This interesting and highly-stimulating lesson enables students to gain a clear understanding of the key meanings in the Greek Myth ‘Pandora's Box.’ Through engagement with the story, students learn to interpret and infer the key elements of plot in texts, comment upon the writer’s purposes and messages in texts, challenging and building upon their ideas, and apply the key messages to other contexts. The lesson follows a clear, logical, bite-size learning journey, which guides students towards differentiated learning objectives. Over the course of this journey, they become able to: - Understand the phrase 'opening Pandora's Box' and apply it to modern contexts; - Read the story 'Pandora's Box' and interpret the key meanings; - Summarise the key events of the story through a storyboard; - Identify, explain, and analyse the writer's key messages in 'Pandora's Box;' - Engage deeply with the text by challenging and building upon the ideas/messages raised by the writer;' - Test their understanding of the story by creating their own recreations; - Peer assess each other's learning attempts. This resource pack includes: - A visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint presentation; - Paper copies and online links to a copy of Pandora's Box; - Pandora's Box Storyboard; - The Writer's Message Worksheet; - A detailed lesson plan, complete with what the teacher and students should aim to achieve at each stage of the lesson. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the PowerPoint.

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising knowledge of World War II. It is ideal for GCSE or upper KS3 students, and contains comprehensive sections on: Major Events - dates, images, descriptions, and key facts; Key People - Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin, Anne Frank; Main Participating Countries - Flags, Year joined and death toll; Timeline of Major Events; Key words and ideas are underlined for easy reference. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included).

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s fluency and comprehension skills through reading an information article about the Lascaux Cave Paintings. It includes information about the location of the caves, subject matter of the paintings, how they were created, and how the paintings are being preserved. The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s VIPERS skills: vocabulary, inference, prediction, explanation, retrieval, sequencing and summarising. It also contains a vocabulary check immediately after the extract is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The extract needed is provided in both PDF and Word format. The session is best suited for children across KS2, I have previously used the resources with years 3-5.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s comprehension skills through a reading of a narrative poem version of ‘Perseus and Medusa’ (written by Paul Perro and aimed at children). The resource pack includes the extract and all of the activities for the session, which the class are guided through via a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation. The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, prediction and summarising skills. It also contains a vocabulary check immediately after the text is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The session is best suited for children in lower KS2. I originally used this with Year 3-4 children, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups. The session is also suitable for home/ remote learning.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s fluency and comprehension skills, whilst simultaneously building their understanding of toys over time. It contains an original text and the step-by-step PowerPoint presentation leading teachers and learners through the post-reading activities. The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, prediction and summarising skills. It also contains a vocabulary check immediately after the extract is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The session is best suited for children in years 1-2, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

In this engaging and purposeful lesson, children develop an introductory understanding of what explorers are and how exploring has changed over time. In particular, they: -Define what an explorer is and consider the skills explorers need; -Identify some important explorations from the past; -Understand the factors that have helped to develop exploration. The learning is guided by a clear and colourful PowerPoint presentation, which guides students through the following step-by-step journey: -Knowledge recall of basic history skills and key terms; -Defining what explorers are and considering the key skills and qualities that they need; -Understanding base information about how the earliest humans explored to become natives of different areas around the world; -Considering how exploration was limited before the 1400s; -Considering the technological and societal changes that made wider exploration possible; -Imagining that they were an explorer from this time, and contemplating the different expeditions that they would like to undertake; -Self-reflecting on the extent to which they feel they have met the learning objective. Included is the comprehensive PowerPoint presentation (17 slides), which contains all of the information needed to teach the lesson. Also included is the worksheet for the development task - in both Word and PDF format. In the past, I have used this lesson with children in lower KS2 (years 3 and 4) - the key learning is aligned with curriculum expectations for history. All images are licensed for commercial use.

