KS2 History Lesson Plan: Local History Study

1. Lesson Overview
- Year group: KS2 (Year 4/5/6)
- Duration: 60 minutes (plus optional follow-up/fieldwork)
- Topic: Local history study
- Focus: How national history is reflected in our local area OR a significant local site/event beyond 1066 (teacher to insert specific local example)

2. Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson, pupils will:
- Place their chosen local site/event/person within a wider national historical timeline.
- Describe key features of the local site/event/person and explain why it is significant.
- Make connections between local history and broader British history (e.g. Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Victorians, World Wars, etc.).
- Use appropriate historical terms and ask/answer historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity/difference and significance.

3. Key Vocabulary
local, locality, site, monument, memorial, timeline, period, evidence, source, significance, continuity, change, national, event, community

4. Resources Needed
- Information about the chosen local site/event/person (texts, photos, maps, website, leaflets)
- Simple national timeline showing key periods (e.g. Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Normans, Tudors, Victorians, World Wars, modern day)
- Local map with the site marked
- Image/fact cards about the local site/event/person
- Large paper for group posters, pens, pencils, glue

5. Starter Activity (10 minutes)
- Show a photo of the chosen local site or a key image from the local event/person.
- Ask: “Where is this? Have you seen it before? Why might it be important to our town/city/village?”
- Explain that today they will be historians, finding out how this local history links to the wider story of Britain.

6. Main Teaching Input (10–15 minutes)
- Tell a short, clear story of the local site/event/person (e.g. a castle, factory, wartime event, famous local figure).
- Place it on the national timeline (e.g. Victorian era, World War II, post-war Britain).
- Model asking and answering questions using sources (photos, maps, short texts):
- “What can we see?”
- “What does this tell us?”
- “What else would we like to know?”
- Highlight why this local history matters (significance for the community, changes over time).

7. Pupil Activities (25–30 minutes)
Activity 1: Local History Detective Work
- In groups, pupils receive a pack of sources (photos, short texts, map, quotes) about the local site/event/person.
- They answer simple enquiry questions on a worksheet (e.g. “What happened here?” “When did it happen?” “Who was involved?” “Why is it important?”).

Activity 2: Linking Local to National
- Pupils place their local site/event/person on a mini national timeline.
- They create a poster or info sheet titled “Our Local History and the Story of Britain”, including:
- A picture or drawing of the site/event/person.
- 3–4 key facts.
- One or two sentences explaining how it links to a wider period or national event.

Challenge
- Higher-attaining pupils write a short paragraph explaining why this local history is significant and how it shows change or continuity over time.

8. Plenary (5–10 minutes)
- Groups share one key fact and one reason why their local history matters.
- Revisit the national timeline and ask: “Where does our local story fit in the bigger picture?”
- Briefly discuss how we know about this local history (buildings, memorials, archives, stories, photos).

9. Homework / Follow-Up
- Homework task: pupils visit (or look up online) the local site with an adult, or talk to a family member about it.
- They draw the site and write a few sentences about what they learned or noticed.
- Optional follow-up lesson: field trip or local walk to see the site in person and collect more evidence.

10. Assessment Notes
- Look for pupils placing the local history in the correct broad period on a timeline.
- Check use of historical terms and ability to describe the local site/event/person.
- Note who can explain at least one link between local and national history and why the local history is significant.