Planning and resources for primary teachers from http://www.ks2history.com. Our history topics include Stone Age to Iron Age, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Victorians, Shang Dynasty etc and the list is expanding each month, with literacy units to link to the topics too.
Our popular resources have been tried and tested in hundreds of classrooms.
Planning and resources for primary teachers from http://www.ks2history.com. Our history topics include Stone Age to Iron Age, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Victorians, Shang Dynasty etc and the list is expanding each month, with literacy units to link to the topics too.
Our popular resources have been tried and tested in hundreds of classrooms.
Download this popular two-week Victorians English planning for Year 5 / Year 6, based on studying and performing Victorian poetry. This Victorians poetry planning can be used alongside a Victorians topics or as a standalone unit covering classic poetry.
In this unit, pupils will read and listen to the dramatic poems 'The Kraken' and 'Charge of the Light Brigade' by the Victorian poet Alfred Lord Tennyson, and they will consider how the sounds and language patterns come alive when the poems are read aloud. Children will work towards creating their own poems in the same style and will prepare to perform them aloud.
The aims of the unit for pupils are:
• To listen to classic and narrative poems by a Victorian poet
• To identify poetic devices and to explain their effects
• To research the literary influences of classic Victorian poetry
• To prepare and perform a poem to an audience
• To engage with a poet’s use of imaginative language to create monsters and battle scenes.
The PDF file contains 10 full literacy lesson plans, copies of the poems and all accompanying pupil resources.
SPECIAL OFFER: new TES buyers can use code OUTSTANDINGOCT at checkout to download for free!
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The Listeners Poetry Planning Pack
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A full lesson for KS2 exploring the topic of jobs for Victorian children, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What was life like for working Victorian children?
In this lesson, pupils will find out about the different kinds of work that Victorian children undertook. Pupils will watch videos exploring work in mines, factories and fields and will consider what these jobs would have felt like for children performing the work on a daily basis. Pupils will make a paperchain of Victorian children to present information about different jobs and have the opportunity to hot-seat in the role of a child worker.
Objectives:
To find out what sort of jobs were taken by Victorian children
To explore what life was like for Victorian working children
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
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Introduction to the Victorians: (FREE): A full lesson for KS2 introducing the Victorian period, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Who Was Queen Victoria?; A full lesson for KS2 exploring the life and significance of Queen Victoria, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Inventions: A full lesson for KS2 about famous Victorian inventions, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Industrial Revolution A full lesson for KS2 exploring the impact of the Industrial Revolution, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Railways A full lesson for KS2 about the introduction of the railways, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Schools A full lesson for KS2 about Victorian schools, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Clothing A full lesson for KS2 investigating Victorian clothing, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Crime and Punishment A full lesson for KS2 about crime and punishment in the Victorian period, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
A full lesson for KS2 about life in an Anglo-Saxon settlement, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What was it like in an Anglo-Saxon village?
This lesson explores life in an Anglo-Saxon settlement. Pupils will take a video tour and think about how the Anglo-Saxons used natural resources to make their settlements safe and self-sufficient. Pupils will design their own settlement maps and think about what different people might be doing in the settlement on a day-to-day basis.
Objectives:
To explore the features of an Anglo-Saxon settlement
To consider what life might have been like for different people living in an Anglo-Saxon village
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
You may also like:
Anglo-Saxons Unit for KS2: A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Anglo-Saxon topic.
Why did the Anglo-Saxons want to settle in Britain? A complete lesson for KS2
Where did the Anglo-Saxons come from? A complete lesson for KS2
A lesson for KS2 exploring the legacy of the Romans in Britain - including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and printable activity sheets.
This lesson is part of our popular Roman Britain unit.
Lesson: What lasting impact did the Romans leave in Britain?
Pupils will consider what kind of legacy the Romans left in Britain. They will find out about everyday things that the Romans introduced to Britain and will analyse the significance of different legacies in a card sorting activity ready for a balloon debate. Pupils will finish by recording selfies of modern everyday activities made possible because of the Roman legacy.
Objectives:
To evaluate the impact of the Roman Empire on modern Britain
To debate the most important Roman legacies
This primary history resource is created by KS2History.
You may also like our other Romans topic resources:
Roman Britain Planning Pack
Escape from Pompeii Literacy Planning Pack
Romans Literacy Pack (Instructions Unit)
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.
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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 about Anglo-Saxon food, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What was Anglo-Saxon food and drink like?
