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 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.
You may also like:
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
Looking for something a bit different for your Christmas poetry activity? This Christmas Kennings lesson will make a fun English activity ready for Christmas time and the resulting pieces of work create a fab festive classroom display!
In this Christmas literacy lesson, pupils will learn about what kennings are and practise using them with a festive twist! Then they will make their own kenning poem about Christmas trees and turn it into a fantastic colourful kenning tree ready for a Christmas classroom display!
The Powerpoint provided guides you though the full lesson, including time to discuss ideas and vocabulary. Then pupils can use the templates and instructions provided to make their own colouring kenning trees.
This resource includes:
- A full lesson powerpoint
- A resource pack including teacher instructions and templates for the activity.
This is a fun activity easily adapted for KS1 or KS2.
Please note that due to terms of use in the images used, the Powerpoint file is not editable.
Please follow the steps below to access your files:
1. Return to this page.
2. Scroll to the files included within the resource listed under the header ‘Files Included’/‘All Files’. You may need to click on the ‘See all Resources’ to view them all.
3. Use the download arrow icons found to the left of each of the file names for each separate file.
A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Victorians 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 Victorian 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 and to make links to modern times.
The aims of the unit for pupils are:
To gain an overview of the significance of the Victorian period within the wider narrative of British history
To contrast everyday life during the Victorian period with modern British lifestyles.
To consider some of the major changes and their effects during this period, including the impact of the Industrial Revolution and the railways, and to consider different perspectives on these changes.
To study significant people and events during this period.
To become familiar with historical sources and accurate vocabulary relating to the Victorian 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 or year group. The Powerpoint text is also editable.
The planning pack covers the following lessons:
Introduction to the Victorians
Who was Queen Victoria?
Which famous inventions came from the Victorians?
What was the Industrial Revolution?
How did the Victorians respond to the new railways?
What was life like for working Victorian children?
How did Lord Shaftesbury improve the lives of Victorian children?
What were Victorian schools like?
What kind of clothes did the Victorians wear?
What was Victorian crime and punishment like?
This pack is brought to you from Ks2history.com. #lovehistory #maymadness
Once purchased, you can find this resource any time in the ‘My Downloads’ section of your account.
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 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
You may also like:
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.
Very popular for performance poetry! Download this fun poetry two-week unit of English lesson plans and resources, based on Jabberwocky and other poetry by Lewis Carroll. The pack is designed for Year 3 / Year 4 and it works towards a fun poetry performance at the end of the unit.
In these lessons pupils will:
- read and listen to classic poems by Lewis Carroll
- use comprehension skills to tackle nonsense poetry
- engage imaginatively with classic narrative poems
- create their own Jabberwock creatures
- write their own versions of the poems
- make props for a dramatic performance
- prepare and give a performance to an audience
The poems in the Jabberwocky Literacy Planning Pack include 'The Walrus and the Carpenter', 'A Strange Wild Song' and 'Jabberwocky'.
You may also like:
The Listeners Poetry Planning Pack
Stone Age Boy Literacy Pack
The Egyptian Cinderella Literacy Pack
A full lesson for KS2 about Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. The resource includes a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What did Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics mean?
In this lesson, pupils will look at historical sources containing Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and look closely for familiar symbols among the writing. Pupils will learn about what kind of messages were written in hieroglyphics, discuss some of the issues around translation and use a hieroglyphics key to make their own Egyptian cartouche.
Objectives:
To discover what Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs looked like
To explore the issue of translating hieroglyphics
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 the Industrial Revolution, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What was the Industrial Revolution?
In this lesson, KS2 pupils think about the impact of the Industrial Revolution in Victorian Britain. Pupils will engage with historical sources to make observations about a British city before and after the Industrial Revolution. Pupils will learn about changes to cities, employment, living conditions and the landscape and will play a game to reflect on whether the effects of the various changes brought about were positive or negative ones.
Objectives:
To find out what the Industrial Revolution was
To explain how Victorian Britain was changed by the Industrial Revolution
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
You may also like:
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.
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.
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 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
You may also like our KS2 Beowulf Literacy Planning Pack.
Download this popular two-week unit for Year 1 based on classic poetry to perform.
A two-week literacy unit of work for Year 1, containing lesson plans and pupil resources, looking at some ofEdward Lear's most funny and imaginative poems.
In this unit pupils will:
- listen to classic poems by Edward Lear
- investigate the sounds and language patterns of the poem
- make a comic version of 'The Owl and the Pussycat'
- identify rhyming words and patterns
- make a new version of the poem 'The Jumblies'
- prepare and give a performance to an audience
The poems include 'The Owl and the Pussycat', 'Calico Pie' and 'The Jumblies'.
You may also like our other KS1 poetry packs:
Year 2 Performance Poetry Pack
Summer Performance Poetry Pack
Spring Performance Poetry
Download this popular two-week unit for Year 2 based on classic poetry to perform.
