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 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 information on a range of 40 people or events associated with Wales. There is a power point presentation with two slides for each person or event; one with a picture and the associated date(s); the second having a short pen sketch of c250-300 words. (The topics covered are largely a selection from our larger Welsh year resource): 30 people from Richard Burton to Llewelyn the Great via Gwendoline Davies and 10 events from the Newport Rising to S4C via Aberfan disaster.
A set of linked resources and activities to help students improve their knowledge and understanding of the chronology of British history.
This is an important part of the History National Curriculum but one which often causes students difficulty.
This is a sample of a selection from a range of these resources.
These are taken from the resources focussed on KS2.
These resources are designed specifically to help students in particular with the ordering of events. To help with understanding the passage of time there is a power point presentation that shows the intervals between events.
This has a range of selected events and is designed to convey a sense of the passage of time by having the transition between slides vary in length depending on how many years actually passed between events.
Each slide has a date, event and appropriate illustration. (Each event slide is on show for five seconds and the whole presentation lasts for approximately five minutes).
As a bonus there is also a ‘click through’ version of the slide show to enable the teacher to give additional information or discuss the event with students.
The selection of events is not meant to be definitive for the study of that period (it’s a selection not a comprehensive timeline!) – this allows for an extra activity/challenge of students deciding what is missing/what could be left out.
The same events are on a word document and to help with improving knowledge there are activities which involve matching events to dates etc.
The first involves sorting set of five different events into the correct order – available on power point and word document.
The second 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).
The third is a set of ‘domino cards’ to provide a more supported matching challenge; each card has an event and a date that links to another event -so making a sequence of events.
Topics available : Ancient Greece; Britain before the Romans; Roman Britain; Anglo-Saxon and Viking Britain; Periods in British history
A set of linked resources and activities to help students improve their knowledge and understanding of the chronology of British history.
This is an important part of the History National Curriculum but one which often causes students difficulty.
This is a sample of a selection from a range of these resources.
These are taken from the resources focussed on KS3.
These resources are designed specifically to help students in particular with the ordering of events. To help with understanding the passage of time there is a power point presentation that shows the intervals between events.
This has a range of selected events and is designed to convey a sense of the passage of time by having the transition between slides vary in length depending on how many years actually passed between events.
Each slide has a date, event and appropriate illustration. (Each event slide is on show for five seconds and the whole presentation lasts for approximately five minutes).
As a bonus there is also a ‘click through’ version of the slide show to enable the teacher to give additional information or discuss the event with students.
The selection of events is not meant to be definitive for the study of that period (it’s a selection not a comprehensive timeline!) – this allows for an extra activity/challenge of students deciding what is missing/what could be left out.
The same events are on a word document and to help with improving knowledge there are activities which involve matching events to dates etc.
The first involves sorting set of five different events into the correct order – available on power point and word document.
The second 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).
The third is a set of ‘domino cards’ to provide a more supported matching challenge; each card has an event and a date that links to another event -so making a sequence of events.
There are available the following sets of resources: (KS3)
Periods in British History
Medieval Times (2 sub sets – England ; Britain and other nations)
Tudors and Stuarts (2 sub sets – Tudors ; Stuarts)
Industrial Revolution (and farming etc – 3 sub sets: 1694 to 1803; 1803 to 1846; 1851 to 1901
Britain (and the world) c1714 to c1900 (3 sub sets: Britain and the World; Politics and Reform ; Society and Culture
Britain in the 20th century (2 sub sets – Britain in the 20th century; Britain and the world)
There are also resources on KS2 topics
Updated for Charles III
This resource is a power point with a difference to support knowledge and understanding of chronology.
Each slide features a picture of the monarchs of England/Britain from Alfred the Great to Charles III. Each slide appears for a varied amount of time. This helps show how much real time they reigned for – in this presentation 1 second equals 4 years (so the presentation lasts for around 5 minutes)
Activities to help students develop their historical understanding and improve their ability to comprehend sources.
An example from the 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.
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?
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?
An example of the full resource which uses graphs, data and ‘shopping’ activities to help develop both historical and mathematical knowledge and understanding.
The full resource has a range of 20 topics including the transatlantic slave trade, Britain in 1851, The Great Powers before WW1. (Full list included in free sample)
Ideal for use as a cover lesson or a stand-alone homework. (Answers provided)
Helps students develop their historical understanding and use of relevant skills.
Activities include: Using information to complete charts; Extracting information from tables; basic accounts and shopping activities; completing data tables by using calculations.
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.
An example of the full resource which has a range of timeline based tasks on a variety of 20 topics (e.g. Ancient Civilisations, British Empire & WW2) -Full list included in free sample.
Ideal for use as a cover lesson or a stand-alone homework.
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.
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.
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
An example of an ideal resource for a cover lesson or a homework task; each crossword has 20 clues which will complete the grid.
The full resource has 21 crosswords on a range of topics including: Battles, women and Germany. It comes with a free version that has the first letter of each answer as support.
The always popular activity (even for adults!)
This example document has three separate word searches each with answers provided. Each has a grid and 10 words to find.
The full resource has over 110 different word searches on wide range of topics including: Medieval life, slavery and WW2.
Ideal for use in a wide range of settings such as a last minute cover resource or basic homework task (good for getting students to organise their own time)
Maybe even to help staff relax at lunchtime!!