History in the Early Years

221 Pages·3.218 MB·English

by  Hilary Cooper

History in the early years

Until recently, history was sometimes seen as being inappropriate for young
children. Increasingly, however, teachers are discovering that children enjoy
finding out about the past, yet teachers are often unsure about what counts
as ‘real’ history. Hilary Cooper here explains the strands of thinking
involved in historical enquiry at any level, the extent to which pre-school
children can think in this way and how teachers can build on this thinking
once children are in school, making history an integral part of good practice.
The book includes case studies to illustrate points and activities through
which historical thinking can be developed.
Hilary Cooper is Director of Professional Studies in the Department of
Teaching and Education Studies at Lancaster University. She has also spent
many years as a class teacher in a variety of primary schools and has
published widely in the area of primary history.
Teaching and learning in the first three years of school
Series Editor Joy Palmer
This innovatory and up-to-date series is concerned specifically with
curriculum practice in the first three years of school. Each book includes
guidance on:

(cid:127) subject content
(cid:127) planning and organisation
(cid:127) assessment and record keeping
(cid:127) in-service training

This practical advice is placed in the context of the National Curriculum
and the latest theoretical work on how children learn at this age and what
experiences they bring to their early years in the classroom.
History in the early years

Hilary Cooper

London and New York
First published 1995
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2002.
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
© 1995 Hilary Cooper
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from
the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British
Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book has been requested
ISBN 0-415-10100-X (Print Edition)
ISBN 0-203-13756-6 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-17827-0 (Glassbook Format)
Contents

List of illustrations vii
Editor’s preface ix
Acknowledgements xi
Introduction 1
Part I Children’s early learning: a context for history in the first
three years of school
1 Understanding change over time 7
2 Interpretations of the past 17
3 Deductions and inferences from sources 22
Part II History during the first three years of school
4 Teaching children to understand concepts of time and change 27
5 Interpretations 48
6 Deductions from sources 79
Part III Organisation, planning and assessment
7 Whole-school or Key Stage planning 109
8 Planning a unit of study 124
Part IV Four case studies
9 Case study 1: year 2/3—‘Memories of Childhood’/‘The
Victorians’ 147
10 Case study 2: year 2—A class museum 152
vi Contents
11 Case study 3: year 1—‘Castles’ 161
12 Case study 4: children with severe learning difficulties—
‘A Victorian Kitchen’ 169
Part V In-service workshops
13 In-service workshops: some examples 181
Resources referred to in the text 196
Bibliography 197
Index 204
Illustrations

FIGURES
7.1 Outline of approaches to planning examined in Part III 110
7.2 How topics may be sequenced and related appropriately
to local resources 117
8.1 The planning process 125
8.2 Work in other curriculum areas which links with a history-
focused topic, ‘Castles’ 138
8.3 How art, music, maths and science make connections between
the history and geography components of a humanities-
focused topic, ‘The Farm’ 140
8.4 Cycle of teachers’ self-evaluation 141
BOXES
4.1 The measurement of time 30
4.2 Chronological sequences (1) 35
4.3 Chronological sequences (2) 37
4.4 Concepts and topics 44
4.5 Historical vocabulary 46
4.6 Activities which allow children to become conscious of levels
of probability 47
5.1 The ship 67
5.2 The castle 70
5.3 Cave/shelter 72
5.4 The Victorian kitchen 74
5.5 The Victorian letterbox 76
6.1 Looking at paintings: a possible sequence of questions 88
6.2 Looking at photographs 91
7.1 Three strands of historical thinking 121
7.2 Recording assessments 122
viii Illustrations
8.1 A picture gallery 126
8.2 A museum 126
8.3 An archaeological site, castle, windmill, church, great house 127
8.4 The history component of an integrated topic, ‘Clothes’ 130
8.5 Example of a history-focused topic, ‘Castles’ 132
8.6 The history dimension an integrated topic, ‘Clothes’ 134
8.7 The history dimension of a humanities-focused topic,
‘The Farm’ 136
8.8 Planning a unit 142
8.9 Example of a timetable 142
8.10 Teachers’ checklist of each child’s achievements 143
9.1 Long-term plan devised collaboratively by the three year 2/3
teachers 148
9.2 An example of one teacher’s weekly plan derived from
the topic web 149
9.3 Activity plan—Objects on display 150
9.4 Activity plan—Ordering photos 150
9.5 Activity plan—My life 150
9.6 Assessment 151
11.1 Long-term plan for history activities showing assessment
opportunities 161
13.1 Introducing historical thinking through stories 184
13.2 Topic grid 190
Editor’s preface

Each book in this series focuses on a specific curriculum area. The series
relates relevant learning theory or a rationale for early years learning to
the practical development and implementation of subject-based topics and
classroom activities at the infant level (i.e. Reception, Y1, Y2). It seems that
the majority of existing books on primary education and the primary
curriculum focus on pupils aged 7–11 years. It is hoped that this series
presents a refreshing and much needed change in that it specifically
addresses the first three years in school.
Each volume is intended to be an up-to-date, judicious mix of theory
and practical classroom application, offering a wealth of background
information, ideas and advice to all concerned with planning,
implementing, monitoring and evaluating teaching and learning in the
first three years in school. Theoretical perspectives are presented in a lively
and interesting way, drawing upon recent classroom research findings
wherever possible. Case studies and activities from a range of classrooms
and schools illuminate many of the substantial issues related to the subject
area in question.
Readers will find a similar pattern of contents in all the books in the
series. Each discusses the early learning environment and the transition
from home- to school-based learning, and addresses the key questions of
what this means for the early years teacher and the curriculum. Such
discussion inevitably incorporates ideas on the knowledge which young
children may have of subjects and an overview of the subject matter itself
which is under scrutiny. As the thrust of the series is towards young children
learning subjects, albeit in a holistic way, no doubt readers will wish to
consider what is an appropriate content or rationale for the subject in the
early years. Having considered young children as learners, what they are
bringing into school in terms of prior knowledge, the teacher’s task and
the subject matter itself, each book then turns its attention to appropriate
methods of planning, organising, implementing and evaluating teaching
and learning activities. Crucial matters such as assessment, evaluation and