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.
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 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.
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 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 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 set of linked resources and activities to help develop knowledge of Britain before the Roman conquest.
There is a power point with a map showing a number of Celtic/Iron Age tribes in England, Wales and Southern Scotland: Atrebates, Brigantes, Corieltauvi, Cornovii, Dumnonii, Durotriges, Iceni, Novantae, Ordovices, Regnenses, Silures, Votadini (selected in part to give a wide geographical on the map). As this is just a selection of the multitude of tribes it allows for an extra activity/challenge of students deciding who else should be included/who could be left out?
There are also slides to print out with the names missing (or just the first letter provided) for students to complete (the list is contained in the word document).
The word document lists the tribes with their approximate modern day areas and has three separate activities.
The first is a set of printable ‘cards’ with the name of the tribe and its approximate modern day area for the tribes on 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 tribes and the main modern day areas.
Together the set provides a range of ways of developing knowledge of Pre-Roman Britain and most activities are suitable for homework or adapted for ‘school at home’.
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
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
366 events/people from the history of Wales-from pre-Roman times to the Modern day.
This is a resource to support learning about Welsh history throughout the year
There are two linked components -featuring the same events/people.
On the power point presentation every day has its own slide with the featured person or events associated with Wales.
In the word document each event/person has a page with a short pen sketch of c250-300 words.
The people range from the famous such as Dylan Thomas to the less well known such as Frances Hoggan. Similarly the events cover a range from the rebellion of Owain Glyndwr to the first person to swim the Bristol Channel. (This is a companion resource to our other ‘Years of’ so we have tried to avoid duplicates but this has not always been possible)
An informative resource especially suitable for use in assembly or tutor time.
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.
Activities to help students develop their historical understanding and improve their ability to comprehend sources.
A set of 20 source-based activities – topics include castles, slavery & factory reform. (See below for full list of contents.)
There is a range of different approaches including ‘4,3,2,1’; ‘Who/What/Where etc’; extracting key points; combining information from a range of sources and comparing different sources…
Ideal for use as a cover lesson or a stand-alone homework (or for providing resources for ‘school at home’).
Topics covered:
Why the Romans wanted an Empire; Viking attack; Domesday book; Castles; The killing of Wat Tyler; The murder of Thomas Becket; King John: A good or bad king?; The defeat of the Spanish Armada; The Divine Right of Kings; Why did the New Model Army win?; The trial of Charles I; Was Oliver Cromwell a good leader?; Child workers in cotton mills; Living in an industrial city; Capturing slaves; Changes in Britain c1750-c1900; Factory Reform; Why did some people emigrate from Britain?; Why did people support Hitler?; Who was to blame for WW2?
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.
Word search and combined word search & quiz
A set of eight 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 and terms relating to WW1 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:
Before WW1: A: Alliance Arms Race Colony Dreadnought Empire
Entente power reason rivalry Triple
Before WW1: B: Austria Balkans Britain Bosnia France
Germany Hungary Italy Russia Sarajevo
Before WW1: C: assassinate Black Hand cause chance mobilise
opportunity plan plot Princip timetable
The Great War: A: aerial Belgium Eastern Front Line Gallipoli
Holland Palestine Schlieffen Turkey Western
The Great War: B: Africa blockade Falklands India Jutland
Marne Mons submarine Somme Verdun
The Great War: C: artillery barbed wire gas machine gun messenger
minefield No Mans Land system support trench
The Great War: D: bomb fatal gas mask grenade headquarters
munitions periscope rifle supplies wound
The Great War: E: America Clemenceau Foch Haig Hindenburg
Lloyd George Neutrality unrestricted Wilhelm Wilson
After WW1: Armistice clause disarm League Mandate
Reparations Rhineland Treaty Versailles War Guilt
A resource to encourage purposeful talk and for students to reflect on their 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.
Moral dilemmas are part of life and so their discussion fits 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.
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
The resources supplied are a power point with 40 different dilemmas which are also supplied in a word document. They cover a range from ‘cheating’ at sport (the officials don’t notice an infringement) to who would you give a heart transplant to if the choice was a former alcoholic or a former chain smoker -so that there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer.
