WiseArk Ltd which is a ‘micro-company specialising in supplying educational resources.
We specialise in resources for use in tutor time -many of which are also suitable for use in citizenship/PSHE.
We also have a range of resources to support learning in history.
I was a teacher for over 20 years so know from first-hand experience how engaged students can be when given challenges and puzzles.
WiseArk Ltd which is a ‘micro-company specialising in supplying educational resources.
We specialise in resources for use in tutor time -many of which are also suitable for use in citizenship/PSHE.
We also have a range of resources to support learning in history.
I was a teacher for over 20 years so know from first-hand experience how engaged students can be when given challenges and puzzles.
A collection of resources that illustrate the role that Imperial forces played in WW1 -did you know that over 1m Indian troops served?
There is a power point with a map slide showing the main contributors to the Imperial forces with each linked to a brief information slide; this information is also provided in a word document.
A worksheet looks at where Imperial soldiers fought and how many there were from around the globe.
There is also a wordsearch featuring fifteen of the nations that supplied troops and labourers to the Allied war effort.
Ideal for study of the British Empire as well as ‘Black History’
Of particular use to those now old enough to vote – a brief guide to key elements of the voting process for General elections from the electoral register to the count.
A power point presentation (7 information slides) covers the various stages of the process including:
Registering to vote;
At the polling station including voting;
The count -and how the winner is decided.
Reminder that are choosing MP not PM.
There is also a one sheet word document that summarises this information
A set of resources ideal for use with the 2024 General Election, especially for those young people who are able to vote for the first time. Resources included:
A brief guide to the voting process -from the electoral register to the count.
Information on election results since 1892 -the major parties share of the vote and number of seats won plus the winning Prime Minister-power point plus word document
Information and activities on a range of PMs who were first in some way 1 from the first (Walpole) to the first female (Thatcher) – wordsearch, crossword and variety of comprehension tasks (‘5,4,3,2,1; True/false; questions) (1 +last peer!)
Information and activities on all PMs from Walpole to Sunak (includes word searches, sorting and listing activities) -power point plus word document
How democratic is the UK? This resource encourages students to consider a range of ways in which the UK falls short- including the gender make up of representatives and how election results do not reflect votes cast. Information provided then a range of discussion points -ideal for work on British Values-power point plus word document
Information and activities on British PMs and General Elections since the first Labour MP.
Ideal for use in the period leading up to the General Election as well as for citizenship and British values.
There is a power point showing all the General elections with the resultant Prime Ministers since 1892 (and changes in PM post-election) -one slide per election (these also have a pie chart showing the number of seats won by the main parties)
A power point presentation of a range of activities – Listing recent PMs ; Sorting PMs into order; such as sorting into order, matching PMs with party/coalition, what’s the link?.
A word document with the activities from the power point plus 2 word searches and a crossword (and a copy with the answers)
*1892 was when Kier Hardie was the first ‘Labour’ MP elected
A resource to reinforce knowledge and understanding of the wider context of Holocaust Memorial Day.
This worksheet looks at some groups of victims of the Nazis: Jews, Poles, Roma, Ukrainians with a range of activities (mostly numeracy based- such as completing outline graph or pie chart) looking at the number and proportion murdered as well as the Nazi’s ‘reasons’ for their murders.
The information used makes it clear that the Jews were the main victims of the Nazis but that, in the words of the UN resolution, the victims included ‘countless members of other minorities.’
Updated for Charles III
This resource is a power point with a difference to support knowledge and understanding of chronology.
Each slide features a picture of the monarchs of England/Britain from Alfred the Great to Charles III. Each slide appears for a varied amount of time. This helps show how much real time they reigned for – in this presentation 1 second equals 4 years (so the presentation lasts for around 5 minutes)
Word search and mini quiz combined
A set of word searches to help develop knowledge of migration to the British Isles –both individuals born abroad and nationalities that have provided many migrants to Britain over the centuries. Has twenty of each of a range of individuals and nationalities.
There is a set of four different word searches – two on individuals, two on nationalities.
In each set the first version is a ‘traditional’ one with the words provided.
Then there are four versions with a quiz: this has the same words to find but they aren’t provided -first you need to use the clues (questions) to work out what word you are searching for.
