Movers and Shakers

In this history project, children focus on significant people throughout history. They are introduced to Dawson's model of significance, which helps them to decide if a person is historically significant. They learn about a significant person from the locality and evaluate their impact on the local area, the United Kingdom and the world.

The children are introduced to the vocabulary used to describe the work or actions of significant people, such as activists, artists, explorers, monarchs and scientists. They group significant people under these headings and then learn about their lives. The children are introduced to diamond ranking to sort the people studied from the most to the least significant, using their knowledge of each person.

Children revisit the concept of chronology and make timelines. They study two significant explorers in-depth, Neil Armstrong and Christopher Columbus, and learn the story of their achievements in chronological order. They begin to learn how to compare their voyages of discovery, especially relating to changes in technology.

Children study the actions and achievements of significant activists. They are introduced to the concepts of fact and opinion as they explore the life of Emmeline Pankhurst and learn about racial segregation in the USA through the activism of Rosa Parks.

The children turn their understanding of significance to modern times, looking at significant people and events today and predicting their impact on the future. They also add to their knowledge of monuments and memorials from the Y1 geography project 'Bright Lights, Big City', studying how memorials recognise people and achievements.