Planning and resources for primary teachers from http://www.ks2history.com. Our history topics include Stone Age to Iron Age, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Victorians, Shang Dynasty etc and the list is expanding each month, with literacy units to link to the topics too.
Our popular resources have been tried and tested in hundreds of classrooms.
Planning and resources for primary teachers from http://www.ks2history.com. Our history topics include Stone Age to Iron Age, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Victorians, Shang Dynasty etc and the list is expanding each month, with literacy units to link to the topics too.
Our popular resources have been tried and tested in hundreds of classrooms.
A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Maya Civilization history topic. This KS2History planning pack includes 10 detailed lessons plans, each with accompanying pupil resource sheets and Powerpoint slides.
The ten sessions in this unit aim to give an overview of the history of the Maya Civilization, with a particular focus on the period leading up to the height of the civilization in AD 900. As with all KS2History.com units, there is an emphasis on allowing pupils to consider the sources of evidence that form our understanding of this period of world history. The unit also takes the opportunity to draw contrasts with comparable themes from British history.
The aims of the unit for pupils are:
To gain an overview of significant people, places and events from the Maya Civilization
To explore how the geography of the Maya area impacted trade, daily life and the growth and decline of the civilization
To consider broader historical context and draw links with British history and other familiar aspects of world history
To become familiar with historical sources and debates, to address misconceptions and to use accurate vocabulary relating to the Maya Civilization.
This pack contains everything you need to teach this unit, including differentiated activity ideas so that it can be adapted to the needs of your class. The Powerpoint text is also editable.
The planning pack covers the following lessons:
What was the Maya Civilization?
How did the landscape of the Maya area affect trade?
How did Maya settlers survive and thrive in the rainforest?
What do Maya ruins tell us about city-states?
How useful are the pictures of Frederick Catherwood as a source of information about the Maya?
Did the Maya invent football?
Why was maize so important to the Maya people?
Who was Pakal the Great?
How did the Maya keep track of time?
What is the mystery of the abandoned Maya cities?
This resource includes 1 x PDf file (containing all lessons and resources) and 10 x separate PPT files.
A full lesson for KS2 about life in an Anglo-Saxon settlement, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What was it like in an Anglo-Saxon village?
This lesson explores life in an Anglo-Saxon settlement. Pupils will take a video tour and think about how the Anglo-Saxons used natural resources to make their settlements safe and self-sufficient. Pupils will design their own settlement maps and think about what different people might be doing in the settlement on a day-to-day basis.
Objectives:
To explore the features of an Anglo-Saxon settlement
To consider what life might have been like for different people living in an Anglo-Saxon village
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
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Anglo-Saxons Unit for KS2: A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Anglo-Saxon topic.
Why did the Anglo-Saxons want to settle in Britain? A complete lesson for KS2
Where did the Anglo-Saxons come from? A complete lesson for KS2
A full lesson for KS2 exploring the topic of jobs for Victorian children, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What was life like for working Victorian children?
In this lesson, pupils will find out about the different kinds of work that Victorian children undertook. Pupils will watch videos exploring work in mines, factories and fields and will consider what these jobs would have felt like for children performing the work on a daily basis. Pupils will make a paperchain of Victorian children to present information about different jobs and have the opportunity to hot-seat in the role of a child worker.
Objectives:
To find out what sort of jobs were taken by Victorian children
To explore what life was like for Victorian working children
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
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Introduction to the Victorians: (FREE): A full lesson for KS2 introducing the Victorian period, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Who Was Queen Victoria?; A full lesson for KS2 exploring the life and significance of Queen Victoria, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Inventions: A full lesson for KS2 about famous Victorian inventions, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Industrial Revolution A full lesson for KS2 exploring the impact of the Industrial Revolution, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Railways A full lesson for KS2 about the introduction of the railways, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Schools A full lesson for KS2 about Victorian schools, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Clothing A full lesson for KS2 investigating Victorian clothing, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Crime and Punishment A full lesson for KS2 about crime and punishment in the Victorian period, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
A full lesson for KS2 exploring the types of historical evidence that tell us about the Stone Age. The resource includes a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What kind of sources tell us about the Stone Age?
