History // Area

Historical Thinking

7 topics for ages 6 to 11, ordered by the age each one starts. Read from top to bottom to follow the progression.

Age coverage

Ages 6 to 11

  1. Starts at age 6 // 3 topics

    Starting at age 6

    • Evidence from the Past

      Understand that everything we know about the past comes from evidence — objects, buildings, pictures, documents, and stories that have survived

      Ages 6 to 7Thinking skill
    • Vocabulary: historical thinking

      Know and use the vocabulary of historical thinking — source, evidence, primary source, secondary source, artefact, chronology, chronological order, BC/BCE…

      Ages 6 to 10Language
    • Different Accounts of the Same Event

      Recognise that different people can give different accounts of the same event — and that both can be genuine while still disagreeing

      Ages 6 to 8Thinking skill

  2. Starts at age 8 // 3 topics

    Starting at age 8

    • Checking Sources Against Each Other

      Corroborate: check whether multiple sources agree on the same facts — and investigate why they might not

      Ages 8 to 10Thinking skill
    • Questioning Historical Sources

      Before trusting a historical source, ask: who made this, when, and why? — the answers shape how much weight the source should carry

      Ages 8 to 10Thinking skill
    • Understanding People in Their Own Time

      Understand that people in the past saw the world very differently from us — judge their actions by the context they lived in, not only by today's values

      Ages 8 to 10Thinking skill

  3. Starts at age 10 // 1 topic

    Starting at age 10

    • Evidence Versus Interpretation

      Distinguish between historical evidence and historical interpretation — evidence is what survived, interpretation is the argument a historian builds from it…

      Ages 10 to 11Thinking skill