WiseArk Ltd which is a ‘micro-company specialising in supplying educational resources.
We specialise in resources for use in tutor time -many of which are also suitable for use in citizenship/PSHE.
We also have a range of resources to support learning in history.
I was a teacher for over 20 years so know from first-hand experience how engaged students can be when given challenges and puzzles.
WiseArk Ltd which is a ‘micro-company specialising in supplying educational resources.
We specialise in resources for use in tutor time -many of which are also suitable for use in citizenship/PSHE.
We also have a range of resources to support learning in history.
I was a teacher for over 20 years so know from first-hand experience how engaged students can be when given challenges and puzzles.
A more challenging version of the always popular activity.
There are 3 different word searches on Britain’s international relations in the 20th century.
Each comes in a range of versions to provide differing degrees of challenge: each wordsearch has a grid and 10 terms or places to find – the same answers so that all students are covering the same places and terms whatever the level of support/challenge.
In each set the first version is a ‘traditional’ one with the words provided.
Then there are four versions with a quiz: this has the same words to find but they aren’t provided -first you need to use the clues (questions) to work out what word you are searching for.
One just has the clues then there are three supported versions (each of the four has the same clues): the first has the first letter of the answer; the second has the number of numbers in the answer and the third has both the first letter and number of letters.
Ideal for use in a wide range of settings such as a last-minute cover resource or homework task or providing resources for ‘school at home’ (maybe even for a staff challenge!)
The places/terms covered are:
Abyssinia Appeasement Blitz Boer War Cold War Conscription Depression deterrent Dominions Dreadnought
Dunkirk Empire Entente Europe Falklands Gallipoli
Gulf War Hong Kong Independence India
Israel Jamaica Jutland Kenya Marne NATO
Pakistan Security Somme Suez crisis
An introduction to one hundred notable women with a connection to the 20th century -such as Billie Jean King and the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ in 1973.
The selection covers the well known (e.g. Mrs Thatcher) to the less well known (such as Rita Loza, first female No.1 chart artist)
For each one there is a brief overview of their life/ impact (250-300 words).
This is provided as a word document. There is also a powerpoint presentation which has a picture of each woman and a descriptive sentence.
The women featured are:
Elizabeth, the Queen Mother; Barbara Cartland;;Barbara McClintock; Marie Curie ;Jennie Lee;Gertrude Ederle ;Grace Hopper ;Frida Kahlo ;Simone de Beauvoir ;Raymond de Laroche ;Elizabeth Arden ;Mildred Didrikson ;Julliete Gordon Low ;Emily Davison ;Hedy Lamarr ;Edith Cavell ;Lois Weber ;Jessica Mitford ;Marie Stopes ;Rosa Luxemburg ;Edith Burton Hughes ;Betty Wilson ;Helena Normanton ;Maria Callas ;Sue Ryder ;Laura Ashley ;Elisabeth Beresford ;Constance Markievicz ;Maya Angelou ;Margaret Bondfield ;Ellen Church ;Lilian Baylis ;Dorothy Day ;Fay Wray ;Leni Reifenstahl ;Lucy Duff-Gordon ;Diana Mitford ;Edith Wharton ;Ellen Sirleaf ;Jane Bolin; Hattie McDaniel ;Amy Johnson ;Anita Roddick ;Sophie Scholl ;Alice Walker ;Violet Szabo ;Mamie Smith ;Anne Frank; Donna Summer ;Mo Mowlam ;Grace Kelly ;Ethel Rosenberg ;Maria Montessori ;Lita Roza ;Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence ;Rosa Parks; Irene Curie ;;Dorothy L Sayers ;First female Peers ;Barbie ;Sirimavo Bandaranaike ;Grandma’ Moses ;Valentina Tereshkova ;Edith Piaf; Nancy Astor ;Stephanie Kwolek ;Indira Gandhi ;Alice Toklas ;Barbara Harrison ;Shirley Temple ;Betty Friedan ;Dorothy Fields ;Mary Peters ;Billie Jean King ;Virginia Apgar ;Margaret Thatcher ;Agatha Christie ;Virginia Wade ;Hannah Dadds ; Mary Pickford ;Bette Nesmith Graham ;Dame Mary Donaldson;Rachel Heyhoe-Flint ;Corrie Ten Boom ;Mary Warnock ;Gale Sondergaard ;Neerja Bhanot ;Diane Abbot; Elizabeth Lane ;Lucille Ball ;Eve Balfour ;Helen Sharman ;Betty Boothroyd ;Audrey Hepburn ;First female Priests ;Alison Hargreaves; Ella FitzGerald ;Mother Teresa ;Barbara Mandell ;Iris Murdoch
A set of linked resources and activities to help develop knowledge of the Romanisation of Britain. In part this takes a cross-curricular approach through geographical place locations.
