History Plan

Introductory Statement and Rationale

(a) Introductory Statement

We aim through this plan, drawn up in accordance with the History

curriculum, to set out our approaches to the teaching and learning of

History .It will form the basis for teachers long and short term planning.

It will also inform new and temporary teachers of the approaches and

methodologies used in our school. The plan was developed in the 2006/07

school year by school staff. It was further developed and ratified at a

meeting of the Board of Management on in September 2017. It was

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reviewed by the teaching staff in February 2021 and the necessary

ammendments were made.

(b) Rationale

We recognise History as an integral element of Social, Environmental and

Scientific education. We recognise the distinct role History has to play in

enabling the child to explore and understand the natural, human, social

and cultural environments in which he/she lives. We hope that historical

education in our school will enable the child to investigate and examine

critically significant events in their own immediate past, the past of their

families and local communities and the histories of people in Ireland and

other parts of the world. We believe that History develops an

understanding of the actions, beliefs and motivations of people in the

past and is fundamental to an informed appreciation of contemporary

society and environments. We view history as having a distinct but

complementary role together with geography and science within SESE and

as a contributor to the wider child centred curriculum.

Vision

History in our school should fulfill the following needs specific to our
school:

1. To give the children a broad understanding and interest in past

events, people, issues and cultural experiences which have helped
to shape the local community and the environment.

2. To develop an understanding of chronology, in order to place

people, events and topics studied in a broad historical sequence
with regular reference to the Time Line displayed in the school
hall.

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 3. To examine and use a range of historical evidence systematically
and critically, and to appreciate the fact that evidence can be
interpreted in different ways.

4. To develop a sense of personal, local, national, european and wider

identities through studying the history and cultural inheritence of
local and other communities.

5. To develop tolerance towards minorities in society and appreciate

the contribution of various ethnic, cultural, religious and social
groups to the evolution of modern Ireland.

6. To develop a sense of responsibility for, and a willingness to

participate in, the preservation of heritage.

Aims

The aims of the History curriculum are

• To develop an interest in and a curiousity about the past

• To make the child aware of the lives of women, men and children in
the past and how people and events have an impact on each other

• To develop an understanding of the concepts of changeand

continuity

• To provide for the acquisition of concepts and skills associated

with sequence, time and chronology, appropriate to the
developmental stages of the child

• To allow the child to encounter and use a range of historical

evidence systematically and critically

• To provide opportunities for the child to communicate historical

findings and interpretations in a variety of ways

• To foster sensitivity to the impact of conservation and change

within local and wider environments

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 • To help the child recognise and examine the influence of the past
on the attitudes and behaviour of people today

• To foster a willingness to explore personal attitudes and values and

to promote an openness to the possibility of changing one own’s
point of view

• To encourage the child to recognise how past and present actions,

events and materials may become historically significant

• To enable the child to acquire a balance appreciation of cultural

and historical
inheritances from local, national and global contexts.

Content

Class: Junior and Senior Infants

Myself and My Family

The child should be enabled to acquire the following skills under the
appropriate strand units

Myself

• Explore and record significant personal events and dates

• Collect and examine simple evidence
• Compare photographs, clothes worn or toys used at different ages,
noting development and things which have stayed the same

My Family

• Become aware of and identify the members of the family

• Compare relative ages: old/older, young/younger
• Collect simple evidence (photographs of family members)
• Explore and discuss how family members care for each other

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 • Discuss developments in the life of the family and things which
have stayed the same (living in the same home, getting a new car,
trees growing in garden)

Stories

The child should be enabled to acquire the following skills under the
appropriate strand units

• Listen to, discuss, retell and record through pictures and other
simple writing activities some stories from the lives of people who
have made a contribution to local and/or national life and to the
lives of people in other countries in a variety of ways
• Become aware of the lives of women, men and children from
different social, cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds,
including the lives of ‘ordinary’ as well as ‘more famous’ people
• Listen to local people telling stories about their past
• Discuss the chronology of events (beginning, middle, end) in a story
• Express or record stories through art work, drama, music, mime
and movement and using information and communication
technologies
• Display storyline pictures showing episodes in sequence.

