1. Introduction: What was the Kingdom of Benin? This lesson introduces the Kingdom of Benin. Pupils will use atlases to find out where the Kingdom of Benin used to be located. Then they will set this period into the wider context of British and World History and make their own timelines. The PDF file contains the full lesson plan and two pupil activity sheets. For Upper KS2.

9. Coming to an End: Why did the Shang Dynasty fall in 1046 BC? Pupils will discover the story of the last Shang king, King Zhou, and they will find out why his behaviour lead to the fall of the Shang Dynasty. Pupils place themselves in the shoes of the Shang fighters at the Battle of Muye and they will take part in a debate about whether or not they should defect to the opposing army. Pupils will then have the opportunity to learn about the Dynastic Cycle and the concept of the Mandate of Heaven. The PDF file contains the full lesson plan and three activity sheets including the story of the Battle of Muye.

Lesson 8. Who was Fu Hao?: Why is Lady Fu Hao's tomb significant to historians? Pupils will investigate who Lady Fu Hao might have been by looking at some of the artefacts found in her tomb. They will learn about how people in Shang times were often buried with a tomb full of treasures to take with them to the afterlife. Pupils will engage imaginatively with a scenario about a slave being taken to the grave with his master and they will write a persuasive letter to escape such an unfortunate destiny. The PDF file contains the full lesson plan and a pupil activity sheet. For upper KS2.

Lesson 7. Piecing it Together: What do archaeological findings tell us about the Shang Dynasty? Pupils will become familiar with the different types of artefacts that help us to know about life in the Shang Dynasty. They will be introduced to the concept of making deductions from evidence and they will fill in a table to show what information different artefacts give us about the Shang period. The PDF file contains the full lesson plan and two pupil activity sheets. For upper KS2.

6. How to Rule a Dynasty: What did the rulers of the Shang Dynasty do? In this lesson pupils will be introduced to the story of the first king of the Shang Dynasty, King Tang of Shang. They will work in groups to prepare dramas based on his story. Pupils will then consider the arguments for and against Shang kings taking prisoners of war and they will write and deliver a persuasive argument to support or oppose this practice. The PDF file includes the full lesson plan and two pupil activity sheets. For Upper KS2.

5. Written on the Bones: What was the Shang system of writing like? This hands-on lesson looks at the different ways in which Shang people used symbols and ideograms as writing. After researching different uses of writing, pupils will be set the challenge of making their own oracle bones from clay and they will use a symbols key to write their own questions on them using Shang ideograms. The PDF file includes the full lesson plan and 2 pupil activity sheets. For upper KS2.

Lesson 4. Time to Worship: What were the religious beliefs of the Shang Dynasty? In this lesson pupils will find out about the different gods that Shang people worshipped. They will investigate how people responded to different situations by feasting, worshipping or making sacrifices. Pupils will have a chance to create storyboards of different worship scenarios. The PDF file contains the full lesson plan and three pupil activity sheets. For Upper KS2.

Lesson 3. Let it Grow! Let it grow!: How did Shang farmers provide food for their society? This lesson addresses the question of how farmers were able to irrigate their crops to provide enough food. Pupils will be introduced to the legend of Yu the Great and will consider his influence on the Shang Dynasty. They will learn what kind of food people ate in Shang times and try out a Shang recipe for Ginger Millet Porridge. The PDF file includes the full lesson plan and two pupil activities including the story of Yu the Great and a recipe for Shang porridge. For Upper KS2.

Lesson 2. Settling Down: What was it like in settlements around the Yellow River Plain? This lesson invites pupils to consider the problems faced by people in early Shang settlements. Pupils will discover how Shang people overcame issues of flooding and irrigation problems and they will find out how Shang cities were organised, with an opportunity to design their own Shang city. This PDF file contains the full lesson plan and two pupil activity sheets. For upper KS2.

Lesson 1. Introduction: What was the Shang Dynasty? This lesson introduces the Shang Dynasty and encourages pupils to generate research questions about their new topic. Pupils will make a factfile after researching key facts to set the Shang Dynasty into its wider context of world history. This PDF includes the full lesson plan and two pupil worksheets. For Upper KS2

A guide to the Shang Dynasty of Ancient China, designed for KS2 teachers covering this history topic.

