History in the Early Years (Paperback)

Until recently, history was sometimes seen as being inappropriate for young children. Increasingly, however, teachers are discovering that children enjoy finding out about the past, and that teaching history can be an integral part of good practice.;Parts 1 and 2 of this book explore the context for teaching history in the early years, including sections on: understanding change over time; interpretations of the past; and deductions and inferences from sources. Parts 3, 4 and 5 present a range of practical strategies and activities through which teachers can work to develop children's historical thinking. Part 3 concentrates on organization, planning and assessment, including how history can be related to other areas of the curriculum and cross-curricular themes. Also in Part 3 is a detailed section on planning a unit of study, which offers step-by-step guidance for busy teachers. Part 4 looks at how these strategies can work in practice, through four case studies: year 2/3 - memories of childhood - the Victorians; year 2 - a class museum; year 1 - castles; children with severe learning difficulties - a Victorian kitchen.