Today is rung 4 of 5 on this topic
Whose story is being told?
Can do: Identifies whose perspective a historical account represents and whose is missing.
Why it matters
It's the difference between learning history and understanding it, and it directly builds the media literacy they need now.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Treats a textbook account as the neutral truth, with no sense that someone chose what to include.
⏱️ Two-minute check
About any account: "Who wrote this? Who's not in it?"
Solid looks like: Names a missing group or viewpoint, unprompted.
The full activity for this topic · 25 minutes
Same Event, Different Chair
- 1List everyone involved in the event, including people usually left out.
- 2Write a short account of the same event from two very different positions.
- 3Compare: what's emphasised, what's omitted, what words are chosen?
- 4Discuss what evidence would even survive from each group.
- 5Apply it to a news story this week.
If it's too hard
Two perspectives on a family or school event.
If it's too easy
Find two real published accounts and analyse the language each uses.
Say this
"Who's telling this? And whose account would we never have got, even if they wrote one?"