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John Ray Infant School

John RayInfant School

History / Geography

History

History in the Early Years is part of the National Curriculum’s learning objectives for developing children's understanding of the world, so they will learn through experiences that introduce the concept of time and change. They will be asked ‘What happened next?' after reading a story or looking at other sequences of events, such as getting dressed, planting a seed or making a sandwich. Children are encouraged to bring in photographs of themselves as babies and to discuss how they have changed over time.

Your child will also explore patterns and routines and may be given opportunities to take part in events to celebrate time, like our schools 50th Birthday. Children to be encouraged to record their findings by drawing or writing.

In KS1 Children are taught about changes within living memory moving onto events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally. The children study the Victorian age with the opportunity to live the past in a visit to a Victorian Schoolroom.

The children will also learn about the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements. These include comparing astronauts Neil Armstrong and Tim Peak finding out about the explorers Scott and Shackleton. They will also learn about famous artists including Warhol and Seurat. The children will also study significant historical events, people and places in their own locality, the most significant to us being John Ray.

 

 

Geography

In Foundation Stage children begin to gain a wider experience of the world around them. They will learn through first-hand experiences to explore, observe, problem solve, predict, think critically, make decisions and talk about the creatures, people, plants and objects in their natural environments.

Children learn about seasons, the weather, features in the local area and the buildings that surround them. They will visit significant places in our local area to help them identify features, for example a library, the church and the Fire Station. They will also be encouraged to record their findings, through drawing, writing, and modelling.

By the end of KS1 the children will have learnt to use their geographical skills of observation, using maps, atlases, photographs and compasses to name and locate the 4 countries of United Kingdom and to be aware of the world’s 7 continents and 5 oceans. The children will find out about the seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom and the location of hot and cold areas of the world in relation to the Equator and the North and South Poles. The children will be able to use basic geographical vocabulary to refer to the key physical and human features including: beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, ocean, city, town, village and farm.