work of Rosenshine, along with research conducted by the Education Endowment Foundation, have allowed us to structure the way in which we deliver lessons and assess children's recall. We start every session with 'Flashback 4' in order to recall key facts from current topics, and previously taught topics. In addition, end-of-unit assessments, in the form of low-stakes quizzes are completed and misconceptions are addressed before moving on to the next lesson/unit.
During weekly lessons, teachers provide clear explanations, models and images before the pupils embark on guided practice. Independent application takes place either in verbal or written form and work is evidenced in both floorbooks and pupils books. To assess individual knowledge, 'knowledge in the spotlight' questions are completed so teachers can effectively assess children's understanding.
Impact
In history, the knowledge and skills have been carefully mapped out, and teachers use their knowledge of their class to adapt learning so that every child can become a historian.