Year 2 History Neil Armstrong unit

This unit is designed for year 2 but could be adapted to fit into other year groups. Ultimately the unit is focused on the life of Neil Armstrong but it brings in the idea of exploration, the space race and animal rights. It develops the following skills and knowledge from the National Curriculum:

1. Pupils develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time.
2. They should know where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.
3. They should ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events.
4. They should understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.
5. Changes within living memory. The lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements. Some should be used to compare aspects of life in different periods
6. Different significant historical events.

Lesson 1: A Chronology lesson which uses photographic evidence to give the children a deeper understanding of how and why different periods/peoples in time were so different. Children make links between different time periods as they start to use the language of chronology.

Lesson 2: A Practical and engaging lesson which introduces the concept of exploration. Children solve puzzles, challenges and other activities which will allow them to reach a place which is difficult to get to.

Lesson 3: A practical and fun lesson which explores the Space Race and what it would be like to be part of the Space Race.

Lesson 4: This lesson involves animal in space and whether it was right or wrong to send them into space.

Lesson 5: A research activity where the children are given the opportunity to discover more about the importance of Space Exploration and the life of Neil Armstrong. They are also given the opportunity to present their findings to the whole class!

Within this unit plan there are hyperlinks to other resources associated with the plan.