Structure
The content of the history curriculum for third and fourth 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 third and fourth classes
The range of strands is expanded significantly at this level and includes:
- Local studies
- Story
- Early people and ancient societies
- Life, society, work and culture in the past
- Continuity and change over time.
The range of units within these strands provides considerable flexibility for schools and teachers in the selection of content.
A spiral approach
The curriculum is based on a spiral approach in which some aspects of the past may be explored in increasing detail at a number of levels. In five of the strands, Local studies, Story, Early people and ancient societies, Life, society, work and culture in the past and Continuity and change over time, the titles of the strand units are almost identical for third and fourth (middle) classes and fifth and sixth (senior) classes. However, this does not imply that these strand units will be taught at both levels; rather it is to provide flexibility for school and class planning.
Some units will be treated during middle classes only, some will be taught in the senior years only, while others could be profitably taught at both levels, with the more complex details, concepts, and methods of investigation and treatment reserved for fifth and sixth classes. The suggestions are not intended to be prescriptive or exclusive.
A range of perspectives
The units 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. An important aim of the programme is that children will acquire a balanced understanding of family, local, national and international history.
Personal and local history
An important emphasis is placed on the exploration of personal history and/or local studies 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.
Depth of treatment
A balance should be sought between the need to allow children to learn about the broad sweep of national and world history and the need to provide opportunities for children to engage in an intensive study of shorter periods or more restricted topics in local, national or world history. Therefore, it is suggested that in each year one strand unit in local history and one strand unit in national or world history would be studied in more depth over a longer period.
Chronology
A strict adherence to a chronological treatment of strand units should be avoided because of the constraints this would impose on curricular planning: for example, schools in the vicinity of particularly rich Stone Age sites might decide to engage in detailed studies of the sites with senior classes, an arrangement which would be precluded if a strictly chronological approach was adopted. The development of children’s chronological understanding (which is discussed more fully in the accompanying guidelines for teachers) can be fostered through the use of timelines and other methods.
Planning
Efficient planning for history in the school will ensure that children experience a broad and balanced curriculum in which undue repetition or significant gaps are avoided. Advice on developing and implementing the school plan for history may be found in the guidelines.
Linkage and integration
Opportunities for the use of an integrated approach exist at all levels in the history curriculum. 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.