Our question for this term is: “Does the past change the present?” We will be exploring this through the Catholic Social Teaching lens of Family and Community across the curriculum.

In History we will be historians, investigating the topic “How was school different in the past?” We will build on our prior learning from Year 1 to deepen our history skills, including: understanding significant historical events, people and places; using words and phrases related to the passing of time; developing a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms; asking and answering questions; using stories and sources to find out about the past; and recognising the different ways history can be represented.

We will explore how school life has changed over time, comparing the experiences of children in the past with our own experiences today. We will consider how communities, families and schools have shaped children’s education, and why these changes have happened. Together we will discuss whether these changes have been positive, and reflect on how the past continues to shape the way schools are today.

At the end of the unit, the children will bring all of their learning together to explain how and why school has changed over time, thinking carefully about how the past still influences the present.

Throughout our study, children will be encouraged to share their own ideas, ask thoughtful questions, and make links to their own lives—developing curious minds and embedding their ‘golden nuggets’ of knowledge in their long-term memories.