An abridged version of Children of the New Forest (chapter one). Having looked for suitable books when teaching the English Civil War to KS2 pupils I found that there was little to choose from. Although Children of the New Forest is a fantastic story, the lengthy nature of Victorian writing meant that it was a challenge to enable the pupils to both understand the language itself, and read sufficient of the story to gain enough from the plot. Therefore, as the book is in the public domain and not subject to copyright laws, I have abridged the first chapter, with the intention of looking at the whole book. Comprehension and reading activities to accompany this book will follow. In this chapter I have highlighted certain words that teachers may wish to use for dictionary work, or pause to discuss (a resource for this will follow). I hope that this will prove useful to someone and would value any feedback.

Planning using a boxed format where pupils can first outline the story of Beowulf, idenifying themes that they can then imitate when planning there own story/legend side by side. Suitable for year 4 and up although the format can be adapted for any story writing.

An inference activity linked to the story of Beowulf. Pupils will need to use an image to determine firstly, what they can see within the image and secondly what they can infer from this.

An activity to help pupils identify and understand the use of relative clauses through the story Beowulf (Morpurgo’s version). Using examples from the text, pupils find the relative pronoun that will lead them to identify the relative clause. They then have a go at creating some examples of their own, using the examples as inspiration/support. This activity is suggested for year 5 and up, although it could be adapted for certain year 4 groups.

An exemplar for subject scrutiny- especially useful for those new to foundation subject leadership. This resources gives examples of what might be looked for (although this is dependent on your school development plan) and feedback points. It can be adapted for use.

A template of questions to ask pupils in KS1/2 about their history learning.

A resource sheet to aid pupils in developing sentences using fronted adverbials with commas . The story of Beowulf is used as stimulus. Pupils must add their own adverbial phrases to the beginning of given sentences. How many ways can they rewrite the sentences with different openers? How does the effect change with their choice of opener? Planning and smart board are available to accompany this resource.

A document outlining the progress expectations for each year group 1-6 in history. Can be matched to any sequence of learning in history and is a great tool for checking that learning has the required coverage. It can also be used as a teacher self assessment tool and planning aid.

A whole school overview for the history curriculum yr 1-6

A smart board to accompany a sequence of four lessons on historical settings using the Children of the New Forest as stimulus. This resource also includes a weekly carousel for guided reading with suggested activities.

A sequence of four lessons, using the Children of the New Forest as stimulus, looking at historical settings. This planning focuses on the part of the story where the children have lost their home, Arnwood, to a fire set by the parliamentarian soldiers. Pupils have the opportunity to think about how the different characters might have felt about the fire and demonstrate how they might continue to write as if they are the character. This sequence has been written with year 4 in mind but would be suitable with year 3 pupils or older. A smart board to accompany the lesson is also available.

An assembly written to show case learning that had happened over a term on the English Civil War. It involves pupils taking on the part of key historical figures to give the audience some background in to this area of history. There are also suggested opportunities for pupils to show work. A song suggestion is available.

Information sheet on the life and execution of King Charles I. Can be used independently or in conjunction with Year 4- Charles I biography planning and resources.

This resource is to accompany a four session unit on biography writing. it includes national curriculum objectives and talking opportunities for pupils to develop their understanding of biography writing and purpose.

Four sessions are included to aid pupils in producing a biography on King Charles I (smart board and resources are available as a bundle or individually to accompany this planning). Additional biography examples will be needed for comparison and identification of features. This unit also refers to the book Children of the New Forest.

Planning resource for biography writing- aimed at helping pupils develop the structure of their writing. This resource has previously been used to support year 4 pupils.

This planning is taken from a sequence of 5 lessons around the Battle of Hastings. This resource is aimed at primary level, and has been taught to year 4, however it could be adapted to suit older or younger pupils. Smart board and differentiated (star level challenges) are available to accompany the planning.