The history knowledge-rich projects (KRPs)

What they are and how to use them

Our new history knowledge-rich projects (KRPs) are FREE to schools who continue to use their Curriculum Maestro licence. They offer schools wanting a more subject-driven, ambitious, knowledge-rich curriculum the opportunity to explore this approach. We have just released the final six history KRPs this spring, offering you a full humanities curriculum suite along with the geography KRPs. Just like the geography projects, the history KRPs work well when integrated into your existing curriculum plans, with models of how to do this here.

Here’s what you need to know about your new history KRPs.

Phased introduction

A phased introduction avoids unplanned repetition of the same or similar project themes or content for any individual child. Curriculum Maestro records actual coverage enabling you to maintain full control of national curriculum coverage and individual children’s progress through your curriculum during the phased implementation of the KRPs.

History focused

Y1 Childhood and School Days

Y2 Movers and Shakers and Magnificent Monarchs

Y3 Through the Ages and Emperors and Empires

Y4 Invasion and Ancient Civilisations

Y5 Dynamic Dynasties and Groundbreaking Greeks

Y6 Maafa and Britain at War

Subject aspects and progression

All of our KRPs are planned around our overarching skills and knowledge framework. This ensures aspects of each subject make firm horizontal and progressive curriculum links between significant elements of the history curriculum. The aspects of history that run throughout the history projects are set out in the diagram below.

Links are also made through the project themes and topics with contextual knowledge built on over time. For example, the concepts of hierarchy and power are first explored in Magnificent Monarchs in Year 2. In KS2 children then study how hierarchy and power develop and change from the earliest times in Britain and the wider world, through to the World Wars of the 20th century.

Sequenced lessons and knowledge retrieval

Lessons in the KRPs provide a high level of challenge. Lessons are planned in sequence giving children the maximum opportunity to develop, use, retrieve and build on prior knowledge. Additionally, each project provides planned opportunities for applying learned skills and knowledge, through resources such as low-stakes quizzing, end of project tests and a challenging Innovate Stage task.

Knowledge-rich resources

Each KRP is supported by bespoke, well-researched lesson resources that include a wealth of reading texts, child-friendly knowledge organisers, videos, information cards and much more. All resources present instructions and information clearly, preventing too many sources of information from being given at the same time. Further support in our KRPs include:

• NEW Innovate journals for the Innovate stage that provide a scaffold for children to record their thinking and present their learning
• NEW low-stakes quizzes and tests to help teachers assess children’s understanding and enable children to practice knowledge retrieval
• Integrated resources within each lesson plan, saving time and giving teachers a direct link to teaching materials

Ambitious vocabulary

KRP lessons and resources introduce children to a wide range of ambitious, subject-specific vocabulary. Vocabulary is introduced, revisited and reinforced over time so that children become confident and articulate as they progress throughout the curriculum. A set of display words and a knowledge organiser glossary are included with each KRP to make it easy for children to use new vocabulary independently.

Rich reading opportunities

Each KRP comes with a book (KS1) or novel (KS2) study. Each study focuses on a carefully selected book or novel that is closely linked to the KRP. The study includes a book or novel organiser, which gives an overview of the author, context, characters and settings of the book. A comprehension question booklet leads the children through the text and allows them to answer a wide variety of questions. A mark scheme is also provided.

Reading and writing packs

Each knowledge-rich project has a series of thematic reading and writing packs, one for each of Cornerstones’ four stages of learning within a project, except for the Innovate stage which requires children to write independently. The packs give children the opportunity to read and explore rich texts and genres while writing for different purposes. The thematic approach enables children to expand their subject and contextual knowledge further and gives an opportunity for using their subject knowledge and vocabulary in their writing. Each pack includes a model text, checklist, planning template and writing frame.

Other additions

While we believe and value first-hand experiences to engage children in new learning, our KRPs offer an alternative school-based ‘memorable experience’ for those schools wishing to keep costs to a minimum. New introductory knowledge lessons set the scene and equip children with crucial knowledge they need before beginning to study a new topic in depth.

Companion projects

Each KRP has an authentically linked mini art and design or design and technology project to help children widen the context of their learning. These mini projects contain a series of five to seven lessons, which can be taught either at the end of or alongside a KRP. They enable schools to make choices about how they design and deliver their curriculum, either through a more subject-specific or integrated approach.

The companion projects for the history KRPs include:

• Funny Faces and Fabulous Features – an art and design project accompanying Childhood
• Street View – an art and design project accompanying School Days
• Still Life – an art and design project accompanying Movers and Shakers
• Poses and Portraits – an art and design project accompanying Magnificent Monarchs
• Prehistoric Pots – an art and design project accompanying Through the Ages
• Mosaic Masters – an art and design project accompanying Emperors and Empires
• Warp and Weft – an art and design project accompanying Invasion
• Tomb Builders – a design and technology project accompanying Ancient Civilisations
• Taotie – an art and design project accompanying Dynamic Dynasties
• Architecture – a design and technology project accompanying Groundbreaking Greeks
• Trailblazers, Barrier Breakers – an art and design project accompanying Maafa
• Make Do and Mend – a design and technology project accompanying Britain at War

Further knowledge-rich projects

We’re currently developing an exciting suite of science KRPs to add to your curriculum and will announce these as soon as they are ready. In the meantime, science is covered by our popular Love to Investigate projects and lessons within the Cornerstones projects.

For any further questions about the history knowledge-rich projects, please contact us via Live Chat, phone us on 03333 20 8000 or email support@cornerstoneseducation.co.uk.