Navigating key historical skills is often the first topic taught to new secondary history students—and arguably one of the most important. It lays the foundation for their historical learning throughout school and equips them with core skills they’ll refine and develop as they progress through secondary education.
Students begin with foundational skills such as understanding chronology, recognising bias, and distinguishing fact from opinion. These gradually evolve into more complex concepts—typically explored through historical enquiry—such as change and continuity, cause and effect, interpretation, and significance. There’s a lot of ground to cover, but each step builds essential understanding.
To support you in assessing and developing your students’ historical skills, we’ve gathered a selection of skill-based resources perfect for budding historians. Whether you’re looking for full lessons that explore what history is and why it matters, or targeted activities and assessments covering key historical skills we’ve got you covered.
