Hi,
We are Sally and Amanda from Guinea Pig Education. We present a range of complimentary teaching aids and workbooks to use in your classroom or as homework – in both print and digital format.
We aim to raise reading standards and to develop literacy skills, with our ‘fun for kids’ phonic reading resources.
We also offer support for pupils aged 4-16 years. We highly recommend our comprehension and creative writing resources - which build confidence and develop imagination.
Hi,
We are Sally and Amanda from Guinea Pig Education. We present a range of complimentary teaching aids and workbooks to use in your classroom or as homework – in both print and digital format.
We aim to raise reading standards and to develop literacy skills, with our ‘fun for kids’ phonic reading resources.
We also offer support for pupils aged 4-16 years. We highly recommend our comprehension and creative writing resources - which build confidence and develop imagination.
Learn about the great plague of 1665, through the eyes of the great diary writer Samuel Pepys, and practise your reading comprehension skills.
This work pack includes: a reading comprehension based on extracts from Samuel Pepys diary, pages of interesting facts about the plague, creative writing and drawing activities.
An excellent resource for classes studying this period in history.
This workbook is packed full of information about the workhouse system in Victorian Great Britain. It is your job to finish the research and complete the various activities. You will need to ask questions, find information and interpret the evidence you discover. It includes lots of firsthand source material.
The topics covered include:
The New Poor Law
Building design and layout of workhouses
Staffing the workhouse
Workhouse orders and rules
Clothing
The sorts of jobs workhouse inmates had to do
Workhouse diet
Living conditions in the workhouse
Common diseases in the workhouse
Poor Law Guardians
Reasons why people may have gone into the workhouse
Elizabeth Twining and the Workhouse Visiting Society
Written accounts of the time about what life was like in the workhouse
What happened to the workhouses
Each topic is broken down so that it is easy to understand and all the information is presented in an engaging manner. The historical subject matter being taught is written up in the form of imaginary interviews, newspaper articles, letters, diary entries, posters etc. for the children to read. There are lots of questions to answer that will encourage your children to thoughtfully consider the evidence before them. They will be asked to look for clues in texts and pictures, to describe, to explain, to reason, to draw conclusions and to think critically. There are also creative writing exercises to do that will help children write their own narratives about each topic and to recall, select and organise relevant historical knowledge. Where information is missing, your children will be required to make their own enquiries and look up the answers to the questions online and in books.
This pack is designed to help support your children as they explore the Victorian era, deepen their understanding of this historical time period, and ignite their interest in history. It is suitable for children age 8-13.
54 pages.
PDF
This is a digital download.
Please be aware, there are no answers, but all the missing information is provided in bullet points at the end of the pack.
The “Looking Back: Victorian Social Class” resource is an informative and interactive teaching tool for children aged 8-13. This pack is perfect for reinforcing key historical skills and helping children acquire important knowledge about the three main classes in Victorian Britain: the upper class, the middle class, and the working class.
Content:
This resource contains a total of 22 pages and will teach children how to tell the difference between the upper, middle and lower class. Children will get to read two fascinating imaginary interviews that are based on stories and accounts written at the time. These will help explain how the class divide affected Victorian life. They will study census records and decide which class the highlighted people belong to; and learn how the social class system can be illustrated as a pyramid. Finally, children will be asked to explain and interpret an illustration drawn in the nineteenth century by studying the picture and answering the questions. This pack is rich in detail and all the information is presented in a fun and engaging manner, surrounded by colourful illustrations.
In Conclusion
This workbook is designed to help support your children as they explore the Victorian era, deepen their understanding of this historical time period, and ignite their interest in history.
This is a digital download and PDF file.
Part 2 of the “Looking Back: Child Labour” resource focuses on children who worked down the coal mines in Victorian Britain. It is an informative and interactive teaching tool for children aged 8-13. This pack is perfect for reinforcing key historical skills and helping children acquire important knowledge about what life was like for the many children who worked in the nineteenth century.
