History and Geography

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History at Meadow View

At Meadow View, History is taught through topic-based learning. We recognise that high-quality history teaching helps pupils to gain a better understanding of Britain’s past, as well as that of the wider world. We aim to equip children with a coherent understanding of historical events and their chronology, as well as helping them to develop their ability to:
- Ask questions about the past,
- Think critically about people and events from history, 
- Analyse both primary and secondary sources and their reliability,
- Develop their own perspectives about events and people of the past,
- Make comparisons between time periods.

We also encourage children to learn lessons from actions and events in history. We encourage children to empathise with people who lived in the past, and to understand how the actions of today will become the history of tomorrow.

Geography at Meadow View

At Meadow View, Geography skills are taught as part of termly topics. We aim to inspire children to be more curious about the world and its people, by giving them experiences which allow them to learn about diverse places and people. Children learn about aspects of human geography, such as land use and population changes, as well as the physical processes which have formed our planet over millions of years. In order to learn about the world in which we live, children are taught skills which allow them to:
- Collect and analyse data,
- Interpret maps, aerial photographs and globes,
- Present geographical information in different ways.

As well as developing children’s Geographical knowledge and skills, we also aim to encourage children to think ecologically about how their own actions play a role in protecting the health of our planet.

Black History Month 2023

Throughout the month of October, we celebrated Black History Month. As a school, we learnt about some of the amazing Black men and women who have shaped our history. In Year 1, children learnt about local hero, Sir Lenny Henry and his amazing charitable work for Comic Relief. Year 2's focus this year was on Space Travel and the incredible work of Mae Jemison and Katherine Johnson. Year 3 spent their curriculum lessons studying a range of Black sporting stars from Simone Biles to Sir Mo Farah. Meanwhile, in Year 4, children learnt about key black figures in the world of medicine, including Harold Moody and Rebecca Lee Crumpler. Year 5's focus was slavery and abolitionists including Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth. Year 6 learnt about the injustice of South Africa's apartheid and the campaigning of Nelson Mandela. In The Orchard, children looked at the artwork and sculptures of Lubaina Himid and Garrett Morgan's invention of the traffic light. What an amazing array of work they have completed!

Fieldwork Fortnight 2023

This year, Meadow View celebrated our first 'Fieldwork Fortnight'. National Fieldwork Fortnight ran from 26th June to 7th July. Over the course of these two weeks, all of the children at Meadow View took part in fieldwork activities and projects as part of their Curriculum lessons. Year 5 investigated plastic waste around the school site and how we could improve this. Year 4 took a visit to our local woodland at Doebank Park in search of different species of trees and insects. Year 3 investigated the bee population on our school site and created a bug hotel to try to attract more bees and other pollinators to our school site. Down in Year 1, children looked at weather and how we can measure this, using rain gauges, cyanometers and wind socks. 

Year 6 - History and Geography

During the Autumn Term, Year 6 learnt all about the Industrial Revolution and answered their Big Question of 'How did the Industrial Revolution impact Birmingham?'. They have learnt about the invention of the steam engine, importance of the canals and railway system. They also created a persuasive advert encouraging Victorian business owners to set up their factories in Birmingham.

Year 5 - Why Do Natural Disasters Happen?

Year 5  started the year with a topic all about Natural Disasters. They have learnt about volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural events. They looked at the structure of the Earth, before learning why volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur, and studied the location of the Earth's tectonic plates. They even used our new VR headsets to visit a volcanic eruption!

During Black History month, the children learnt about famous poet Benjamin Zephaniah. 

Year 4 - What have the Greeks left behind?

Year 4  kicked off this year with a topic all about The Ancient Greeks. They  located the country of Greece within Europe, and placed the Ancient Greek era on a timeline. They learnt about a range of Ancient Greek myths, as well as learning about some of the many different Greek gods and goddesses. They learnt about how we can use artefacts and ruins to help us understand what life was like for the Ancient Greeks. 

Year 3 - How did life change from the Stone Age to the Iron Age?

Year 3 travelled far back in time to learn about the periods of the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. They have learnt about how the earliest humans were hunters and gatherers, and the children have looked at how life, hunting and housing changed from the Stone Age to the Iron Age. They have learnt about what everyday life was like, and how we can use things left behind, such as tools, bones and cave drawings, to learn about the earliest humans. 

Year 2 - Why did people build castles?

Year 2 have been learning about the Medieval period in Great Britain. They learnt about how a group of people called the Normans came to Britain and began building castles for defence. They looked at how castles changed from those made from wood, to stone-built castles and the reasons for this. The children looked at the different people who lived inside a castle, from Lords and Ladies to cooks and jesters. 

Year 1 - Where in the world are we?

Children in Year 1 have been locating where we live within the world. They have learnt that we live near a city called Birmingham, in a country called England. They have learnt that England is located in Europe, and that the capital city of our country is London. The children have then looked at the lives of other children around the world, and made comparisons between where we live and other countries.