Planning and resources for primary teachers from http://www.ks2history.com. Our history topics include Stone Age to Iron Age, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Victorians, Shang Dynasty etc and the list is expanding each month, with literacy units to link to the topics too.
Our popular resources have been tried and tested in hundreds of classrooms.
Planning and resources for primary teachers from http://www.ks2history.com. Our history topics include Stone Age to Iron Age, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Victorians, Shang Dynasty etc and the list is expanding each month, with literacy units to link to the topics too.
Our popular resources have been tried and tested in hundreds of classrooms.
Download our popular Ancient Egypt lesson planning bundle containing 10 full lessons.
This resource contains a bundle of history lessons that make up a complete unit covering the Ancient Egyptians topic. Each file contains a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint slides and pupil resource sheets.
The planning pack covers the following lessons:
Who were the Ancient Egyptians?
Why was Ancient Egypt the ‘Gift of the Nile’?
Who were the Ancient Egyptian pharaohs?
Why did the Ancient Egyptians build the pyramids?
What did the Ancient Egyptians do for fun?
What was mummification in Ancient Egypt?
Who were the Ancient Egyptian gods?
What did Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics mean?
What was discovered inside Tutankhamun’s tomb?
Who was Cleopatra and how is she remembered?
These lessons are written for KS2 and are aligned to the National Curriculum in the UK but can be easily adapted to other curriculums too. The lesson plans include differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
This bundle is brought to you by KS2History.com.
You may also like our Egyptian Cinderella Literacy Resource Pack.
The Egyptian Cinderella Pack contains a complete unit of work for Year 3/4, with full lesson plans and pupil resources based on the book ‘The Egyptian Cinderella’ by Shirley Climo.
The ten lessons in this English unit give children the opportunity to read and listen to the story of The Egyptian Cinderella a number of times in order to become familiar with the language and structure of the story.
In the first week, children will engage with the text through fun drama, discussion and debate activities to deepen their understanding of the story and they will have the opportunity to articulate ideas about the text using an increasingly varied vocabulary. There is a grammar focus on using comparative conjunctions, feelings words and action verbs as well as a chance to develop thesaurus skills. In the second week, pupils will plan their own story and they will draft, edit and present their final narrative.
The English objectives covered are:
-To compare different versions of a traditional story
-To predict what might happen in a story
-To use comparative conjunctions
-To use a thesaurus to improve writing
-To infer how a character feels
-To use feelings words
-To identify how verbs can create an action section
-To take part in a class debate
-To make a story plan
-To write my own narrative
-To edit my writing
-To make decisions about how to present my writing
#lovehistory
If you like this Egyptian Cinderella Planning Pack, you may also like:
Year 3 Performance Poetry Literacy Pack
Escape from Pompeii Literacy Planning
Stone Age to Iron Age Planning Bundle
A full lesson for KS2 about how Anglo-Saxon Britain was organised, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
How was Anglo-Saxon Britain ruled?
This lesson looks at five major kingdoms from Anglo-Saxon Britain. Pupils will learn about the social hierarchy and will use character cards to rank different people in order of importance. Then they will look at how their local area relates to the kingdom structure and investigate the meaning of local place names that originate from Anglo-Saxon times.
Objectives:
To find out how Anglo-Saxons kingdoms were organised
To investigate Anglo-Saxon place names
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
You may also like:
Anglo-Saxons Unit for KS2: A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Anglo-Saxon topic.
What was it like in an Anglo-Saxon village? A complete lesson for KS2
Where did the Anglo-Saxons come from? A complete lesson for KS2
Stone Age Boy Planning (2 Weeks): The official KS2History planning pack for the book Stone Age Boy, downloaded by hundreds of teachers. Download the original Stone Age Boy resource pack from KS2History. This two-week unit of English work, based on the book 'Stone Age Boy', works well alongside the topic Stone Age to Iron Age for Year 3 and Year 4. The PDF pack contains ten full lesson plans and accompanying pupil resources.
The lessons in this Stone Age Boy Planning Pack use drama, discussion and debate to help pupils to engage with the text and then gives them the opportunity to write and edit their own Stone Age narratives. There is also a grammar focus on using adverbials of time and place and a chance to develop thesaurus skills.
