History · Year 1

Active learning ideas

School Life in the Past: Objects and Routines

Active learning works for this topic because handling real objects from the past creates immediate curiosity and engagement. When pupils touch slates, dip inkwells, and mimic old routines, abstract historical changes become tangible and memorable.

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

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Stations Rotation
• 35 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Artefact Handling

Prepare 4-5 stations with replica objects like slates, inkwells, and old books. Pupils handle items safely, draw them, guess uses, and note one difference from today. Groups rotate every 7 minutes and share findings in a class circle.

What do you notice about old school objects , what do you think they were used for?

Facilitation Tip

During Station Rotation, place a modern pencil or whiteboard at each table to anchor comparisons and prompt talk about differences.

What to look for

Provide each student with a picture of an old school object (e.g., a slate, an inkwell). Ask them to draw a line from the object to a word that describes its use (e.g., 'writing', 'holding ink'). Then, ask them to write one sentence comparing it to something they use at school today.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 30 min · Pairs

Role Play: Past Routines

Model routines like dipping pens in ink or clapping for lessons. Pairs practise writing on slates, cleaning them, and lining up for assembly. Debrief with what felt different from today.

Why do you think some of these old school things are not used any more?

Facilitation Tip

For Role Play, provide simple props like a ruler for a cane or a ribbon for a dunce cap to help pupils step into historical roles accurately.

What to look for

Hold up an inkwell and a modern pen. Ask students: 'What is this old object? What do you think it was used for? How is it different from the pens we use now? Why do you think we don't use inkwells anymore?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Stations Rotation
• 25 min · Whole Class

Timeline Build: School Then and Now

Display photos or drawings of past and present classrooms. Whole class adds sticky notes or drawings to a large timeline, sequencing objects and routines with teacher guidance.

How is learning at school today different from learning at school long ago?

Facilitation Tip

When building the Timeline, give each pair five sticky notes to label key moments, ensuring every child contributes evidence to the shared sequence.

What to look for

During object handling, circulate and ask individual students: 'What do you notice about this object? What job did it do in school long ago? Can you show me how someone might have used it?'

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Stations Rotation
• 20 min · Individual

Family Link: School Stories

Pupils ask family one question about their school days, draw a picture, and share in pairs. Compile into a class display book.

What do you notice about old school objects , what do you think they were used for?

What to look for

Provide each student with a picture of an old school object (e.g., a slate, an inkwell). Ask them to draw a line from the object to a word that describes its use (e.g., 'writing', 'holding ink'). Then, ask them to write one sentence comparing it to something they use at school today.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers approach this topic by letting pupils observe first, explain second, and question third. Avoid telling them what changed; instead, let the objects and their own comparisons reveal differences. Research shows that when children handle artefacts and then articulate their ideas aloud, misconceptions surface naturally and can be addressed through guided discussion.

Successful learning looks like pupils confidently describing past objects and routines, comparing them to today’s tools, and explaining why changes occurred. Their discussions should show growing understanding of continuity and change in school life.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Station Rotation, some pupils may assume old school objects were toys or less serious than modern tools.

  During Station Rotation, circulate and prompt pupils to test each object’s function by trying to write with the slate or dip the quill, then ask, ‘Do you think children treated this like a toy or a tool? Why?’

• During Role Play, children may giggle or misrepresent old school punishments as funny rather than serious.

  During Role Play, set clear ground rules and guide pupils to perform routines like reciting times tables or cleaning slates seriously. Afterward, hold a class discussion: ‘How did it feel to follow those old rules? What does that tell us about school life then?’

• During Timeline Build, pupils may assume all changes were improvements and nothing from the past was useful.

  During Timeline Build, place a modern whiteboard marker next to a slate on the timeline. Ask, ‘What stayed the same in school life? What do we still use today?’ to encourage balanced comparisons.

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Methods used in this brief

• Stations Rotation
• Role Play