One just has the clues then there are three supported versions (each of the four has the same clues): the first has the first letter of the answer; the second has the number of numbers in the answer and the third has both the first letter and number of letters.
This provides students with the opportunity to develop their knowledge of a range of individuals or groups who were born abroad / moved to Britain whilst providing varying degrees of challenge/support. They are suitable for use in class -both as a main activity and as an extension task- as well as for homework / independent study or a cover lesson activity or as a resource for ‘school at home (maybe even as staff challenge!)
The four word-searches cover the following groups/individuals:
Africans, Angles, Asians, Belgians, Chinese, Danes, Flemings, Germans, Huguenots, Indians
Irish, Normans, Norwegians, Polish, Romans, Russians, Saxons, Somalians, Syrians, West Indians
Prince Albert, Montague Burton, Joseph Conrad, Mo Farah, Lucian Freud, Alec Issigonis, Boris Johnson, Judith Kerr, Doreen Lawrence, Michael Marks
Karl Marx, Freddie Mercury, Rupert Murdoch, Rita Ora, Shantra Patak, Prince Phillip, Cliff Richard, Salman Rushdie, Charles Saatchi, JRR Tolkien
A resource to encourage purposeful talk and students to reflect on their values.
This example slide has 5 separate ‘questions’ to stimulate discussion and reflection.
The objectives are to encourage students to
discuss and so develop oral skills;
reflect on their values
This free resource is taken from a collection of resources that illustrate the role that Imperial forces played in WW1 -did you know that over 1m Indian troops served?
The wordsearch features fifteen of the nations that supplied troops and labourers to the Allied war effort.
In the full collection there is also a power point with a map slide showing the main contributors to the Imperial forces with each linked to a brief information slide; this information is also provided in a word document.
A worksheet looks at where Imperial soldiers fought and how many there were from around the globe.
Ideal for study of the British Empire as well as ‘Black History’
A selection of 40 people who were the first in an occupation or to achieve a specific goal, ranging from the first Oscar winner to the first Cabinet minister via Mercury Prize winner and international footballers.
An ideal resource to support learning about the multi-cultural nature of British society; there are several components to this resource:
A power point presentation with one slide per person and their achievement (also in a ‘run through’ version that plays automatically);
A set of word searches featuring these people: there are two in ‘traditional’ format (17 or 18 names in each) and three with a quiz -provided in four versions : each has the same words to find but they aren’t provided -first you need to use the clues (questions) to work out what word you are searching for.
One just has the clues then there are three supported versions (each of the four has the same clues): the first has the first letter of the answer; the second has the number of numbers in the answer and the third has both the first letter and number of letters. (These have 12 names each)
Two sets of printable ‘cards’ : One for matching pairs with one half having the name of one of the fifty people and the other half what they achieved. They are in sets of ten names (achievements) so that students can be given varied numbers to allow for increasing challenge. (The second is similar but set out as a set of dominoes to allow for greater variety and a degree of support -again provided in sets (of five) to allow for increasing challenge if more than one set used at a time. Answers provided!
Since the end of WW1 the world has never been fully at peace.
This resource is ideal for use at this time of remembrance (whilst also extending horizons to look at the wider world)
This resource shows in visual form how the past 100+ years have still been a period of ongoing conflict (despite hopes that WW1 would be the ‘war to end all wars’).
There is a selection of 50 different conflicts; a range covering civil wars, invasions and multi-national wars. The emphasis is on the post WW2 period to help support citizenship learning-in particular through helping show why there are so many refugees given the recent and on-going conflicts. (The emphasis is on the global community so wars such as the Falklands which was ‘just’ UK v an opponent are not included in this resource).
In the main presentation each slide represents one year (running through takes just over 5 minutes) with each year showing the selected conflicts taking place in that year (so some slides are rather crowded!). For each conflict the dates are given as well as one sentence about it (this only appears when the conflict begins).
There is also a power point presentation of 50 slides -one per conflict- as well as a word document with the same information.
Finally there is a set of three word searches featuring most of the nations involved in the featured conflicts.
