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W H I N C H AT
History Left: Henry Helm’s castle; right: Jacob Adedeji’s drawing of Harriet Tubman Caste; Inset: Rossi Noto’s Castle Bottom: Year 5 boys reenacting the Battle of Hastings
H I S TO RY R E P O RT WORDS BY
Mr Paul Dennis, Head of History
D
espite the restrictions and lockdowns this year, the history curriculum was able to continue uninterrupted and the boys coped excellently with the adaptations made by staff to ensure that all areas were covered. It is very strange teaching in the midst of events that we as history teachers will almost be teaching about to future generations, but it is something that we will be able to look back at and say, “I lived through history.” During the remote learning period in the Spring Term ‘Essential History’ was set up. This was introduced to allow the boys a chance to learn about and share work that we do not have time to cover in the school curriculum. It was fantastic to see so many boys contribute and there was a real range of topics, as well as ways in which work was presented. A few examples are a model of the Titanic, Minecraft creations of castles, Lego animations of the Aztecs and the Ice Age, a presentation about 2020, an essay about Harriet Tubman on the day of the US election and many more. The annual Year 5 castle building competition was still able to take place, albeit without the competitive element. Again the boys did fantastically despite being at home and the variety on show was fantastic. Castles were created using papier maché, cardboard, Lego and even Minecraft!
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