There is an information power point with a map showing a number of Roman settlements in England and Wales as well as Hadrian’s and the Antonine Walls. The settlements are: Aquae Sulis, Arbeia, Camulodunum, Deva, Dubris, Eboracum, Isca, Isca Dumnoniorum, Londinium, Lindun, Luguvalium, Noviomagus Regnensium, Verulamium.
It also shows the ‘modern’ names of each settlement.
The main activity is to complete an outline version of the information map. This comes in different versions:
One has the locations of the settlements but is otherwise blank for the students to write in the names.
The second has the first letter of the settlement.
The third has the first letter and the ‘modern’ name.
The fourth has the name of the Roman settlement for them to add the ‘modern’ names.
The word document lists the settlements and has three separate activities.
The first is a set of printable ‘cards’ with the Roman and modern names of the settlements from the map – they can be used for matching pairs etc.
Second is similar but set out as a set of dominoes to allow for greater variety.
Thirdly is a set of two word searches covering most of the names of the featured settlements. (not Chichester as Noviomagus Regnensium is too long to fit!!)
Together the set provides a range of ways of developing knowledge of Roman Britain and are all well suited for homework or adapted for ‘school at home’.
A selection of activities to help tutor groups or classes get to know each other.
There are a range of tasks and challenges which require students to talk to each other in order to complete.
Some challenges are especially useful as ‘ice-breakers’ such as ‘Sorting ‘ and ‘Find someone who’ (see below).
Others are more suitable when the students have begun to get to know each other such as ‘Discussion Points’ and ‘Dilemmas’ .
Sorting activities – getting children moving and engaging with each other such as by first name or date of birth.
‘Find someone who ‘ – they have to find someone who can do a particular task or who likes something particular or who has (done) something.
Discussion points - a set of questions to get small groups talking about issues (we have tried to avoid any controversial topics)
Dilemmas – a different type of question for groups to discuss their response to certain situation (again we have tried to avoid any controversial topics)
Ten miscellaneous challenges including ‘think outside the box, number association and ‘tell the time’ and an 'A-Z ’ of categories -which are suitable for use at either stage.
A set of visual challenges that provide a different opportunity for group working: ‘spot the differences’ and ‘what is it’ (digitally altered images).
The resources are provided on a power point presentation as well as in a word document contains the same activities- especially useful are the sheets to fill in for the ‘Find someone who…’ challenges.
A memory challenge using images- based on ‘Kim’s game’.
There is a set of slides each of which features 10 different pictures-that will disappear one by one so that after a minute all are gone. (there is a second slide with them all on to check after a chance to recall the images)
How many can your students remember (or you??) ; can be done as a solo challenge or in groups (useful for encouraging team work –what’s a winning strategy?) – could also be used as a staff challenge!
30 separate challenges -all on power point.
Since the end of WW1 the world has never been fully at peace.
This resource is ideal for use at this time of remembrance (whilst also extending horizons to look at the wider world)
This resource shows in visual form how the past 100+ years have still been a period of ongoing conflict (despite hopes that WW1 would be the ‘war to end all wars’).
