Exploring Historical Homes

Overview

In this 45-minute lesson, Year 1 students will engage in an imaginative role-play as time travellers visiting a historical home. They will observe and discuss aspects of architecture, furniture, and daily life from the past, comparing these with their own modern homes to understand change over time. The lesson is designed to develop pupils’ historical understanding in line with the National Curriculum for England by exploring 'Changes within living memory' and recognising 'ways in which the past is represented'.

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National Curriculum References

• History Key Stage 1

  • Pupils should be taught about:
    • Changes within living memory. Where appropriate, these should be used to reveal aspects of change in national life.
    • Significant historical events, people and places in their own locality (through considering the homes and lives of people in the past).
  • Pupils develop an understanding that history involves asking and answering questions about the past.

• Curriculum Aims for History:

  • Pupils should use common words and phrases relating to the passing of time.
  • Pupils should identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.

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Learning Objectives

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

1. Describe features of a historical home (architecture, furniture, daily life).
2. Identify at least two ways in which homes in the past differ from their own homes today.
3. Use simple chronological language (then, now, past, present) to discuss homes.
4. Participate in role-play to develop empathy and understanding of life in the past.

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Resources Needed

• Large floor plan or visual images of a typical historical home (e.g. Tudor or Victorian cottage)
• Pictures or mock-ups of furniture and household items from the past (e.g. wooden churn, spinning wheel, oil lamp)
• Props for role play (aprons, bonnets, pretend cleaning tools, old-fashioned toys)
• ‘Then and Now’ worksheets with simple images for drawing comparisons
• A colourful timeline strip displaying ‘Past’ on one end and ‘Present’ on the other
• Whiteboard and markers
• Soft background sound effects (fire crackling, birds, children playing from past era) – optional for immersion

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

• Use the timeline strip visually to introduce “past” and “present”. Ask pupils where they might fit.
• Show and discuss images of a historical home, drawing attention to materials used, small windows, and simple design.
• Engage pupils by asking, “What do you think life was like in this home?”
• Explain they will be ‘time travellers’ visiting this home today.

2. Role-Play Exploration (15 minutes)

• Divide class into small groups, each assigned a different room or role in the house (kitchen, living room, child’s bedroom).
• Provide props and pictures to enhance imaginations.
• Guide pupils to act out activities typical of families in the past, e.g., pretending to churn butter, lighting an oil lamp, or tidying a simple bedroom using old-style tools.
• Circulate and ask open-ended questions:
  • “What is this object used for?”
  • “How is this different from what you have at home?”
  • “Would you like living here? Why or why not?”

3. Class Discussion and Comparison (10 minutes)

• Gather back on the carpet and invite groups to share their experiences.
• Using the whiteboard, create two columns labelled ‘Then’ and ‘Now’ with input from the pupils about their observations — size of rooms, furniture type, activities, heating, light sources.
• Emphasise vocabulary: past, present, long ago, before, now.

4. Worksheet Activity (7 minutes)

• Distribute ‘Then and Now’ worksheets showing a room from the past and one from the present.
• Ask pupils to circle or colour the differences they spot, then draw one thing that they would like in their own homes.
• Walk around offering support and reinforcing key vocabulary.

5. Plenary and Reflection (3 minutes)

• Recap key learning with class questions:
  • “What was one thing you learned about homes in the past?”
  • “How are our homes different today?”
• Encourage pupils to share if they could time travel again, where else they might like to visit.

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Assessment

• Formative Assessment:

  • Observe pupil participation during role play for understanding of historical home features.
  • Listen to responses during discussion for use of chronological language and concepts of past vs present.
  • Review worksheet answers to assess recognition of differences between homes then and now.

• Success Criteria:

  • Pupils confidently use basic historical terms and describe at least two differences about historical homes.
  • Pupils demonstrate curiosity and empathy through imaginative role play.

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Differentiation

• Support:

  • Provide sentence starters on worksheets (“I see a…”, “In the past, homes had…”)
  • Pair less confident learners with peers during role-play and discussion.

• Challenge:

  • Encourage some pupils to think about why changes happened (e.g. technology, comfort).
  • Invite advanced pupils to describe what might be missing in the past homes that we have today.

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Cross-Curricular Links

• Literacy:

  • Use storytelling techniques during role play to enhance narrative skills.
  • Practice speaking and listening through group discussion.

• Art:

  • Sketch simple furniture items from historical homes on the worksheet or whiteboard.

• PSHE:

  • Develop empathy by imagining the daily lives of families long ago.

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This lesson fosters curiosity, empathy and foundational historical thinking aligned with the National Curriculum’s focus on ‘changes within living memory’ and introduction to chronology, laying groundwork for further explorations in the unit "Time Travelers: Past & Present."