Year 2 History

Chapters to explore

Living memory concerns events remembered by people alive today. Compare sources and recognise that change is uneven. New inventions do not immediately replace older ways. Similarities continuing over time are called continuity.

Try it: Interview a willing adult about an everyday change and compare their account with another source.

A person or event can be significant because of its effects or what it helps us understand. Different communities may choose different examples. Use evidence to explore achievements and difficulties rather than assuming a famous person acted alone.

Try it: Choose a local event or person with an adult and investigate why they are remembered.

Chronology arranges events in time. Dates help establish order. A timeline can use equal spacing to represent equal periods, or it can be schematic. Always read the labels and explain which kind you are using.

Try it: Create a dated timeline using reliable public events.

Transport has changed through inventions, infrastructure and social needs. Older methods often continue alongside newer ones. Compare speed, energy, access and purpose rather than assuming every new invention immediately replaces everything before it.

Try it: Compare two transport methods using historical and current sources.

People have communicated through speech, letters, printing and electronic systems. New methods can change speed and reach, but access is uneven. A message’s form does not guarantee that its contents are true.

Try it: Compare the steps needed to send two kinds of message.

Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole are remembered for helping people during the Crimean War. Their work and experiences differed. Studying more than one person helps us ask whose contributions are remembered and what evidence supports the account.

Try it: With an adult, compare one contribution from each using a museum resource.

An event can be historically significant because it changed lives, was remembered or reveals something important. Significance can differ between communities. Ask what happened, who was affected and what changed afterwards.

Try it: Investigate a suitable local event using a reliable public source.

Heritage includes places, objects and traditions people value from the past. A monument shows what someone chose to commemorate. It is evidence about remembrance as well as the event remembered. Ask who created it and when.

Try it: Study a public heritage item without touching or entering restricted areas.

A source is something used as evidence. Two sources may agree, add different details or conflict. Consider who made each and what it was for. Do not choose a source only because it supports your first guess.

Try it: Compare two age-appropriate sources and note one agreement and one question.

Learning together

Each chapter brings together teaching, an example, practice and a practical discovery. Use the material with discussion and suitable offline activities. Choose a comfortable starting point and revisit explanations as needed.