Many people know 2024 is 150 years since the birth of Winston Churchill but did you know that this year is the 500th anniversary of the death of Isma’il I (founder of Safavid Dynasty in Iran)? And the 200th anniversary of the founding of the RNLI and RSPCA?
Anniversaries 2024 is a collection of viewable/printable resources designed to promote awareness of some events whose anniversaries fall this year.
This wide-ranging pack consists of several different types of resource including visual and knowledge challenges as well as discussion stimuli (plus word searches!)
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They are all based on a selection of people and events from the past 700 years which have an anniversary in 2024.
There is a power point with a picture of each person/event from those years (one that runs through) and a separate display resource with one slide per year (some need two).
There are a range of knowledge based activities including sorting events, matching pairs, A-Z etc (provided in both power point and word format)
There are also picture based challenges (hidden picture and what is it-distorted images).
There is a set of discussion prompts to stimulate debate –again related to people or events featured.
Finally there is a set of seven word searches based on a selection of the people and places etc linked to anniversaries from 2024.
The resource that keeps on giving all year long!
Helps to show how political parties have had varying fortunes over the years – as well as putting the 2024 result into context (especially in terms of the government having less than half the votes).
An information sources on who has governed Britain since the late 19th century with two components:
1: A power point information presentation:
34 slides- one per election to 2024; each having a slide with two pie charts showing the percentage of vote and share of MPs elected for the main parties at each election plus a picture of the winning PM.
There is also a set of slides with line graphs showing votes for the main parties over time,
A pie chart showing the amount of time spent in power.
2: A word document
34 tables -one per election-with the data used for the pie charts on the power point (seats and votes)
A set of line graphs showing the votes for the main parties since 1918 (the first when all men-and most women-could vote).
A table showing the turnout in each election since 1918-plus a line graph.
A table showing the winners of elections and a pie chart showing time in office.
*1892 was when Keir Hardie was the first ‘Labour’ MP elected.
366 events/people from the history of the continent-from the first Chinese Emperor to ISIS.
This is a resource to support learning about Asian history throughout the year.
There is a power point presentation on which every day has its own slide with the featured event or person from the history of Asia (including the Middle East).
There is also a word document with the same information on.
There is a wide range of events/people including the well-known such as Gandhi and Malala Yousafzai; there are also less famous ones such as Kenjiro Takayanagi and the Battle of San Juan del Monte. Similarly we have tried to include every nation on the continent so it literally covers Afghanistan to Vietnam. (This is a companion resource to our other ‘Years of’ so we have tried to avoid duplicates but this has not always been possible)
An introduction to one hundred notable women with a connection to the 20th century -such as Billie Jean King and the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ in 1973.
The selection covers the well known (e.g. Mrs Thatcher) to the less well known (such as Rita Loza, first female No.1 chart artist)
For each one there is a brief overview of their life/ impact (250-300 words).
This is provided as a word document. There is also a powerpoint presentation which has a picture of each woman and a descriptive sentence.
The women featured are:
Elizabeth, the Queen Mother; Barbara Cartland;;Barbara McClintock; Marie Curie ;Jennie Lee;Gertrude Ederle ;Grace Hopper ;Frida Kahlo ;Simone de Beauvoir ;Raymond de Laroche ;Elizabeth Arden ;Mildred Didrikson ;Julliete Gordon Low ;Emily Davison ;Hedy Lamarr ;Edith Cavell ;Lois Weber ;Jessica Mitford ;Marie Stopes ;Rosa Luxemburg ;Edith Burton Hughes ;Betty Wilson ;Helena Normanton ;Maria Callas ;Sue Ryder ;Laura Ashley ;Elisabeth Beresford ;Constance Markievicz ;Maya Angelou ;Margaret Bondfield ;Ellen Church ;Lilian Baylis ;Dorothy Day ;Fay Wray ;Leni Reifenstahl ;Lucy Duff-Gordon ;Diana Mitford ;Edith Wharton ;Ellen Sirleaf ;Jane Bolin; Hattie McDaniel ;Amy Johnson ;Anita Roddick ;Sophie Scholl ;Alice Walker ;Violet Szabo ;Mamie Smith ;Anne Frank; Donna Summer ;Mo Mowlam ;Grace Kelly ;Ethel