History · Year 1 · Our School and Local Area · Summer Term

Local Landmarks: Then and Now

Investigating how significant buildings or natural features in the local area have changed or remained the same.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: History - Local history
• KS1: History - Changes within living memory

About This Topic

Local Landmarks: Then and Now guides Year 1 pupils to explore significant buildings and natural features in their local area. Children spot key places during walks or through maps, then compare old photographs or drawings with current views to note changes and similarities within living memory. This meets KS1 History standards for local history studies and develops skills in observation, comparison, and basic chronology.

Pupils tackle questions like identifying local spots, describing differences between past and present images, and imagining future changes. The topic links to geography through place knowledge and supports personal, social, and emotional development by connecting history to family stories and community identity. Simple timelines or sorting activities reinforce vocabulary such as 'before,' 'now,' and 'later.'

Active learning excels in this topic because children engage directly with their environment. Field visits, paired photo comparisons, and group predictions turn passive listening into hands-on discovery. These methods boost retention, spark curiosity about heritage, and make history relevant to everyday life.

Key Questions

1. What important places can you spot in our local area?
2. What do you notice when you compare an old picture of a local landmark with what it looks like today?
3. How do you think this local place might look different in the future?

Learning Objectives

• Identify significant buildings or natural features in the local area.
• Compare visual representations of a local landmark from different time periods.
• Describe changes or similarities observed in a local landmark over time.
• Predict potential future changes to a local landmark based on current observations.

Before You Start

Observing and Describing Objects

Why: Students need to be able to carefully look at and describe what they see to compare different images of landmarks.

Basic Understanding of Time (Now, Before)

Why: This foundational concept of time is necessary for understanding the 'then and now' aspect of the topic.

Key Vocabulary

Landmark	A noticeable or recognizable feature of a place, such as a building or a natural feature.
Chronology	The arrangement of events or dates in the order in which they happened.
Visible	Able to be seen; not hidden.
Similar	Resembling without being identical; having characteristics in common.
Change	To become different; to make or become different.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Local places have never changed.

What to Teach Instead

Pupils may assume landmarks always looked identical. Show side-by-side photos and guide paired discussions to spot changes like added roads. Hands-on sorting activities reveal patterns of continuity and change.

Common Misconception

Old black-and-white photos mean everything was dull and different.

What to Teach Instead

Children think past life lacked colour. Colourise select images or compare with coloured drawings. Group exploration of photos helps distinguish technology from actual appearances.

Common Misconception

History is only about far-away places.

What to Teach Instead

Pupils overlook local relevance. Local walks and family story shares demonstrate history nearby. Collaborative mapping connects personal experiences to community changes.

Active Learning Ideas

Field Trip: Landmark Spotting Walk

Plan a safe walk around school and nearby areas to identify 3-4 landmarks. Provide clipboards for pupils to sketch or note features. Back in class, discuss observations and match to prepared modern photos.

45 min·Whole Class

Pairs: Then and Now Photo Match

Print pairs of old and new images of local landmarks. Pupils in pairs describe similarities and differences using sentence stems like 'Before, it was... Now, it is...' Share findings with the class.

30 min·Pairs

Small Groups: Future Landmark Designs

Show current landmark photos. Groups discuss and draw how it might look in 50 years, adding features like new shops or trees. Present drawings and explain reasons for changes.

40 min·Small Groups

Whole Class: Timeline Sorting

Prepare cards with images and labels for a landmark's past, present, and predicted future. Class sorts them into order on a large timeline, discussing evidence for positions.

25 min·Whole Class

Real-World Connections

• Local historians and archivists use old photographs and documents to research and preserve the history of significant buildings in towns and cities, helping communities understand their heritage.
• Urban planners and architects study how areas have evolved over time to make informed decisions about new developments and the preservation of existing structures, like the regeneration of old industrial sites into community spaces.
• Families often share stories and photographs of local places that have changed over their lifetimes, connecting personal memories to the history of their neighborhood.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Provide each student with two pictures of a local landmark, one old and one new. Ask them to draw one thing that looks the same and one thing that looks different between the two pictures.

Discussion Prompt

Show the class an old photograph of a well-known local building. Ask: 'What do you notice about this building compared to how it looks now? What might have caused these changes?'

Quick Check

During a walk around the school grounds or local area, ask students to point to and name one significant feature. Then, ask them to describe one thing they remember about it from a previous lesson or discussion.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to source historical images for local landmarks?

Contact local libraries, museums, or historical societies for free digital archives of your area. School alumni or parent networks often share family photos. Online resources like Britain from Above provide aerial views. Prepare 4-6 clear, labelled pairs to focus discussions and avoid overload.

What active learning strategies work best for Local Landmarks: Then and Now?

Field walks let children observe landmarks firsthand, building ownership. Paired photo comparisons encourage talk and evidence use. Group future predictions foster creativity and chronology. These approaches make abstract change tangible, improve recall through movement and collaboration, and link history to pupils' lives.

How to differentiate for varying abilities in this topic?

Provide pre-drawn outlines for sketching on walks for motor skill support. Use visual timelines with pictures for EAL pupils. Extend advanced learners with family history interviews. All join core comparisons, ensuring inclusivity while stretching individuals.

How to assess changes within living memory?

Observe discussions for use of terms like 'changed' or 'same.' Review photo comparison sheets for evidence. Pupil timelines show chronological grasp. Self-assessment drawings of future landmarks reveal prediction skills. triangulate with peer feedback for reliable insights.