A set of three resources for:
Ancient Greece from 776BC to 140BC
Ancient Egypt from c2,630 BC to 30 BC
Ancient Sumer from c4,000 BC to c1,760BC
Each resource has a pair of tasks with a range of different levels of challenge designed to support knowledge and understanding of the chronology of that period/place.
For each there is an information sheet with 8 events taken from the period (Greece 16) -for each one there is a picture, date and descriptive phrase. As with the tasks they are set out to make them easy to cut out for use by pupils (could also be laminated or stuck onto card). This also allows for a further degree of differentiation by varying the number of events to be sorted or matched.
In all there are seven sheets for each set of events -providing differentiation with a variety of levels of challenge whilst using the same events for all pupils.
The different variants are:
The information sheet ‘cards’ with date, picture and descriptive phrase,
The picture and the date of the event,
The picture and the description of the event,
The date and description of the event,
Just the description related of the event,
Just the picture related to the event,
Just the date of the event.
There are two tasks -one of sorting the events into order and one matching events with their picture/description etc.
The variety of sheets allows for a range of challenge through the amount of information provided (as well as the number of events provided to sort into order).
For sorting the events into their chronological order
These involve sorting using one of the following:
The dates (also with a choice of picture and/or description),
The description of the event,
The picture related to the event.
For matching cards to develop knowledge and understanding of these events there is a choice of levels of challenge:
Matching just the pictures with either description or date (or both),
Matching pictures and dates with their description,
Matching pictures and description with their dates,
Matching dates with description.
The same ‘cards’ could also be used for playing ‘pairs’ (memory game) -again with a range of levels of challenge depending on which variant is used and how many pairs.
These events/pictures are the same as those featured in the linked resources on these periods in world history.
A set of three resources for:
Pre-Roman Britain : 4,500BC to 43 AD
Roman Britain : 43 AD to 410 AD
Anglo-Saxons and Vikings : 449AD to 1066 AD
Each resource has a pair of tasks with a range of different levels of challenge designed to support knowledge and understanding of the chronology of that period in British history.
For each there is an information sheet with 16 events taken from the period -for each one there is a picture, date and descriptive phrase. As with the tasks they are set out to make them easy to cut out for use by pupils (could also be laminated or stuck onto card). This also allows for a further degree of differentiation by varying the number of events to be sorted or matched.
In all there are seven sheets for each set of events -providing differentiation with a variety of levels of challenge whilst using the same events for all pupils.
The different variants are:
The information sheet ‘cards’ with date, picture and descriptive phrase,
The picture and the date of the event,
The picture and the description of the event,
The date and description of the event,
Just the description related of the event,
Just the picture related to the event,
Just the date of the event.
There are two tasks -one of sorting the events into order and one matching events with their picture/description etc.
The variety of sheets allows for a range of challenge through the amount of information provided (as well as the number of events provided to sort into order).
For sorting the events into their chronological order
These involve sorting using one of the following:
The dates (also with a choice of picture and/or description),
The description of the event,
The picture related to the event.
For matching cards to develop knowledge and understanding of these events there is a choice of levels of challenge:
Matching just the pictures with either description or date (or both),
Matching pictures and dates with their description,
Matching pictures and description with their dates,
Matching dates with description.
The same ‘cards’ could also be used for playing ‘pairs’ (memory game) -again with a range of levels of challenge depending on which variant is used and how many pairs.
These events/pictures are the same as those featured in the linked resources on these periods in British history.
A set of resources ideal for use with the 2024 General Election, especially for those young people who are able to vote for the first time. Resources included:
A brief guide to the voting process -from the electoral register to the count.
Information on election results since 1892 -the major parties share of the vote and number of seats won plus the winning Prime Minister-power point plus word document
Information and activities on a range of PMs who were first in some way 1 from the first (Walpole) to the first female (Thatcher) – wordsearch, crossword and variety of comprehension tasks (‘5,4,3,2,1; True/false; questions) (1 +last peer!)
Information and activities on all PMs from Walpole to Sunak (includes word searches, sorting and listing activities) -power point plus word document
How democratic is the UK? This resource encourages students to consider a range of ways in which the UK falls short- including the gender make up of representatives and how election results do not reflect votes cast. Information provided then a range of discussion points -ideal for work on British Values-power point plus word document
