History

We deliver history through the CUSP curriculum and it draws upon several powerful sources of knowledge:

Substantive Knowledge - This is the subject knowledge and explicit vocabulary used about the past. Common misconceptions are explicitly revealed as non-examples and positioned against known and accurate content. Misconceptions are challenged carefully and in the context of the substantive and disciplinary knowledge. In CUSP History, it is recommended that misconceptions are not introduced too early, as pupils need to construct a mental model in which to position new knowledge.

Disciplinary Knowledge - This is the use of that knowledge and how children construct understanding through historical claims, arguments and accounts. We call it ‘Working Historically.’ The features of thinking historically may involve significance, evidence, continuity and change, cause and consequence, historical perspective, and contextual interpretation.

Historical Analysis - This developed through selecting, organising and integrating knowledge through reasoning and inference making in response to our structured questions and challenges. We call this ‘Thinking historically’

Substantive Concepts - For example, tax, invasion and civilisation are taught through explicit vocabulary instruction as well as through the direct content and context of the study.