There is a selection of 50 different conflicts; a range covering civil wars, invasions and multi-national wars. The emphasis is on the post WW2 period to help support citizenship learning-in particular through helping show why there are so many refugees given the recent and on-going conflicts. (The emphasis is on the global community so wars such as the Falklands which was ‘just’ UK v an opponent are not included in this resource).
In the main presentation each slide represents one year (running through takes just over 5 minutes) with each year showing the selected conflicts taking place in that year (so some slides are rather crowded!). For each conflict the dates are given as well as one sentence about it (this only appears when the conflict begins).
There is also a power point presentation of 50 slides -one per conflict- as well as a word document with the same information.
Finally there is a set of three word searches featuring most of the nations involved in the featured conflicts.
Word search and combined word search & quiz
A set of five of the more challenging version of the always popular activity - it comes in a range of versions to provide differing degrees of challenge: each wordsearch has a grid and to find the same answers so that all students are covering the same range of people, places and terms whatever the level of support/challenge.
The first version is a ‘traditional’ one with the words provided.
Then there are four versions with a quiz: this has the same words to find but they aren’t provided -first you need to use the clues (questions) to work out what word you are searching for.
One just has the clues then there are three supported versions (each of the four has the same clues): the first has the first letter of the answer; the second has the number of numbers in the answer and the third has both the first letter and number of letters.
This provides students with the opportunity to develop their knowledge of a range of people, places, terms etc relating to WW2 whilst providing varying degrees of challenge/support. They are suitable for use in class -both as a main activity and as an extension task- as well as for homework / independent study or a cover lesson activity or as a resource for ‘school at home (maybe even as staff challenge!)
This wordsearch (& quizzes) features a range of people, places and terms:
WW2: A: Battle Blitz Blitzkrieg bombing collapse conquest
Dunkirk evacuation Invasion Panzer
WW2: B: Air Raid desert Home Front Home Guard Libya
Munitions navy Pearl Harbor Singapore Total War
WW2: C: Anderson atomic Collaborator Doodlebug Hiroshima
Landing refugee shelter warning women
WW2: Names: Alexander Beaverbrook Eichmann Goebbels Goering
Himmler Hitler kamikaze Speer Tojo
Holocaust: Aryan Auschwitz Belsen exterminate Genocide
Ghetto Holocaust Judaism Nuremberg Racism
Word search and combined word search & quiz: Between the wars and road to WW2
A set of five of more challenging version of the always popular activity - it comes in a range of versions to provide differing degrees of challenge: each wordsearch has a grid and to find – the same answers so that all students are covering the same range of people, places and terms whatever the level of support/challenge.
The first version is a ‘traditional’ one with the words provided.
Then there are four versions with a quiz: this has the same words to find but they aren’t provided -first you need to use the clues (questions) to work out what word you are searching for.
One just has the clues then there are three supported versions (each of the four has the same clues): the first has the first letter of the answer; the second has the number of numbers in the answer and the third has both the first letter and number of letters.
This provides students with the opportunity to develop their knowledge of a range of people, places and terms from the interwar period whilst providing varying degrees of challenge/support. They are suitable for use in class -both as a main activity and as an extension task- as well as for homework / independent study or a cover lesson activity or as a resource for ‘school at home (maybe even as staff challenge!)
This wordsearch (& quizzes) features a range of people, places and terms:
Between the wars 1: Civil War Communism dictator Fascism Germany
Italy Nazism Portugal revolution Spain
Between the wars 2: Depression Hitler inflation Lenin Mussolini
Russia Soviet Union Stalin Trotsky Weimar
Between the wars 3: Al Capone boom electricity Jarrow March
Movies motorcar Prohibition protest Unemployment
Road to WW2: A: Abyssinia Anschluss Austria China Hirohito
Hitler Manchuria re-arm Rhineland Sudetenland
Road to WW2: B: Appeasement ballot Chamberlain Churchill concession Czech guarantee Hoare Laval Poland
Information and activities on British PMs and General Elections since the first Labour MP.
