This History scheme of work video supports teachers in helping pupils understand that there are multiple ways of looking at the past and that interpretations are an essential part of historical study.

The video outlines different forms interpretations can take from written accounts and media to replicas, reconstructions, artefacts, and monuments and stresses that while not all interpretations are equally valid, each should be evaluated with care. Teachers are given strategies to help pupils consider why interpretations were created, the influences behind them, and the importance of linking evidence to conclusions.

Guidance is provided on tackling common challenges, such as pupils preferring simple, fixed answers or struggling to explain differing viewpoints. The video offers ideas for encouraging analysis, such as comparing replicas and reconstructions, introducing experts’ backgrounds, and exploring how these influence interpretation. Practical activities, like creating and comparing pupils’ own interpretations, help them recognise that history can be debated and reinterpreted as new evidence emerges.

This video is part of Kapow Primary’s History – teaching historical sources teacher videos, designed to develop historical enquiry skills, critical thinking, and an appreciation of how and why interpretations differ.

See more of our Year 5 and Year 6 History scheme of work and our Mixed-age History scheme of work.

• History, Year 6, Lesson 5: How do different interpretations shape our understanding of the Sikh Empire?
• History, Year 5/6 (B), Lesson 5: How do different interpretations shape our understanding of the Sikh Empire?