This lesson addresses the question of how we can know about a period of British history with a lack of written primary sources of evidence. Pupils will be introduced to the concept of making deductions from evidence and they will use an information table to record what different artefacts tell us about the Stone Age.
Objectives:
To examine non-written sources of evidence about the Stone Age
To make deductions from primary sources
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
This is the fourth lesson in the popular Stone Age to Iron Age Unit for KS2..
This primary history resource was created by KS2History.
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Prehistory Timelines (Lesson for KS2)
Stone Age Hunter-Gatherers (Lesson for KS2)
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Stonehenge Mysteries (Lesson for KS2)
Bronze Age (Lesson for KS2)
Stone Age Boy Literacy Planning - 2 Weeks
Stone Age to Iron Age Planning Bundle for KS2
A full lesson for KS2 about King Alfred the Great, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Who was Alfred the Great?
In this lesson, pupils will find out why Alfred was a significant figure in Anglo-Saxon history. Pupils will listen to Alfred’s story and consider why he left a legacy as a ‘great’ king. They will then design a commemorative statue and be challenged to think about why historians sometimes doubt the truthfulness of the historical sources that tell us about King Alfred.
Objectives:
To explore the story of Anglo-Saxon King Alfred
To consider why Alfred is remembered as ‘The Great’
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
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Anglo-Saxons Unit for KS2: A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Anglo-Saxon topic.
What was it like in an Anglo-Saxon village? A complete lesson for KS2
Where did the Anglo-Saxons come from? A complete lesson for KS2
A full lesson for KS2 about Anglo-Saxon religion, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
How did the Anglo-Saxons find out about Christianity?
This lesson is designed to help pupils to understand key concepts of paganism and Christianity and how the two religions existed side by side in the Anglo-Saxon period. Pupils will complete a dictionary challenge to become familiar with associated vocabulary and then they learn about three important Christian missionaries. They will watch a video to reflect on how Christianity spread across Anglo-Saxon Britain and then design commemorative stained glass windows depicting key figures.
Objectives:
To find out about Anglo-Saxon religious beliefs
To learn about key figures who helped the Anglo-Saxons to find out about Christianity
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
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Anglo-Saxons Unit for KS2: A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Anglo-Saxon topic.
What was it like in an Anglo-Saxon village? A complete lesson for KS2
Where did the Anglo-Saxons come from? A complete lesson for KS2
A lesson for KS2 about the Ancient Greek gods and goddesses, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and printable activity sheets.
This lesson is part of our popular Ancient Greece Pack for Key Stage 2.
Lesson: What were the Ancient Greek gods known for?
This lesson looks at Ancient Greek gods and goddesses and how they were recognised. Pupils will play a game to find and identify hidden gods and goddesses using their associated symbols, before applying their knowledge to sourcework by identifying the deities on an Ancient Greek wall relief. Then pupils will work in groups to focus on one particular Olympian god in a super-size poster challenge ready for a lightning quiz at the end of the lesson.
Objectives:
To learn about the twelve Olympian gods and their associated symbols
To identify key Ancient Greek gods and goddesses from historical sources
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Ancient Greeks Lessons Pack for KS2: A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Ancient Greece topic.
This primary history resource has been created by KS2History.
A full lesson for KS2 introducing the Bronze Age, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
How did bronze replace stone in the Bronze Age?
This lesson looks at the changes between the Stone Age and the Bronze Age, including the implications of the discovery of bronze and the process of how bronze was made. Pupils will find out why bronze was so important and they will create their own flowcharts to record the ‘smelting’ process of how it was made.
Objectives:
To know how the Bronze Age was different to the Stone Age
To explain how the smelting process was used to make bronze
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
This is the seventh lesson in the popular Stone Age to Iron Age Unit for KS2..