The English objectives covered in this unit are:
- To ask and answer questions about a text
- To use a thesaurus to improve my writing
- To use adverbials of time and place
- To prepare a short drama piece based on a text
- To take part in a class debate
- To make a story plan
- To write my own narrative
- To edit my writing
- To make decisions about how to present my writing
If you like this Stone Age Boy Planning Pack, you may also like:
Stone Age to Iron Age Planning Pack
How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth Literacy Planning
Stone Age to Iron Age planning bundle of all 3 packs
#lovehistory
A lesson for KS2 about Athens and Sparta, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and printable activity sheets.
This lesson is part of our popular Ancient Greece Pack for Key Stage 2.
Lesson: Why were Athens and Sparta so different?
In this lesson, pupils will learn how Ancient Greece was divided up into ‘city-states’, each with its own laws and armies. They will draw contrasts between two of the most powerful city-states – Athens and Sparta – and use their knowledge to develop a balanced argument about which one they would prefer to live in.
Objectives:
To know what city-states were
To compare the city-states of Athens and Sparta
To make a balanced argument based on historical knowledge
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Ancient Greeks Lessons Pack for KS2: A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Ancient Greece topic.
This primary history resource has been created by KS2History.
A full lesson for KS2 exploring the fascinating topic of mummification. The resource includes a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What was mummification in Ancient Egypt?
In this exciting lesson, pupils will find out all about the process of making mummies! After they have been introduced to the reasons behind mummification in Ancient Egypt, pupils will work in teams on a hands-on challenge to make their own mummified dolls following the different steps of the ancient process and then write their own instructions. They will finish the lesson with a quiz about animal mummies.
Objectives:
To find out why the Ancient Egyptians mummified people
To understand the different stages of the mummification process
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
This lesson is part of the KS2History Ancient Egyptians Planning Pack for KS2.
This primary history resource is created by KS2History.
A full lesson for KS2 that engages pupils in a series of historical questioning about the pyramids of Ancient Egypt. The resource includes a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
4. Why did the Ancient Egyptians build the pyramids?
In this lesson pupils will think about the why, what, how and where of pyramid building. They will investigate different types of pyramids in a hands-on modelling challenge and then they will learn about some of the logistics behind building these gigantic structures, as well as exploring their key purposes. Pupils will present their findings in a 3D pyramid fact file.
Objectives:
To explore what the pyramids looked like
To discover why and how the Egyptians built the pyramids.
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
This lesson is part of the KS2History Ancient Egyptians Planning Pack for KS2.
This primary history resource is created by KS2History.
A full lesson for KS2 introducing Iron Age hillforts. The resource includes a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What was life like in an Iron Age hill fort?
Pupils will discover what life was like in an Iron Age hill fort in Britain. This lesson encourages pupils to engage imaginatively with this historical setting and reflect on how life in this period might have been different to life today, making a storyboard to record their ideas. As an extension activity pupils are challenged to find out about archaeological sites like Maiden Castle.
Objectives:
To understand how British society changed in the Iron Age
To imagine what life might have been like in an Iron Age hill fort
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
This is the ninth lesson in the popular Stone Age to Iron Age Unit for KS2..
This primary history resource was created by KS2History.
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Iron Age Art (Lesson for KS2)
Bronze Age (Lesson for KS2)
Stone Age Hunter-Gatherers (Lesson for KS2)
Stone Age Artefacts & Evidence (Lesson for KS2)
Stonehenge Mysteries (Lesson for KS2)
Stone Age Boy Literacy Planning - 2 Weeks
Stone Age to Iron Age Planning Bundle for KS2
Download our popular two-week unit of work for Years 3/4 based on the book ‘How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth’, with a focus on instructional texts. Perfect for linking the Stone Age topic in literacy!
This unit gives children the opportunity to understand the features of instructions as a text type. In the first week, children will engage with the text through research, a hands-on toy washing challenge and the opportunity to create their own ‘Woolly Mammoth Cleaning Kit’. They will become familiar with the text type by following instructions to make their own milk bottle mammoth models and identifying features of the text. There is a grammar focus on using prepositions and imperative verbs.
In the second week, pupils will use drama to develop ideas and extend vocabulary. They will then plan their own set of instructions and they will draft, edit and present their final written outcome.
The literacy objectives covered are:
To retrieve and record information from non-fiction
To participate in discussion about a text
To use a range of imperative verbs
To use prepositions
To read and follow written instructions
To identify the features of instructions
To identify how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning
To prepare a group performance
To use a rich and varied vocabulary
To make a plan for my writing
To write my own set of instructions
To edit and evaluate my writing
To integrate visual devices
The PDF file contains 10 full lesson plans and accompanying pupil resource sheets.