Class: First and Second

The child should be enabled to acquire the following skills under the
appropriate strand units

Myself and my Family

Myself

• Explore and record significant personal dates and events

• Collect, discuss and compare simple items of evidence from own
past
• Construct simple timeline or storyline

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My Family

• Explore and record significant features, events and dates in the

past of child’s family and extended family
• Compare ages of family members: old/older, young/younger
• Discuss and record significant family events
• Collect, explore and discuss a range of simple evidence, noting
changes and developments and items which have stayed the same
• Compile simple family tree, scrapbook or timeline

When my Grandparents were young

• Explore and record aspects of the lives of people when his/her

grandparents were young
• Listen to adults talking about their own past
• Collect and/or examine simple evidence in a school or in a local
museum
• Compare lives of people in the past with the lives of people today,
noting differences and similarities
• Learn songs and dances, or play games from the past
• Record material on appropriate timeline.

Games in the past

• Explore and record traditional non-formal games, especially those

common in the locality and those known to parents or grandparents
• Collect information on rules, traditions, songs or rhymes associated
with the games
• Handle, collect or reconstruct articles used in such games, where
possible.

Feasts and Festivals in the past

• Explore and discuss the origins and traditions of some common

festivals
• Listen to, discuss, explore and record associated stories, legends,
games and songs.

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Change and Continuity

Continuity and Change in the Local Environment

• Visit, explore and become aware of elements in the local

environment which show continuity and change
• Listen and record memories of older people about such places
• Compare photographs, drawings and simple accounts of the site in
the past with the site now
• Use simple work directives, work cards or trail leaflets
• Record findings through drawings and other art work, modelling,
photographs, information and communication technologies
• Use appropriate timelines

Story

• Listen to, discuss, retell and record some simply told stories from
the lives of people who have made a contribution to local and/or
national life and to the lives of people in other countries through
technological, scientific, cultural and artistic activities as well as
those who have contributed to social and political developments
• Become aware of the lives of women, men and children from
different social, cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds,
including the lives of ‘ordinary’ as well as ‘more famous’ people
• Listen to local people telling stories about their past
• Listen to, discuss, retell and record a range of myths and legends
from different cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds in Ireland
and other countries
• Distinguish between fictional accounts in stories, myths and
legends and real people and events in the past
• Discuss chronology of events (beginning, middle, end) in a story
• Discuss the actions and feelings of characters
• Express or record stories through simple writing, art work, drama,
music, mime and movement and using information and
communication technologies
• Display storyline pictures showing episodes in sequence
• Use appropriate timelines

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Class: Third and Fourth

Local Studies

The child should be enabled to acquire the following skills under the
appropriate strand units

My Family

• Explore aspects of personal family history

• Examine changes and samples of continuity in the lives of parents
and grandparents
• Collect and use a range of simple historical evidence
• Present findings using a variety of media and appropriate timelines.

Homes

• Explore changes which have taken place in the home and other
homes in the area
• Discuss with older people items which have changed and those
which have remained the same
• Collect and/or examine old artefacts
• Present findings using a variety of media and appropriate timelines.

My School

• Investigate the development of present buildings and the history

of earlier school buildings
• Become familiar with the story of the school’s founder
• Attempt to reconstruct a school day in the past using a range of
simple evidence
• Compare school furniture and equipment of the past and the
appearance of the classroom with those of today
• Examine old roll books or other records; if possible old handwriting
copybooks
• Refer to or use appropriate timelines.

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Games and Pastimes in the past

• Become familiar with some games and pastimes enjoyed in the

locality
• Explore and discuss games and pastimes enjoyed by parents and
grandparents in the past
• Have some knowledge of games and pastimes enjoyed by children in
ancient societies and in other lands.

Feasts and Festivals in the past

• Become familiar with the origins and traditions associated with

some common festivals in Ireland and other countries
• Explore, discuss and record some of the ceremonies, stories,
legends, poetry, music, dances and games associated with these
feasts and festivals.

Buildings, sites or ruins in my locality

• Actively explore some features of the local environment

• Investigate various aspects of these sites
• Present findings using a variety of media and appropriate timelines.

My locality through the ages

• Study a period or periods in the history of the local village, town,

city area, town land, parish or county
• Become familiar with important events in the history of the
locality, referring to the wider national context where relevant;
• Collect related local ballads, stories and traditions.