Ideal for use in the period leading up to the General Election as well as for citizenship and British values.
There is a power point showing all the General elections with the resultant Prime Ministers since 1892 (and changes in PM post-election) -one slide per election (these also have a pie chart showing the number of seats won by the main parties)
A power point presentation of a range of activities – Listing recent PMs ; Sorting PMs into order; such as sorting into order, matching PMs with party/coalition, what’s the link?.
A word document with the activities from the power point plus 2 word searches and a crossword (and a copy with the answers)
*1892 was when Kier Hardie was the first ‘Labour’ MP elected
A set of linked resources and activities to help students improve their knowledge and understanding of a range of Black British Firsts. This features a range of 50 Black British firsts- from the 16th century to the modern day.
There are three linked resources (all based on the same set of
A power point presentation with one slide per person and their achievement (also in a ‘run through’ version that plays automatically);
Two related activities develop this study of people with tasks using a selection of the same people/achievements - The first is a set of printable ‘cards’ which can be used for sorting or matching tasks (such as the matching pairs game) – each event is on a separate ‘card’ from its date, organised in sets of 10 -there are two sets, but each can be used separately or the two combined to increase the difficulty level.
The second is a set of ‘domino cards’ to provide a more supported matching challenge; these feature the same events and each ‘card’ links to another forming a ‘domino’ like chain (which again can be used as a set of 10 or both combined for greater challenge).
There are three of the word search and a combined word search & quiz challenge.
Each comes in a range of versions to provide differing degrees of challenge: each wordsearch has a grid and 10 names to find – the same names so that all students are covering the same answers whatever the level of support/challenge.
In each set the first version is a ‘traditional’ one with the words provided.
Then there are four versions with a quiz: this has the same words to find but they aren’t provided -first you need to use the clues (questions) to work out what word you are searching for.
One just has the clues then there are three supported versions (each of the four has the same clues): the first has the first letter of the answer; the second has the number of numbers in the answer and the third has both the first letter and number of letters.
An ideal resource to support Black History Month but also useful at any time-especially as a resource for tutor or assembly time.
A set of five collections of word searches and quizzes combined:
Britain in the 20th century (3);
Britain and the world in the 20th century (3);
WW1 (9);
Between the world wars (5);
WW2 (6)
A more challenging version of the always popular activity (even for adults!). In all 26 different wordsearches.
Each wordsearch has a grid and 10 words to find.
However first you need to use the clues (questions) to work out what word you are searching for.
Each word search & quiz comes in five different versions (the answers are the same each time); Each has the same clues but one also has the first letter of the answer; one has the number of numbers in the answer and one has both the first letter and number of letters; one has ‘just’ the questions whilst there is also a ‘traditional’ version with no questions and a list of words provided.
Ideal for use in a wide range of settings such as a last-minute cover resource or homework task (good for getting students to organise their own time)
Maybe even to help staff relax at lunchtime!!
A set of resources to support teaching and learning about this topic- all focussed on a set of selected well known Olympian Gods. (Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Cronus, Demeter, Hades, Hephaestus, Hera, Leto, Persephone, Poseidon, Zeus)
There is a power point with a clickable ‘family tree’ that has slides with a picture and sentence about the linked deity.
The word document on the same deities has a range of challenges. These include comprehension tasks such as identifying a god’s area of influence and outline family tree to complete (different versions to provide varying levels of difficulty).
There is also a set of word searches with a twist. As well as 2 traditional ones there are versions that have questions to answer before finding the word in the grid – so reinforcing knowledge of events. (There are versions with the first letter of the answer or number of letters in the answer as well as one with no clues so that they cover a wide range of challenge.)
Finally there is a set of five colouring pages featuring some of the same deities.
A year of information -a power point and word document resource.
