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.
Activities to help students develop their historical understanding and improve their ability to comprehend sources.
A set of 20 source-based activities – topics include castles, slavery & factory reform. (See below for full list of contents.)
There is a range of different approaches including ‘4,3,2,1’; ‘Who/What/Where etc’; extracting key points; combining information from a range of sources and comparing different sources…
Ideal for use as a cover lesson or a stand-alone homework (or for providing resources for ‘school at home’).
Topics covered:
Why the Romans wanted an Empire; Viking attack; Domesday book; Castles; The killing of Wat Tyler; The murder of Thomas Becket; King John: A good or bad king?; The defeat of the Spanish Armada; The Divine Right of Kings; Why did the New Model Army win?; The trial of Charles I; Was Oliver Cromwell a good leader?; Child workers in cotton mills; Living in an industrial city; Capturing slaves; Changes in Britain c1750-c1900; Factory Reform; Why did some people emigrate from Britain?; Why did people support Hitler?; Who was to blame for WW2?
A set of two activities to help develop knowledge of Britain before the Roman conquest.
There is a power point with a map showing 14 selected Iron Age sites in England and Wales.: Bigbury Camp, Bredon Hill, Castell Henylls, Castle How, Chyauster, Cissbury, Glastonbury, Maiden Castle, Mam Tor, Pen-y-gaer, Stanwick, The Wrekin, Uffington, Wandlebury (selected in part to give a wide geographical spread on the map). As this is just a selection of the multitude of sites it allows for an extra activity/challenge of students deciding where else should be included/where could be left out?
There are also slides to print out with the names missing for students to complete -as support there is one with the first letter provided (the list is also contained in the word document).
There is also a word document with a word search covering the same sites.
Together the set provides a range of ways of developing knowledge of Pre-Roman Britain and the activities are suitable for homework or for ‘school at home’.
Two activities to help students improve their knowledge and understanding of the chronology of history -in a different, more ‘game’ based approach than a traditional worksheet.
Both of which involve matching events to dates: (the same as on the power point resource on Ancient Greek history) from the First Olympics in 776 BCE to the Romans taking control of Greece in 146 BCE
The first is a set of printable ‘cards’ which can be used for sorting or matching tasks (such as the matching pairs game) – each event is on a separate ‘card’ from its date, organised in sets of 10 -there are two sets, but each can be used separately or the two combined to increase the difficulty level.
The second is a set of ‘domino cards’ to provide a more supported matching challenge; these feature the same events and each ‘card’ links to another forming a ‘domino’ like chain (which again can be used as a set of 10 or both combined for greater challenge).
A simple sequencing activity to help develop chronological knowledge of Ancient Greece.
There is a list of 28 events with dates -but events are listed alphabetically- and a blank table to enter the information into. So students need to sequence the dates first (there is a sheet/table to help them with doing this).
There is also a support version in which the table to complete has the dates in order so students just need to find the corresponding event.
The events are mostly those which feature in the linked resources on developing chronological understanding including the power point-from the First Olympics in 776 BCE to the Romans taking control of Greece in 146 BCE.
This resource is suitable for use in class as well as ideal for homework / independent study.
A resource to help students improve their knowledge and understanding of the chronology of Ancient Greek history.
This resource is designed specifically to help students in particular with the concept of chronology.
To help with understanding the passage of time there is a power point presentation that shows the intervals between events, from the First Olympics in 776 BCE to the Romans taking control of Greece in 146 BCE.
This has a range of 27 selected events and is designed to convey a sense of the passage of time by having the transition between slides vary in length depending on how many years actually passed between events.
Each slide has a date, event and appropriate illustration. (Each event slide is on show for five seconds and the whole presentation lasts for approximately five minutes).
There is also a ‘click through’ version of the slide show (same events) to enable the teacher to pause to give additional information or discuss the event with students.
The selection of events is not meant to be definitive for the study of that period (it’s a selection not a comprehensive timeline). It is also a compilation from a range of different sources this allows for an extra activity/challenge of students deciding what is missing/what could be left out?
A collection of sets of colouring pages for a range of ancient civilisations etc. (240 pages in all)
Sumer (37 pages)
Egypt (48 pages)
Greece :2 sets: Gods, religion and home life & Soldiers, workers & leisure) (40 pages each)
Romans (40 pages) plus one for Roman Britain (18 pages)
Stone Age to Iron Age Britain. (17 pages)
Supplied as pdfs for ease of printing the images are taken from public domain sources (mostly 19th century books). As they are screenshots of old book pages this may be reflected in the quality of the outlines though many have been digitally enhanced to help provide an outline for colouring in.
