Schools in History

Overview

Unit: Schools Through Time
Lesson Title: Exploring Schools in the Past
Class: Fifth Year (Aged 10-11)
Duration: 60 minutes
Number of Students: 10
Subject: History
Curriculum Framework: Irish Primary School Curriculum (IE) – History and Language elements aligned to IE Curriculum Framework for Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) and English

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify key features of schools in different historical periods in Ireland and internationally. (History Strand Unit: Story – Locality and Heritage)
• Describe how the structure, curriculum, and daily life in schools have changed over time. (History Strand Unit: Story – Growth and Change)
• Compare and contrast historical schools with their modern experience using simple criteria. (History Skills and Concepts)
• Create a visual and descriptive representation of a ‘school of the past’ incorporating learned features. (SPHE: Myself and the Wider World – Communicating and representing ideas)

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Success Criteria

I can:

• Talk about what schools were like long ago in Ireland and other places.
• Explain three differences between old schools and my school today.
• Work with others to share ideas about old schools using pictures and stories.
• Draw and write about what my own ‘school from the past’ would look like.

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Curriculum Links

• History Strand Units:
  • Story: Locality and Heritage (exploration of past life in the local and broader contexts)
  • Story: Growth and Change (understanding how communities and institutions develop)
• Skills: Developing questions, using timelines, comparing and contrasting, oral language skills, storytelling
• SPHE: Myself and the Wider World – expressing ideas about history through group work and creative representation
• English: Supporting language development via story, discussion, and writing

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Resources

• Large printed timeline poster showing schools through time (with images and simple labels)
• Picture cards of different historical school types (e.g., 18th-century Irish hedge school, Victorian classroom, early 20th-century school)
• Simple story scripts (dyslexia-friendly font: Comic Sans, coloured paper background, large print)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Plain A4 paper and colour pencils/crayons
• Voice recorders or tablet with speech-to-text apps for those who prefer oral explanations
• Visual classroom labels to scaffold vocabulary (e.g., discipline, curriculum, teacher, pupil, lessons)

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter – Setting the Scene (10 minutes)

• Begin with a story told aloud about a day in an 18th-century Irish hedge school, using clear, expressive language and visuals to support comprehension.
• Ask simple questions to check understanding (e.g., “What did the students learn?” “What was different from our school?”).
• Dyslexia-Friendly Strategy: Provide the story in printed form with highlighted keywords and allow students to follow along while listening.

2. Exploring Schools Through Time (15 minutes)

• Use the timeline poster to briefly introduce 3-4 different types of schools from the past (name, look, curriculum basics).
• Show picture cards for each type; invite students to discuss in pairs: “What do you notice about the classroom?” and “How do you think it was different for children then?”
• Chart ideas on the whiteboard under headings: Structure, Curriculum, Daily Life.
• Success Criteria Check: Prompt students to articulate at least one difference they noticed.

3. Group Discussion and Comparing Past to Present (10 minutes)

• Facilitate a whole-class discussion guided by questions:
  • How were schools in the past similar or different compared to our school?
  • What would be fun about going to a school like those shown? What would be hard?
• Use visual thinking strategies (e.g., Venn diagram on the board) to visually map similarities and differences with student input.
• Dyslexia-Friendly Strategy: Encourage oral responses supported by visuals; record key points in simplified bullet form on the board.

4. Creative Design Activity – My School of the Past (20 minutes)

• Explain task: students work individually or in pairs to design their own ‘school of the past’ inspired by the lessons learned. They should include:
  • Drawing of the school building or classroom
  • A few labels or short sentences describing what is special about it (e.g., “No computers, students sit on wooden benches”, “Girls and boys learn separately”)
• Provide choice of output: either drawing plus a few written labels, or oral description recorded by teacher/tablet.
• Display samples of dyslexia-friendly sentence starters on the board, e.g., “My school has…”, “The teacher…”, “Students learn…”
• Circulate to support students needing extra help, offering prompt questions and vocabulary aid.

5. Plenary – Sharing and Reflecting (5 minutes)

• Invite 2-3 students to share their ‘school of the past’ creation with the class using simple language or with teacher support.
• Reinforce learning by revisiting slides or poster; ask students to give a thumbs-up for “one new thing I learned today.”
• End with a positive summary statement reflecting on how schools have changed and what this tells us about history and society.

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Differentiation Strategies

Learner Profile	Differentiation Strategy
Students with Dyslexia	Use of dyslexia-friendly fonts (Comic Sans), coloured backgrounds, large print; multi-modal input (audio + visual); sentence starters and graphic organisers; speech-to-text tools for written output.
Visual Learners	Use of rich visual aids (timelines, images, cards); drawing tasks.
Students with Limited Verbal Skills	Allow oral presentations, one-to-one support; paired work for confidence building.
Advanced Learners	Challenge to include more details in their design; compare with schools from another country/era independently; add a brief verbal or written explanation of social reasons for school changes.

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Assessment & Follow-Up

• Formative Assessment: Observation of participation in discussions, ability to articulate comparisons, and creativity in the design task.
• Success Criteria Checklist: Completed during and at end of lesson by teacher and through student self-assessment.
• Feedback: Immediate verbal praise, gentle correction, and encouragement based on success criteria.
• Extension Activity: Encourage students to investigate a local historical school or interview a relative about their school life and present findings next session.

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Notes for Teachers

• This lesson respects the IE curriculum’s emphasis on history as a story of change and identity while integrating language and SPHE outcomes, catering to diverse learners.
• The multi-sensory approach supports dyslexic learners and encourages inclusion.
• The creative activity fosters engagement and deeper connection with the material beyond rote learning.
• Clear, straightforward instructions with visual reinforcement will promote confidence and success for your class.

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This lesson plan is designed to immerse students in the fascinating evolution of schooling, helping them understand the past to appreciate the present, all in a supportive learning environment tailored for all learners.