Structure

The content of the history curriculum for first and second classes is presented in two sections:

• a skills section entitled Working as an historian which describes the historical skills which children should develop as they encounter historical topics
• a number of strands which outline the historical periods and topics which may be included in the history programme. The topics within each strand are referred to as strand units. Examples and suggestions are shown in italic type throughout the content sections.

The presentation of content in these two sections is intended to help teachers in planning for the development of important skills and attitudes as knowledge and understanding of historical topics are acquired.

Strands for first and second classes

Content in history for first and second classes is confined to three strands:

• Myself and my family, which encourages the exploration of the past experiences of the child and that of his/her wider family circle
• Change and continuity, which involves the child in exploring items from the past in the immediate environment
• Story, in which the child will encounter elements from the lives of a range of people.

A range of perspectives

The stories and other activities selected by the school and teacher should

• introduce children to the lives of women, men and children from a range of social, cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds
• include studies from a wide range of human experience (e.g. economic, technological, scientific, artistic, social, cultural, religious, political, etc.)
• come from local, national and international contexts.

Personal and local history

An important emphasis is placed on the exploration of personal and family history at this level. This type of activity enables the child to explore thoroughly elements of his/her own past and that of his/her family, community and locality. In this way the exploration of the past becomes of immediate relevance for the child and important opportunities are provided for the examination of a wide range of evidence.

The exploration of personal and family history provides excellent opportunities for the development of historical understanding but some aspects of these topics will require sensitive handling. In some cases schools may wish to replace the units on family history with a study of the family of a person known to the children.

Linkage and integration

Much of the work suggested in the curriculum might be delivered through the integrated themes or topics which are commonly used to organise learning in first and second classes. For example, objectives in the strand units ‘Myself’ and ‘My family’ might be achieved as children examine these themes in SPHE or religious education. Similarly, many of the stories used in language lessons or at story time will provide opportunities for the development of simple historical skills, such as the discussion of sequences and the retelling of stories through oral language, drama or art work. Information and communication technologies may also be used in the telling and recording of stories and in the exploration of the lives of people in the past.

Within the content sections, notes below strand units suggest some of the instances where linkage (i.e. integration within the history curriculum) and integration (i.e. cross-curricular connections) might be established.