Story

Stories from the lives of people in the past

• Listen to, discuss, retell and record a range of stories from the
lives of people who have made a contribution to local and/or
national life and to the lives of people in other countries through

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 technological, scientific, cultural and artistic activities as well as
those who have contributed to social and political developments
• Become aware of the lives of women, men and children from
different social, cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds,
including the lives of ‘ordinary’ as well as ‘more famous’ people
• Listen to local people telling stories about their past
• Discuss chronology of events (beginning, middle, end) in a story
• Examine and begin to make deductions from some simple relevant
evidence
• Discuss the actions and feelings of characters
• Express or record stories through oral and written forms, art,
music, drama, mime, movement and information and communication
technologies
• Use appropriate timelines.

Myths and legends

• Listen to, discuss, retell and record a range of myths and legends
from various cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds in Ireland
and other countries
• Discuss the chronology of events in the stories
• Discuss the actions and feelings of the characters
• Distinguish between fictional accounts in stories, myths and
legends and real people and events in the past
• Express or record stories through oral and written forms, art
work, drama, ime, movement and information and communication
technologies.

Early peoples and ancient societies

(Two strand units should be selected from this strand each year)

Taking a selection from:

❖ Stone Age peoples
❖ Bronze Age peoples
❖ Early societies of the Tigris and Euphrates valleys
❖ Celts
❖ Early Christian Ireland

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 ❖ Egyptians
❖ Vikings
❖ Greeks
❖ Romans

And a selection from:

❖ Central and South American peoples e.g. Aztecs
❖ African peoples e.g. Benin peoples
❖ Asian peoples e.g. peoples of the Indus valley, Ch’in and Han
empires of China
❖ North American peoples e.g. Native American peoples
❖ Australian peoples e.g. Maori

• The student should be able to know a little about and become

familiar with aspects of the lives of these peoples
• Examine and become familiar with evidence we have which tells us
about these people, especially evidence of these people which may
be found locally
• Record the place of these peoples on appropriate timelines.

Life, society, work and culture in the past

(Two strand units should be selected from this strand each year)

Taking a selection from:

❖ Life in Norman Ireland
❖ Life in medieval towns and
❖ Countryside in Ireland and Europe
❖ Life in the 18th century
❖ Life in the 19th Century
❖ Life during the World War II
❖ Life in Ireland since the 1950’s

• The student should become familiar with aspects of the lives of

these people
• Examine and become familiar with evidence from the periods
studied, especially evidence which may be found locally
• Record the place of peoples on timelines.

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Continuity and change over time
(Two strand units should be selected from this strand each year)

❖ Food and Farming

❖ Communications
❖ Clothes
❖ Shops and Fairs
❖ Homes and Houses
❖ Schools and education
❖ Transport
❖ Caring for the sick

• The student should study aspects of social, artistic, technological and

scientific developments over long periods
• They should identify items of change and continuity in the ‘line of
development’
• Identify some of the factors which have caused or prevented change
• Refer to or use appropriate timelines.

Class: Fifth and Sixth

Local Studies

The child should be enabled to acquire the following skills under the
appropriate strands and strand units

Homes

• Compare and classify a range of homes in the area (ideally homes

from a variety of periods)
• Investigate local and/or regional variations or similarities in
building styles and materials
• Investigate links between the age of houses and their location
• Collect, study and classify domestic artefacts.

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Schools

• Study the development of the school over a period

• Relate the history of the school to the history of education in the
parish or local area
• Explore the history of the school in the wider context of
educational development in Ireland
• Use documentary and other sources

Games and pastimes in the past

• Become familiar with aspects of the history of games in the

locality
• Explore aspects of the leisure interests and games of local people
in the past

Feasts and Festivals in the past

• Become familiar with the origins and traditions associated with a

range of festivals in Ireland and other countries
• Explore, discuss and record some of the ceremonies, stories,
legends, poetry, music, dances and games associated with these
feasts and festivals.

Buildings, sites or ruins in my locality

• Actively explore some features of the local environment; suitable

places or items might include: streetscape, industrial site, local
canal, bridges, road patterns, railways, ruined building, old
monastery, graveyard, Mass path, Mass rock, holy well, prehistoric
site, farmyard, field and farm patterns, landlord’s house, houses of
tenants, ice house, sweat house, gate lodges, battle sites, local
rights of way.
• Investigate various aspects of these sites.
• Identify opportunities to become involved in enhancing and
protecting the environmental features
• Present findings using a variety o media and appropriate timelines.