A full lesson for KS2 introducing the Bronze Age, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets. How did bronze replace stone in the Bronze Age? This lesson looks at the changes between the Stone Age and the Bronze Age, including the implications of the discovery of bronze and the process of how bronze was made. Pupils will find out why bronze was so important and they will create their own flowcharts to record the ‘smelting’ process of how it was made. Objectives: To know how the Bronze Age was different to the Stone Age To explain how the smelting process was used to make bronze The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class. This is the seventh lesson in the popular Stone Age to Iron Age Unit for KS2.. This primary history resource was created by KS2History. You may also like: Bronze Age Grave Goods (Lesson for KS2) Iron Age Hillforts (Lesson for KS2) Stone Age Hunter-Gatherers (Lesson for KS2) Stone Age Cave Art (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

A full lesson for KS2 introducing the topic of Skara Brae. The resource includes a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets. What was Skara Brae? In this lesson pupils will find out how things changed in Britain in the Stone Age when people began to settle in farming communities like Skara Brae. This lesson allows pupils to conduct their own research online about the discovery of Skara Brae and helps them to systematically organise their notes so that they can make a presentation. Objectives: To research the history of Skara Brae To find out about the way people lied in the Neolithic period The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class. This is the fifth lesson in the popular Stone Age to Iron Age Unit for KS2.. This primary history resource was created by KS2History. You may also like: Prehistory Timelines (Lesson for KS2) Stone Age Hunter-Gatherers (Lesson for KS2) Stone Age Cave Art (Lesson for KS2) Stone Age Artefacts & Evidence (Lesson for KS2) Stonehenge Mysteries (Lesson for KS2) Bronze Age (Lesson for KS2) Stone Age Boy Literacy Planning - 2 Weeks Stone Age to Iron Age Planning Bundle for KS2

A full lesson for KS2 exploring the types of historical evidence that tell us about the Stone Age. The resource includes a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets. What kind of sources tell us about the Stone Age? This lesson addresses the question of how we can know about a period of British history with a lack of written primary sources of evidence. Pupils will be introduced to the concept of making deductions from evidence and they will use an information table to record what different artefacts tell us about the Stone Age. Objectives: To examine non-written sources of evidence about the Stone Age To make deductions from primary sources The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class. This is the fourth lesson in the popular Stone Age to Iron Age Unit for KS2.. This primary history resource was created by KS2History. You may also like: Prehistory Timelines (Lesson for KS2) Stone Age Hunter-Gatherers (Lesson for KS2) Stone Age Cave Art (Lesson for KS2) Stonehenge Mysteries (Lesson for KS2) Bronze Age (Lesson for KS2) Stone Age Boy Literacy Planning - 2 Weeks Stone Age to Iron Age Planning Bundle for KS2

A full lesson for KS2 introducing the British prehistoric period covering the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets. What does prehistory mean? This lesson introduces the period of British history from the Stone Age to the Iron Age. Pupils will make a timeline to set this period into the wider context of British History and they will discover how we break up this period into distinct ages. Objectives: To put events in chronological order To understand how the period from the Stone Age to the Iron Age fits into a wider picture of British history The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class. This is the first lesson in the popular Stone Age to Iron Age Unit for KS2.. This primary history resource was created by KS2History. You may also like: Stone Age Hunter-Gatherers (Lesson for KS2) Stone Age Cave Art (Lesson for KS2) Stone Age Artefacts & Evidence (Lesson for KS2) Stonehenge Mysteries (Lesson for KS2) Bronze Age (Lesson for KS2) Stone Age Boy Literacy Planning - 2 Weeks Stone Age to Iron Age Planning Bundle for KS2

Free guide for teachers covering the main events and characteristics of Benin Kingdom. This guide covers the period AD 900-1300 as exemplified in the National Curriculum as a non-European study for KS2. It then goes on to describe later periods in Benin's history.

A guide to classic poetry for KS2 and KS1, including how to select appropriate classic poems and how to help children to understand the language of older poetry. Useful to share with all staff teaching literacy.

Top Tips for primary teachers on how to teach performance poetry.

A teachers' guide to Skara Brae to go with the KS2 history unit 'Stone Age to Iron Age'. This guide explains what Skara Brae is, why it is important and how it fits in with the Stone Age topic.