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.
A full lesson for KS2 introducing the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint slides and pupil resource sheets. This lesson can also be found in the Ancient Egyptians Planning Pack for KS2.
Who were the Ancient Egyptian pharaohs?
This lesson explores the role of the pharaohs and introduces some significant figures. Pupils will play a ‘Find that Pharaoh’ game to become familiar with key people and dates. They will learn about important symbols associated with pharaohs and use them to design a royal sarcophagus.
Objectives:
To find out about some of the most famous Egyptian pharaohs
To explore the meaning of symbols associated with the pharaohs
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class. This is the third lesson from our Ancient Egyptians Planning Pack.
This primary history resource is created by KS2History.
A full lesson for KS2 about Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. The resource includes a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What did Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics mean?
In this lesson, pupils will look at historical sources containing Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and look closely for familiar symbols among the writing. Pupils will learn about what kind of messages were written in hieroglyphics, discuss some of the issues around translation and use a hieroglyphics key to make their own Egyptian cartouche.
Objectives:
To discover what Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs looked like
To explore the issue of translating hieroglyphics
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
This lesson is part of the KS2History Ancient Egyptians Planning Pack for KS2.
This primary history resource is created by KS2History.
A full lesson for KS2 about the exciting discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. The resource includes a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What was discovered inside Tutankhamun’s tomb?
This lesson is designed to help pupils to understand the significance of Howard Carter’s discovery. Pupils will read an extract from Carter’s diary and take part in an exciting roleplay challenge to recover Tutankhamun’s tomb objects. After cataloguing their finds, pupils will be challenged to think about different viewpoints on removing the tomb objects.
Objectives:
To explore the story of Howard Carter’s discovery of the tomb
To investigate some of the contents of Tutankhamun’s tomb
To begin to consider ethical implications of digging up the past
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
This lesson is part of the KS2History Ancient Egyptians Planning Pack for KS
This primary history resource is created by KS2History.
Great for harvest festival performances!
A one-week literacy unit based on creating and performing harvest poetry about a fieldmouse trying to keep safe when the farmer is harvesting the fields. At the end of the week pupils will have prepared a performance of their harvest poem.
The five lessons in this unit give children the opportunity to read and listen to a classic harvest poem and to consider how the sounds and language patterns come alive when it is read aloud, in particular its use of verbs and commands. Children will have the opportunity to engage imaginatively with the poem and to create their own version of a harvest poem to perform aloud.
The aims of the unit for pupils are:
• To listen to a classic harvest poem being read aloud
• To identify verbs
• To use command sentences
• To prepare a poetry performance including actions
• To perform a poem to an audience
The final performances would also be perfect for a harvest assembly or harvest festival.
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 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
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.
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.
Download our popular Ancient Greece lesson planning bundle containing 10 full lessons.
This resource contains a bundle of history lessons for KS2 (ages 7-11) that make up a complete unit covering the Ancient Greece topic. Each file contains a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint slides and printable activity sheets.
The planning pack covers the following lessons:
Who were the Ancient Greeks?
Why were Athens and Sparta so different?
What was Alexander the Great’s impact on the Greek empire?
Why did a small Greek army win the Battle of Marathon?
What were the Ancient Greek gods known for?
What happened at the Ancient Greek Olympic Games?
What were the Ancient Greek philosophers famous for?
Did the events of the Trojan Horse story really happen?
What was daily life like for children in Ancient Greece?
How significant is the legacy of Ancient Greece for life today?
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…
A full lesson for KS2 introducing the Bronze Age, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
How did bronze replace stone in the Bronze Age?
This lesson looks at the changes between the Stone Age and the Bronze Age, including the implications of the discovery of bronze and the process of how bronze was made. Pupils will find out why bronze was so important and they will create their own flowcharts to record the ‘smelting’ process of how it was made.
Objectives:
To know how the Bronze Age was different to the Stone Age
To explain how the smelting process was used to make bronze
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
This is the seventh lesson in the popular Stone Age to Iron Age Unit for KS2..
This primary history resource was created by KS2History.
You may also like:
Bronze Age Grave Goods (Lesson for KS2)
Iron Age Hillforts (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)
Stone Age Boy Literacy Planning - 2 Weeks
Stone Age to Iron Age Planning Bundle for KS2
Download this popular two-week unit for Year 1 based on classic poetry to perform.
A two-week literacy unit of work for Year 1, containing lesson plans and pupil resources, looking at some ofEdward Lear's most funny and imaginative poems.
In this unit pupils will:
- listen to classic poems by Edward Lear
- investigate the sounds and language patterns of the poem
- make a comic version of 'The Owl and the Pussycat'
- identify rhyming words and patterns
- make a new version of the poem 'The Jumblies'
- prepare and give a performance to an audience
The poems include 'The Owl and the Pussycat', 'Calico Pie' and 'The Jumblies'.
You may also like our other KS1 poetry packs:
Year 2 Performance Poetry Pack
Summer Performance Poetry Pack
Spring Performance Poetry
Download this popular two-week unit for Year 5 based on classic performance poetry.
A two-week literacy unit of work for Year 5, containing lesson plans and pupil resources, looking at some of Tennyson's vivid poetic imagery of sea monsters and war heroes.
