Bringing History Alive through Local People and Places

Book excerpt: A much-needed and delightful book. It shows how history can be taught with the meaningful experiences of each child at its centre, making connections between the child, the locality and community, the national and global past and concepts of time. Throughout the authors empower teachers to adopt their philosophy, by showing them how to plan, select resources and strategies and reflect on ideas and case studies. Hilary Cooper, Emeritus professor of history and pedagogy, The University of Cumbria, UK. Bringing History Alive through Local People and Places puts the local environment and community at the heart of history, showing how it can be used as the context for successful history teaching across the primary age range. It considers how to develop children’s concepts and skills through local history, how to link local, national and global aspects of history, and helps you develop your own historical knowledge, understanding and confidence in teaching the subject. Practical topics explored include: Investigating children’s cultural and geographical roots through fieldwork Finding and visiting local museums, archives and heritage sights Choosing and using resources Using significant people, events and buildings to link with national history Environmental education and sustainable development through local history Understanding the links between history and everyday life Planning and assessing history. Based on the latest research and practice in the field, Bringing History Alive through Local People and Places offers an exciting template of creative ideas and activities to show teachers how they can make history relevant to all children.