You may also like:
Stone Age Boy Literacy Planning
Stone Age to Iron Age Resource Pack
Stone Age to Iron Age planning bundle of all 3 packs
A full lesson for KS2 about the Anglo-Saxons settling in Britain, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Why did the Anglo-Saxons want to settle in Britain?
In this lesson pupils learn the difference between invading and settling. They explore some of the key reasons the Anglo-Saxons wanted to settle in Britain, looking at push and pull factors. Pupils will then write a letter from British King Vortigern to persuade a group of Anglo-Saxons to move to Britain.
Objectives:
To understand the terms ’invaders’ and ‘settlers’
To explain some of the reasons the Anglo-Saxons wanted to settle in Britain
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
You may also like:
Anglo-Saxons Unit for KS2: A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Anglo-Saxon topic.
Where did the Anglo-Saxons come from? A complete lesson for KS2
Back to School - a fun activity for primary classrooms. This Recipe for a Great School Year activity pack (including full lesson Powerpoint and all templates) makes a fun welcome project for a new class and creates a classroom display to put up for the new school year. Updated for Back to School 2019.
A super first week back/getting to know you activity!
The aim of this fun activity is to help your new class think about what will make the next school year a successful one.
Pupils will create a recipe for a great school year (the writing activity is included in the Powerpoint lesson provided) and then they can use the templates to turn it into a fabulous transition craft, perfect for display!
This resource includes:
- A full lesson powerpoint including discussion points and a differentiated writing activity.
- A teacher instruction pack
- A template pack for making the chef craft
This is an easy-to-follow, fun activity perfect for primary classrooms and can be easily adapted for different age groups.
Please note that due to terms of use in the images used, the Powerpoint file is not editable.
Download this popular two-week unit for Year 1 based on classic poetry to perform.
A two-week literacy unit of work for Year 1, containing lesson plans and pupil resources, looking at some ofEdward Lear's most funny and imaginative poems.
In this unit pupils will:
- listen to classic poems by Edward Lear
- investigate the sounds and language patterns of the poem
- make a comic version of 'The Owl and the Pussycat'
- identify rhyming words and patterns
- make a new version of the poem 'The Jumblies'
- prepare and give a performance to an audience
The poems include 'The Owl and the Pussycat', 'Calico Pie' and 'The Jumblies'.
You may also like our other KS1 poetry packs:
Year 2 Performance Poetry Pack
Summer Performance Poetry Pack
Spring Performance Poetry
A full lesson for KS2 exploring the topic of jobs for Victorian children, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What was life like for working Victorian children?
In this lesson, pupils will find out about the different kinds of work that Victorian children undertook. Pupils will watch videos exploring work in mines, factories and fields and will consider what these jobs would have felt like for children performing the work on a daily basis. Pupils will make a paperchain of Victorian children to present information about different jobs and have the opportunity to hot-seat in the role of a child worker.
Objectives:
To find out what sort of jobs were taken by Victorian children
To explore what life was like for Victorian working children
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
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Introduction to the Victorians: (FREE): A full lesson for KS2 introducing the Victorian period, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Who Was Queen Victoria?; A full lesson for KS2 exploring the life and significance of Queen Victoria, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Inventions: A full lesson for KS2 about famous Victorian inventions, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Industrial Revolution A full lesson for KS2 exploring the impact of the Industrial Revolution, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Railways A full lesson for KS2 about the introduction of the railways, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Schools A full lesson for KS2 about Victorian schools, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Clothing A full lesson for KS2 investigating Victorian clothing, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Crime and Punishment A full lesson for KS2 about crime and punishment in the Victorian period, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
This two-week unit of English work, based on the book ‘The Great Kapok Tree’, works well alongside topics about rainforests, sustainability and Mayans. It can also be used as a standalone English unit. The resources are designed for Year 3 and Year 4.
The ten lessons in this unit use drama, discussion and creative activities to help pupils to engage imaginatively with the text. Pupils will become familiar with the structure of dilemma stories and then write and edit their own dilemma stories based on The Great Kapok Tree. There is also a grammar focus on using direct speech and plenty of activities designed to develop vocabulary.
The English objectives covered in this unit are:
- To retrieve information from non-fiction
- To design a ‘great tree’ setting
- To explore the structure of dilemma stories
- To punctuate direct speech correctly
- To use a range of speech verbs
- To use adverbs in dialogue (higher group)
- To identify persuasive devices
- To use a dictionary to find definitions
- To write a persuasive letter
- To prepare a group performance
- To plan a dilemma story
- To write my own dilemma story
- To edit and evaluate my writing
- To use a thesaurus
The PDF file contains 10 lesson plans and accompanying pupil resources.