Across the sets they cover a wide variety of topics such as Gods, workers, soldiers, buildings, ships, coins, pottery, abstract art -some also include naked athletes etc.
A set of forty pages of colouring sheets:
A resource to support work on this popular topic as well as being useful for cross curricular art and for use when providing resources for ‘school at home’.
Supplied as a pdf for ease of printing the images are taken from a range of public domain sources (mainly 19th century books). As they are mainly screenshots of old book pages this may be reflected in the quality of the outlines though many have been digitally enhanced to help provide an outline for colouring in.
The images have been selected to cover a range of topics including coins, soldiers, gladiators, pottery and Gods- as they are taken from old textbooks and depict Roman life there are some scenes of naked wrestlers etc.
A set of thirty-seven pages of colouring sheets:
A resource to support work on this topic as well as being useful for cross curricular art and for use when providing resources for ‘school at home’.
Supplied as a pdf for ease of printing the images are taken from a 19th century book (now public domain). As they are screenshots of old book pages this may be reflected in the quality of the outlines though many have been digitally enhanced to help provide an outline for colouring in.
The images include animals, abstract art and images of human figures.
A set of eighteen pages of colouring sheets:
A resource to support work on this popular topic as well as being useful for cross curricular art and for use when providing resources for ‘school at home’.
Supplied as a pdf for ease of printing the images are taken from a range of public domain sources (mainly 19th century books). As they are mainly screenshots of old book pages this may be reflected in the quality of the outlines though many have been digitally enhanced to help provide an outline for colouring in.
The images have been selected to cover a range of topics from Britain (and some elsewhere) during the Roman Occupation of England (and Wales): Includes pottery, soldiers, buildings, ships and coins etc.
A set of forty-eight pages of colouring sheets:
A resource to support work on this popular topic as well as being useful for cross curricular art and for use when providing resources for ‘school at home’.
Supplied as a pdf for ease of printing the images are taken from a range of public domain sources (mainly 19th century books). As they are mainly screenshots of old book pages this may be reflected in the quality of the outlines though many have been digitally enhanced to help provide an outline for colouring in.
The images have been selected to cover a range of topics including Gods, embalming, workers, soldiers and animals.
A set of seventeen pages of colouring sheets:
A resource to support work on this topic as well as being useful for cross curricular art and for use when providing resources for ‘school at home’.
Supplied as a pdf for ease of printing the images are taken from a range of public domain sources (mainly 19th century books). As they are mainly screenshots of old book pages this may be reflected in the quality of the outlines though many have been digitally enhanced to help provide an outline for colouring in.
The images have been selected to cover a range of topics from Britain (and Northern Europe) before the Roman Invasion of England: Includes jewellery and coins, weapons, tombs, abstract art etc.
A set of forty pages of colouring sheets:
A resource to support work on this popular topic as well as being useful for cross curricular art and for use when providing resources for ‘school at home’.
Supplied as a pdf for ease of printing the images are taken from a range of public domain sources (mainly 19th century books). As they are mainly screenshots of old book pages this may be reflected in the quality of the outlines though many have been digitally enhanced to help provide an outline for colouring in.
The images have been selected to cover a range of topics- as they are taken from old textbooks and depict Greek life there are some scenes of naked athletes etc.
There are two separate sets –volume 1 covers Gods, religion and home life.
A set of forty pages of colouring sheets:
A resource to support work on this popular topic as well as being useful for cross curricular art and for use when providing resources for ‘school at home’.
Supplied as a pdf for ease of printing the images are taken from a range of public domain sources (mainly 19th century books). As they are mainly screenshots of old book pages this may be reflected in the quality of the outlines though many have been digitally enhanced to help provide an outline for colouring in.
The images have been selected to cover a range of topics - as they are taken from old textbooks and depict Greek life there are some scenes of naked Gods etc.
There are two separate sets –volume 2 covers soldiers, workers and leisure.
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 more challenging version of the always popular activity.
There are 3 different word searches on Britain’s international relations in the 20th century.
Each comes in a range of versions to provide differing degrees of challenge: each wordsearch has a grid and 10 terms or places to find – the same answers so that all students are covering the same places and terms 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!)
