See below for Curriculum Links

These activities encourage the students to learn about the ‘big events’ of the Second World War, to make connections between them and the experiences of ordinary people, and to see how the UK was affected beyond the immediate end of the conflict.

Outcomes

• To know when significant events occurred in the chronology of the Second World War
• Identify and describe some of the significant changes to people and places in the UK after the Second World War
• Be able to imagine the impact of the end of the War on ordinary people

Activity description

In groups, research on the internet and in the press, events that have happened over the last 10 years. What events from the news or personal life can the group remember happening in that time? What was in the headlines?  Can the group remember where they were when certain events happened?

Create a timeline of the major events of the last 10 years alongside personal events of the group to draw attention to how much change can occur in a decade.

Use the Timeline: 1938-1948 as an example.

Use the Timeline: 1938-1948. Cover the dates and ask the group to order the cards chronologically using the events as clues.

Present each group with a part of the Timeline: 1938-1948. Search for further information for that date or one of the events on it. Present all of the groups’ findings as a large timeline.

Using the dates on the postcards, add events from your locality or another country. This could involve using the local archives or library for wartime information.

Activity Extension

Consider why the TPYF Second World War timeline extends beyond 1945. Did the war end completely in 1945? Ask the group to investigate what changed after 1945 and what elements of wartime life continued. Themes to investigate could include: rationing, housing, the health service and immigration. How are we affected by these changes today?

How does the group imagine it must have felt on hearing that the war had ended? What range of feelings might there be for: Soldiers  Evacuees  Those at home?

If possible, watch the Their Past Your Future Commemorative Film chapters 2&4 (“When The War Ended” & “Where Do We Go From Here?”) about the end of the war and look at the Veterans Reflect set about how life changed. Discuss how feelings about the end of the war changed over time. Was there anything surprising in the film about how people felt as the War ended? Record ‘Before’ and ‘After’ lists of people’s experiences of the end of the war.

Other Resources

Websites

The BBC website contains timelines of major events from British history to 2002 at http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/. Guidelines for creating a scrapbook can be found at http://www.learn2scrapbook.com/.

Curriculum Links

ENGLAND

KS2

History

1 Chronological understanding

a) Place events, people and changes into correct periods of time
b) Use dates and vocabulary relating to the passing of time, including…century and decade

2 Knowledge, skills & understanding

a) About characteristic features of the periods and societies studied
c) To identify and describe reasons for, and results of, historical events, situations and changes in the periods studied
d) To describe and make links between the main events, situations and changes within and across the different periods and societies studied

4 Historical enquiry

a) How to find out about the events, people and changes studied from an appropriate range of sources of information, including ICT-based resources

5 Organisation & communication

a) Recall, select and organise historical information

7 Breadth of study

11) Britain since 1930

KS3

History

1 Chronological understanding

Recognise and make appropriate use of dates, vocabulary and conventions that describe historical periods and the passing of time

2 Knowledge, skills & understanding

c) To analyse and explain the reasons for, and results of, the historical events, situations and changes in the periods studied
e) To consider the significance of the main events, people and changes studied

4 Historical enquiry

a) Identify, select and use a range of appropriate sources of information

5 Organisation & communication

a) Recall, prioritise and select historical information
c) Communicate their knowledge and understanding of history, using a range of techniques

13 Breadth of study

A World Study after 1900

NORTHERN IRELAND

KS2

History

Historical skills & concepts

a) Chronological awareness by

• Using words or phrases related to the divisions of time
• Sequencing events and changes in the periods studied

b) A sense of the past and a range and depth of knowledge and understanding, by identifying

• Some of the characteristic features of past societies and some of the main events
• Some things which have changed and some things which have remained the same
• Some of the feelings people may have had at a time in the past

c) Awareness of evidence, historical enquiry and interpretations by

• Extracting factual information from a range of appropriate sources to make obvious statements about the past

d) Communication by

• Constructing basic historical narratives describing what happened organised in paragraphs

KS3

History

Historical skills & concepts

a) Chronological awareness by 

• Placing events, people and changes in the periods studied within a chronological framework, noting key dates
• Describing and explaining important historical concepts associated with the periods studied

b) Range and depth of historical knowledge and understanding by

• Identifying and analysing the characteristic features of periods and societies studied
• Describing and explaining reasons for and results of some of the historical events and changes in the periods studied
• Assessing the significance of the main events, people and changes studied

d) Historical enquiry by

• Identifying, collecting and recording information from a range of sources appropriate to their age and ability to investigate, with increasing independence, aspects of the period

e) Organisation & communication by

• Recalling, selecting and organising information deploying terms accurately to communicate their knowledge and understanding of history

Study Unit 4: The Twentieth-Century World

a) The Impact of World War

Either the First or Second World War, or a major event or turning point which illustrates the nature and impact of total war

SCOTLAND

5-14 Guidelines

Environmental Studies strands- People in the Past

Knowledge & understanding

People, events and societies of significance in the past

• Developing an understanding of distinctive features of life in the past and why certain societies, people and events are regarded as significant (Levels C, D & E)

Change and continuity, cause and effect

• Developing an understanding of change and continuity over time and of cause and effect in historical contexts (Levels C, D &E)

Time & historical sequence

• Developing an understanding of time and how events in the past relate to one another in a chronological sequence (Levels B, C, D &E)

Skills

Carrying out and reviewing and reporting on tasks

• Selecting relevant information, processing information in a variety of ways
• Presenting findings in an appropriate and coherent way and presenting conclusions that are relevant to the given purpose or issue

Focus of study: The Twentieth Century

WALES

KS2

History

Area: Life in Modern Wales & Britain

1 Chronological awareness

1) Use chronological frameworks
2) Use conventions which describe the passing of time

2 Historical knowledge & understanding

1) About characteristic of the periods studied and the diversity of experience within each one
2) To identify and describe the main events, situations and changes within and across periods
3) To identify the causes and consequences of some events and changes

4 Historical enquiry

1) Use a range of sources including representations, interpretations, and where appropriate, ICT to investigate historical topic

5 Organisation & communication

1) Select, recall and organise historical information
2) Use appropriate vocabulary
3) Present results with increasing independence in a variety of ways

KS3

History

Area: The Twentieth-Century World

1 Chronological awareness

1) Place events, people and changes within their wider chronological framework
2) Use conventions which describe historical periods and the passing of time

2 Historical knowledge & understanding

1) Analyse the characteristic features of periods, situations and societies studied and the diversity of experience within each one
2) Describe, analyse and explain the causes and consequences of the historical events, situations and changes studied
3) Make comparisons and connections between the main events and developments studied, both within and across periods

4 Historical enquiry

1) Investigate historical topics independently using a range of historical sources in their historical context
3) Select sources and collect relevant information from them

5 Organisation & communication

1) Select, recall and organise historical information with increasing independence and accuracy
3) Communicate with increasing independence in a variety of ways