Each day has a selection of four events (including a famous/significant birth and death) from that date in the past,
On the power point there is one slide per day, each also having a picture of one associated event/person.
The word document also features the same people/ events (with slightly more information such as a well-known book if an author).
The focus is on Britain though each day also features a female/ linked event as well as most days including an event or person from outside the British Isles- for example for 25th December:
1977 Death of Charlie Chaplin (b 1889), actor and director
1972 The Nicaraguan capital Managua was devastated by an earthquake
1771 Birth of Dorothy Wordsworth (d 1855)
1066 William of Normandy was crowned king of England at Westminster Abbey.
Designed for use in tutor time/assembly this resource provides a range of information that is of use throughout the year.
A resource which uses graphs, data and ‘shopping’ activities to help develop both historical and mathematical knowledge and understanding.
There is a range of 20 topics including the transatlantic slave trade, Britain in 1851, The Great Powers before WW1. (See below for full list of contents.)
Helps students develop their historical understanding and use of relevant skills, especially gathering information from sources that are not just written. Activities include: Using information to complete charts; Extracting information from tables; basic accounts and shopping activities; completing data tables by using calculations.
Requires students to use basic numeracy skills such as interpreting data from graphs or pie charts (and presenting data in graph form); solving problems using multiplication, division etc as well as fractions/ratios.
These are used to help develop historical understanding such as relative casualty rates in WW1, cost of living in the 19th century, composition of 17th century society.
Ideal for use as a cover lesson or a stand-alone homework (or for resources for ‘school at home’)
Topics covered: Roman Numerals; England in the Middle Ages; Martyrs in the English Reformation; James I & VI- problems with money; Emigrating to the American Colonies -getting supplies; England in c1688; Making money from the slave trade; The French Revolution: The Terror; Britain from c1750 to c1900; The growth of Middlesbrough in the 19th century; Food, diet and prices in the 1840s; Britain in 1851; Empires; Britain in the 20th century; How well off were people in the 20th century?; The Great Powers before WW1; Casualties in WW1; Food prices in WW2; Population, life expectancy and infant mortality; Battles and casualties.
Many people know 2024 is 150 years since the birth of Winston Churchill but did you know that this year is the 500th anniversary of the death of Isma’il I (founder of Safavid Dynasty in Iran)? And the 200th anniversary of the founding of the RNLI and RSPCA?
Anniversaries 2024 is a collection of viewable/printable resources designed to promote awareness of some events whose anniversaries fall this year.
This wide-ranging pack consists of several different types of resource including visual and knowledge challenges as well as discussion stimuli (plus word searches!)
.
They are all based on a selection of people and events from the past 700 years which have an anniversary in 2024.
There is a power point with a picture of each person/event from those years (one that runs through) and a separate display resource with one slide per year (some need two).
There are a range of knowledge based activities including sorting events, matching pairs, A-Z etc (provided in both power point and word format)
There are also picture based challenges (hidden picture and what is it-distorted images).
There is a set of discussion prompts to stimulate debate –again related to people or events featured.
Finally there is a set of seven word searches based on a selection of the people and places etc linked to anniversaries from 2024.
The resource that keeps on giving all year long!
Word search and mini quiz combined
A set of word searches to help develop knowledge of migration to the British Isles –both individuals born abroad and nationalities that have provided many migrants to Britain over the centuries. Has twenty of each of a range of individuals and nationalities.
There is a set of four different word searches – two on individuals, two on nationalities.
In each set the first version is a ‘traditional’ one with the words provided.
Then there are four versions with a quiz: this has the same words to find but they aren’t provided -first you need to use the clues (questions) to work out what word you are searching for.
One just has the clues then there are three supported versions (each of the four has the same clues): the first has the first letter of the answer; the second has the number of numbers in the answer and the third has both the first letter and number of letters.
This provides students with the opportunity to develop their knowledge of a range of individuals or groups who were born abroad / moved to Britain whilst providing varying degrees of challenge/support. They are suitable for use in class -both as a main activity and as an extension task- as well as for homework / independent study or a cover lesson activity or as a resource for ‘school at home (maybe even as staff challenge!)
