Remembrance –an approach for younger historians…and future teachers Sue Anderson- Faithful

Origins-Key Stage One Assembly The annual ritual of the poppy box- the poppy as an object of desire for the innocent infant! Ambivalence to ‘militaristic’ approach, gendered, feeling of need to address in some appropriate way the controversial aspects i.e. cost and to draw in women and families Started with very basic ten minute assembly

The initial approach… This is my grandfather ( photo), my father’s father, A long time ago in 1914 there was a war- lots of men went to be soldiers group photo of soldiers But and some of them didn’t comeback group picture pre cut half removed My Grandad was lucky and he came back and this is my Grandmother in her wedding dress when she married my grandad after the war. Then they had three boys and one of them was my dad so that’s why I can tell you the story. So what about the ones who didn’t come back… picture of cemetery cross This is the grave of my granny’s brother and we are remembering all the people who didn’t come back from wars and all the people who loved them. Now we’ll have a quiet remembering time – that’s what people are doing when it’s the two minutes silence Slide of poppies – after the battles in the big war my granddad was in poppies grew over the field where there had been so much fighting so that is why they are used as the symbol of remembering Quiet dropping of poppies from the box.

Context year 2 history work on grandparents (and increasingly great grand parents)- The topic related to WW2 home front. children writing questionnaires for their relatives – on toys, games, sweets, food, school ( punishment always eagerly discussed). Timelines and retrographs were constructed. Artefacts were interrogated e.g. Evacuees suitcase, Singing, party dressing up Objects, photos and memories were contributed. Personal and related to locality and community.

Rationale ECM. Inclusion, Personalised learning, Relevance –Identity, History is personal and draws on memory Thinking Skills, transferable key skills- Rose Review ( and Cambridge), cross curricular links and opportunities for creative outcomes and a way in to tackling controversy ( e.g. upper KS2 Enquiry approach Being historians- doing history working from authentic sources- photo, documents, eye witness Significance a story of one family is representative of common experience in the connect of big events Chronological scaffold - stepping back by generation is a bridge into the past Empathy Local too – e.g. HRO exploration of remembrance through memorials and records – nb audio-visual records too. Approach draws on using story- fiction and factual (it self a key concept for children to engage in)

The current version Starting points for- Memories Feelings A long time ago Old and young Questions

Source1 A true story…

Source 2

Source 3- Emmie Source 4 Tom

Source 5 ‘The Fighting Fifth’

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Source 11 Emmie, Florrie Grandad and me

Source 9