History · Year 6 · Local History: Our Story Since 1066 · Summer Term

Sources for Local History Research

Learning to use primary and secondary sources like maps, photographs, and documents to research local history.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS2: History - Local History Study
• KS2: History - Historical Enquiry

About This Topic

Students learn to distinguish primary sources, such as original maps, photographs, and documents from the time period, from secondary sources like modern history books or websites that interpret the past. They apply these to research local history since 1066, examining changes in buildings, streets, or landmarks through old Ordnance Survey maps or Victorian photos. Key skills involve analyzing how sources reveal developments, like urban expansion, and evaluating reliability by considering creator bias, purpose, and date.

This content aligns with KS2 History standards for local history studies and historical enquiry. It develops critical thinking as students cross-reference sources to build accurate local narratives, connecting personal surroundings to national events like the Industrial Revolution.

Active learning works well for this topic because students engage directly with tactile sources in groups, sparking discussions on evidence and bias. Handling replicas or digital archives makes abstract evaluation concrete, while collaborative projects foster ownership and deeper retention of historical methods.

Key Questions

1. Differentiate between primary and secondary sources when researching local history.
2. Analyze how old maps and photographs can reveal changes to our local site.
3. Evaluate the reliability of different sources for understanding the past.

Learning Objectives

• Classify given historical items as either primary or secondary sources relevant to local history.
• Analyze how changes in a specific local map or photograph over time indicate shifts in the urban landscape or community.
• Evaluate the reliability of two different historical sources for investigating a particular local event, justifying their conclusions.
• Compare the information presented in a primary source document with a secondary source account of the same local historical period.

Before You Start

Chronological Order and Timelines

Why: Students need to understand the sequence of events to interpret changes shown on historical maps and documents.

Identifying Key Information in Texts

Why: This skill is fundamental for extracting relevant details from various historical documents and images.

Key Vocabulary

Primary Source	An original document or artifact created during the time period being studied, such as a diary, letter, photograph, or map.
Secondary Source	A source that interprets or analyzes primary sources, created after the time period being studied, such as a history textbook or a modern documentary.
Local History	The study of the history of a specific geographic area, such as a town, village, or neighborhood, often focusing on everyday life and local events.
Ordnance Survey Map	A series of detailed maps of Great Britain, produced by the Ordnance Survey, showing topography, buildings, and infrastructure, useful for tracking changes over time.
Source Reliability	The trustworthiness of a historical source, assessed by considering factors like the creator's perspective, purpose, date of creation, and corroboration with other sources.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

All primary sources are completely accurate.

What to Teach Instead

Primary sources reflect the creator's viewpoint and may include errors or propaganda. Group debates on map distortions help students spot inaccuracies through peer comparison. Active source handling reveals limitations firsthand.

Common Misconception

Secondary sources are always less reliable than primary.

What to Teach Instead

Secondary sources synthesize multiple primaries and offer expert analysis. Collaborative jigsaw activities, where groups defend source choices, show how context determines value. This builds nuanced evaluation skills.

Common Misconception

Photographs capture events exactly as they happened.

What to Teach Instead

Photos are selective frames with angles and edits possible. Annotation tasks in pairs encourage students to question composition and timing. Visual analysis activities make bias evident through discussion.

Active Learning Ideas

Sorting Stations: Primary vs Secondary

Prepare trays with printed maps, photos, letters, and book excerpts. In small groups, students sort items into primary or secondary categories, justify choices on sticky notes, then rotate to review peers' sorts. End with whole-class share-out.

35 min·Small Groups

Map Overlay: Spotting Changes

Provide transparent overlays of old and modern local maps. Pairs align them over current maps, note changes in features like rivers or roads, and hypothesize reasons based on historical context. Record findings in a shared class chart.

45 min·Pairs

Photo Detective: Reliability Hunt

Distribute local historical photos with questions on origin and bias. Small groups investigate creator details using library resources, debate trustworthiness, and present evidence for class vote. Follow with source evaluation checklist.

50 min·Small Groups

Source Timeline: Building Narratives

Individuals select three sources on a local event. They sequence them on personal timelines, note strengths and gaps, then pair to merge into group timelines. Class compiles a master version.

40 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Local historians and archivists at county record offices use old maps, photographs, and census records to piece together the history of towns and villages, often contributing to local museum exhibits or community heritage projects.
• Urban planners and architects consult historical maps and photographs to understand the development of city neighborhoods, informing decisions about preservation, regeneration, and new construction projects.
• Genealogists frequently use primary sources like parish registers, census returns, and old newspapers found in local archives to research family histories and build family trees.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Provide students with two short descriptions of local historical sites. One description is from a contemporary newspaper article (primary), and the other is from a modern historical society blog (secondary). Ask students to identify which is which and write one sentence explaining their reasoning based on the source type.

Quick Check

Display a historical photograph of a local street scene. Ask students to write down two observations about what the photograph reveals about life at that time. Then, ask them to suggest one question they would want to ask about the photograph if it were a primary source.

Discussion Prompt

Present students with two different accounts of the same local event, one potentially biased (e.g., a political leaflet from the time) and one more neutral (e.g., a factual report). Pose the question: 'Which account do you trust more for understanding what really happened, and why? What makes one source more reliable than the other?'

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you teach Year 6 students to differentiate primary and secondary sources?

Start with familiar examples: a diary entry as primary, a textbook summary as secondary. Use sorting games with local items like census records or news articles. Follow with guided questions on creation date and purpose to reinforce distinctions, ensuring students apply criteria independently in research tasks.

What active learning strategies work best for sources in local history?

Hands-on stations with replica artifacts let students rotate through tactile exploration, sorting, and analysis. Pair mapping overlays reveal changes visually, while group debates on reliability build argumentation. These methods make abstract skills concrete, boost engagement, and improve retention through collaboration and real-world connections.

How can students evaluate the reliability of historical sources?

Teach criteria like author, date, purpose, and audience via checklists. Practice with biased postcards or council minutes: students score sources and justify in pairs. Cross-referencing multiple sources in projects shows inconsistencies, developing critical historians who question evidence systematically.

What local sources reveal changes since 1066?

Ordnance Survey maps from 1800s show land use shifts; aerial photos track urban growth; parish records detail population changes. Visit archives or use online collections like Francis Frith for photos. Guide students to compare with modern Google Earth views, noting industrial or wartime impacts on their area.