Pupils read and sort the statements arguing for or against the return of the Benin Bronzes. This activity is good preparation for a class debate or for planning a written argument.

A list of powerful verbs for pupils to use during SPAG or writing activities.

This worksheet allows pupils to research the context of Charge of the Light Brigade by using the web to retrieve and record information about the Crimean War.

A bundle of resources about Lear's poem 'The Owl and the Pussycat', including two lesson plans, a printable poem for pupils to perform and a vocabulary activity. Ideal of KS1 but can be adapted to other year groups too.

This lesson invites pupils to consider the problems faced by people in early Shang settlements. Pupils will use the cards to match up the problems faced by early inhabitants with their potential solutions.

In this activity pupils will investigate who Lady Fu Hao might have been by imagining some of the artefacts found in her tomb. The activity will help pupils to learn about how people in Shang times were often buried with a tomb full of treasures to take with them to the afterlife.

This is an activity designed to help pupils to recognise the literary conventions of hero myths and to identify how they are demonstrated in the story of Beowulf.

Lesson 5. Obey the Oba!: What were the rulers of Benin Kingdom like? In this lesson pupils will use the Benin Bronze Plaques as historical sources to find out about the 'Obas' who ruled Benin Kingdom. Pupils will use their online research skills to discover more information and then use what they have learned to design their own bronze plaque depicting a powerful Oba. The PDF file contains the full lesson plan and two pupil activity sheets. For Upper KS2.

This is a really useful sheet to use with pupils when they are editing their writing. They colour in each piece of the puzzle as they edit their work. Designed for Year 3 & 4, but could also be used with other year groups.

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.

Celebrate Chinese New Year with this mini history project on the Shang Dynasty of Ancient China. This bundle includes lessons plans, pupil resources and teacher's guide. It is designed for KS2 and includes cross-curricular activities like cooking Shang recipes, investigating ancient tombs and designing oracle bones with ancient Chinese messages on. This nine-lesson unit 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?

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

Christmas Performance Poetry for KS1 or KS2. A five-lesson literacy unit of poetry planning, based on performing Christmas poetry. The planning is adaptable for Key Stages 1 and 2, with ideas included for how to use it younger or older classes. In this unit, pupils will read the poem ‘Sly Santa Claus’ and they will consider how the sounds and language patterns come alive when the poem is read aloud, particularly focussing on the use of verbs and onomatopiea. Children will work towards creating their version of the Christmas poem and turning it into an effective performance. The aims of the unit for pupils are: • To listen to a classic Christmas poem being read aloud • To identify verbs and onomatopoeic phrases • To prepare a poetry performance by planning actions or props • To perform a poem to an audience • To identify successful features of a performance The PDF file contains 5 full literacy lesson plans, copies of the poem and all accompanying pupil resources.

A template for pupils to plan their own storyboard.

This activity invites pupils to learn about some of the ways that the early kingdom protected itself so well through the famous Benin moat. Pupils will use the worksheet to help to focus their research and then they can use it as a planning template for a report.

This activity allows pupils to set the period of Benin Kingdom 900-1300 AD into the wider context of British and World History by making their own timelines. The PDF file contains two pupil activity sheets.