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My locality through the ages

• Study a period or periods in the history of the local village, town,

city area, town land, parish or county; in fifth and sixth classes
children should study periods not already covered in third and
fourth class
• Become familiar with important events in the history of the
locality, setting local figures or events in the national and
international context where relevant. In addition to the
developments suggested for this unit in third and fourth classes.
• Use evidence which is more diverse and more complex than
heretofore
• Collect local ballads, stories and traditions relating to these events.

Story

Stories from the lives of people in the past

• Listen to, discuss, retell and record a wide range of stories from
the lives of people who have made a contribution to local and/or
national life and to the lives of people in other countries through
technological, scientific, cultural and artistic activities as well as
those who have contributed to social and political developments
• Become aware of the lives of women, men and children from
different social, cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds,
including the lives of ‘ordinary’ as well as ‘more famous’ people
• Listen to local people telling stories about their past
• Discuss chronology of events (beginning, middle, end) in a story
• Examine and begin to make deductions from some simple relevant
evidence
• Discuss the actions and feelings of characters
• Express or record stories through oral and written forms, art,
music, drama, mime, movement and information and communication
technologies
• Use appropriate timelines.

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Myths and legends

• Listen to, discuss, retell and record a range of myths and legends
from various cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds in Ireland
and other countries
• Discuss the chronology of events in the stories
• Discuss the actions and feelings of the characters
• Relate the myths and legends to the beliefs, values and traditions
of the peoples from which they came
• Discuss the forms of expression and conventions used in myths and
their retelling exaggeration, repetition, fantasy, caricature
• Explore and discuss common themes and features which are to be
found in the myths and legends of different peoples
• Express or record stories through oral and written forms, art
work, drama, mime, movement, information and communication
technologies.

Early peoples and ancient societies

(Two strand units should be selected from this strand each year)

❖ Stone Age peoples

❖ Bronze Age peoples
❖ Early societies of the Tigris and Euphrates valleys
❖ Early Christian Ireland
❖ Greeks Romans
❖ Celts
❖ Egyptians
❖ Vikings

❖ Central and South American peoples e.g. Aztecs

❖ African peoples e.g. Benin peoples
❖ Asian peoples e.g. peoples of the Indus valley, Ch’in and Han
empires of China
❖ North American peoples e.g. Native American peoples
❖ Australian peoples e.g. Maori

• The student should be able to know a little about and become

familiar with aspects of the lives of these peoples

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 • Examine critically, and become familiar with, evidence we have
which tells us about these people, especially evidence of these
people which may be found locally and in Ireland, where appropriate
• Record the place of these peoples on appropriate timelines.

Life, society, work and culture in the past

(One strand units should be selected from this strand each year)

❖ Life in Norman Ireland

❖ Life in the 19th century
❖ Life in medieval towns and
❖ Life during World War II
❖ Countryside in Ireland and Europe
❖ Life in Ireland since the 1950’s
❖ Life in the 18th century

• The student should become familiar with aspects of the lives of

these people
• Examine and become familiar with evidence which informs us about
the lives of people from the periods studied, especially evidence
which may be found locally
• Record the place of peoples and events on appropriate timelines.

Eras of Change and Conflict

(Two strand units should be selected from this strand each year)

❖ The Renaissance
❖ The Reformation
❖ The Great Famine
❖ World War 1
❖ The Industrial Revolution
❖ Modern Ireland

❖ Changing land ownership in 19th century Ireland

❖ Traders, Explorers and Colonisers from Europe
❖ Changing roles of women in 19th and 20th Centuries

• Students should become familiar with aspects of these periods

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• They should examine and become familiar with evidence which informs
us about the lives of people in the periods studied, their thoughts and
concerns, especially evidence which may be found locally
• Record the place of peoples and events on appropriate timelines.

