This History video introduces teachers to the use of key inquiry questions in the Kapow Primary History scheme, which lead to sub-questions in each lesson to support children’s investigations. Closed questions can be useful for testing recall and assessing understanding, while open questions promote curiosity and deeper thinking. From Key Stage 1, it is important for pupils to have opportunities to ask their own questions, using the five W’s and one H to guide them. These can be extended with prompts like what if, when did, or where would to encourage more effective questioning.

This video is part of Kapow Primary’s History scheme – questions. It supports teachers in helping pupils understand how questioning develops historical thinking. Questions such as “When did it happen?” build chronological awareness, while “Why did it happen?” and “What was the result?” develop understanding of cause and consequence. In this lesson, pupils interview an older visitor to learn about the past through oral history. Teachers should prepare the visitor, help children plan questions, and record the interview to avoid pupils losing focus while writing notes. The recording can then be revisited in lesson five to extend learning and analysis.

History, Key stage 1, Year 1, How am I making history? Lesson 4: What was it like for children in the past?