Author: Amanda McGarrigle

History—Term 4
Evolution –Charles Darwin
(Linked with POR text—Skellig by David Almond)

Background Information
Pupils should continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study.
They should note connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms.
They should regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance.
They should construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information. They should understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources.

In this unit the children will…
Understand the early life of Charles Darwin – Who was he? What did Darwin’s theory of evolution involve?
Research the HMS Beagle and it’s voyage history
The Origin of Species—1859
Look at and study the history of
fossils

By the end of this unit….
All children will:
Show chronological understanding by placing events, people and changes into correct periods of time.
Show knowledge & understanding of events, people and changes
recognise that the past is represented and interpreted in different ways
ask and answer questions, and to select and record information relevant to the focus of the enquiry
communicate their knowledge and understanding of history in a variety of ways
Most children will:
place the changes in the period within a chronological framework
make appropriate use of dates and terms; demonstrate knowledge and understanding about the everyday live of a famous Scientist and Naturalist—Charles Darwin
show how some aspects of the period have been interpreted in different ways
select and combine information from a range of visual, textbook and documentary sources
Some children will:
describe reasons for and results of particular events
use their knowledge and understanding of the Charles
Darwin’s period to make links with other societies and periods
select and combine information from a range of sources to reach substantiated conclusions

The children will explore:
Charles Darwin’s home—Down House
Charles Darwin’s life
Charles Darwin’s family tree
The HMS Beagle
The Origin of the Species
The history of fossils

Key Vocabulary
Charles Darwin (12th February 1809– 19th April 1882),
Down House, Downe, Kent (1842-1906)
Emma Wedgwood, Erasmus Darwin, Joseph Wedgwood
English naturalist, Evolution, ‘The Origin of Species, HMS Beagle, Robert Fitzroy (captain of the HMS Beagle),