This resource contains a total of 41 pages and covers the topics of: the jobs children did in the coal mines; their hours of work; the treatment of children in the mines; what t was like in a coal mine; the health risks and dangers involved in mining; why children were employed to work in the coal mines; and the Acts of Parliament introduced.
Part 1 of the “Looking Back: Child Labour” resource focuses on children who worked as climbing boys, for master chimney sweeps, in the early nineteenth century. It is an informative and interactive teaching tool for children aged 8-13. This pack is perfect for reinforcing key historical skills and helping children aquire important knowledge about what life was like for children who worked in the Victorian period.
This resource contains a total of 29 pages and covers the topics of: what the job of a climbing boy involved; why children were employed to clean chimneys; the working and living conditions of the child chimney sweeps; and the new Acts of Parliament introduced to improve the lives of child sweeps.
This fascinating workbook is packed full of information about working conditions in Victorian textile factories. It is your job to finish the research and complete the various fun activities. You will need to ask questions, find information and interpret the evidence you discover. It includes lots of interesting firsthand source material.
The topics covered include:
Why factories were built?
Who worked in Victorian textile factories?
Child labour in the factories
Working and living conditions of factory workers
Factory reforms
Factory workers on strike
In this resource, your children will be introduced to Samuel Courtauld, a successful silk mill owner, in Halstead Essex. They will discover who Mr. Courtauld employed in his factory; the working and living conditions of his factory workers; how he responded to the Factory Acts and the strikes at his mill; and the local societies he established to try and improve the lives of his workers.
At the same time, your children will be encouraged to find out for themselves about life in the cotton factories. They will have to imagine that they are the owner of a cotton mill in an industrial town in the north of England. They’ll need to write their own job adverts, create posters to highlight the factory rules, and explain what the working conditions are like for workers in their factory.
Each topic covered in this pack is broken down so that it is easy to understand and all the information is presented in an engaging manner. The historical subject matter being taught is written up in the form of imaginary interviews, newspaper articles, posters and as speech etc. for the children to read. There are lots of questions to answer that will encourage your children to thoughtfully consider the evidence before them. They will be asked to look for clues in texts and pictures, to describe, to explain, to reason, to draw conclusions, to think critically and make their own interpretations. There are also creative writing exercises to do that will help children write their own narratives about each topic and to recall, select and organise relevant historical knowledge. Where information is missing, your children will be required to make their own enquiries and look up the answers to the questions online and in books.
This pack is designed to help support your children as they explore the Victorian era, deepen their understanding of this historical time period, and ignite their interest in history. It is suitable for children age 8-12.
47 pages.
PDF
This is a digital download.
The “Looking Back: Victorian Crime and Punishment” resource is an informative and interactive teaching tool for children aged 8-13. This pack is perfect for reiniforcing key historical skills and helping children acquire important knowledge about the Victorian police, as well as common crimes and punishments in the nineteenth century.
Content:
This resource contains a total of 65 pages and covers the topics of: the establishment of the Metropolitan Police; the public reponse to the New Police; what the job of a Victorian policeman entailed; common types of crime; the cause of crime; the expansion of the police force outside of London; how Victorian criminals were punished; life in a Victorian prison; and hard labour.
In this pack, children will learn how to:
engage with the past and get escited about history. This pack is rich in detail. Historical facts are presented in a fun and engaging manner, surrounded by colourful illustrations, making the information easy to remember and recall. Children will get to read fascinating imaginary interviews with real and fictional characters of the times, newspaper reports, posters, pages from a policeman’s notebook, court records and criminal registers. It includes lots of interesting firsthand source material.
do research and find information. For some of the topics,
Learn about the gunpowder plot of 1605 and answer the comprehension questions.
This is a very comprehensive and informative resource. Students will learn about James 1st and look at why England was so divided at this time.
They will look at the main characters involved in the plot, what these men planned, how they attempted to carry it out and at how their attempts to blow up the Houses Of Parliament were thwarted.
They will consider what would have happened if the plot had succeeded and the legacy of the plot.
They will read extracts and summaries from Father John Gerard’s account of the plot and answer the comprehension questions.