This lesson allows pupils to think about the foods they like to eat and compare them to the foods available in Anglo-Saxon Britain, both in terms of everyday meals and feasting foods. Pupils will design an Anglo-Saxon menu and have the opportunity to make and taste Anglo-Saxon honey bread.
Objectives:
To find out which foods were available in Anglo-Saxon times
To follow an Anglo-Saxon recipe for honey bread
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
You may also like:
Anglo-Saxons Unit for KS2: A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Anglo-Saxon topic.
What was it like in an Anglo-Saxon village? A complete lesson for KS2
Where did the Anglo-Saxons come from? A complete lesson for KS2
A full lesson for KS2 about Anglo-Saxon clothing, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What kind of clothes did the Anglo-Saxons wear?
In this lesson, pupils think about how their own clothing choices compare to the clothes available to Anglo-Saxons. Pupils will find out about typical clothing for Anglo-Saxon men and women and they will have a go at colouring wool using natural materials for dyes. Finally, pupils will have the opportunity to reflect on the sources of evidence that might inform historians about Anglo-Saxon clothing.
Objectives:
To find out what Anglo-Saxon clothing looked like
To discover how Anglo-Saxons made clothes out of natural materials
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
You may also like:
Anglo-Saxons Unit for KS2: A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Anglo-Saxon topic.
What was it like in an Anglo-Saxon village? A complete lesson for KS2
Where did the Anglo-Saxons come from? A complete lesson for KS2
A full lesson for KS2 about Anglo-Saxon religion, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
How did the Anglo-Saxons find out about Christianity?
This lesson is designed to help pupils to understand key concepts of paganism and Christianity and how the two religions existed side by side in the Anglo-Saxon period. Pupils will complete a dictionary challenge to become familiar with associated vocabulary and then they learn about three important Christian missionaries. They will watch a video to reflect on how Christianity spread across Anglo-Saxon Britain and then design commemorative stained glass windows depicting key figures.
Objectives:
To find out about Anglo-Saxon religious beliefs
To learn about key figures who helped the Anglo-Saxons to find out about Christianity
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
You may also like:
Anglo-Saxons Unit for KS2: A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Anglo-Saxon topic.
What was it like in an Anglo-Saxon village? A complete lesson for KS2
Where did the Anglo-Saxons come from? A complete lesson for KS2
Download our popular Escape From Pompeii English Planning Pack for KS2.
This is a ten-lesson unit of work based around the book ‘Escape from Pompeii’ by Christina Balit, designed for Year 3 and Year 4.
The ten lessons in this unit aim to give children the opportunity to read and listen to the Escape from Pompeii story a number of times. In the first week, children will engage with the text through discussion, drama and even creating a parachute volcanic eruption in order to increase their familiarity with the story. They will have the opportunity to articulate ideas about the text using an increasingly varied vocabulary. There is a grammar focus on using powerful verbs and a chance to develop thesaurus skills.
In the second week, pupils will plan their own story based on the structure of Escape from Pompeii and they will then have the opportunity to draft, edit and present their final narrative.
The literacy objectives covered in this unit are:
To use sensory descriptions
To use a thesaurus to improve my writing
To perform a poem as a group
To use powerful verbs
To prepare a short drama piece based on a text
To write a descriptive recount
To make a story plan
To write my own narrative
To edit my writing
To make decisions about how to present my writing
The PDF file contains ten full lesson plans and all pupil worksheets/resources.
#lovehistory
You may also like the following planning for Year 3/ Year 4:
Roman Britain Planning Pack
Romans Literacy Pack (Instructions Unit)
Romans Planning Bundle of all three planning packs
A lesson for KS2 investigating the evidence around whether the Ancient Greek story of the Trojan Horse was based on real events, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and printable activity sheets.
This lesson is part of our popular Ancient Greece Pack for Key Stage 2.
Lesson: Did the events of the Trojan Horse story really happen?
In this lesson, pupils will learn about the tradition of oral storytelling in Ancient Greece. Pupils will listen to the Trojan Horse story and analyse the evidence to decide which parts of the story are likely to be based on true events. Pupils will use their analysis to form a structured response to the question Did the story of the Trojan Horse really happen?, before being left with a challenge to imagine their own trick to break through the walls of Troy.
