Breakfast EYFS

Breakfast

This is one of four units designed to be delivered at any, or all three of the stages of Primary school. Through exploration of the topic ‘Breakfast’, children at EYFS can develop ‘Building Blocks’ of knowledge and understanding in key areas that will help equip them to make sense of the challenging history of transatlantic slavery later in their schooling. Explore the unit’s ‘Learning Objectives’ to understand how this unit prepares children for approaching this history. The topic has been designed to also deliver key components of the EYFS curriculum.

Children are encouraged in this unit to explore how the commodities that they consume for breakfast come to be on their table each morning. They will find out about the origin of foods such as wheat, juice, chocolate, sugar, tea and coffee, as well as where the cotton for the table-cloth came from, and how ships and trade get them to their breakfast table.

The unit is structured around a learning cycle and offers teachers a topic that can be tailored according to the needs and interests of the class and teacher.

Learning Objectives

Making sense of the history and legacies of transatlantic slavery in Britain today requires first some knowledge and understanding of some key areas.  These have been listed in the Building Blocks resource as ‘Learning Objectives’ under the headings

1. Africa, the Caribbean and North and South America (the African diaspora)

2. Trade Links

3. Human Rights

4. Identity

Developing a better knowledge of these areas at a young age will provide the ‘Building Blocks’ to prepare children to understand how and why Britain’s trade and economy came to be under-pinned by the ‘triangle of trade’ between Britain, Africa and the Caribbean.   A trade for which the capture, enslavement, transportation and sale of African men women and children as ‘commodities’ was a central component.  It is difficult to make sense of this traumatic history unless it is understood in the context of trade and economics and how they drove and continue to drive the balance of power in the world. 

Beginning with simpler concepts at EYFS, then working through more sophisticated issues at Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, completion of this unit will allow children to better appreciate the nature of trade, supply, demand and economic inequalities in the world today – essential building blocks of knowledge and understanding to make sense of transatlantic slavery.  All children will learn this history at Key Stage 3.

Learning objectives identified for this unit are:

By completion of this unit at the end of KS2 stage children will:

1   Africa, the Caribbean and North and South America (and the African ‘Diaspora’)

1bBe able to identify African countries on a contemporary map and use their knowledge to describe some of the geographical features, traditions, culture and ways of life in these countries.

1cBe able to identify some of the Caribbean islands and North and South American countries on a contemporary map and use their knowledge to describe some of the geographical features, traditions, culture and ways of life in these countries.

1dKnow why North and South America and the Caribbean has a strong link to Africa and be able to communicate their thoughts and feelings about this history.

1eKnow how and why Britain has historical connections to these countries that impacted directly on their development and Britain’s, and understand how these connections are reflected within Britain’s diverse society today.

2  Trade Links

Children should:

2a Understand the system of trade and how it works and be able to give historical and contemporary examples of trade on a local and international scale.

2b Know about the importance of trade to Britain and be able to give examples of goods that have been traded throughout history.

2c Know about ships and the importance of the sea in the movement of goods around the world for trade, past and present.

2d Be able to make judgements on the value of goods and what is fair and unfair relating to trade, give examples and communicate why they have made this conclusion.

2e Be able to identify some of the commodities that they consume that are produced in Africa, the Caribbean and North and South America and use their knowledge to debate the fairness of the systems of trade for these.

2f Be able to make links between the history of Britain, Africa, the Caribbean and North and South America to understand why inequalities exist between these countries in terms of trade.

4  Identity

4b Be able to identify some of the direct influences of African, Caribbean and North and South American culture, individual achievement and tradition on British contemporary life and use their knowledge to discuss this.

4d Be able to make historical connections between Britain, Africa, the Caribbean and North and South America and use their knowledge to recognise how this history’s legacy has shaped attitudes and values in both negative and positive ways.

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