The places/terms covered are:
Abyssinia Appeasement Blitz Boer War Cold War Conscription Depression deterrent Dominions Dreadnought
Dunkirk Empire Entente Europe Falklands Gallipoli
Gulf War Hong Kong Independence India
Israel Jamaica Jutland Kenya Marne NATO
Pakistan Security Somme Suez crisis
A more challenging version of the always popular activity.
There are 3 different word searches on Britain in the 20th century.
Each comes in a range of versions to provide differing degrees of challenge: each wordsearch has a grid and 10 terms or places to find – the same answers so that all students are covering the same places and terms 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.
This provides students with the opportunity to develop their knowledge of a range of places/peoples/terms etc relating to 20th century 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 places/terms covered are:
Abdication abolition Assemblies Beveridge Channel decimal education Elizabeth Ireland Jarrow
motorway insurance Lottery Parliament pensions Rationing television Titanic vote welfare state
Churchill Conservative Democratic Diana Edward fourteen Labour Liberal Scotland Thatcher
A resource which uses graphs, data and ‘shopping’ activities to help develop both historical and mathematical knowledge and understanding.
There is a range of 20 topics including the transatlantic slave trade, Britain in 1851, The Great Powers before WW1. (See below for full list of contents.)
Helps students develop their historical understanding and use of relevant skills, especially gathering information from sources that are not just written. Activities include: Using information to complete charts; Extracting information from tables; basic accounts and shopping activities; completing data tables by using calculations.
Requires students to use basic numeracy skills such as interpreting data from graphs or pie charts (and presenting data in graph form); solving problems using multiplication, division etc as well as fractions/ratios.
These are used to help develop historical understanding such as relative casualty rates in WW1, cost of living in the 19th century, composition of 17th century society.
Ideal for use as a cover lesson or a stand-alone homework (or for resources for ‘school at home’)
Topics covered: Roman Numerals; England in the Middle Ages; Martyrs in the English Reformation; James I & VI- problems with money; Emigrating to the American Colonies -getting supplies; England in c1688; Making money from the slave trade; The French Revolution: The Terror; Britain from c1750 to c1900; The growth of Middlesbrough in the 19th century; Food, diet and prices in the 1840s; Britain in 1851; Empires; Britain in the 20th century; How well off were people in the 20th century?; The Great Powers before WW1; Casualties in WW1; Food prices in WW2; Population, life expectancy and infant mortality; Battles and casualties.
An example of the full resource which uses graphs, data and ‘shopping’ activities to help develop both historical and mathematical knowledge and understanding.
The full resource has a range of 20 topics including the transatlantic slave trade, Britain in 1851, The Great Powers before WW1. (Full list included in free sample)
Ideal for use as a cover lesson or a stand-alone homework. (Answers provided)
Helps students develop their historical understanding and use of relevant skills.
Activities include: Using information to complete charts; Extracting information from tables; basic accounts and shopping activities; completing data tables by using calculations.
Activities to help students develop their historical understanding and improve their ability to comprehend sources.
An example from the set of 20 source based activities – topics include castles, slavery & factory reform. (See below for full list of contents.)
There is a range of different approaches including ‘4,3,2,1’; ‘Who/What/Where etc’; extracting key points; combining information from a range of sources and comparing different sources…
Ideal for use as a cover lesson or a stand-alone homework.
Why the Romans wanted an Empire; Viking attack; Domesday book; Castles; The killing of Wat Tyler; The murder of Thomas Becket; King John: A good or bad king?; The defeat of the Spanish Armada; The Divine Right of Kings; Why did the New Model Army win?; The trial of Charles I; Was Oliver Cromwell a good leader?; Child workers in cotton mills; Living in an industrial city; Capturing slaves; Changes in Britain c1750-c1900; Factory Reform; Why did some people emigrate from Britain?; Why did people support Hitler?; Who was to blame for WW2?
An example of the full resource which has a range of timeline based tasks on a variety of 20 topics (e.g. Ancient Civilisations, British Empire & WW2) -Full list included in free sample.
Ideal for use as a cover lesson or a stand-alone homework.
Helps students develop their historical understanding and use of relevant skills
Activities include: Sorting information into order to enter into a time chart; Using comprehension skills to complete a time chart timeline; categorising information in a completed time chart.