National Curriculum Y5/6 changes in topics

[Pinkfizzy]

Are there any teachers out there who could give me an idea on history & geography topics for y5 & y6?

I gather that there have been some big changes & WW2 dropped off y4, but I couldn't wade through the acres of official stuff.

Thanks

I don't think the new curriculum says exactly what should be taught, nor in what years to teach it.

It's still a curuuculim for the whole of KS2 rather than for each year and there's still a lot if choice within it. Eg you can study any ancient civilisation.

Yep-there is a lot if choice within the history curriculum so what one school may be teaching in Y5/6 will not help you.
For example we are studying Baghdad next term in Y6 but that doesn't help you know what your school will be teaching.

Overview - In planning teachers should combine overview & depth studies to help pupils understand both the long arc of development and the complexity of specific aspects of the content.

1. A local history study For example:

• a depth study linked to one of the British areas of study listed below
• a study over time tracing how several aspects national history are reflected in the locality (this can go beyond 1066)
• a study of an aspect of history or a site dating from a period beyond 1066 that is significant in the locality.

1. Changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age

This could include:

• late Neolithic hunter-gatherers and early farmers, e.g. Skara Brae - Bronze Age religion, technology and travel, e.g. Stonehenge
• Iron Age hill forts: tribal kingdoms, farming, art and culture

1. Roman Empire and its impact on Britain This could include:

• Julius Caesar’s attempted invasion in 55-54 BC
• the Roman Empire by AD 42 and the power of its army
• successful invasion by Claudius and conquest, including Hadrian’s Wall
• British resistance, e.g. Boudica
• “Romanisation” of Britain: sites such as Caerwent and the impact of technology, culture and beliefs, including early Christianity

1. Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots This could include:

Roman withdrawal from Britain in c. AD 410 and the fall of the western Roman Empire Scots invasions from Ireland to north Britain (now Scotland) Anglo-Saxon invasions, settlements and kingdoms: place names and village life Anglo-Saxon art and culture Christian conversion – Canterbury, Iona and Lindisfarne

1. Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor

This could include:

• Viking raids and invasion
• resistance by Alfred the Great and Athelstan, first king of England - further Viking invasions and Danegeld
• Anglo-Saxon laws and justice
• Edward the Confessor and his death in 1066

1. A study of an aspect or theme in British history extends chronological knowledge beyond 1066 For example:

• the changing power of monarchs using case studies such as John, Anne and Victoria
• changes in an aspect of social history, such as crime and punishment from the Anglo-Saxons to the present or leisure and entertainment in the 20th Century
• the legacy of Greek or Roman culture (art, architecture or literature) on later periods in British history, including the present day
• a significant turning point in British history, e.g. the first railways or the Battle of Britain

1. The achievements of the earliest civilizations – an overview of where and when the first civilizations appeared and a depth study of one of the following: Ancient Sumer; The Indus Valley; Ancient Egypt; The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China
2. A non-European society - one study chosen from:

• Early Islamic civilization, c. AD 900;
• Mayan civilization c. AD 900;
• Benin c. AD 900-1300.

1. Ancient Greece – a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world

And that's for the whole of KS2. How the school divides up the units is down to them, and which of the options they select. So no two schools will need to teach the same!

Do schools have to teach geography and history as separate subjects now or can they choose a topic based approach still?

Schools can teach however they like. The National Curriculum specifies (some of the) what, not the how. So all subjects can be taught completely separately, all subjects can be integrated or, as in the case in most schools, links can be made where relevant between subjects.

The exception to the 'what not how' approach is phonics, where the NC does stray into pedagogy, not just content.

Ge2/1.1 Locational Knowledge
Ge2/1.1a locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe (including the location of Russia) and North and South America, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries, and major cities

Ge2/1.1b name and locate counties and cities of the United Kingdom, geographical regions and their identifying human and physical characteristics, key topographical features (including hills, mountains, coasts and rivers), and land-use patterns; and understand how some of these aspects have changed over time

Ge2/1.1c identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the Prime/Greenwich Meridian and time zones (including day and night)

Ge2/1.2 Place Knowledge
Ge2/1.2a understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom, a region in a European country, and a region in North or South America

Ge2/1.3 Human and Physical Geography
Ge2/1.3a describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the water cycle

Ge2/1.3b describe and understand key aspects of human geography, including: types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water

Ge2/1.4 Geographical Skills and Fieldwork

Ge2/1.4a use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied

Ge2/1.4b use the 8 points of a compass, 4 and 6-figure grid references, symbols and key (including the use of Ordnance Survey maps) to build their knowledge of the United Kingdom and the wider world

Ge2/1.4c use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in the local area using a range of methods, including sketch maps, plans and graphs, and digital technologies.

Is the KS2 curriculum for Geography. It can be taught however you want as long as all the content is covered.

Wow! Thank you for all the speedy answers.

I agree that schools will be doing a range of topics and can go backwards and forward in tome across terms. However there is an expectation that chronology is taught so many schools are teaching the earlier parts in year 3 and 4 and later parts in 5/6.

However they can still do themes so they might do an important person or 'travel through the ages' or something