Answers provided.
Also available as Google classroom resource.
35 pages
This fascinating workbook is packed full of facts about Christmas celebrations in nineteenth century Great Britain. It is your job to finish the research and complete the various fun activities. You will need to ask questions, find information and interpret the evidence you discover. It includes lots of interesting firsthand source material.
In this resource, your children will learn about a number of Victorian Christmas customs and traditions, many of which are still popular today. The topics covered include:
Christmas cards
Christmas shopping
Christmas food
Christmas crackers
Christmas decorations
Christmas charity
Carol Singing
The origin of Father Christmas
Each topic is broken down so that it is easy to understand and all the information is presented in an engaging manner - written up as newspaper articles, imaginary interviews, letters, diary entries etc. There are also lots of creative writing exercises and questions to answer that will encourage your children to thoughtfully consider the evidence before them. Where information is missing, your children will be required to do their own research and look up the answers to the questions online and in books.
This pack is designed to help support your children as they explore the Victorian era, deepen their understanding of this historical time period, and ignite their interest in history. It is suitable for children age 8-12.
60 pages.
Please be aware, there are no answers, but all the missing information is provided in bullet points at the end of the pack.
This fascinating workbook is packed full of information about Queen Victoria, who ruled in Great Britain and Ireland from 1837 to 1901, and the royal family of the time. It is your job to finish the research and complete the various fun activities. You will need to ask questions, find information and interpret the evidence you discover. It includes lots of interesting firsthand source material.
In this resource, your children will learn about important moments in Queen Victoria’s life and reign. The topics covered include:
Her childhood
Her coronation
Her early years as Queen
Her marriage
Her family
The royal houses
The Great Exhibition
Her relationship with Prince Albert
Her position in the British Empire
The royal jubilees
Her death and funeral
Each topic is broken down so that it is easy to understand and all the information is presented in an engaging manner. The historical subject matter being taught is written up in the form of imaginary interviews, newspaper articles, letters, diary entries, statements etc. for the children to read. There are lots of questions to answer that will encourage your children to thoughtfully consider the evidence before them. They will be asked to look for clues in texts and pictures, to describe, to explain, to reason, to draw conclusions and to think critically. There are also creative writing exercises to do that will help children write their own narratives about each topic and to recall, select and organise relevant historical knowledge. Where information is missing, your children will be required to make their own enquiries and look up the answers to the questions online and in books.
This pack is designed to help support your children as they explore the Victorian era, deepen their understanding of this historical time period, and ignite their interest in history. It is suitable for children age 8-12.
53 pages.
PDF
This is a digital download.
Please be aware, there are no answers, but all the missing information is provided in bullet points at the end of the pack.
A fun work book for children who want to find out some facts about the Vikings and practise fact finding skills for English comprehension.
Join our cool cat, Horace, the time travelling tabby cat, as he visits the Viking times, with the help of his i-collar.
Horace Visits The Vikings is a fun way to find out some facts from history and practise your English skills.
Join Horace for a fleeting glimpse of Viking life long ago. Then, work through the follow up pages to see how many facts you have remembered. Horace is happy to help you take your first steps in history.
A fun work book for children who want to find out some facts about Ancient Egypt and practise fact finding skills for English comprehension.
Join our cool cat, Horace, the time travelling tabby cat, as he goes back to ancient Egypt, with the help of his i-collar.
Horace Visits Ancient Egypt is a fun way to find out some facts from history and practise your English skills.
Join Horace for a fleeting glimpse of Egyptian life long ago. Then, work through the follow up pages to see how many facts you have remembered. Horace is happy to help you take your first steps in history.
A fun work book for children who want to find out some facts about the Aztecs and practise fact finding skills for English comprehension.
Join our cool cat, Horace, the time travelling tabby cat, as he arrives in the Aztec era, with the help of his i-collar.
Horace Visits The Aztecs is a fun way to find out some facts from history and practise your English skills.
