Lost in Time

Pupils’ book: 116pp. Author: Ian Dawson

Teachers’ book: 96pp, including photocopiable resources.

It begins with a time-machine, a rather decrepit one that’s bringing a class back from a time-trip to Ancient Rome. What happens if the class can’t get back to the present day? Which period will they choose to live in? They have 3 choices – the 1330s, 1660s or 1870s.

As you’ll have gathered, this isn’t a standard textbook but then it was written with 11 year-olds in mind, not mini-historians. It’s still jam-packed with history but it’s also meant to interest, even entertain children who aren’t far out of primary school.

So the book is built round this quest to decide which period the children would most like to live in. They’re given 5 criteria to judge each period by – how comfortable would they be? What would they do for entertainment? etc - and seek out evidence as they meet the people in each time period. The 1340s are introduced by Sir Geoffrey Luttrell, the 1660s by Sam Pepys and the 1870s by Flora Thompson author of ‘Lark Rise to Candleford’. You could if you wish to speed up coverage give each group in the class a different criterion to investigate (one group tackling equality and freedom, another dangers and health etc) and then pool the conclusions.

So in one investigation pupils can study the whole swoop of social history from the Middle Ages to now, a key strand in the new National Curriculum PoS. The last third of the book then explores why life changed by looking at the impact of the Black Death, the Reformation and the Industrial Revolution and comparing them to see which was the most significant.

It’s far from the normal textbook but ties together this whole social history strand neatly, quickly and entertainingly. One department I know where the teachers were a little reluctant to try this different approach now say that it’s the most successful work they do – because the pupils identify with the children in the story, exploring their way through time.

Pupil Comments

Pupils at Egglescliffe School, Stockton on Tees wrote their comments about the book. I think they're worth looking at in terms of the kind of approach that interests Year 7s.

Thank you, Egglescliffe Year 7

[ See pupil comments ]

Use these Amazon links to order copies or use the Hodder link on the right of the screen to order from the publisher.

Buy/browse on Amazon for Pupils’ Book: Lost in Time: Pupils' Book (This Is History)

Buy/browse on Amazon for Teachers’ Book: Lost in Time: Teachers' Resource Book (This Is History)