This primary history resource was created by KS2History.
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Stone Age Artefacts & Evidence (Lesson for KS2)
Stonehenge Mysteries (Lesson for KS2)
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Stone Age to Iron Age Planning Bundle for KS2
A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Anglo-Saxon topic. This KS2History planning pack includes 10 detailed lessons plans, each with accompanying pupil resource sheets and Powerpoint slides.
The ten sessions in this unit aim to give an overview of the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain and to highlight some of the major changes during this period. There is an emphasis on allowing pupils to consider the sources of evidence that form our understanding of this period of British history.
The aims of the unit for pupils are:
To gain an overview of the significant people and events during the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain.
To contrast everyday life during the Anglo-Saxon period with modern British lifestyles.
To consider broader historical themes of invading and settling before a time when Britain was unified under a single monarch.
To become familiar with historical sources and accurate vocabulary relating to the Anglo-Saxon period.
This pack contains everything you need to teach this unit, including differentiated activity ideas so that it can be adapted to the needs of your class. The Powerpoint text is also editable.
The planning pack covers the following lessons:
Who were the Anglo-Saxon invaders?
Why did the Anglo-Saxons want to settle in Britain?
What was it like in an Anglo-Saxon village?
What kind of clothes did the Anglo-Saxons wear?
How was Anglo-Saxon Britain ruled?
Who was Alfred the Great?
What was Anglo-Saxon food and drink like?
How did the Anglo-Saxons write things down?
How did the Anglo-Saxons find out about Christianity?
What was the mystery of Sutton Hoo?
This pack is brought to you from Ks2history. #lovehistory #maymadness
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A full lesson for KS2 exploring the fascinating topic of mummification. The resource includes a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What was mummification in Ancient Egypt?
In this exciting lesson, pupils will find out all about the process of making mummies! After they have been introduced to the reasons behind mummification in Ancient Egypt, pupils will work in teams on a hands-on challenge to make their own mummified dolls following the different steps of the ancient process and then write their own instructions. They will finish the lesson with a quiz about animal mummies.
Objectives:
To find out why the Ancient Egyptians mummified people
To understand the different stages of the mummification process
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
This lesson is part of the KS2History Ancient Egyptians Planning Pack for KS2.
This primary history resource is created by KS2History.
Download our popular ten-lesson unit of work based on reading and writing instructional texts with a Romans theme. Pupils will make a chocolate Roman road and then create instructions based on becoming gladiator champions!
The ten lessons in this unit aim to give children the opportunity to understand the features of instructions as a genre. In the first week, children will engage with the text type by following instructions to make edible Roman roads out of biscuits, chocolates and custard! There is also a grammar focus on using prepositions and imperative verbs. In the second week, pupils will use drama to develop ideas and extend their vocabulary. They will then plan their own set of instructions about becoming Roman gladiator champions and they will then have the opportunity to draft, edit and present their final instructions.
The English objectives covered in this unit are:
- To give and follow verbal instructions
- To use prepositions
- To read and follow written instructions
- To identify how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning
- To use a range of imperative verbs
- To prepare a group performance
- To make a plan for my writing
- To write my own instructions
- To edit my writing
- To make decisions about how to present my writing
The PDF file contains ten lesson plans and all accompanying pupil resources. Perfect to link literacy and history in your Romans topic!
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Roman Britain Planning Pack
Escape from Pompeii Literacy Planning Pack
Romans Planning Bundle of all three planning packs
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A full lesson for KS2 that engages pupils in a series of historical questioning about the pyramids of Ancient Egypt. The resource includes a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
4. Why did the Ancient Egyptians build the pyramids?
In this lesson pupils will think about the why, what, how and where of pyramid building. They will investigate different types of pyramids in a hands-on modelling challenge and then they will learn about some of the logistics behind building these gigantic structures, as well as exploring their key purposes. Pupils will present their findings in a 3D pyramid fact file.