Politics, conflict and society

(Two strand units should be selected from this strand each year)

❖ 16th and 17th century Ireland

❖ 1916 and the foundation of the state
❖ Revolution and change in America, France and Ireland
❖ O’Connell and Catholic Emancipation
❖ Northern Ireland
❖ Ireland, Europe and the World, 1960 to the present

From these strand units the student should have the competence to:

• Engage in simple studies of some of the more important aspects of

periods in which political changes or movements have had an
important influence on the lives of people in Ireland
• Acquire some knowledge of the major personalities, events or
developments in these periods
• Explore, discuss, compare and develop some simple understanding
of the attitudes, beliefs, motivations and actions of differing
individuals and groups of people in the past
• Begin to develop some appreciation of the ‘mind-set’ of former
generations
• Acquire insights into the attitudes and actions of people in
contemporary Ireland
• Develop a growing sense of personal, national, European and wider
identities.

Continuity and change over time

(Two strand units should be selected from this strand each year)

❖ Homes, housing and urban development

❖ Energy and Power
❖ Workshops and factories

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 ❖ Nomadism
❖ Literature, art, crafts and culture
❖ Clothes
❖ Schools and Education
❖ Transport
❖ Caring for the sick
❖ Communications
❖ Barter, trade and money
❖ Food and Farming

From these strand units the student should have the competence to:

• Study aspects of social, artistic, technological and scientific

developments over long periods
• Identify examples of change and continuity in the ‘line of
development’
• Identify the factors which may have caused or prevented change
• Refer to or use appropriate timelines.

Key Methodologies

Teachers select appropriate methodologies to accommodate the

different learning styles of the children.
• Active learning
• Problem solving
• Talk and discussion
• Co-operative learning
• Use of the environment
• Developing skills through content
• Story
• Drama and role
• Oral evidence
• Documentary evidence
• Using ICT
• Personal and family history
• Using artefacts
• Pictures and photographs
• Use of the environment
• Use of think, pair, share strategy in talk and discussion
• Timelines are used and displayed in each class/throughout the
school.

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 • In the Infant classrooms much of the SESE programme is taught
during Aistear; introducing & developing locational language in
context, simple drawings of home, school and immediate
environment, model building, mapping activities and role play of
people in the community.

Skills and Concepts Development

Junior and Senior Infants

Working as an historian
• Time and chronology
• Using evidence
• Communication

1st Class to 6th Class

Working as an historian
• Time and chronology
• Change and continuity
• Cause and effect
• Using evidence
• Synthesis and communication
• Empathy

Linkage and Integration:

Throughout the primary school years, the environments of the child,

particularly those of a local nature, provide ideal contexts and a
compelling impetus for the integration of learning. Within SESE each
subject offers a distinctive perspective on the world and equips children
with a particular range of skills. The use of well planned integrated
approaches, both within SESE and between SESE and other curricular
areas, will have an important part to play in the delivery of history in our
school. While history makes an important and distinctive contribution to
the development of the child, historical education complements the
growth of the child’s geographical and scientific learning.

Linkage:
Linkage refers to integration within a particular curricular area. In order
to make learning more meaningful and to ensure the simultaneous

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development of historical skills, and to provide for the application of
these skills, teachers will explore and utilise the many possibilities for
linkage across the History curriculum.

Integration:
Throughout the primary school and in the early years especially, much
learning in history, geography and science will take place through
integrated themes and topics, which teachers use to organise their work.
Integration allows blocks of time to be utilised in the most effective
manner possible, this is particularly useful for teachers with multi- grade
classes. Consequently much of this integration will also contribute to the
development of oral language, literacy, numeracy, aesthetic awareness,
creative expression and communication skills.

Multi- grade teaching:

Systematically planned integrated topics can provide contexts in which

knowledge and skills may be developed in a range of areas. Teachers with
multi-grade classes will teach the History curriculum on a two- year
scheme to ensure that all strands are being taught. Such systematic
planning will be addressed regularly at staff meetings.
A thematic approach will be implemented by all teachers to organise
learning in classes. For example, objectives in the strand units ‘Myself’
and ‘My family’ might be achieved as children examine these themes in
SPHE or religious education. Similarly, many of the stories used in
language lessons or at story time will provide opportunities for the
development of historical skills such as the discussion of sequences and
the retelling of stories through oral language, drama or art work. To
further assist in the teaching of History to multi-grade classes teachers
will make use of information and communication technologies in the telling
and recording of stories and in the exploration of the lives of people in
the past.

