What is History?

History Skills at Year 7

Before starting studies of Medieval Realms, Year 7 History students should be given an introduction to the main concepts of history. This group of lessons is designed to provide an accessible but stimulating introduction to the subject.

1. The "Who" of History - People
Students brainstorm famous people from history, research one each in more detail, and conduct a lively balloon debate to decide on the "most important". They can also use this balloon debate powerpoint template.

2. The "What" of History - Evidence
As a first homework, students produce a scrapbook of personal evidence consisting of photos, certificates, tickets and so on - but with no written explanation. In the follow-up lesson, the scrapbooks are swapped around and students have to deduce things about each other from the evidence that they have.

3. The "When" of History - Events
Each student produces a timeline of their life and then a timeline of world events covering the same period. They also consider how different cultures measure time in different ways, and how Einstein showed that time itself can be slowed down! You may also find this PowerPoint helpful: What is Chronology?

History in the News for What is History?

1. Domesday Book details made available in map form Tracing the history of English villages or pieces of land is to become easier with a new online database that helps map out records from the Domesday Book.
2. 1066 and all those baby names Norman names such as William, Henry and Alice have been popular for 1,000 years. Why did the English copy their invaders?
3. 'Biggest canal ever built by Romans' discovered One of the biggest canals ever built by the Romans in an ancient port as important as Carthage or Alexandria has been discovered by British archaeologists.
4. Historians locate King Arthur's Round Table Historians claim to have finally located the site of King Arthur’s Round Table – and believe it could have seated 1,000 people.
5. France's new medieval castle Deep in the forests of central France, an unusual architectural experiment is half-way to completion, as a team of masons replicates in painstaking detail the construction of an entire medieval castle.
6. Medieval life 'could teach us about debt-free living' Life in Medieval Britain may not have been comfortable but its inhabitants had a dedication to debt-free living that we could learn from today, a think-tank has claimed.
7. Face of Stirling Castle warrior reconstructed
8. Medieval black Briton found
9. Medieval music of monks unearthed
10. Mass grave in Dorset contains remains of executed Viking warriors
11. Medieval tombstones rise from flames
12. Finders of huge Staffordshire Anglo-Saxon hoard to net £3m
13. Offenders on community service orders have been helping build a replica medieval village
14. Amateur 'stunned' after £1m Iron Age find
15. Is Columbus Day Sailing Off the Calendar?

History weblinks for What is History?

1. Learning Curve | What is history?