Objectives:
To explore what the pyramids looked like
To discover why and how the Egyptians built the pyramids.
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
This lesson is part of the KS2History Ancient Egyptians Planning Pack for KS2.
This primary history resource is created by KS2History.
A full lesson for KS2 about crime and punishment in , including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What was Victorian Crime and Punishment like?
In this lesson pupils will learn about typical crimes from the Victorian period and different kinds of punishments that were given. Pupils will have the opportunity to act as Victorian judges and will read a series of case studies, awarding appropriate punishments for each. Pupils will link what they have learned to wider issues about modern day crime and punishment.
Objectives:
To find out about typical crimes and punishments in the Victorian period
To compare Victorian punishments to the modern day justice system.
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
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Victorians Full Unit for KS2: A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Victorians topic.
Introduction to the Victorians: (FREE): A full lesson for KS2 introducing the Victorian period, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Who Was Queen Victoria?; A full lesson for KS2 exploring the life and significance of Queen Victoria, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Inventions: A full lesson for KS2 about famous Victorian inventions, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Industrial Revolution A full lesson for KS2 exploring the impact of the Industrial Revolution, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Railways A full lesson for KS2 about the introduction of the railways, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Working Children A full lesson for KS2 exploring the topic of jobs for Victorian children, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Schools A full lesson for KS2 about Victorian schools, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Clothing A full lesson for KS2 investigating Victorian clothing, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
This two-week unit of English work, based on the book ‘The Great Kapok Tree’, works well alongside topics about rainforests, sustainability and Mayans. It can also be used as a standalone English unit. The resources are designed for Year 3 and Year 4.
The ten lessons in this unit use drama, discussion and creative activities to help pupils to engage imaginatively with the text. Pupils will become familiar with the structure of dilemma stories and then write and edit their own dilemma stories based on The Great Kapok Tree. There is also a grammar focus on using direct speech and plenty of activities designed to develop vocabulary.
The English objectives covered in this unit are:
- To retrieve information from non-fiction
- To design a ‘great tree’ setting
- To explore the structure of dilemma stories
- To punctuate direct speech correctly
- To use a range of speech verbs
- To use adverbs in dialogue (higher group)
- To identify persuasive devices
- To use a dictionary to find definitions
- To write a persuasive letter
- To prepare a group performance
- To plan a dilemma story
- To write my own dilemma story
- To edit and evaluate my writing
- To use a thesaurus
The PDF file contains 10 lesson plans and accompanying pupil resources.
A lesson for KS2 about the lasting legacy of Ancient Greece, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and printable activity sheets.
This lesson is part of our popular Ancient Greece Pack for Key Stage 2.
Lesson: How significant is the legacy of Ancient Greece for life today?
In this lesson, pupils will explore some of the key legacies from Ancient Greece that influence life today. They will consider the significance of each legacy in terms of its impact on their own life, before working in a group to complete a ranking challenge to decide the most significant legacy.
Objectives:
To explore the influence of Ancient Greece on various areas of modern life
To consider the significance of different legacies on life today
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Ancient Greeks Lessons Pack for KS2: A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Ancient Greece topic.
This primary history resource has been created by KS2History.
Download our popular two-week unit of work for Years 3/4 based on the book ‘How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth’, with a focus on instructional texts. Perfect for linking the Stone Age topic in literacy!
This unit gives children the opportunity to understand the features of instructions as a text type. In the first week, children will engage with the text through research, a hands-on toy washing challenge and the opportunity to create their own ‘Woolly Mammoth Cleaning Kit’. They will become familiar with the text type by following instructions to make their own milk bottle mammoth models and identifying features of the text. There is a grammar focus on using prepositions and imperative verbs.
In the second week, pupils will use drama to develop ideas and extend vocabulary. They will then plan their own set of instructions and they will draft, edit and present their final written outcome.
