ABOUT US

   (2)

        Why Teach the Indus Valley Civilisation ?

An opportunity to include an important and intriguing aspect of South Asian
   history in the UK curriculum.

A history topic based on archaeology lends itself to active enquiry, and
cross curricular work to enhance history learning. As no narrative of the "lost cities" survives, the available evidence- mostly non-perishable material remains, (unlike most other great civilisations) provides a great learning opportunity. Unique features of Indus cities tell us about the way people lived. Children can scrutinise the evidence, of artefacts or site remains and city plans, and make their own deductions, learning to distinguish
fact from opinion. They can develop historical skills, and be challenged to think about evidence as archaeologists must do. The history of changing interpretations, such as
the decline of the civilisation is also a rich source of learning.

Some teaching materials produced for younger age groups give simplistic explanation with references to interpretation, and no exploration of the evidence. The learning opportunities for this topic are best suited to Years 5 & 6 children. They can get far more from the topic; their thinking is more sophisticated, they can build on prior knowledge of other topics and disciplinary concepts to compare and contrast what's uniquely different, in an overview of ancient civilisations.
                                                                 About us 1