Assessment
As in all subject areas Assessment is an integral part of the teaching and
learning of SESE history. We as a staff have a common understanding of
its purpose and the ways in which the progress of children in history will
be assessed, documented and reported. Assessment in history will fulfil
the following roles :
• A diagnostic role – to identify areas of difficulty in order to respond to
the needs of the child

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• A summative role- to establish the outcomes of learning after
completing a unit of work. In this way assessment can provide the basis
for reporting to and communicating with parents and others.
• An evaluative role – to assist teachers in assessing their own practice,
methodologies, approaches and resources. We recognise that assessment
techniques used in history must seek to assess progress in

a) Children’s knowledge of the past

b) Children’s ability to use historical skills
c) Children’s development of attitudes

The assessment tools we will use will range from the informal means to
the more structured approaches. Methods we will use are :

• Teacher observation of the child’s learning as the history

curriculum is being implemented.
• Teacher designed tasks and tests at the end of units of work.
• SESE History Checklists
• Work samples/SALF e.g finished projects and artefact
investigations.
• We will display the children’s work in public areas of the school and
on Class Dojo.

These records will inform the teacher of the progress of the child;
the effectiveness of teaching methodologies employed and will also
inform future planning. The assessment records will form the basis
for reporting and discussing the child’s progress. This information
will be relayed at Parent Teacher Meetings and in annual school
reports.

Children with Differing Needs

Children with differing needs will be enabled to develop knowledge,

skills and an understanding of history, and to engage in history
related activities in a structured way. The child with a disability
will participate in classroom activities, with some modification or
adaptation to his/her needs, in all areas of the history curriculum.
A number of techniques may be used to provide a range of learning
activities appropriate to the individual needs of pupils. Teachers
could consider:

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 • Using a mixture of whole-class teaching and focused group
work. Following a whole-class lesson, different groups of
children could be set tasks of varying complexity
• Planning topics so that opportunities are provided for
further investigation work for the more able or less able
• Choosing more accessible or more demanding evidence. For
example, artefacts and pictorial evidence may be more
accessible than written evidence
• Using a range of questions and providing a range of tasks.
Teachers’ questioning in oral discussion should use a range of
skills from simple recall to more complex comparative and
analytical skills so that all pupils will have opportunities for
success while the more able will be challenged
• Planning for the use of a wide range of communication skills.
Many pupils will have developed a sophisticated historical
understanding yet will be unable to communicate this in
written form. Opportunities should be provided for children
to record and tell about their historical findings in oral
presentations, debates, drawing, role-playing, modelling and
computer aided work
• Intervening to give individuals and groups the tuition they
need as the children are engaged in learning activities.

Role of S.N.A.

The role of the S.N.A. is important in helping the child with S.E.N.
access parts of the history, particularly when the class leaves the
premises for field trips.

Children of Exceptional Ability

Students of exceptional ability are catered for in resource learning.

Their ability is discussed at parent/teacher meetings. They frequently
attend courses in DCU and avail of courses online.

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Equality of Participation and Access

History will be for all children within the school regardless of their age,
gender or ability. We will place an equal emphasis on the role of women in
history, looking at the contribution women from a local, national and
international perspective. In our school we recognise the contribution of
ordinary people to history and we will place emphasis on the roles of
everyday people in history.
If there are any children experiencing any form of disadvantage-
physical/English not their first language or any other needs we endeavour
to adapt the teaching and learning to meet their needs e.g. by use of
alternative resources, ICT and visual aids.

Organisational Planning

Timetable

In keeping with the recommendations in the Primary School Curriculum

Introduction (p70) a minimum of three hours will be allocated to SESE
per week, from first class to sixth, and two and a quarter hours with
infant classes.
On occasion, time will be blocked as appropriate. This might occur when:
• Working on a project
• Exploring the local environment
• Devising and undertaking a local trail

Teachers will consider the use of discretionary curriculum time for SESE
when appropriate.

Resources and ICT

Current resources are kept in a cupboard in the learning support room in

our school. Every teacher has a list of all History resources available in
the school. When a teacher needs some resources or artifacts to enhance
his/her teaching, he/she can either order it herself and it will be paid for
out of school funds..

We use the Small World textbook from Junior Infants to 2nd class and
Window on the World from 3rd to 6th class as a resource in our teaching
of History.

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Teachers use interactive whiteboards in class and students have access
to shared I pads. There is an AUP covering use of the computers in the
school to ensure safe internet usage for the pupils.

The school may invite local historians/ members of the community who on
occasions to talk to the pupils about subjects of local historical interest.

Health and Safety

Working with children in the environment can raise a number of

organisational and safety issues, good preparation and planning together
with adequate supervision can help to ensure successful fieldwork.
When a teacher is planning to take her class on a trip they consult the
principal and makes provision for insurance, transport and other
requirements.
They also gets a parental consent form for each child who is going on the
trip on which medical details and parental contact numbers are recorded.
Preparatory work for the trip will be undertaken in the classroom.
In most cases when a field trip is being undertaken it will be necessary to
bring a number of adults to accompany the class. When an SNA is
available she accompanies the class. When leaving the school on a trip the
pupils wear the school uniform or school tracksuit to help with
identification in crowded areas. Where necessary the children will wear
same colour name tags. Parents are made aware of reporting back
locations and times. The class teacher will have a written record of the
names of pupils in each group and their leaders and should know the
location of each group and the activity in which they should be engaged in
at all times.

The teachers will use the following check list when planning a trip outside
the school:

• Information on the latest weather forecast

• A list of all participants in the fieldwork
• Telephone numbers of local doctor, ambulance service, gardai and
rescue services.
• Phone number of principal

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 • Mobile phone
• First aid kit
• List of helpers and children
• Programme of activities
• Activity sheets
• Map of the area
• Maps, check lists of pupils’ names and safety instructions for
helpers
• Equipment needed for investigations
• Spare pencils etc.
• Lunch and drink
• Some children may require access to medication and depending on
the policy maybe held by the teacher
• Sacks for litter
• Hygiene wipes and plasters

A check list for pupils

• A clear understanding of the activities which they will undertake

• A clear understanding of the group to which they are allocated and
the name of its leader
• Suitable clothing
• Copy of work directive or trail booklet
• Map
• Pencils etc.
• Extra paper and crayons to take rubbings and make sketches
• Camera (one student/teacher may take photos on excursion)
• Plastic containers to collect specimens
• The equipment necessary for investigations
• Lunch and drink
• Rucksack to carry items and keep hands free for work

Individual Teacher’s Planning and Reporting

• Teachers will report on work completed on a Monthly Report

template-Cúntas Miosúil. These are kept in individual teacher’s
planning folders and are sent to the principal and are stored
electronically on Aladdin.

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 • Teachers will use the Whole School Plan and Yearly plans to inform
their classroom planning.
• Teachers will use the History Curriculum strands and strand units
when planning.
• Teachers also keep long-term and weekly/fortnightly plans.

Staff Development

• As a staff we develop and update our subject plans in turn. This

takes place at a staff meeting. At these meetings we get a chance
to formally share expertise and ideas. Of course we often do this
informally in the staff room or a lunch break. Many of the staff
also use IT and the internet as a great source of information.

• Our nearest Teacher’s Centre is in Enniscorthy and we are always

informed of courses that are available there. Information
regarding courses on History is brought to the attention of all
members of staff by the principal as it arrives in school. The
information is then displayed on the notice board in the staff room
for everyone’s attention.

Parental Involvement

Asking parents, grandparents or other relatives to talk about their lives

is an excellent way in which pupils can come to develop a sense of the past
as a real and tangible part of the life of the community. The SESE books
we have chosen to use in our school e.g. Small World and Window on the
World provide opportunities each year for children to interview their
parents or grandparents on different aspects of their past. This
becomes more detailed as the pupils move to the Senior Classes, for
example in Second Class pupils are asked to discover the games their
relatives played in their youth while in Sixth Class pupils are asked to find
our more details e.g. What school was like for them.
Visits from grandparents where the whole class can participate in the
interview may also take place.
Parents are encouraged to assist children with any research they may
have to conduct at home which makes them aware of what their child is
learning and they can be a great help to the children in identifying
sources of information. Also projects are displayed in the school and

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parents are invited to come in and read the students’ work. Projects and
written work are also displayed on Class Dojo and on the school website.

Community Links

There is a wealth of history in Avoca which we aim to use in our teaching

of the subject. The school is situated in a good location which means we
can visit the areas of historical interest.

