Year 2 History Scheme of Work
Year 2 history builds on the chronological awareness and source skills introduced in Year 1 and pushes pupils further toward understanding cause, effect, and significance. Pupils study a wider range of significant individuals — including those who challenged the prevailing norms of their time — and engage more deeply with evidence from the past, making simple inferences and asking critical questions about what sources can and cannot tell us.
The Year 2 programme is notable for the breadth of significant individuals it covers: from local heroes to global change-makers. Pupils begin to understand that history is not just about kings and battles but about the contributions of people from all walks of life. By the end of KS1, pupils should be able to place events and people on a timeline, describe key features of life in the past, and explain why some events and individuals are considered historically significant.
Expected prior knowledge
- ✓Ability to use words and phrases relating to the passing of time including before, after, decade, and living memory.
- ✓Knowledge of the lives of Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole and why they are significant.
- ✓Understanding of the basic events and causes of the Great Fire of London (1666).
- ✓Experience of using photographs and simple written sources as historical evidence.
Units across the year
Six half-term units covering all strands of the KS2 History programme of study.
The Great Fire of London: A Deeper Study
- –Know about events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally.
- –Understand that different types of evidence give us different information about the past.
- –Ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show understanding.
- –Analyse three different types of primary source (diary, map, painting) about the Great Fire and compare what each tells us.
- –Evaluate the reliability of sources: why might different accounts of the same event differ?
- –Research the rebuilding of London after 1666, including the construction of St Paul's Cathedral by Christopher Wren.
- –Write a first-person diary entry from a Londoner experiencing the fire, using evidence from sources.
Significant Individuals: Neil Armstrong
- –Know about the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements.
- –Compare aspects of life in different periods.
- –Research the life of Neil Armstrong from childhood to the Moon landing, creating a timeline of key events.
- –Discuss why the Moon landing was significant for humanity and not just for America.
- –Compare the technology available to Armstrong in 1969 with technology that pupils use today.
- –Write a short biography of Neil Armstrong using a structured writing frame.
Significant Individuals: Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement
- –Know about the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements.
- –Understand the concept of historical significance.
- –Tell the story of Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat in 1955 and discuss why this moment was significant.
- –Explore what life was like for Black Americans under segregation laws, handled sensitively and age-appropriately.
- –Link Rosa Parks to the wider Civil Rights Movement and discuss how individuals can bring about change.
- –Create an illustrated page about Rosa Parks for a class book of significant individuals.
Significant Individuals: Emily Davison and Votes for Women
- –Know about the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements.
- –Understand that some historical changes took a long time to happen.
- –Explore the story of the Suffragette movement and the role of Emily Davison in the campaign for women's votes.
- –Examine Suffragette posters and badges as primary sources and discuss what they tell us about their campaign.
- –Create a Suffragette protest placard and write a short speech explaining why women deserve the right to vote.
- –Discuss how life for women has changed since 1918 when women first got the vote in Britain.
Events Beyond Living Memory: The Titanic
- –Know about events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally.
- –Understand that events have causes and effects.
- –Use sources to find out about the past.
- –Learn about the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, placing it on a class timeline.
- –Examine a passenger list and survival statistics to explore the different experiences of first, second, and third class passengers.
- –Discuss what the Titanic disaster tells us about attitudes to class and inequality in the early twentieth century.
- –Research what safety changes were introduced after the disaster and evaluate whether humans learned from it.
Progression into Year 3
In Year 3, pupils begin Key Stage 2 history. They study the Stone Age to Iron Age as an extended chronological study of Britain before the Romans, and undertake a depth study of ancient Egypt, developing their ability to handle a wider range of historical sources and to construct extended historical arguments.
Individual lesson plans
Full lesson frameworks — learning objectives, vocabulary, lesson structure, and common misconceptions — for each unit in this scheme.
View all Year 2 History lesson plans →