How to develop pupils’ understanding of chronology at key stage 3

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2. How do pupils make progress in chronological understanding?

Pupils will make progress in four broad areas of chronological understanding.

The vocabulary of chronological understanding

This incorporates:

• descriptive vocabulary, eg before, after, decade, century, millennium
• technical vocabulary, eg AD, BC, the use of fifteenth century for 1485
• conceptual vocabulary, eg change, continuity, sequence, duration, anachronism, period, chronology.

Expressed as learning objectives, by the age of 14 pupils should be able to:

• understand and accurately use terms such as BC and AD and be aware that other chronological conventions exist and the reasons for them
• relate centuries to dates, eg that 1349 was in the fourteenth century
• understand and accurately use vocabulary related to chronology, such as change and continuity, progress, sequence and duration, anachronism.

The development of a sense of period

This enables pupils to relate, for example, the term ‘Tudor’ to people, events and developments and to work in reverse, recalling key events, people and developments when studying a named period.

The periods featured in the national curriculum programmes of study include:

• prehistory, ancient, middle ages, modern
• Roman, Saxons, Vikings, Normans, medieval, Tudors, Stuarts, Victorians, twentieth century.

Expressed as learning objectives, by the age of 14 pupils should be able to:

• use terms such as prehistory, medieval, modern accurately, being aware of approximate dates for these periods
• explain some of the key features, individuals and events of the major periods of British history
• sequence major periods of British history and be aware of approximate dates for these periods
• explain some of the key features, individuals and events of the major periods of European and world history, such as the Renaissance.

Knowledge and understanding of a framework of past events

Within the key stage 3 programme of study this can be divided into:

• basic knowledge of sequences of events and their dates
• an understanding of how the relationships between these events contribute to an historical overview
• knowledge and understanding of the detailed chronology of some major events.

Knowing dates and putting events in sequence are vital tools for any study of history but pupils are required to take this further. They also need to develop the ability to identify where events fit within a broad framework of history and relate those events to each other. This is required by the history attainment target, which asks pupils to identify changes within and across different periods and make links between past societies and periods at level 4 and above.

An understanding of the detailed chronology of major events is also essential for developing explanations of why events unfolded as they did. Across key stage 3 many topics offer the opportunity to demonstrate the importance of precise chronological knowledge and understanding in sequence and duration.

Pupils’ knowledge and ability to interrelate events across different periods may be enhanced if they have a clear picture of the various themes or stories running through the key stage 3 programme of study. Such themes could include the changing power of the monarchy, Britain’s relationship with Europe and the world, continuities and changes in living and working life, or the evolution of Britain’s multi-ethnic culture.

Expressed as learning objectives, by the age of 14 pupils should be able to:

• outline the major stages in themes of the key stage 3 programme of study, eg monarchy and parliament; social changes; empires
• identify key people and events in each of these stories, place them accurately on a timeline and record their dates
• describe the characteristic features of past societies and periods and identify changes within and across different periods, making links between them
• recount the detailed chronologies of a number of key events within the key stage 3 programme of study
• explain why identifying the precise chronology of events is important in explaining the outcomes of events.

Setting a framework of past events within a wider overview of history, chronologically and culturally

This incorporates two variations on the usual key stage 3 chronology:

• an awareness of historical events beyond the time-span laid down in the key stage 3 programme of study. While not a statutory requirement pupils benefit in a more broadly educational way if they can relate the periods and cultures studied at key stage 3 to a simple framework of the broader span of human history. This could include a sense of the approximate duration of prehistory, the development of farming and the first towns, links to key stage 2 topics such as the Ancient Greeks and to key developments in other cultures
• an awareness of different chronologies running alongside each other, eg the Tudors is a dynastic label running from 1485–1603, appropriate for political history, but religious and cultural history have a key turning point in the 1530s and social and landscape history recognise 1540–1640 as a distinct period, known by some as ‘the Great Rebuilding’ of England. This awareness of concurrent stages and periods adds further insight into accounts, analyses and explanations.

Expressed as learning objectives, by the age of 14 pupils should be able to:

• place topics studied at key stage 3 within a wider historical outline, including such major features of world history as prehistory, the development of farming and the first towns, the foundation of major religions
• relate topics studied at key stage 3 to topics studied at key stage 2 such as the Ancient Greeks, the Romans, Saxons and Vikings
• relate different topics from the same time period to each other.

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