Places of Historical Interest

Each year senior students visit Kilmagig cemetery where they carry out
research, discuss the names, ages and years on the headstones and do
rubbings. Often relatives of some of the children have been buried here.
Mining played an important role in the history of Avoca and again the
senior classes do some research into this. This work again invites parents
or grandparents to contribute as they generally have interesting
information to share about the copper mining. Although the mines are no
longer in use today the remains of seven engine houses, a mineral tramway
arch with a colourful mine landscape containing precipitation ponds and
spoil heaps from the different eras still exist here.
The Motte Stone is another local attraction which ties in with Myths and
Legends as the children hear the folklore about how this ice age stone
ended up on top of the hill.
Of course The Meetings of the Waters where the Avonmore and Avonbeg
rivers meet, made famous by Thomas Moore is yet another area which can
be studied as part of the History curriculum and integrated with Music as
the children learn to sing the beautiful song of the same name.
Avondale House, the home of Charles Stewart Parnell is located just four
miles from Avoca.
The Avoca Handweavers was established in 1723 and classes are welcome
to visit the mill and see how the weaving process works.
When school tours are taking place and classes have the opportunity to
travel further, teachers are encouraged to visit areas of educational
value. In the past pupils have visited Collins Barracks and The National
Art Gallery both of which contributed to the historical learning of the
classes involved. Some classes have also been on the Viking Splash Tour
in Dublin. We hope to continue this tradition.

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Success Criteria

This plan will make a difference to the teaching and learning of history in
our school.

How will we know that the plan has been implemented?

• The teachers will be able to complete their classroom planning for

history by following this plan
• The procedures outlined in this plan will be consistently followed
and adapted where necessary
• Class assessment, term tests, school quizzes and class discussion
will all reflect the content of the plan
• The principal will review its implementation through Cúntas Míosúil

How will we assess the success of our history plan?

Means of assessing the outcomes of the plan include

• Teacher/parent feedback – we will discuss the progress of the plan at

regular staff meetings, these meetings will also provide a forum for
staff to suggest any changes or additional information needed in the
plan. We will also take into consideration any feedback or
contributions that a parent or member of the local community could
make to the plan
• We value the children’s own feedback and this will be taken into
consideration
• Inspectors’ suggestions/reports will also be welcomed and taken into
consideration throughout our planning.

Has the plan promoted the key considerations when implementing

the history curriculum?

• We acknowledge the definition that history is an attempt to

reconstruct and interpret the past rather than the past itself
• We believe that there is a balance between the process (how the
child learns) and content (what the child learns)

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 • We recognise that the child must acquire skills and concepts to
work effectively as a young historian, e.g. time and chronology,
change and continuity, cause and effect, using evidence, synthesis
and communication and empathy
• We understand that the curriculum is spiral and developmental in
its structure.
• We recognize the importance that each child engages in studies
ranging from personal to local, national and international history
• It is the basis of our school plan that history is integrated across
the curriculum from Junior Infants to Sixth Class.

Implementation

a) Roles and Responsibilities

The plan in its entirety will be developed and implemented by the teaching
staff of the school with the support and assistance, where necessary, of
outside agents who live or work in the area/topic under study.
Implementation may be enhanced by fieldwork trips and visits to
different locations where the children can have direct experience of the
environment and learn through investigations and enquiry.

The history plan coordinator (The Principal), with the support of the
staff, will monitor the progress of the plan. Feedback on the
implementation of the plan will take place at regular staff meetings.

b) Timeframe of Implementation
The plan was reviewed in February 2021 and the amended plan was
implemented.

Review
a) Roles and Responsibilities

It will be necessary to review this plan on a regular basis to ensure

optimum implementation of the history curriculum in the school. The
review will include the opinions of the teachers involved in implementing
the history curriculum, the response of the pupils to the material taught,

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and the requirements of the wider school community as they arise. The
history plan co-coordinator (Mary Cahill), with the support of the
teachers, will assume responsibility for the review of the plan.

b) Timeframe

The plan will be reviewed in three years time (2024). This will provide the
school with an opportunity to report on findings and to take feedback
from staff on the success of the plan. It will also serve as an opportunity
to check that tasks set out in the plan have been completed within the
agreed timeframe.

Ratification and Communication

This completed history plan will be presented to the members of the

Board of Management for ratification in February 2021. A copy will be
available for inspection at all times in the school office.

Reviewed:__________________

Chairperson BOM (Marion Canavan)_______________________

Principal (Mary Cahill)____________________

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