Hi everyone,
If you’ve seen my Insta story today you will have seen a quick review of The History Box from Prim Ed Publishing.
I just wanted to give a detailed overview and review here for my followers too.
The History Box contains a set of Topic Focus Cards, there are four copied of each card to share with pods or within groups. The topics represented the different strands of the History Curriculum. It also has a set of cards so that the children can Work as a Historian. there are two cards with different activities on front and back of each card. It also includes a comprehensive Teacher Guide along with an Activity Resource Book with worksheets for each topic card.
Topic Cards
I really like the topic cards, they are not too text heavy and use images for the visual learner and also to encourage to children to use evidence within their History lesson. It includes questions that can be completed orally in the class and then more detailed activities where the children will complete written activities. You could do this within the pod or group. The Write and Research aspects of the activities encourage the childrent to develop their own higher order thinking skills and independent research and learning. They are also ideal to link in with aspects of the new Primary Language Curriculum also.
Working as a Historian Cards
They are ideal to focus on skills development within History, I feel that there has been a shift from content objectives to skills developments and these cards are an ideal resources to give the children an opportunity to focus on their skills away from the traditional text book. It includes ideas to include more aspects of using IT in the activities so the children are independent learners.
Teacher Guide
There is an impressive teacher guide to accompany the series, I shared some aspects on my Instagram story earlier today. There are ideas on how to use The History Box, how to structure lesson plans for your class but what I liked the most was the introduction aspects of the lesson. Using the traditional KWL chart but developing the children’s own questioning too. I really like the explosion chart to show the children’s questioning and guide them in their independent learning. It also contains a detailed overview for each of the topic cards and accopanying Working as a Historian card.
Activity Book
Lastly the activity book completes the resource. It has worksheets to accompany each focus card but also worksheets to accompany each of the Historian cards too. There are a nice variety of questions and activities in each of the worksheets which reflect styles of questioning and also to encourage and develop Higher Order Thinking Skills.
Overall, I think this resource is very impressive. It is carefully planned and developed to represent the ever changing curriculum and focus on developing the children as independent learners. I have made the move away from specific textbooks in recent years and I think this would be a go-to resource to teach History using an enquiry approach so that the children can develop their own learning. I really like the visual elements of the cards and using IT resources so you can encourage all learning styles in the class. They are a durable resource that will last from group to group (when quarantined). With a new focus on skills development in History the children will be encouraged to use evidence, identify cause and effect, develop empathy, recognise time, chronology and use timelines more effectively along with other skills that can often be lost within a text book. This resource encourages the children to be more active, engaged and responsible for their own learning.
Further information on History Box can be found on the Prim Ed site.
Note: This is not an ad or a sponsored post. I was gifted this resources from Prim Ed and as I have always done, I review the products I have used, or shared with my colleagues for their opinions.
If you have any questions, please send me a DM.
Stay Safe everyone
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