This is a fun and popular performance poetry unit for KS1, based on creating and performing Autumn poetry about a fieldmouse looking for safety during Autumn time. This pack covers one week of literacy lessons for Y1 or Y2.
The five lessons in this unit aim to give children the opportunity to read and listen to a classic autumn poem and to consider how the sounds and language patterns come alive when it is read aloud, in particular its use of verbs and commands. Children will have the opportunity to engage imaginatively with the poem and to create their own version of an autumn poem to perform aloud.
The aims of the unit for pupils are:
• To listen to a classic harvest poem being read aloud
• To identify verbs
• To use command sentences
• To prepare a poetry performance including actions
• To perform a poem to an audience
The final performances would also be perfect for a harvest assembly.
Download our complete unit of work for primary history including lessons plans, pupil resources and teacher’s guide. The Shang Dynasty is now a study unit for KS2 on the new curriculum for history.
This ten-lesson unit is designed for upper KS2 and it covers the following questions:
1. What was the Shang Dynasty?
2. What was it like in settlements around the Yellow River Plain?
3. How did Shang farmers provide food for their society?
4. What were the religious beliefs of the Shang Dynasty?
5. What was the Shang system of writing like?
6. What did the rulers of the Shang Dynasty do?
7. What do archaeological findings tell us about the Shang Dynasty?
8. Why is Lady Fu Hao’s tomb significant to historians?
9. Why did the Shang Dynasty fall in 1046 BC?
10. What have we learned about this period of history?
#lovehistory
Download this popular two-week unit for Year 5 based on classic performance poetry.
A two-week literacy unit of work for Year 5, containing lesson plans and pupil resources, looking at some of Tennyson's vivid poetic imagery of sea monsters and war heroes.
In this unit pupils will:
- read and listen to classic poems by Alfred Lord Tennyson
- research the historical and literary context of the poems
- engage imaginatively with poetic language
- create their own sea monster poem inspired by 'The Kraken'
- turn a narrative poem into a comic strip
- identify poetic devices in the poem and explain their effects
- express the mood of a poem through performance
- prepare and give a performance to an audience
The poems include 'The Kraken' and 'The Charge of the Light Brigade'
The performance at the end of the unit would be perfect for World Poetry Day or to use in a poetry performance or assembly.
Download this popular two-week unit for Year 3 based on classic performance poetry.
A two-week literacy unit of work for Year 3, containing lesson plans and pupil resources, looking at some of Carroll's funny poems and nonesense verses including the famous 'Jabberwocky'.
In these lessons pupils will:
- read and listen to classic poems by Lewis Carroll
- use comprehension skills to tackle nonesense poetry
- engage imaginatively with classic narrative poems
- create their own Jabberwock creatures
- write their own versions of the poems
- make props for a dramatic performance
- prepare and give a performance to an audience
The poems include 'The Walrus and the Carpenter', 'A Strange Wild Song' and 'Jabberwocky'.
The performance at the end of the unit would be perfect for World Poetry Day or to use in a poetry performance or assembly.
Check out our other resources for Year 3 in our store
A full lesson for KS2 about the introduction of the railways to Victorian Britain, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
How did the Victorians respond to the new railways?
This lesson looks at the introduction of the railways during the Victorian period. Pupils will think about their own experiences of rail travel and consider what travel was like before the railways were built. They will learn about how the new railways impacted people in positive and negative ways using case studies and role play activities, before writing a letter to explain one character’s perspective on the new railways.
Objectives:
To find out how the introduction of the railways changed travel and trade
To explain different viewpoints about the new railways
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
You may also like:
Introduction to the Victorians: (FREE): A full lesson for KS2 introducing the Victorian period, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Who Was Queen Victoria?; A full lesson for KS2 exploring the life and significance of Queen Victoria, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Inventions: A full lesson for KS2 about famous Victorian inventions, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Industrial Revolution A full lesson for KS2 exploring the impact of the Industrial Revolution, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Working Children A full lesson for KS2 exploring the topic of jobs for Victorian children, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Schools A full lesson for KS2 about Victorian schools, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Clothing A full lesson for KS2 investigating Victorian clothing, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Crime and Punishment A full lesson for KS2 about crime and punishment in the Victorian period, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.