History · Year 2

Active learning ideas

Mapping Our Locality: Past and Present

Active learning works for this topic because young learners build spatial and temporal understanding best by handling real materials. Comparing maps and walking the local area turns abstract concepts like change and heritage into tangible, memorable experiences.

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

• 25–60 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Stations Rotation
• 45 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Map Overlay Stations

Prepare stations with transparent overlays of old and modern maps pinned to local photos. Pupils trace changes in red pen, label new buildings or lost paths, then discuss findings. Groups rotate every 10 minutes, adding notes to a class chart.

What does the word 'heritage' mean?

Facilitation Tip

At the Map Overlay Stations, pre-cut transparencies and colored markers let pupils trace and annotate changes without smudging or confusion.

What to look for

Provide students with a small section of a historical map and a corresponding modern map. Ask them to draw one circle around a feature that has disappeared and one around a new feature that has appeared, labeling each.

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

Activity 02

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 60 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Guided Heritage Walk

Plan a 20-minute walk to three local sites with pre-selected old photos or map excerpts. Pupils use clipboards to sketch current views and note differences, such as a changed shop front. Back in class, pupils pin sketches to a display map.

How has the place where you live changed over the last 50 or 100 years?

What to look for

Show students a historical map and a modern map of their town. Ask: 'What is the biggest difference you notice between these two maps? What do you think caused this change?' Encourage them to point to specific areas on the maps.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 30 min · Pairs

Pairs: Family Change Interviews

Pupils prepare three questions about local changes for family members. In pairs, they practise asking, then record answers on a shared map template marking spots. Pairs present one change to the class.

What do you think is the most interesting old thing or place in your local area?

What to look for

During map comparison, ask individual students: 'Can you find the old school on the historical map? Now, can you find where it used to be on the modern map? What is there now?'

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 04

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 25 min · Individual

Individual: Then-and-Now Postcards

Provide split postcard templates. Pupils draw the past on one half using map clues and the present on the other from memory or photos. They add labels and share in a gallery walk.

What does the word 'heritage' mean?

What to look for

Provide students with a small section of a historical map and a corresponding modern map. Ask them to draw one circle around a feature that has disappeared and one around a new feature that has appeared, labeling each.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers approach this topic by anchoring explanations in concrete examples pupils can see. Start with the local and familiar, then layer on bigger ideas about continuity and change. Avoid overwhelming pupils with too much historical detail; focus instead on observable differences and the stories behind them. Research shows that guided comparisons and real-site visits build stronger historical empathy than abstract discussions alone.

Successful learning looks like pupils confidently pointing out differences between past and present places, explaining how and why these changes happened, and valuing the history embedded in their everyday surroundings. Evidence of this shows in their talk, their marked maps, and their thoughtful responses during discussions.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Map Overlay Stations, watch for pupils assuming the past locality looks identical to now, just older.

  During Map Overlay Stations, circulate and ask each group to point out at least one vanished building and one new road before they begin annotating, using the overlay sheets to physically align features.

• During the Guided Heritage Walk, watch for pupils thinking heritage only includes grand castles or museums far away.

  During the Guided Heritage Walk, pause at everyday features like old shop fronts or street signs and ask pupils to consider who used them and why they matter now.

• During the Family Change Interviews, watch for pupils believing maps never change because places stay fixed.

  During the Family Change Interviews, have pupils compare the oldest family photo or map they collect with their modern street view, asking them to describe what has replaced what.

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Methods used in this brief

• Stations Rotation
• Outdoor Investigation Session