The four word-searches cover the following groups/individuals:
Africans, Angles, Asians, Belgians, Chinese, Danes, Flemings, Germans, Huguenots, Indians
Irish, Normans, Norwegians, Polish, Romans, Russians, Saxons, Somalians, Syrians, West Indians
Prince Albert, Montague Burton, Joseph Conrad, Mo Farah, Lucian Freud, Alec Issigonis, Boris Johnson, Judith Kerr, Doreen Lawrence, Michael Marks
Karl Marx, Freddie Mercury, Rupert Murdoch, Rita Ora, Shantra Patak, Prince Phillip, Cliff Richard, Salman Rushdie, Charles Saatchi, JRR Tolkien
A set of three different types of prompts to encourage discussion in a structured way and promoting tolerance of different views
There are:
40 Discussion points with a citizenship related question that requires a group response -e.g. ‘Should driverless cars be allowed on UK roads?’
20 Moral dilemmas with a particular focus on reflecting on personal and social values- each Moral Dilemmas provides a situation (such as finding money in the street) and asks student’s how they would respond –individually or as a group.
10 Top threes : select three items for a category-such as crisps - so means consideration of criteria for decision making (in a more light hearted manner than some of the other two types which include bullying and capital punishment)
Resources are supplied on a power point and a word document
The objectives are to encourage students to
discuss and so develop their speaking and listening skills;
reflect on their values and how to treat others with respect
They fit into many areas of school life; ideal for use in tutor time -especially in encouraging talk with a focus and helping tutors learn more about their group.
Suitable also for use in PSHE/Citizenship and RE –saving the need to devise suitable scenarios.
There 20 crosswords on a range of topics (see below)
Each crossword has 20 questions which when answered will complete the grid. There is also a version that has the first letter of each answer as support. The answers are in a separate document so that the student’s version can be installed on a shared area.
An ideal resource for a cover lesson or a homework task (or as resources for ‘school at home’).
The topics covered are: History and evidence, Women, Leaders, Inventors and scientists, Battles, The Romans, Invasions: Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, 1066, Medieval, Sixteenth century, Seventeenth century, Empire and Slavery, Industrial Revolution, The Great War, WW2, Cold War, The USA, Native American Indians, Russia/USSR, France, Germany
A selection of 40 people who were the first in an occupation or to achieve a specific goal, ranging from the first Oscar winner to the first Cabinet minister via Mercury Prize winner and international footballers.
An ideal resource to support learning about the multi-cultural nature of British society; there are several components to this resource:
A power point presentation with one slide per person and their achievement (also in a ‘run through’ version that plays automatically);
A set of word searches featuring these people: there are two in ‘traditional’ format (17 or 18 names in each) and three with a quiz -provided in four versions : each has the same words to find but they aren’t provided -first you need to use the clues (questions) to work out what word you are searching for.
One just has the clues then there are three supported versions (each of the four has the same clues): the first has the first letter of the answer; the second has the number of numbers in the answer and the third has both the first letter and number of letters. (These have 12 names each)
Two sets of printable ‘cards’ : One for matching pairs with one half having the name of one of the fifty people and the other half what they achieved. They are in sets of ten names (achievements) so that students can be given varied numbers to allow for increasing challenge. (The second is similar but set out as a set of dominoes to allow for greater variety and a degree of support -again provided in sets (of five) to allow for increasing challenge if more than one set used at a time. Answers provided!
A range of time-line based tasks on a variety of 20 topics (from Ancient Civilisations to the 20th century)
Ideal for use as a cover lesson or a stand-alone homework- or as a resource for ‘school at home’.
Helps students develop their historical understanding and use of relevant skills
Activities include: Sorting information into order to enter into a time chart; Using comprehension skills to complete a time chart timeline; categorising information in a completed time chart.