This KS1 whole class reading session aims to develop children’s comprehension skills through the reading of an original factfile about the life of Ernest Shackleton. The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, prediction and summarising skills. It also contains a vocabulary check immediately after the extract is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The session is best suited for children in years 1-2, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

In this engaging and purposeful lesson, children develop an understanding of who Christopher Columbus was and the impact that he had on the world: In particular, they: -Learn who Christopher Columbus was and what he is known for; -Explain how Columbus’ voyages have impacted the world today; -Evaluate the actions and behaviour of Christopher Columbus. The learning is guided by a clear and colourful PowerPoint presentation, which guides students through the following step-by-step journey: -Knowledge recall of basic history skills, key terms, and the meaning of exploration; -Watching an engaging video (hyperlinked) to gain a base understanding of his life, voyages and achievements; -Answer comprehension questions demonstrating what they have learnt from the video; -Exploring quotations from Columbus’ own account of his voyages, to discover how he mistreated native people in the lands that he explored; -Evaluating Columbus’ impact on the world; -Self-reflecting on the extent to which they feel they have met the learning objective. Included is the comprehensive PowerPoint presentation (18 slides), which contains all of the information needed to teach the lesson. Also included are the quotations for the development task - in both Word and PDF format. In the past, I have used this lesson with children in lower KS2 (years 3 and 4) - the key learning is aligned with curriculum expectations for history. All images are licensed for commercial use.

This clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising knowledge relating to explorers over time. It contains comprehensive sections on: -Explorers Overview; -Christopher Columbus and the Age of Exploration; -Edmund Hillary, Tenzing Norgay and the First Summit of Everest; -Neil Armstrong and the Space Race; -Key Vocabulary; -Explorers Timeline. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included). It is most suitable for students in KS2, but could feasibly be used for slightly older and younger children with only a few tweaks.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s fluency and comprehension skills through reading Heidi Poelman’s ‘Courageous People Who Changed the World.’ The text gives an outline of the achievements of: William Wilberforce, Harriet Tubman, Abraham Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony, Mahatma Gandhi, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King jr, Malala Yousafzai. The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, prediction and summarising skills. It also contains a vocabulary check immediately after the extract is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The text is available freely on Epic and is hyperlinked on the first slide for ease of access. The session is best suited for children in years 2-3, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This KS1 whole class reading session aims to develop children’s comprehension skills through the reading of a Paul Perro poem about The Great Fire of London. The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, prediction and summarising skills. It also contains a vocabulary check immediately after the extract is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The poem is provided in both Word and as a PDF. The session is best suited for children in years 1-2, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s fluency and comprehension skills, whilst enabling them to gain a deeper understanding of Machu Picchu, through reading an age-appropriate ‘National Geographic Kids’ non-fiction text about its history and important features. The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, prediction and summarising skills. It also contains a vocabulary check immediately after the extract is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The text has been adapted from a web source to ensure that it is clear and age-appropriate. It is provided in both PDF and Word, so that you can make any additional alterations should you wish to. The session is best suited for children in years 3-4, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s fluency and comprehension skills, whilst enabling them to gain a deeper understanding of Audley End House, through reading a short, age-appropriate non-fiction text about its construction, history and important features. The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, prediction and summarising skills. It also contains a vocabulary check immediately after the extract is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The text has been adapted from a web source to ensure that it is clear and age-appropriate. It is provided in both PDF and Word, so that you can make any additional alterations should you wish to. The session is best suited for children in years 3-4, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This resource offers a wide range of knowledge retrieval activities for those studying Robert Scott and Roald Amundsen’s Race to the South Pole. There are a wide range of interesting and thought-provoking activities (over 30 slides in total) which help children to secure all of the important vocabulary, dates, and events from the unit. Research-approved activities include: -Quick Fire Questions; -Picture Stimulus; -Retrieval Grid; -Fill in the Blank; -Crossword; -Vocabulary Busters; -Fact Dump; -Rank 5; -Theme Explorers; -Anagrams; and more These resources have been used successfully in the classroom, and are most suited for those in upper KS1 (year 2) or lower KS2 (years 3-4).