This case study focuses on Year 4’s History unit: ‘The Roman Empire’s impact on Britain and the Celtic resistance’. This particular case study is a good example of how the themes of ‘Conflict’, ‘Inspirational Leaders’, ‘Influences on our world’. ‘Children’ and ‘Boats/Ships’ thread through the subject.
To create a ‘hook’ for the children, they looked at a variety of replica artefacts; this was used to generate some wonder, discussion and enthusiasm for the learning that was ahead.
In terms of linking learning together, this unit of work not only continues to focus on the main themes of the History curriculum (outlined above), but also provides a chronological knowledge bridge from Stone Age & Iron Age Britain (Year 3) to Saxon Britain (Year 5).
Session 1:
In Session 1, Year 4 learnt the wheres and whens of the Romans. They engaged in a ‘Meet In The Middle’ collaborative learning activity that focused on ordering key events. They then moved on to identify which modern countries the Romans ruled using an atlas.
Session 2:
Session 2 focused on one of the main History ‘Big Concepts’: ‘Children’. The lesson focused on whether you would have wanted to be a child in Roman times.
Session 3:
Session 3 was all about what the Romans did for our world. After doing a ‘Catch One Partner’, the children moved on to evaluate, using a ‘Diamond 9’, the contributions that the Romans made to us.
Session 4:
Session 4 was all about ‘Conflict’ and focused on the Roman invasion of Britain in AD43. The children watched a video that detailed the Roman conquest. This was followed by some collaborative learning, a 'Meet In The Middle', comparing the Celtic army with the Roman army.
Session 5:
Session 5 focused on Boudicca and describing why she was an influential leader. This was also the main ‘CARES’ focus for the unit. The children were encouraged to describe which of the CARES qualities Boudicca had and why those qualities made her a great leader.
Daily Reviews were an integral part of the ongoing retention of knowledge during this unit. This can be seen in the children’s books, with this particular example showing a good level of success:
In the following half term, some of the key knowledge was followed up in a Weekly Review session:
In this particular example, you can see that the child has demonstrated moderate success, getting ⅗ correct.
Pupil Voice (2 children - PP):
Both children knew what CARES stands for and could talk about how their learning linked to those aspects, in particular, how Boudicca demonstrated some of those traits as an inspirational leader. Pupil A could explain that the Romans impacted our world in lots of ways, including heated flooring.
Pupil B, who managed to get 5/5 on a Weekly Review that was conducted a few weeks later, explained that the Romans were “very smart and never underprepared for battle.”
Pupil A had good knowledge of Boudicca, “She was Queen of the Celts and destroyed three Roman cities.”
Both children said that the reviews are helping them remember key knowledge.
This Pupil Voice interview was conducted in the ½ term that followed the unit. The knowledge that the children had retained was impressive.
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