A two-week literacy unit of work for Year 2, including lesson plans and pupil resources, looking at some classic poems by Christina Rossetti and building up to a poetry performance.
In these lessons pupils will:
- read and listen to classic poems by Christina Rossetti
- investigate the effects of sounds and poetic language
- use question punctuation
- write their own rhyming patterns
- use their voices expressively in different ways
- create their own version of one of the poems
- prepare and perform a poem to an audience
The poems include 'Ferry Me Across the Water', 'What Does the Bee Do?' and 'What Are Heavy?'.
You may also like our other KS1 poetry packs:
Going to Sea Poetry Pack
Summer Performance Poetry Pack
Spring Performance Poetry
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.
You may also like:
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 full lesson for KS2 introducing Iron Age hillforts. The resource includes a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What was life like in an Iron Age hill fort?
Pupils will discover what life was like in an Iron Age hill fort in Britain. This lesson encourages pupils to engage imaginatively with this historical setting and reflect on how life in this period might have been different to life today, making a storyboard to record their ideas. As an extension activity pupils are challenged to find out about archaeological sites like Maiden Castle.
Objectives:
To understand how British society changed in the Iron Age
To imagine what life might have been like in an Iron Age hill fort
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
This is the ninth lesson in the popular Stone Age to Iron Age Unit for KS2..
This primary history resource was created by KS2History.
You may also like
Iron Age Art (Lesson for KS2)
Bronze Age (Lesson for KS2)
Stone Age Hunter-Gatherers (Lesson for KS2)
Stone Age Artefacts & Evidence (Lesson for KS2)
Stonehenge Mysteries (Lesson for KS2)
Stone Age Boy Literacy Planning - 2 Weeks
Stone Age to Iron Age Planning Bundle for KS2
Download our popular Ancient Egypt lesson planning bundle containing 10 full lessons.
This resource contains a bundle of history lessons that make up a complete unit covering the Ancient Egyptians topic. Each file contains a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint slides and pupil resource sheets.
The planning pack covers the following lessons:
Who were the Ancient Egyptians?
Why was Ancient Egypt the ‘Gift of the Nile’?
Who were the Ancient Egyptian pharaohs?
Why did the Ancient Egyptians build the pyramids?
What did the Ancient Egyptians do for fun?
What was mummification in Ancient Egypt?
Who were the Ancient Egyptian gods?
What did Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics mean?
What was discovered inside Tutankhamun’s tomb?
Who was Cleopatra and how is she remembered?
These lessons are written for KS2 and are aligned to the National Curriculum in the UK but can be easily adapted to other curriculums too. The lesson plans include differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
This bundle is brought to you by KS2History.com.
You may also like our Egyptian Cinderella Literacy Resource Pack.
A full lesson for KS2 introducing the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint slides and pupil resource sheets. This lesson can also be found in the Ancient Egyptians Planning Pack for KS2.
Who were the Ancient Egyptian pharaohs?
This lesson explores the role of the pharaohs and introduces some significant figures. Pupils will play a ‘Find that Pharaoh’ game to become familiar with key people and dates. They will learn about important symbols associated with pharaohs and use them to design a royal sarcophagus.
Objectives:
To find out about some of the most famous Egyptian pharaohs
To explore the meaning of symbols associated with the pharaohs
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class. This is the third lesson from our Ancient Egyptians Planning Pack.
This primary history resource is created by KS2History.
A full lesson for KS2 about Anglo-Saxon food, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What was Anglo-Saxon food and drink like?
This lesson allows pupils to think about the foods they like to eat and compare them to the foods available in Anglo-Saxon Britain, both in terms of everyday meals and feasting foods. Pupils will design an Anglo-Saxon menu and have the opportunity to make and taste Anglo-Saxon honey bread.
Objectives:
To find out which foods were available in Anglo-Saxon times
To follow an Anglo-Saxon recipe for honey bread
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
You may also like:
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 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.
You may also like:
Bronze Age Grave Goods (Lesson for KS2)
Iron Age Hillforts (Lesson for KS2)
Stone Age Hunter-Gatherers (Lesson for KS2)
Stone Age Cave Art (Lesson for KS2)
Stone Age Artefacts & Evidence (Lesson for KS2)
Stonehenge Mysteries (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 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.
You may also like:
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 introducing the story of Cleopatra VII and her legacy as the last main Ancient Egyptian pharaoh. The resource includes a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Who was Cleopatra and how is she remembered?
In this lesson, pupils will learn about Cleopatra VII and her legacy as the last main pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Pupils will act out her story, including the defeat of the Ancient Egyptian civilisation. Pupils will read a range of opinions about Cleopatra from historical sources and be encouraged to form their own conclusions about her character.
Objectives:
To explore the story of Cleopatra VII
To investigate Cleopatra’s legacy and some of the different opinions about her.
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 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
You may also like:
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.