My students loved taking part in these STEAM activities which have been designed for Key Stage 2 students. The activities are in Power Point form and instructions are given step by step so the class teacher and students can successfully recreate five different inventions (I have also listed a ‘what you will need’ slide for each activity). I have also put a link in to an example of each activity (You Tube) to show students how the finished activities should look). You can click the links to see what each STEAM activity looks like on completion. Sebastian Lenormand’s parachute (made out of black bin liner) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGobZeXR5OE&list=PLgzcyyWkDljnR_SCk9QRVfPwokv9o8T0a&index=7&t=0s Lawrence de Mole’s tank (with working rubber bank gun!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJl6-KUKPvc&list=PLgzcyyWkDljnR_SCk9QRVfPwokv9o8T0a&index=24&t=0s Henry Ford’s Model T motor vehicle (propelled by balloon power!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4WMD1fjeDY&list=PLgzcyyWkDljnR_SCk9QRVfPwokv9o8T0a&index=25&t=0s Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s bridges (made from uncooked spaghetti) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baGpVKMGQy4&list=PLgzcyyWkDljnR_SCk9QRVfPwokv9o8T0a&index=22&t=0s And Robert Goddard’s rocket https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpLAOjZA0zw&list=PLgzcyyWkDljnR_SCk9QRVfPwokv9o8T0a&index=9&t=0s All of the activities are fun for students and designed to generate thinking about how significant these inventions are and how they work. Each activity works towards a collaborative element where students test their inventions or participate in a race or game. I really enjoyed creating this series of STEAM lessons and my students loved them more than any other classes that year. I hope you find them helpful with your students too. These lessons are naturally a bit messy but bring out the very best in students and help them develop a love and appreciation of the past.

This lesson is titled ‘What can we learn about Queen Elizabeth I from her portraits?” This lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which the class are introduced to a bust of the soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo that was unveiled at a Portuguese airport in 2017. It is a rather unkind likeness! Students are invited to offer their response to what they would do if someone created such a horrible picture of them and they then consider how an all-powerful Monarch like Elizabeth I might respond. The lesson title and aims and graduated objectives are then introduced (all will/most will/some will) and there are slides of background information about Elizabeth I’s reign to allow for teacher exposition. After this five major Royal Portraits are shown and there is emphasis on the inferences that can be drawn (rainbows for divine power, globes to represent world trade and dominions etc). After this the class have a summary of devices used and are asked to create their own portraits in the main activity. This works much better if you can book a session in your school’s Art Department and use real paint! The lesson objectives are revisited and the lesson concludes with a peer assessment plenary activity. This lesson has been created for high school students and I hope yours enjoy it as much as mine do. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.