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 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.
A word search and a combined word search and quiz
This features a range of Ancient Greek Gods: Aphrodite, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Demeter, Hades, Hera, Persephone, Poseidon, Zeus
It comes in a range of versions to provide differing degrees of challenge: each wordsearch has a grid and to find – the same names so that all students are covering the same range of deities whatever the level of support/challenge.
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 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
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’
A set of linked resources and activities to help develop knowledge of the Romanisation of Britain. In part this takes a cross-curricular approach through geographical place locations.
There is an information power point with a map showing a number of Roman settlements in England and Wales as well as Hadrian’s and the Antonine Walls. The settlements are: Aquae Sulis, Arbeia, Camulodunum, Deva, Dubris, Eboracum, Isca, Isca Dumnoniorum, Londinium, Lindun, Luguvalium, Noviomagus Regnensium, Verulamium.
It also shows the ‘modern’ names of each settlement.
The main activity is to complete an outline version of the information map. This comes in different versions:
One has the locations of the settlements but is otherwise blank for the students to write in the names.
The second has the first letter of the settlement.
The third has the first letter and the ‘modern’ name.
The fourth has the name of the Roman settlement for them to add the ‘modern’ names.
The word document lists the settlements and has three separate activities.
The first is a set of printable ‘cards’ with the Roman and modern names of the settlements from the map – they can be used for matching pairs etc.
Second is similar but set out as a set of dominoes to allow for greater variety.
Thirdly is a set of two word searches covering most of the names of the featured settlements. (not Chichester as Noviomagus Regnensium is too long to fit!!)
Together the set provides a range of ways of developing knowledge of Roman Britain and are all well suited for homework or adapted for ‘school at home’.
A range of time-line based tasks on a variety of 20 topics (from Ancient Civilisations to the 20th century)
Ideal for use as a cover lesson or a stand-alone homework- or as a resource for ‘school at home’.
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.
Further updated for changes to MLW and NI in April 2024, as well as some price changes.
Two power points that will help students prepare for the world of work and living away from home.
The first presentation looks at income from employment –considering the main deductions that lead to net pay being less than gross pay.
The slides take students though the process step by step, calculating the deductions from a national living wage job.
The second presentation considers main household expenses such as rent, council tax and insurance. Again the slides take a methodical approach, allowing students to see how quickly their income will be spent.
Ideal for use in PSHE; also available as a separate resource is a set of worksheets for students to do their own working out – these are ideal for functional maths –calculator required!
Updated for April 2024 changes to MLW and NI as well as to reflect price changes.
A set of worksheets that will help students prepare for the world of work and living away from home.
The first sheet looks at income from employment –considering the main deductions that lead to net pay being less than gross pay.
The worksheet takes students though the process step by step, calculating the deductions from a national living wage job.
The second sheet considers main household expenses such as rent, council tax and insurance. Again the worksheet takes a methodical approach, allowing students to see how quickly their income will be spent.
Ideal for use in PSHE and functional maths –calculator required!; Also available as a separate resource is a pair of power point presentations which go through the same information showing students how gross income is reduced and basic spending.
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 selection of activities to help tutor groups or classes get to know each other.
There are a range of tasks and challenges which require students to talk to each other in order to complete.
Some challenges are especially useful as ‘ice-breakers’ such as ‘Sorting ‘ and ‘Find someone who’ (see below).
Others are more suitable when the students have begun to get to know each other such as ‘Discussion Points’ and ‘Dilemmas’ .
Sorting activities – getting children moving and engaging with each other such as by first name or date of birth.
‘Find someone who ‘ – they have to find someone who can do a particular task or who likes something particular or who has (done) something.
Discussion points - a set of questions to get small groups talking about issues (we have tried to avoid any controversial topics)
Dilemmas – a different type of question for groups to discuss their response to certain situation (again we have tried to avoid any controversial topics)
Ten miscellaneous challenges including ‘think outside the box, number association and ‘tell the time’ and an 'A-Z ’ of categories -which are suitable for use at either stage.
A set of visual challenges that provide a different opportunity for group working: ‘spot the differences’ and ‘what is it’ (digitally altered images).
The resources are provided on a power point presentation as well as in a word document contains the same activities- especially useful are the sheets to fill in for the ‘Find someone who…’ challenges.
A resource to help students improve their knowledge and understanding of the chronology of Ancient Sumerian 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 c5000 BCE -start of the Uruk period and increasing urbanisation to c1760 BCE when the Babylonians conquered Mesopotamia.
This has a range of 25 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 resource to help students improve their knowledge and understanding of the chronology of English history during the Anglo-Saxon / Viking period.
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 449 CE -the traditional date for the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons in England-to 1066 CE and the end of Anglo-Saxon England following the Norman invasion and victory at Hastings.
This has a range of 26 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 allows for an extra activity/challenge of students deciding what is missing/what could be left out?
This is a set of three comprehension activities on a range of Olympian deities (the same as featured on our linked resources): Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Cronus, Demeter, Hades, Hephaestus, Hera, Leto, Persephone, Poseidon, Zeus
The three challenges offer a range of difficulty in terms of literacy and so helps provide a degree of differentiation whilst studying the same gods/goddesses.
The first is to read a piece of informative text (c 220 words) which covers all the deities and their area of influence and then complete a table -giving the relevant area for each god/goddess.
The second is to read a shorter piece of text (160 words) and then complete a family tree ; there is also a support version with the first letter given.
The third has a table giving the deities and their symbols/associated objects with a blank table to complete using this information -as well as a version for students to draw the appropriate symbol.
This resource provides students with the opportunity to develop their knowledge of a range of 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
A resource to help students improve their knowledge and understanding of the history of Roman Britain.
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 invasion of 43 CE (ordered by Emperor Claudius) to the end of Roman control in 410 CE (when the appeal to Rome for help was rejected).
This has a range of 25 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?
AA simple sequencing activity to help develop chronological knowledge of Pre-Roman Britain (England)
There is a list of 24 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 6,000 BCE when Britain became separated from Europe with the submerging of Doggerland to the Roman Invasion in 43 CE
This resource is suitable for use in class as well as ideal for homework / independent study.
A set of thirty-five thirty 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 Anglo-Saxon Period including the Viking attacks and settlements. Includes workers, buildings, ships, coins, jewellery and the farming year etc.
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
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 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
A selection of activities to help tutor groups or classes get to know each other. The full version of this resource has 32 different activities on both power point and word document
The power point has five different groups of activities:
Sorting activities – getting children moving and engaging with each other;
‘Find someone who ‘ – needs the children talk to each other. They have to find someone who can do a particular task or who likes something particular or who has (done) something.
Discussion points - a set of questions to get small groups talking about issues (we have tried to avoid any controversial topics)
Dilemmas – a different type of question for groups to discuss their response to certain situation (again we have tried to avoid any controversial topics)
Miscellaneous – a selection of 10 challenges including ‘think outside the box, number association and ‘tell the time’
The word document with the full resource contains the same activities- with sheets to fill in for the ‘Find someone who…’ challenges.
The new 2022 version also has some visual challenges to provide a different opportunity for group work (‘spot the differences’ and ‘what is it?’)