The History Box arrived in school for me a few weeks ago. I was excited to receive it as I had heard about it online and I thought it looked really impressive. I waited a while to review it to give it my full time and as there’s a lot in it, it took some time to get through. All I can say is I wish I had it last year when I had third and fourth class!
It is a full and comprehensive resource which will make planning so much easier for the class teacher. I did a video review about this on Instagram last week. Aesthetically, it is bright, colourful and great quality which is the norm from Prim Ed. It is also very durable which means it should stand the test of time for years to come.
For me, I feel the History Box is a breath of fresh air. It is a resource which is actually needed in Irish schools, and I don’t think there is anything like it on the market. I also think that if used to the fullest of its potential, it will serve almost as an SESE planning kit as the scope for linkage and integration in the box is huge.
It contains a very detailed Teacher Guide Book which tells you step by step how to use this resource. This is important, make the most of the manual- it’s really helpful. It contains an Activity Resource book which includes a number of activity worksheets, end of section assessments and other photocopiables. It contains a4 topic focus cards- one card for each unit and four copies of each card. It also contains a set of a5 Work as a Historian cards. It covers all four strands of the history curriculum with further divisions on strand units. The skills of a historian which are completely neglected in most text books, are front and centre and feature prominently in this resource. I honestly feel that this resource will open up history for the children if taught appropriately by the teacher and will really enhance the learning of history. If I was using this in my class, I would probably use it in place of the text book while doing the themes it covers. It could also be used alongside your text book . It can also be used for whole class teaching or group work. It will save a lot of time searching for PowerPoints and ideas, and it even contains links to YouTube videos to go with the lessons which will save more time!
I’ll attach photos of it to give you more of an insight into it.
https://www.prim-ed.ie/series/the-history-box/
Here’s a link to the website where you can also get a free sample:
