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History

Our history teaching aims to develop a knowledge and understanding of the past, the skills to interpret accepted points of view and the ability to use historical sources. British, European and World History are examined through planned units in each Year Group. These include:

· Invaders and settlers (Romans, Anglo Saxons and Vikings)
· Life in Tudor and Stuart times
· Victorian Britain
· Britain since 1930
· Ancient Civilisations (Egypt and Greece)
· Exploration and encounters 1450-1550
· Ships and seafarers
· Food and farming
· Houses and places of worship
· Development of writing and printing
· Land transport through History
· Local history topic

We make use of project loans and artefacts provided by local museums and items brought from home by the children.

"Lend me your ears"

Whatever you are studying in History there maybe something useful for you to look at on the web. Here is a list of useful sites which may help with your History schoolwork, homework or projects.

If you come across other good History sites e-mail them to your Lower Park Web Editors saying why you think they are 'cool'.

A Selection of Letters Written by Florence Nightingale
The Lady with the Lamp, Florence Nightingale, was a prodigious letter-writer and this site features scans of her original screeds with transcriptions alongside. It is a useful focus for discussion with many points for students to consider, such as the handwriting, the style of address, the paper and so on. It would be a valuable resource for both English lessons and history topics focusing on famous Victorians. A selection of links will take you to further resources.

A Walk Through Time
Time is a topic that re-appears in primary school time and again. Add a little sparkle by visiting this site. It is extremely clear and easy to navigate and leads us from the ancient world right up to the present day. Find out about water clocks, NIST time and frequency signals all in one place.

An Introduction to Greek Mythology
Gods, heroes, creatures, stories and family trees can be found in this mainly textual introduction to Greek mythology. Children at Key Stage 2 should be able to navigate the site easily and use the simply-written information. There are a few small images that enhance the site. It is a good basic resource for the classics student as well.

Ancient Egypt Webquest
This site is an interactive way to discover information about various aspects of Ancient Egyptian history. It basically sets tasks, called 'missions', and then gives information together with links to useful sites for research. Amongst the wealth of excellent material there is a host of great graphics to be found.

Ancient Greek Artefacts
Go on a virtual tour of The British Museum's Ancient Greek artefacts, written by a primary school teacher specifically for Key Stage 2. Thumbnails lead to images of all the exhibits and there is a list of resources for schools. Online resources such as worksheets and games are available in Microsoft Publisher and Adobe Acrobat formats.

British Olympics Association: Ancient Olympic Games
This brief page provides background information about the history of the games, its events and prizes. It is probably more suitable for older children in Key Stage 2 and above because it is a little text-heavy. It could be used in conjunction with a modern Olympics site to make comparisons and would be an excellent source of background information for a history topic on the Ancient Greeks.

Build A Pharaoh
Recreate the treasures of Ancient Egypt in your classroom at this novel website. Download the instructions and model printout sheets to construct your own Ancient Egyptian death mask. A useful resource for Key Stage 2 teachers providing art and design material linked to history topic work.

Design and Make an Ancient Egyptian Box
Take up the challenge to design a box using the images and symbols of the Ancient Egyptians. This is a historical design and technology project for Key Stage 2 pupils which encourages evaluation skills in addition to providing links to further information, games and activities. An excellent cross-curricular primary history resource.

Egyptian Mathematics
This is a well-presented page giving a simple explanation of the mathematical system used by the Ancient Egyptians. Colourful plates show students how to form numbers and would add a fun dimension to maths and numeracy teaching. This website could form a useful research tool for Key Stage 2 pupils studying Ancient Egyptian history or could be used as a worksheet by teachers. There are also links to some problems related to pyramid-building which would make an excellent cross-curricular resource.

Everyday Greek Life
This site contains thumbnail photos of a number of Greek artefacts which can be clicked on to access high resolution versions. They are mostly items of pottery held in the British Museum. If printed out, they could be cut up and used by Key Stage 2 pupils to reconstruct items, or have parts removed and pupils can be asked to draw in the missing part. It is mainly a teacher's resource but children may enjoy looking at the colour images online. The pictures would also provide inspiration for art and design lessons.

Forum Romanum
Experience the culture, language and history of Ancient Rome through this vast site. Key Stage 2 pupils can take a virtual tour of Rome, consult the dictionary of mythology or access the picture index. The expansive history section includes the eruption of Vesuvius and growth of the Roman Empire. Packed with information, images and links, this is an essential resource for those studying Ancient Rome and the Romans.

Greek Myths and Legends

This site can work on several levels in the Key Stage 2 classroom. As a reference section for teachers' subject knowledge it is a useful starting point, while it also works as a resoure of Greek myths that are presented in a format suitable for children to access. Additionally, the site provides practical examples (including photos and artwork) of how to use the these stories within the class.

Hieroglyphs
This is a very well presented page giving an interesting explanation of the origin of hieroglyphs. There are some excellent colour plates and examples of how to pronounce letters and consonant blends. It is an engaging way for children to learn about hieroglyphs. Have your students write a simple sentence in hieroglyphs and see if the rest of the class can decipher each one. Or write a more complex phrase in hieroglyphs and hold a competition to see who will be the first pupil to decode it.

Houses and Furniture
This one-page site provides information about houses and furniture of the Anglo-Saxon and Viking periods. It is well designed and illustrated with photographs of reconstructed Viking and Anglo-Saxon dwellings, as well as diagrams demonstrating how such buildings are put together. Why not have your class build their own model Viking or Anglo-Saxon buildings from twigs and clay using the plans given?

How To Make A Mummy
Follow this illustrated procedure to discover the Ancient Egyptian secrets of mummification. Key Stage 2 pupils will find this a fascinating feature for history topic work.

The Classics Pages
This is an excellent starting point for any classics student. There are over 500 pages of news, information, games and controversy about the life, literature, art and archaeology of the ancient world of Greece and Rome. There is an Oracle section, answering any query you might have as well as a site map to find your way around the encyclopaedic information. A really useful site.

The Roman Military Sites of Britain
Roman fortresses, watchtowers, camps and industrial sites are detailed in map and gazeteer forms, with a number of photographs. Separate articles discuss the purposes and designs of the sites in question and the history of the Roman army itself, while the 'military events' section includes a timeline linked to strategic maps. There is also an extensive bibliography. This site would be useful as teachers' background information for Key Stage 2 history studies or for general research.

The Romans
A very useful site providing information and an interactive quiz on the Roman Republic. Subjects include The Roman Empire, technology, religion and education in Rome. Information is clearly written and well targeted. All answers to the quiz can be found somewhere on the site which makes it useful for developing comprehension and note-taking skills at Key Stage 2.