Treasure EYFS

Treasure

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 'Treasure', 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 asked 'what is treasure?' by considering which objects of their own have value. This draws out discussion around what is meant by 'value', and how objects are valued for different reasons – for example because they are loved and have sentimental value, because they are useful and necessary for a task, because they have religious or spiritual meaning or because they are constructed out of commercially valuable materials. Children will go on to learn about which objects and commodities had value in the past, focusing of key historical periods from the National Curriculum (Tudors, Victorians, Ancient Civilisations) and how and why the value of these goods has changed since then. The role of museums is also explored in this unit – drawing out discussion on how museum objects are selected, interpreted and displayed and how objects from around the world came to be in British museums today.

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

When learning the history of Transatlantic slavery, children will learn how human beings were traded for commodities such as guns, cowrie shells, beads and manilas in order for these enslaved people to labour in the production of goods such as sugar and tobacco. In order to comprehend how this situation arose in Britain’s past, they must first appreciate how changing trade, global economy and domestic demand affected what was considered ‘valuable’ to the British market at this time, as well as which goods had high ‘value’ to African traders. The unit is designed to develop these building blocks of knowledge and understanding in children before they tackle the history of Transatlantic slavery.

Children who have completed the ‘Treasures’ unit at Key Stage 2 level will be able to discuss how goods have different values according to different perspectives, how the value of commodities has changed through history and why, and how museum ‘treasures’ can help us to understand the past. The unit also encourages children to consider how and why objects or ‘treasures’ of their own have special value and significance, and what it would mean to have such objects taken away or disrespected.

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 understanding Ancient African history, the concept of trade and how a person’s identity is represented – essential building blocks of knowledge and understanding to make sense of transatlantic slavery. All children will learn this history at Key Stage 3.

USI ‘Building Blocks’ Learning objectives:

By completion of this unit at Key Stage 2 children will:

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

1aKnow about the African continent pre-transatlantic slavery, including its contribution to ancient civilisation, the development of trade and how this historical development compared with that of other civilisations in Europe.

2  Trade Links

2aUnderstand 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.

2eBe 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.

2fBe 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

4a Know that British society is shaped by a long history of various forms of migration from around the world and be able to give examples of how this has influenced our identity, and how Britain is viewed by other countries.

4c Be able to discuss their identity and have a sense of their place in the world.

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