Objectives:
To draw my own conclusion about the Ancient Greek story of the Trojan Horse
To evaluate stories from history by examining sources of evidence
You may also like:
Ancient Greeks Lessons Pack for KS2: A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Ancient Greece topic.
This primary history resource has been created by KS2History.
A lesson for KS2 introducing Britain just before the time of the Roman invasion - including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and printable activity sheets.
This lesson is part of our popular Romans unit for Key Stage 2 and helps to set the context for the Roman invasion of Britain.
Lesson: What was Britain like before the Romans invaded?
This lesson explores what Britain looked like just before the Roman invasion and it provides a key background before analysing the impact of the Roman invasion in subsequent lessons. Pupils will explore an Iron Age tribal map and consider how the geography affects invasion strategies. Then pupils will become Roman ‘spies’, reporting on key aspects of the culture, landscape and lifestyle of Iron Age Britain.
Objectives:
To explain what Britain looked like just before the Romans invaded
To evaluate how different aspects of life in Iron Age Britain might have affected the success of the Roman invasion
This primary history resource is created by KS2History.
You may also like our other Romans topic resources:
Roman Britain Planning Pack
Escape from Pompeii Literacy Planning Pack
Romans Literacy Pack (Instructions Unit)
Romans Planning Bundle of all three planning packs
A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Maya Civilization history topic. This KS2History planning pack includes 10 detailed lessons plans, each with accompanying pupil resource sheets and Powerpoint slides.
The ten sessions in this unit aim to give an overview of the history of the Maya Civilization, with a particular focus on the period leading up to the height of the civilization in AD 900. As with all KS2History.com units, there is an emphasis on allowing pupils to consider the sources of evidence that form our understanding of this period of world history. The unit also takes the opportunity to draw contrasts with comparable themes from British history.
The aims of the unit for pupils are:
To gain an overview of significant people, places and events from the Maya Civilization
To explore how the geography of the Maya area impacted trade, daily life and the growth and decline of the civilization
To consider broader historical context and draw links with British history and other familiar aspects of world history
To become familiar with historical sources and debates, to address misconceptions and to use accurate vocabulary relating to the Maya Civilization.
This pack contains everything you need to teach this unit, including differentiated activity ideas so that it can be adapted to the needs of your class. The Powerpoint text is also editable.
The planning pack covers the following lessons:
What was the Maya Civilization?
How did the landscape of the Maya area affect trade?
How did Maya settlers survive and thrive in the rainforest?
What do Maya ruins tell us about city-states?
How useful are the pictures of Frederick Catherwood as a source of information about the Maya?
Did the Maya invent football?
Why was maize so important to the Maya people?
Who was Pakal the Great?
How did the Maya keep track of time?
What is the mystery of the abandoned Maya cities?
This resource includes 1 x PDf file (containing all lessons and resources) and 10 x separate PPT files.
Download our complete unit of work for primary history including lessons plans, pupil resources and teacher’s guide. The Shang Dynasty is now a study unit for KS2 on the new curriculum for history.
This ten-lesson unit is designed for upper KS2 and it 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?
10. What have we learned about this period of history?
#lovehistory
This activity allows pupils to read a recount of the British Invasion of Benin and then sort the statements into arguments for and against the invasion. This activity would be good preparation for a class debate or for planning a written argument.
A full lesson for KS2 about Victorian clothes, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What kind of clothes did the Victorians wear?
This lesson is designed to help pupils to understand how clothing and class status were linked in Victorian times. Pupils will engage with historical sources to make observations about clothing, and then compare rich and poor clothing. Pupils will learn how sewing and clothes making were important skills and will have a go at making their own Victorian sewing sampler.
Objectives:
To use historical sources to make observations about Victorian clothing
To compare clothes for rich and poor people from Victorian times
To design a sewing sampler
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
You may also like:
Victorians Full Unit for KS2: A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Victorians topic.
Introduction to the Victorians: (FREE): A full lesson for KS2 introducing the Victorian period, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Who Was Queen Victoria?; A full lesson for KS2 exploring the life and significance of Queen Victoria, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Inventions: A full lesson for KS2 about famous Victorian inventions, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
A lesson for KS2 about key Ancient Greek philosophers and their influence, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and printable activity sheets.
This lesson is part of our popular Ancient Greece Pack for Key Stage 2.
Lesson: What were the Ancient Greek philosophers famous for?