Rosenberg ;Maria Montessori ;Lita Roza ;Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence ;Rosa Parks; Irene Curie ;;Dorothy L Sayers ;First female Peers ;Barbie ;Sirimavo Bandaranaike ;Grandma’ Moses ;Valentina Tereshkova ;Edith Piaf; Nancy Astor ;Stephanie Kwolek ;Indira Gandhi ;Alice Toklas ;Barbara Harrison ;Shirley Temple ;Betty Friedan ;Dorothy Fields ;Mary Peters ;Billie Jean King ;Virginia Apgar ;Margaret Thatcher ;Agatha Christie ;Virginia Wade ;Hannah Dadds ; Mary Pickford ;Bette Nesmith Graham ;Dame Mary Donaldson;Rachel Heyhoe-Flint ;Corrie Ten Boom ;Mary Warnock ;Gale Sondergaard ;Neerja Bhanot ;Diane Abbot; Elizabeth Lane ;Lucille Ball ;Eve Balfour ;Helen Sharman ;Betty Boothroyd ;Audrey Hepburn ;First female Priests ;Alison Hargreaves; Ella FitzGerald ;Mother Teresa ;Barbara Mandell ;Iris Murdoch
A resource to encourage purposeful talk and for students to reflect on their values.
Each Moral Dilemmas provides a situation (such as finding money in the street) and asks student’s how they would respond –individually or as a group.
Moral dilemmas are part of life and so their discussion fits into many areas of school life; ideal for use in tutor time -especially in encouraging talk with a focus and helping tutors learn more about their group.
Suitable also for use in PSHE/Citizenship and RE –saving the need to devise suitable scenarios.
The objectives are to encourage students to
discuss and so develop their speaking and listening skills;
reflect on their values and how to treat others with respect
The resources supplied are a power point with 40 different dilemmas which are also supplied in a word document. They cover a range from ‘cheating’ at sport (the officials don’t notice an infringement) to who would you give a heart transplant to if the choice was a former alcoholic or a former chain smoker -so that there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer.
A more challenging version of the always popular activity (even for adults!)
There are 3 different word searches on a selection of the fifty Black British Firsts featured on our power point resource. They range from the first Black MPs to the first British Ladies footballer via No1. Pop artist and police officers.
Each comes in a range of versions to provide differing degrees of challenge: each wordsearch has a grid and 10 names to find – the same names so that all students are covering the same people whatever the level of support/challenge.
In each set the first version is a ‘traditional’ one with the words provided.
Then there are four versions with a quiz: this has the same words to find but they aren’t provided -first you need to use the clues (questions) to work out what word you are searching for.
One just has the clues then there are three supported versions (each of the four has the same clues): the first has the first letter of the answer; the second has the number of numbers in the answer and the third has both the first letter and number of letters.
Ideal for use in a wide range of settings such as a last-minute cover resource or homework task or providing resources for ‘school at home’ (maybe even for a staff challenge!)
A year of information -a power point and word document resource.
Each day has a selection of four events (including a famous/significant birth and death) from that date in the past,
On the power point there is one slide per day, each also having a picture of one associated event/person.
The word document also features the same people/ events (with slightly more information such as a well-known book if an author).
The focus is on Britain though each day also features a female/ linked event as well as most days including an event or person from outside the British Isles- for example for 25th December:
1977 Death of Charlie Chaplin (b 1889), actor and director
1972 The Nicaraguan capital Managua was devastated by an earthquake
1771 Birth of Dorothy Wordsworth (d 1855)
1066 William of Normandy was crowned king of England at Westminster Abbey.
Designed for use in tutor time/assembly this resource provides a range of information that is of use throughout the year.
Information and comprehension tasks on a range of 12 Prime Ministers who in some way were a ‘first’ (or last in the case of Douglas Home!).
There is a one page summary sheet with their image and for what they were ‘first’.
There are two sheets with some outline information on each of the selected PMs- along with a set of comprehension tasks. These come in three formats: ‘5,4,3,2,1’ ; ‘True or False’ and simple questions (same information each time).
There is also a crossword -and a support version with the first letter of the answer- and a word search.
Ideal for developing knowledge and understanding of British political history.