History at Dobwalls

Intent:

At Dobwalls School, we believe that high-quality history lessons inspire children to want to know more about the past, to think as historians and to recognise the way history has shaped our lives today. Our lessons, ensure pupils understand Britain’s past and the wider world. We aim to inspire children to investigate and interpret the past giving them opportunities to do this. The history curriculum at Dobwalls, uses the local area which enables children to develop a deeper understanding of local history as well as the wider world. Our topics are informed by the National Curriculum, children’s interests and our local area. By linking learning to a range of topics, children have opportunities to investigate, communicate and interpret the past, understand chronology, build an overview of Britain’s past as well as that of the wider world.

We develop children with the following essential characteristics to help them become historians:

• An excellent knowledge and understanding of people, cultures, events and contexts from a range of historical periods, including significant events in World and British history.
• The ability to think critically about history and communicate ideas confidently to a range of audiences.
• The ability to support, evaluate and challenge their own and others’ views using historical evidence from a range of sources.
• The ability to think, reflect, debate, discuss and evaluate the past by formulating and refining questions and lines of enquiry.
• A respect for historical evidence and the ability to make critical use of it to support their learning.
• A desire to embrace challenging activities, including opportunities to undertake high-quality research across a range of history topics.
• A developing sense of curiosity about the past and how and why people interpret the past in different ways.

Implementation:

History is taught in units throughout the year on a half-termly basis, so children can achieve depth in their learning. We follow the National Curriculum and as part of the teaching and learning process:

• History is taught in units throughout the year on a half-termly basis, so that children can achieve depth in their learning.
• Teachers have identified the key knowledge and vocabulary for each unit and these are taught using knowledge organisers across the school.
• Skills are planned progressively across year groups.
• Teaching is adapted to meet the needs of children with SEND.
• History lessons are planned coherently to build children’s understanding progressively from their local area and into the wider world.
• Lessons develop the children’s understanding of historical concepts: significance, continuity and change, cause and effect, perspective.  This spiralling around the concepts helps to build their understanding and helps them to structure the information so their memory also improves.
• All History lessons follow the National Curriculum and are linked to the topic being taught, allowing the children to build curiosity, ask questions and investigate answers in a variety of ways.
• Each unit allows children to access a range of historical sources, both primary and secondary. This can include, but is not limited to: historical artefacts, books, videos.
• Timelines are effectively used throughout the school and ensure children can build upon their prior knowledge.
• The teaching of History is enhanced where possible by educational visits, visitors to school, museum loans and links with local, national and international organisations.
• Where possible, History lessons make links to other subjects such as English, History, Science and Maths.
• SECRET Skills are interwoven with History lessons to support our character education philosophy.

Our history long term overview:

History Long Term Overview

History Curriculum Concepts Tracker

Our History Knowledge Organisers:

We use our knowledge organisers within every lesson to help children learn and remember their learning. 

Knowledge organisers Y1 - Y6

Dobwalls Primary School Progression of History Skills:

History Progression of Skills at Dobwalls

Our History Timelines for Children:

Year 1 timeline

Year 2 timeline

Year 3 timeline

Year 4 timeline

Year 5 timeline

Year 6 timeline

We are very proud of our large history timeline which is on display in our hall.  This links to the versions children use in their books everyday to help build their chronological understanding. 

Impact:

By the end of Key Stage 2, every pupil at Dobwalls Primary School has experienced progressive learning about Cornish Heritage, Britain’s past and the world around us. Well planned and taught lessons lead to children who develop good conceptual understanding of history. Our spiral curriculum, combined with the use of knowledge organisers and timelines, in conjunction with the SECRET skills, ensures children can think like a historian and develop a solid schema for their future education.  Timelines have a powerful impact ensuring children can see the bigger picture of history and retain and build upon this knowledge over the years, also supporting their education into Secondary School and beyond.

Year Three - Stone Age

  

Year One Old Toys - visit to Truro Museum to enrich learning

  

Enrichment:

We aim to provide children with creative, active and real opportunities to learn about history. Our enrichment activities are planned as appropriate, often linking with our topics.  Some examples include:

• Year 1 visit Truro Museum
• Year 2 visit the Liskeard Town Museum 
• Y3 visit Wheal Martyn, developing understanding of local Cornish history.
• Year 4 visit to Plymouth, The Box Museum 
• Planetarium Visit to School – focused on Ancient Egypt bought also cross curricular to science with Earth and Space.

Go Cornish! 

Omlowenhe gans Kernewek

Having fun with the Cornish language

During Autumn 2022 we enroled onto the Go Cornish programme.  Go Cornish is a programme to give everyone in Cornwall and beyond the opportunity to learn something of the Cornish language, and to discover the culturally rich heritage of our amazing patch of the planet.

Every year, we celebrate St Piran's Day, make Cornish Christmas cards and Mother's Day cards.  We are also learning to sing some simple songs in Cornish!

We are learning to speak some of the Cornish language.  Here are a few of our favourite words: 

Hello Dydh da

Good morning myttin da

Brilliant bryntin

Splendid splann

Goodbye  due genes

Please mar pleg

Thank you meur ras

 

Every year, we enjoy learning language through the Klappa Kynsa stories.  There is one book per year group. It introduces everyday vocabulary using greetings and having a proper conversation in Cornish!  We enjoy these stories as part of our annual Book Week when we start school every September. 

Local Historians visit School

Annual Celebrations of St Piran's Day - March 5th

Aim - to develop children's understanding of local history

Every year, we make a point of celebrating our local history with St Piran's Day.  One we just can't forget was during lockdown!  Due to lock down of 2021, St Piran's Day took place both at home and at school!  It was fantastic to have everyone joining in with live pasty making!  Everyone learnt about the history of the Cornish pasty and the ingredients required to make.  Other activities including learning some Cornish language, the legend of St Piran and learning about the local Cornish artist Brian Hoskin. 

Brian Hoskin Art

History Theatre Show at School - The Cornish Caretakers!

This 45 minute whole school show (starring local comedian Kernow King!) took us back in time to learn about significant individuals in Cornish history including:

• Bob Fitzsimmons (boxer)
• Mary Bryant (escaped Australia)
• John Couch Adams (discovered Neptune)
• Emily Hobhouse (revolutionized care in South Africa)
• Dolly Pentreath  (Cornish speaker)
• Bobby Leach (Niagra falls)
• Mary Kelynack (walked to London)

Year 5