2024/25
Autumn Term
Year 3/4- Ancient Greece
Key substantive concepts explored in this unit include power, democracy, empire, and civilisation.
Key disciplinary concepts applied are sources & evidence (looking at how we know about life in Ancient Greece) and children begin to look at similarity and difference (how the lives between rich/poor and males/females differed in this period)
In this unit, children will encounter Alexander the Great and will learn about how he built a vast empire. They will use their knowledge of world geography to recognise the size of Alexander’s empire and will begin to understand how culture, religion and language can spread as an empire grows. Children will learn about the development of Athenian Democracy and will contrast the values held by the citizens of Athens with those of the war-focussed Spartans. Importantly, children will see how long-held hatred between enemies can be put aside when an outside threat, King Darius and his Persian Army, required the city-states to unite to defend Greece from invasion. Studying this period of history provides children with a fascinating insight into how Greeks from different city states lived, the Gods they worshipped and the stories they told of monsters, heroes, challenges and bravery. It equips them with an understanding of what a legacy is; how there are things in our lives, such as how we vote, words we speak, sports we participate in, stories we tell, that remain from an earlier time.
Year 5/6
World War I
Key substantive concepts focused on in this unit are empire and war, as well as propaganda, imperialism, patriotism, nationalism, invasion, and democracy. Key disciplinary concepts focused on are causation, consequence, similarities & differences (how the war was experienced differently by different people), continuity and change (in terms of warfare) and sources & evidence.
An understanding of the role that the empire played in European politics at this time is essential to understanding the growing tension that eventually sparked the First World War. The children will begin this unit by looking at the causes that led to the war. They will be able to use their existing knowledge of the British Empire to understand how the desire to create vast empires, and the growing conflict, distrust and dislike amongst European powers meant that the assassination of one person-Archduke Franz Ferdinand-was enough to spark a world war that took the lives of millions of people.
Many historians have argued that World War I was the first truly modern war and children will be able to explore and discuss the reasons behind this. They will be able to use their knowledge of industrialisation to look at how the role of new technology resulted in the introduction of new weapons such as armoured tanks.
The Suffragettes
Key substantive concepts focused on in this unit are feminism, suffrage, equality and democracy. Key disciplinary concepts focused on are sources and evidence and similarities & differences.
This unit builds on from the World War I unit so that children have the background knowledge regarding the role that women played in the war as well as the Representation of the Peoples Act that followed.
This unit begins by looking at democracy in Britain up until the 19th century. The children have previously learnt about British democracy, including the role of Parliament and prime ministers. Across the curriculum, they have learnt about the changing power of the British monarchy and the rise of Parliament. However, in this unit, the children are taught about the realities of democracy in Britain at this time, which they can compare with their knowledge of democracy today. Although Britain no longer had an absolute monarch, Parliament did not reflect the views of all people, or even a large majority of the population, as only the wealthy could vote. The children will learn about how and why the vote was extended to include more men, and how there were some people who believed that some women should also have the right to vote on the same terms as men. The children will learn about and compare the campaigns of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies-led by Millicent Fawcett-and the Women’s Social and Political Union lead by Emmeline Pankhurst. The children have previously looked at political campaigns regarding the abolition of slavery. The children will also focus on the anti-suffrage movement-and the reasons why people were opposed to allowing women to vote, including Queen Victoria. During this unit, children will be encouraged to use a range of primary sources to learn more about the thoughts, beliefs and experiences of people at the time.