The literacy objectives covered are:
To retrieve and record information from non-fiction
To participate in discussion about a text
To use a range of imperative verbs
To use prepositions
To read and follow written instructions
To identify the features of instructions
To identify how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning
To prepare a group performance
To use a rich and varied vocabulary
To make a plan for my writing
To write my own set of instructions
To edit and evaluate my writing
To integrate visual devices
The PDF file contains 10 full lesson plans and accompanying pupil resource sheets.
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Stone Age to Iron Age planning bundle of all 3 packs
Download our popular Roman Britain lesson planning bundle containing 10 full lesson plans for KS2.
This resources contains a bundle of history lessons that make up a complete unit covering the topic Roman Britain. Each file contains a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint slides and pupil resource sheets. There are also there extra comprehension resources included.
Lessons in this unit include:
Where did the Roman Empire come from?
How did the Roman army help to expand the Roman Empire?
What was Britain like before the Romans invaded?
How did Britain become part of the Roman Empire?
Who was Boudica and how did she rebel against the Romans?
What did the Romans build after they settled in Britain?
What were houses like in Roman Britain?
What can archaeological sites tell us about Roman Britain?
How did bathhouses provide leisure for Romans in Britain?
What lasting impact did the Romans leave in Britain?
This lesson is brought to you by KS2History,
A full lesson for KS2 about Victorian schools, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What were Victorian schools like?
In this lesson pupils will compare their own experiences of school to life in a Victorian classroom. Pupils will learn about key changes in the Victorian period regarding who could go to school. Then they will have the opportunity to role play being a Victorian school pupil, completing three different activities from Victorian classrooms: drill, nature drawing and handwriting in the copperplate style.
Objectives:
To find out how rules about who could go to school changed over the Victorian period
To compare Victorian schools with modern day schooling
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
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Introduction to the Victorians: (FREE): A full lesson for KS2 introducing the Victorian period, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Who Was Queen Victoria?; A full lesson for KS2 exploring the life and significance of Queen Victoria, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Inventions: A full lesson for KS2 about famous Victorian inventions, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Industrial Revolution A full lesson for KS2 exploring the impact of the Industrial Revolution, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Railways A full lesson for KS2 about the introduction of the railways, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Working Children A full lesson for KS2 exploring the topic of jobs for Victorian children, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Clothing A full lesson for KS2 investigating Victorian clothing, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Crime and Punishment A full lesson for KS2 about crime and punishment in the Victorian period, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
A lesson for KS2 about Athens and Sparta, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and printable activity sheets.
This lesson is part of our popular Ancient Greece Pack for Key Stage 2.
Lesson: Why were Athens and Sparta so different?
In this lesson, pupils will learn how Ancient Greece was divided up into ‘city-states’, each with its own laws and armies. They will draw contrasts between two of the most powerful city-states – Athens and Sparta – and use their knowledge to develop a balanced argument about which one they would prefer to live in.
Objectives:
To know what city-states were
To compare the city-states of Athens and Sparta
To make a balanced argument based on historical knowledge
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Ancient Greeks Lessons Pack for KS2: A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Ancient Greece topic.
This primary history resource has been created by KS2History.
A lesson for KS2 introducing the Roman Empire - including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and printable activity sheets.
This lesson is part of our popular Romans unit for Key Stage 2.
Lesson: Where did the Roman Empire come from?
This lesson introduces the Roman Empire in its historical and geographical contexts. Pupils will make a timeline to set this period into the wider context of world history. Then they will learn two contrasting stories about the founding of Rome, discussing the difference between legends and historical fact.
Objectives:
To find out where the Roman Empire originated
To place the beginning of the Roman Empire onto a timeline
To evaluate stories about the founding of Rome
This primary history resource is created by KS2History.
You may like our other resources for the Romans topic:
Roman Britain Planning Pack
Escape from Pompeii Literacy Planning Pack
Romans Literacy Pack (Instructions Unit)
Romans Planning Bundle of all three planning packs