History · Year 2

Active learning ideas

The History of Our School

Active learning brings the school’s history to life by letting pupils touch, see, and hear evidence from the past. When children move through the activities, they connect abstract dates and photos to real places and objects in their building, making local history feel immediate and meaningful.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: History - Significant historical places in their own locality
• KS1: History - Changes within living memory

• 30–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Museum Exhibit
• 45 min · Small Groups

School Timeline Walk: Building a Class Timeline

Pupils walk the school grounds to spot old features like bricks or plaques, noting dates. Back in class, they add findings to a large timeline with drawings and photos. Discuss changes and constants as a group.

How old is your school and what did it look like when it first opened?

Facilitation Tip

For the School Timeline Walk, label key events with both a picture and a simple sentence so visual and verbal learners connect the dots together.

What to look for

Provide students with two pictures: one of the school from the past and one from today. Ask them to write one sentence describing a difference they see and one sentence describing something that looks the same.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Museum Exhibit
• 30 min · Pairs

Interview Station: Voices from the Past

Prepare questions about school life 50 years ago. Pupils interview a staff member or guest in pairs, recording key differences like no computers. Share findings on a class chart.

How is school life for a pupil today different from school life 50 years ago?

Facilitation Tip

At the Interview Station, provide a simple prompt card with three questions so shy speakers have a starting point and interviews stay focused on school history.

What to look for

Gather students in a circle. Show them an old school photograph or artefact. Ask: 'What does this object tell us about what school was like for children when this was used? How is it different from school today?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Museum Exhibit
• 35 min · Small Groups

Artefact Hunt: Then and Now Comparison

Display old school photos and items like inkwells. Pupils in groups sort them into 'same' or 'different' from today, then justify choices with evidence. Create a display board.

What do you think has stayed the same about school over many years?

Facilitation Tip

During the Artefact Hunt, pair objects with old photos so pupils match materials to their original use before discussing differences with their partner.

What to look for

During a lesson, ask students to give a thumbs up if they think a particular aspect of school life (e.g., learning to read) has stayed the same over many years, and a thumbs down if they think it has changed significantly.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Museum Exhibit
• 40 min · Small Groups

Role-Play Rotation: A Day in Old School

Set up stations mimicking past classrooms: slate boards, no electricity play. Groups rotate, acting out routines and noting differences from modern school. Reflect in plenary.

How old is your school and what did it look like when it first opened?

Facilitation Tip

In the Role-Play Rotation, give each group a one-sentence rule card from the past so they act it out accurately before comparing it to today’s routines.

What to look for

Provide students with two pictures: one of the school from the past and one from today. Ask them to write one sentence describing a difference they see and one sentence describing something that looks the same.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with what children already know about their school today, then introduce the idea that buildings and routines have stories to tell. Use concrete artefacts first to build curiosity, then layer in photographs and dates to scaffold historical thinking. Avoid overwhelming pupils with too many dates at once; focus on sequencing and change over a manageable 50-year span. Research suggests young learners grasp time best when it is tied to personal experience or physical objects they can see and touch.

Successful learning looks like pupils using evidence to explain changes over time with clear comparisons between past and present. They should confidently place events on a timeline, describe differences in school routines, and recognize that some traditions remain unchanged despite modern updates.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the School Timeline Walk, watch for pupils who assume the school has always looked the same as today.

  Pause at the entrance and point out modern windows or extensions in old photos, then ask pairs to name one change they noticed using evidence from the walk.

• During the Role-Play Rotation, watch for pupils who believe school life never changes.

  After acting out a past routine, have each group compare it to their own day by holding up a red card for change and a green card for something that stayed the same.

• During the Artefact Hunt, watch for pupils who think the school is hundreds of years old like a castle.

  Show pupils the school’s opening date on the timeline and ask them to place it on a number line, using real dates to correct exaggerated timescales.

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Methods used in this brief

• Museum Exhibit