This lesson allows pupils to find out about key thinkers from Ancient Greece. After getting into some philosophical debates of their own, pupils will compare three famous Greek philosophers and choose one to focus on in detail for a museum exhibition, with an optional clay modelling challenge. Pupils will finish the lesson by performing a song about famous Ancient Greek thinkers.
Objectives:
To find out about famous thinkers from Ancient Greece
To explore key ideas and questions from Ancient Greek philosophy
You may also like:
Ancient Greeks Lessons Pack for KS2: A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Ancient Greece topic.
This primary history resource has been created by KS2History.
Download our popular Anglo-Saxon lesson planning bundle containing 10 full lessons.
This resource contains a bundle of history lessons that make up a complete unit covering the Anglo-Saxons topic. Each file contains a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint slides and pupil resource sheets.
The planning pack covers the following lessons:
Who were the Anglo-Saxon invaders?
Why did the Anglo-Saxons want to settle in Britain?
What was it like in an Anglo-Saxon village?
What kind of clothes did the Anglo-Saxons wear?
How was Anglo-Saxon Britain ruled?
Who was Alfred the Great?
What was Anglo-Saxon food and drink like?
How did the Anglo-Saxons write things down?
How did the Anglo-Saxons find out about Christianity?
What was the mystery of Sutton Hoo?
These lessons are written for KS2 and are aligned to the National Curriculum in the UK but can be easily adapted to other curriculums too. The lesson plans include differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
This bundle is brought to you by KS2History.com.
You may also like our Beowulf Literacy Resource Pack.
A lesson for KS2 introducing the Roman Empire - including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and printable activity sheets.
This lesson is part of our popular Romans unit for Key Stage 2.
Lesson: Where did the Roman Empire come from?
This lesson introduces the Roman Empire in its historical and geographical contexts. Pupils will make a timeline to set this period into the wider context of world history. Then they will learn two contrasting stories about the founding of Rome, discussing the difference between legends and historical fact.
Objectives:
To find out where the Roman Empire originated
To place the beginning of the Roman Empire onto a timeline
To evaluate stories about the founding of Rome
This primary history resource is created by KS2History.
You may like our other resources for the Romans topic:
Roman Britain Planning Pack
Escape from Pompeii Literacy Planning Pack
Romans Literacy Pack (Instructions Unit)
Romans Planning Bundle of all three planning packs
A lesson for KS2 looking at the story of Boudica’s rebellion against the Romans - including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and printable activity sheets.
This lesson is part of our popular Romans unit for Key Stage 2.
Lesson: Who was Boudica and how did she rebel against the Romans?
In this lesson, pupils will develop their skills of working with historical sources in order to find out about the character of Boudica. They will be introduced to primary and secondary sources to help them to learn the story of Boudica’s rebellion against the Romans. Then they will have the opportunity to make a comic strip of the story and to learn a humorous song about Boudica.
Objectives:
To use historical sources to find out about Boudica
To explore the story of Boudica’s rebellion against the Romans.
This primary history resource is created by KS2History.
You may also like our other Romans topic resources:
Roman Britain Planning Pack
Escape from Pompeii Literacy Planning Pack
Romans Literacy Pack (Instructions Unit)
Romans Planning Bundle of all three planning packs
A full lesson for KS2 exploring how Lord Shaftesbury worked through the Factory Act and other campaigns to improve the lives of Victorian children. This resource includes a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
How did Lord Shaftesbury improve the lives of Victorian children?
In this lesson, pupils will learn how Lord Shaftesbury campaigned to improve children’s lives. After learning about the Factory Act, pupils will write a letter from Lord Shaftesbury to the government proposing changes to the law. Finally, pupils will have the opportunity to link Lord Shaftesbury’s work to the legacy of other significant figures from history.
Objectives:
To explore why Lord Shaftesbury was an important figure
To find out how Lord Shaftesbury’s campaigns improved children’s lives during the Victorian period
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
You may also like:
Victorians Full Unit for KS2: A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Victorians topic.
Introduction to the Victorians: (FREE): A full lesson for KS2 introducing the Victorian period, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Who Was Queen Victoria?; A full lesson for KS2 exploring the life and significance of Queen Victoria, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Inventions: A full lesson for KS2 about famous Victorian inventions, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Industrial Revolution A full lesson for KS2 exploring the impact of the Industrial Revolution, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Railways A full lesson for KS2 about the introduction of the railways, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Victorian Working Children A full lesson for KS2 exploring the topic of jobs for Victorian children, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.