History · Year 1

Active learning ideas

The Changing Landscape of Our Area

Active learning works for this topic because young children build historical understanding through concrete, visual comparisons. Hands-on tasks like matching photos and tracing maps turn abstract ideas about change into tangible discoveries they can discuss and question.

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

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Mystery Object
• 30 min · Pairs

Photo Hunt Pairs: Then and Now

Pair pupils with laminated old and new photos of local sites like the school or park. They circle differences with dry-erase markers and note one change each. Pairs share one finding with the class, building a shared list on the board.

What do you notice about how our local area looks different from old pictures?

Facilitation Tip

For Photo Hunt Pairs, provide each pair with identical sets of ‘then’ and ‘now’ photos so they can annotate directly on the images with arrows or sticky notes.

What to look for

Provide each student with a simple worksheet. Ask them to draw one thing they see in their local area now that they did not see in an old photograph shown in class. Then, ask them to write one sentence about what used to be there instead.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Mystery Object
• 45 min · Small Groups

Map Trace Small Groups: Spot the Changes

Give groups old maps with transparent overlays. Pupils trace current features like roads or buildings, then compare to identify losses or gains in green spaces. Groups present one key change with reasons why it happened.

How has the land in our area changed , what was there before that is not there now?

Facilitation Tip

In Map Trace Small Groups, give each group laminated maps from different years so they can overlay tracing paper to mark changes without marking the originals.

What to look for

Show two images of the same local street, one from 50 years ago and one from today. Ask students: 'What is the biggest difference you notice between these two pictures?' and 'Why do you think this change happened?' Record their ideas on a chart.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Mystery Object
• 40 min · Whole Class

Future Map Whole Class: Predict and Draw

After comparisons, model drawing a future map on the board. Pupils add ideas like new playgrounds, then draw their own versions to display. Class votes on most likely changes and discusses.

What do you think our local area might look like in the future?

Facilitation Tip

During Future Map Whole Class, provide large poster paper and colored pencils to allow every child to contribute one predicted change before the class creates a composite map.

What to look for

During a walk around the school grounds or a familiar local park, ask students to point to one feature that they think is new and one feature that they think has been there for a long time. Ask them to explain their reasoning.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Mystery Object
• 50 min · Individual

Local Walk Individual: Photo Match

Each child gets a photo of a nearby site. On a short supervised walk, they match it to the real place and sketch one change observed. Back in class, share sketches in a circle.

What do you notice about how our local area looks different from old pictures?

Facilitation Tip

Assign Local Walk Individual a simple checklist with spaces for photos and short captions to guide focused observation and recording.

What to look for

Provide each student with a simple worksheet. Ask them to draw one thing they see in their local area now that they did not see in an old photograph shown in class. Then, ask them to write one sentence about what used to be there instead.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should approach this topic by grounding discussions in the familiar, using the school and local area as anchors. Avoid starting with abstract timelines; instead, let pupils observe concrete visual evidence first. Research suggests children learn best when they manipulate real objects and images, so plan activities that allow repeated viewing and comparison. Keep language simple and tied to what they see, and use questioning that invites them to notice details before making inferences.

Successful learning looks like pupils confidently identifying differences between old and new images, describing changes with simple vocabulary, and explaining reasons for those changes based on evidence from photos and maps. Children should also begin to predict future changes with tentative, evidence-based reasoning.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Photo Hunt Pairs, watch for pupils who focus only on obvious differences like new buildings and miss subtle changes such as tree growth or road widening.

  Prompt pairs with questions like ‘Look closely at the edges of the photo. What do you notice about the trees or the grass areas?’ to guide their attention to gradual changes.

• During Map Trace Small Groups, watch for pupils who assume all changes are permanent and do not consider reversible or seasonal changes.

  Ask groups to discuss ‘Could this feature disappear again? Why or why not?’ and mark temporary features in a different color on their tracing paper.

• During Future Map Whole Class, watch for pupils who predict changes based on imagination rather than patterns they observed.

  Before drawing, ask each child to share one piece of evidence from their photo or map that supports their prediction, reinforcing the link between observation and reasoning.

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Methods used in this brief

• Mystery Object