This is a set of 7 lessons on the Great Fire of London with aims, activities, vocabulary and references to the National Curriculum. The lessons use Vlad and the Great Fire of London and have linked resources, but you can use and adapt in whatever way is most useful to you and your class. I love this topic and have tried to include plenty of talk, drama activities and images that bring it to life, in a way that will excite children, and give them the tools to write and discuss with enthusiasm. The Big Questions aim to give them a wider perspective and stretch their understanding. I visit schools linked to my book ‘Vlad and the Great Fire of London’, for information about this please look at the Reading Riddle website. If you have found this useful please give it a review :) and look at my other free resources.

Six images from our book Vlad and the Great Fire of London, to put in order and make a timeline of the events. For an extension activity children can write further detail and add information about when the fire was finally extinguished. Further free resources are available on my TES shop and if you have found this useful please give it a review so others know :) The images are taken from the 2nd Edition of Vlad and the Great Fire of London and information about this and my school visits can be found on the Reading Riddle website.

A map of London in 1666 with a grid to mark key sites of the Great Fire. Children mark sites such as Pudding Lane, Tower of London and the fields where Londoners camped after the fire. They are given the grid references to colour the area burned by the fire. This map covers the journey taken by Vlad and Boxton in the picture book of the events of the Great Fire (Vlad and the Great Fire of London by Kate and Sam Cunningham, which is available on Amazon). The map can be used with the book or works independently too. There are other free resources around the Great Fire of London available from my shop. For information on my storytelling and drama sessions please visit the Reading Riddle website.

A powerpoint presentation introducing the Great Fire of London and what impact it had on the city. It includes information on where London is, what was in London and what it looks like now. It is the resource mentioned in lesson 1 of the seven history lessons in the Reading Riddle shop. It is also available as a video on the Reading Riddle YouTube channel. Images are taken from our book, Vlad and the Great Fire of London. Find more activities and resources on the Reading Riddle website.

Key vocabulary for the history topic, the Great Fire of London, with illustrations to support KS1 children of varying abilities. I hope the sheet is a useful resource in its own right links with our book, Vlad and the Great Fire of London, illustrated by Sam Cunningham. The book is available from all sales outlets including the Reading Riddle website. Further resources, materials and updates are also available on the shop and Reading Riddle website.

Using the events of the Great Fire of London, this planning enables children to take an alternative character and write their story. Using drama the children consider the events and write a story set in September 1666. For further ideas and planning see the Reading Riddle website. Vlad and the Great Fire of London is available from Amazon or The National Archives bookshop.

A mixture of images of materials and clues from 1666 and now, that lead to discussion about things that caused the Great Fire of London to spread. This resource relates to the lesson plan available for free from the shop. The images can be cut up and sorted into the relevant era. They then provide a starting point for comparing what houses were made from and how close they were placed. The images are ideal for talking about similarities and differences in life now and hundreds of years ago and are also connected with resources for our book Vlad and the Great Fire of London. All illustrations are the copyright of Reading Riddle. More activities and ideas are on our Reading Riddle website and YouTube channel.

These documents include the rationale, list of activities and record sheet for a set of activities targeted at children who find handwriting and controlling pencils difficult. The aim is to strengthen their grip and improve their ability to control pencils. I put this together after having been asked to do these activities with children by Physios and Occupational Therapists over the years, and having been told that often a barrier to the writing was an inability to hold a small grip. Obviously larger pencils and pencil grips also help but these mini-workouts were targeted at children who still had difficulties and had is many cases had less access to activities needing fine motor control at a younger age.

Questions about non fiction fact books on a prompt sheet. These are intended to help parents to discuss books with their children. There is a separate sheet of questions about fiction books. Reading Riddle is a free website that aims to support parents and gives information about reading with children.

This classroom activity looks at war memorials and considers who they are for, what they are made from and what images are used. Children then use this to design a memorial of their own. Through this activity the children think about why we have memorials and the wide range of people and animals who are being remembered. For further information about the Vlad flea books visit the Reading Riddle website.

The planning and resources are based on the research and illustrations from the picture book Vlad and the Florence Nightingale Adventure. It works well with the book but can also be used independently. Florence Nightingale’s influence included working to make hospitals cleaner, train nurses to be professionals and gathering data to determine what changes improved healthcare. The lessons cover these ideas and include looking at hospitals past and present, timelines, science investigation on hygiene, the role of a nurse now and in history, first aid and making a difference and data gathering. There are links to RE, PSHE, Science, English and Maths. Within the lessons are Big Questions link to the topic to promote speaking and listening. There are powerpoints and resources to support lessons. Planning for English lessons on persuasive writing and instructions has been downloaded separately. For further information about the Vlad series of books (Vlad and the Great Fire of London, Vlad and the First World War), school visits, lesson resources and encouraging reading with families see the Reading Riddle website.

This powerpoint summarises the what, who, why, when and how of Remembrance Day. It uses simple language and clear illustrations from the picture book, Vlad and the First World War. The powerpoint is editable to suit your specific audience but the illustrations are the copyright of Sam Cunningham so should not be used elsewhere. If you want any further information on the book or the first book Vlad and the Great Fire of London please visit the Reading Riddle website.

A list of activities starting with going to the library in the holiday and following through with reading activities. Research clearly shows that children who have access to a choice of books at home with be more successful readers. The Reading Riddle website aims to bring together ideas, websites and information on reading for parents and teachers.