In this unit pupils will:
- read and listen to classic poems by Alfred Lord Tennyson
- research the historical and literary context of the poems
- engage imaginatively with poetic language
- create their own sea monster poem inspired by 'The Kraken'
- turn a narrative poem into a comic strip
- identify poetic devices in the poem and explain their effects
- express the mood of a poem through performance
- prepare and give a performance to an audience
The poems include 'The Kraken' and 'The Charge of the Light Brigade'
The performance at the end of the unit would be perfect for World Poetry Day or to use in a poetry performance or assembly.
A full lesson for KS2 exploring the types of historical evidence that tell us about the Stone Age. The resource includes a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What kind of sources tell us about the Stone Age?
This lesson addresses the question of how we can know about a period of British history with a lack of written primary sources of evidence. Pupils will be introduced to the concept of making deductions from evidence and they will use an information table to record what different artefacts tell us about the Stone Age.
Objectives:
To examine non-written sources of evidence about the Stone Age
To make deductions from primary sources
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
This is the fourth lesson in the popular Stone Age to Iron Age Unit for KS2..
This primary history resource was created by KS2History.
You may also like:
Prehistory Timelines (Lesson for KS2)
Stone Age Hunter-Gatherers (Lesson for KS2)
Stone Age Cave Art (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
Download our popular Easter Performance Poetry unit for KS1. One week’s worth of literacy planning!
A five-lesson literacy unit of poetry planning for Years 1 and 2, based on performing Easter poetry and built around the KS1 English objectives.
In this unit, pupils will read a classic Easter poem about a fast white rabbit and they will consider how the sounds and language patterns come alive when the poem is read aloud, particularly reflecting on the use of verbs and similes. Children will work towards creating their version of the Easter poem and turning it into an effective performance, which could be used for an Easter assembly or celebration.
The aims of the unit for pupils are:
• To listen to a classic Easter poem being read aloud
• To identify verbs and similes
• To prepare a poetry performance including actions
• To perform a poem to an audience
The PDF file contains 5 full literacy lesson plans, copies of the poem and all accompanying pupil resources.
You may also like our other KS1 resources
Y2 English Bundle
Y2 SPAG Questions
Going to Sea Poetry Pack
KS1 Sentence Types Poetry
Summer Performance Poetry Pack
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.
You may also like:
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.
Stone Age Boy Planning (2 Weeks): The official KS2History planning pack for the book Stone Age Boy, downloaded by hundreds of teachers. Download the original Stone Age Boy resource pack from KS2History. This two-week unit of English work, based on the book 'Stone Age Boy', works well alongside the topic Stone Age to Iron Age for Year 3 and Year 4. The PDF pack contains ten full lesson plans and accompanying pupil resources.
The lessons in this Stone Age Boy Planning Pack use drama, discussion and debate to help pupils to engage with the text and then gives them the opportunity to write and edit their own Stone Age narratives. There is also a grammar focus on using adverbials of time and place and a chance to develop thesaurus skills.
The English objectives covered in this unit are:
- To ask and answer questions about a text
- To use a thesaurus to improve my writing
- To use adverbials of time and place
- To prepare a short drama piece based on a text
- To take part in a class debate
- To make a story plan
- To write my own narrative
- To edit my writing
- To make decisions about how to present my writing
If you like this Stone Age Boy Planning Pack, you may also like:
Stone Age to Iron Age Planning Pack
How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth Literacy Planning
Stone Age to Iron Age planning bundle of all 3 packs
#lovehistory
A full lesson for KS2 about the introduction of the railways to Victorian Britain, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
How did the Victorians respond to the new railways?
This lesson looks at the introduction of the railways during the Victorian period. Pupils will think about their own experiences of rail travel and consider what travel was like before the railways were built. They will learn about how the new railways impacted people in positive and negative ways using case studies and role play activities, before writing a letter to explain one character’s perspective on the new railways.
Objectives:
To find out how the introduction of the railways changed travel and trade
To explain different viewpoints about the new railways
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
You may also like:
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 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.
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 exploring the fascinating topic of mummification. The resource includes a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
What was mummification in Ancient Egypt?
In this exciting lesson, pupils will find out all about the process of making mummies! After they have been introduced to the reasons behind mummification in Ancient Egypt, pupils will work in teams on a hands-on challenge to make their own mummified dolls following the different steps of the ancient process and then write their own instructions. They will finish the lesson with a quiz about animal mummies.
Objectives:
To find out why the Ancient Egyptians mummified people
To understand the different stages of the mummification process
The lesson plan includes differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class.
This lesson is part of the KS2History Ancient Egyptians Planning Pack for KS2.
This primary history resource is created by KS2History.
A full lesson for KS2 exploring the life and significance of Queen Victoria, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets.
Who was Queen Victoria?
In this lesson, pupils learn about Queen Victoria and the impact of her reign. After exploring the facts about her monarchy, pupils will consider the legacy she left behind and create newspaper reports from the week of her death. Pupils will finish the lesson by pretending to be directors of a new film about Victoria’s life.
Objectives:
To find out about the life of Queen Victoria
To think about why Victoria became such a popular monarch
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.
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.
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.