Join Horace for a fleeting glimpse of Aztec life long ago. Then, work through the follow up pages to see how many facts you have remembered. Horace is happy to help you take your first steps in history.
This DIGITAL resource contains a link to access and make a copy into your google drive. It is fully editable and can be shared with your students via Google Classroom or similar platform. Pdf version included.
Learn about Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plot of 1605 and answer the comprehension questions.
This is a very comprehensive and informative resource. Students will learn about James 1st and look at why England was so divided at this time.
They will look at the main characters involved in the plot, what these men planned, how they attempted to carry it out and at how their attempts to blow up the Houses Of Parliament were thwarted.
They will consider what would have happened if the plot had succeeded and the legacy of the plot.
They will read extracts and summaries from Father John Gerard’s account of the plot and answer the comprehension questions.
Answers provided.
35 pages
Test your knowledge of the reign of Tudor Kings And Queens with this simple matching game.
How to use:
Mount the figures on card (or laminate) and cut round the figures. Make each figure stand upright, by inserting the bases. Then, cut out the facts and muddle them up. Create a timeline. Put the Kings and Queens in the correct order in which they reigned. Sort through the facts and match each card to the correct Tudor King or Queen.
An excellent resource for classes studying this period in history.
19 pages
Part 3 of the “Looking Back: Child Labour” resource focuses on children who worked on the land, in agriculture, and in domestic service in Victorian Britain. It is an informative and interactive teaching tool for children aged 8-13. This pack is perfect for reinforcing key historical skills and helping children acquire important knowledge about what life was like for the many children who worked in the nineteenth century.
This resource contains a total of 34 pages and covers the topics of: the typical jobs children did on the land; what the working day was like for children employed in agriculture; why children worked on the land; the Agricultural Children Act; and what life was like as a maid-of-all-work.
Part One - Looking Back: Child Labour - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13111442
Part Two - Looking Back: Child Labour - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13112787
To find out about child labour in the factories see https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12938508
The Looking Back: Victorian Fashion resource is an informative and interactive teaching tool for children aged 8-13. This pack is perfect for reinforcing key historical skills and helping children acquire important knowledge about how men and women’s fashion changed in the Victorian Period, for both the rich and poor.
Content:
This resource contains a total of 44 pages and covers the topics of: the changes in the shape and style of women’s clothes in each decade between 1840 and 1900; the working lives of dressmakers and seamstresses; how new inventions and technology changed fashion for men and women; aesthetic dress; the clothes worn by Victorian men; the second-hand clothes markets; and the rise of ready-made clothing.
In this pack, children will learn how to:
engage with the past and get excited about history. This pack is rich in detail. Historical facts are presented in a fun and engaging manner, surrounded by colourful illustrations, making the information easy to remember and recall. Children will get to read fascinating imaginary interviews with real and fictional characters of the times, newspaper reports, magazine articles, and adverts; as well as look, at lots of original cartoons and illustrations. This pack includes lots of interesting firsthand source material.
do research and find information. For some of the topics, children will have to find out the answers for themselves to specific set questions and look for pictures. In order to do this, they’ll need to investigate and retrieve the relevant information in books or on online websites. This will help them learn how to ask their own questions and think about what they want to know.
explain, or interpret, evidence and information. Many of the set questions and creative writing exercises will encourage children to thoughtfully consider the evidence before them. They will be asked to look for clues in texts and pictures, to describe, to explain, to reason, to draw conclusions, to think critically and form their own opinions.
communicate historical information in an exciting way. This pack includes lots of different sorts of activities: from answering questions and writing diary entries, to dressing up a male and female figure with the typical garments worn by men and women in the 1860s. These fun tasks will help children learn how to write their own narratives about each topic; how to recall, select and organise relevant historical knowledge; how to empathise and imagine how people from the past might feel and act; and how to present their ideas in a manner that is memorable and appeals to the intended reader.
This pack is designed to help support your children as they explore the Victorian era, deepen their understanding of this historical time period, and ignite their interest in history. However, many of the tasks would also make wonderful themed creative writing activites for english lessons and it also contains lots of information that would be ideal