This lesson helps children consider the London refugees after the Great Fire of London. It considers what happened to them and what they took when they fled. They are then encouraged to make links with modern refugees and discuss the differences between now and 350 years ago. it gives the opportunity to reveal and challenge misconceptions about life in seventeenth century. It also raises awareness that people have often had to flee danger at different times and in different parts of the world. It includes a lesson plan, powerpoint (with a copy of Charles II proclamation on the London refugees and how to help them) and differentiated work sheets showing similarities and differences between now and then. The images are taken from my book Vlad and the Great Fire of London. I hope it is useful. If you like this and are interested in me coming in to do storytelling you can further information on the Reading Riddle website.

A list of questions that parents can use to talk about the book they have read with their child. These are the same questions on the classroom fiction question sheets, but on one sheet that can be shared with parents. This could be included as homework or in reading records to extend the reading experience between parents and children. Reading Riddle is a free website that aims to encourage parents and help them become more confident when reading with their children.

This is a pdf version of my printed book, Vlad and the Great Fire of London Activity Book which is also available for sale from my website and Amazon. It is linked to (but can be used separately from) the picture book Vlad and the Great Fire of London. "Excellent book, fits perfectly with KS1 curriculum. Lovely language and great illustrations. Would also highly recommend the authors website and her school visits." This is not a lesson resource book, but was written as a fun activity book, which could be used as homework - the contents are listed below and can be seen on the attached video. I am uploading it here for easy, printable purchase, but please note the same copyright applies as if you bought the bound book. It was created so teachers could use the resources in class and this version would be easier to copy for your own use, in your class. It is a black and white book (to reduce cost and allow for colouring-in!) and includes the following pages: The Great Fire numbers – fill out the information, putting the correct number into the sentences. Dot-to-dot. What’s wrong? – identify the objects that could not have been in a room in 1666. Who am I? – five people who saw the fire give a clue to their identity. Unscramble their names from the letters given. The Fire Game – a board game with counters and a dice to make. Colour in the fire scene. Boxton is trapped! – help Boxton escape from Pudding Lane through the maze of streets to the fields. Easy bread rolls – a simple recipe to make your own bread. Acrostic – answer the clues to spell a phrase. Fire wordsearch – find all the hidden fire vocabulary. Vlad the flea and Boxton the rat finger puppets to make. Londoner finger puppets – firefighters with moving arms. Fire facts and answers to the quizzes. (Please note that the second file is the colour cover which you may not feel the need to print but has been included in case you want to) For information, resources, visits and to sign up for new materials as they come out please see the Reading Riddle website Many thanks, Kate

This resource accompanies Vlad and the First World War picture book. This guide has been written by the author of the Vlad picture book. It shares the research behind the book and gives a detailed summary of the history before, during and after the war. In addition it contains page by page guidance to the images in the original book and useful questions. If you are teaching this topic it will give you the key information on the history, context and curriculum learning. There are Big Questions that test both deeper factual knowledge and critical thinking, and ideas about where to look for visits and other activities. It contains all the information you need to teach the topic to a greater depth, whether it is the first time or if you want to refresh your knowledge and find out some fun facts to keep the subject lively. Contents: • Extending knowledge of events in modern history • Timeline of events • The start of the First World War The British colonies • Vlad and the First World War explained • After the War • Places to visit in person and online • Big Questions • Other Vlad resources

This resource accompanies Vlad and the Florence Nightingale Adventure picture book. This guide has been written by the author of the Vlad picture book. It shares the research behind the book and gives a detailed summary of the history before, during and after her time in Scutari Hospital. In addition it contains page by page guidance to the images in the original book and useful questions. If you are teaching a topic about Florence Nightingale this will give you the key information on the history, context and curriculum learning. There are Big Questions that test both deeper factual knowledge and critical thinking, and ideas about where to look for visits and other activities. It contains all the information you need to teach the topic to a greater depth, whether it is the first time or if you want to refresh your knowledge and find out some fun facts to keep the subject lively. Contents: • Why is Florence Nightingale’s work important? • Timeline of events • Florence Nightingale’s early life • Vlad and the Florence Nightingale Adventure explained • After Scutari Hospital • Places to visit in person and online • Big Questions • Other Vlad resources

This resource accompanies Vlad and the Great Fire of London picture book. This guide has been written by the author of the Vlad picture book. It shares the research behind the book and gives a detailed summary of the history before, during and after the fire. In addition it contains page by page guidance to the images in the original book and useful questions. If you are teaching the Great Fire of London this will give you the key information on the history, context and curriculum learning for this topic. There are Big Questions that test both deeper factual knowledge and critical thinking, and ideas about where to look for visits and other activities. It contains all the information you need to teach the topic to a greater depth, whether it is the first time or if you want to refresh your knowledge and find out some fun facts to keep the subject lively. Contents: • Why is the Great Fire of London a significant event? • Timeline of events • Before the fire • Vlad and the Great Fire of London explained • After the fire • Places to visit in person and online • Big Questions • Other Vlad resources

This is a set of 13 questions about fiction books which aim to prompt discussion. They could be used by groups working independently, for example as a guided reading activity, or in a book corner. They were designed with white space on the right-hand side for the children to write or draw their ideas, and if they are laminated they could then be used repeatedly. Individual sheets might initiate specific pieces of work eg pulling out favourite vocabulary before focussing on what words children might choose to improve their own writing. If you have any suggestions, or would like text specific questions please let me know. Thank you.