History · Year 2

Active learning ideas

Buildings with a Story: Local Landmarks

Active learning brings historical inquiry to life by linking abstract ideas to concrete experiences. For this topic, children need to see, touch, and discuss the buildings around them to grasp their significance. Hands-on tasks like walking, photographing, and modeling make history immediate and memorable for Year 2 students.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: History - Significant historical places in their own locality
• KS1: History - Historical enquiry

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

Activity 01

• Stations Rotation
• 45 min · Small Groups

Local Walk: Landmark Hunt

Plan a short school walk to 2-3 landmarks. Provide clipboards and checklists for students to sketch features, note uses, and ask 'What was it built for?'. Follow up with class sharing of drawings.

What is a landmark and can you name one in your local area?

Facilitation Tip

During the Local Walk: Landmark Hunt, assign small groups a specific area to cover so every child has a role in spotting and recording landmarks.

What to look for

Give each student a postcard. Ask them to draw a local landmark on one side. On the other side, they should write the landmark's name, what it was originally used for, and one sentence explaining why it is important to keep it.

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

Activity 02

• Stations Rotation
• 30 min · Pairs

Photo Comparison: Then and Now

Gather old and new photos of local landmarks. In pairs, students sort images by date, discuss changes, and draw one change they notice. Share findings on a class timeline.

What was an old building in your town or village originally built for?

Facilitation Tip

For Photo Comparison: Then and Now, provide a side-by-side sheet with sentence starters to guide students’ written observations.

What to look for

Show students two images of the same local landmark, one old and one new. Ask: 'What differences do you notice between the old picture and the new picture? What do these changes tell us about the building's history?'

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

Activity 03

• Stations Rotation
• 40 min · Whole Class

Story Circle: Oral Histories

Invite a local resident or use pre-recorded talks. Students prepare 3 questions in advance, listen in a circle, then retell the story in drawings or sentences.

Why do you think it is important to look after old buildings?

Facilitation Tip

In Story Circle: Oral Histories, model asking follow-up questions like 'What did the building sound like?' to deepen responses.

What to look for

During a local walk or after viewing images, ask students to hold up fingers to indicate the number of purposes a building might have had (e.g., 1 for a house, 2 for a shop with living quarters above). Then ask: 'How do we know what it was used for?'

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

Activity 04

• Stations Rotation
• 50 min · Individual

Model Makers: Mini Landmarks

Provide recycled materials for students to build a model of a local landmark. Label original purpose and one change over time. Display models with class descriptions.

What is a landmark and can you name one in your local area?

Facilitation Tip

While making Model Makers: Mini Landmarks, circulate with a checklist of features to include, such as doors, windows, and any special details.

What to look for

Give each student a postcard. Ask them to draw a local landmark on one side. On the other side, they should write the landmark's name, what it was originally used for, and one sentence explaining why it is important to keep it.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers approach this topic by centering student curiosity and local knowledge. Avoid overwhelming children with dates; instead, focus on stories and functions that resonate with their daily lives. Research shows that when students identify personally with a topic, their retention and empathy improve. Use open-ended questions to scaffold thinking without leading answers. Limit whole-class input to brief, clear instructions followed by active tasks.

Successful learning looks like students confidently naming local landmarks, describing their original uses, and explaining why preservation matters. They should ask questions, compare changes over time, and show pride in their community’s heritage. Group discussions and shared work reveal growing understanding.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Local Walk: Landmark Hunt, watch for students assuming only grand buildings count as landmarks.

  Use the walk to highlight everyday places like libraries or post offices, and ask students to explain why each building matters to their community.

• During Photo Comparison: Then and Now, watch for students thinking old photos show the building exactly as it was first built.

  Have students trace over photos with tracing paper to mark additions or repairs, then discuss what these changes reveal about the building’s history.

• During Story Circle: Oral Histories, watch for students viewing landmarks as irrelevant to their own lives.

  Prompt students to share personal connections like 'My grandma went to this school' or 'My mum works in this shop,' then map these links on a class chart to show shared heritage.

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Methods used in this brief

• Stations Rotation