This unit is designed for year 2 but could be adapted to fit into other year groups. Ultimately the unit is focused around Great Fire of London and those who could have been responsible for causing the fire. Throughout this unit, children will spend time learning how to carry out different types of historical research; present arguments based on historical evidence; question sources and work collaboratively. It develops the following skills and knowledge from the National Curriculum: Pupils develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time. They should know where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods. They should ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events. They should understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented. Changes within living memory. The lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements. Some should be used to compare aspects of life in different periods Different significant historical events. Lesson 1: A Chronology lesson which uses photographic evidence to give the children a deeper understanding of how and why different periods/peoples in time were so different. Children make links between different time periods as they start to use the language of chronology. Lesson 2: Children identify the main events connected to the GFL and make initial decisions about who might be responsible for starting it. Lesson 3: Children are introduced to different sources of historical evidence for the GFL. They learn how to use these sources of evidence to carry out historical research. Lesson 4: Children use sources and research to make decisions about the GFL. Lesson 5 - 7: Children present their findings on the GFL through a dramatized role play. Within this unit plan there are hyperlinks to other resources associated with the plan.

This English unit is designed for year 4. The unit requires at least one copy of the book ‘Ice Trap’ by Meredith Hooper. The aim is for the children to write a poem based on the book Ice Trap. The unit allows the children the opportunity to become more familiar with different forms of poetry and their composition. It also gives the children the chance to role-play the parts the journey of Ernest Shackleton and experiment with different poetic devices. It also develops the following skills and knowledge from the National Curriculum: Develop positive attitudes to reading, and an understanding of what they read, by: • Listening to and discussing a wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks • Recognising some different forms of poetry • Identifying how language, structure, and presentation contribute to meaning Writing (Composition): Plan their writing by: • discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write in order to understand and learn from its structure, vocabulary and grammar • discussing and recording ideas Draft and write by: • composing and rehearsing sentences orally (including dialogue), progressively building a varied and rich vocabulary and an increasing range of sentence structures Evaluate and edit by: • assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggesting improvements • proofread for spelling and punctuation errors • read their own writing aloud, to a group or the whole class, using appropriate intonation and controlling the tone and volume so that the meaning is clear. This is a 3-week unit which includes 10 separate lessons/activities. However, some of these lessons will often need more than a single lesson to complete (particularly the writing and planning sections). Within this unit plan there are hyperlinks to other resources associated with the plan.

This unit is designed for year 4 but could be adapted to fit into other year groups. Ultimately the unit is focused on children researching ‘Hinduism’ and the various different aspects which help to differentiate Hinduism from other religions. It develops the following skills: Children can provide a personalised summary on the religion of Hinduism. Children can describe some of the key aspects of Hinduism. Children describe the value, for Hindus, of some of the key parts of Hinduism i.e. festivals, place of worship, sacred text and inspirational leader. Lesson 1: Children are introduced to the term ‘religion’ and what makes up a religion. Lesson 2-5: Children are provided with a research challenge where they must find out as much as possible about certain aspects of the religion. Lesson 3: Children present their understanding of the religion to an audience. Within this unit plan there are hyperlinks to other resources associated with the plan.

This unit is designed for year 4 but could be adapted to fit into other year groups. The unit focuses on the Romans and their invasion of Britain – paying particular attention to religion, military innovation, reasons for invasion and size of the Roman Empire. Throughout this unit, children will spend time learning what an archaeologist does. They will also learn how to carry out different types of historical research; Develop their own questions to find out more about areas of Roman life; Develop their understanding of Roman and Celtic life and understand invasion and the positive/negative consequences of it. It develops the following skills and knowledge from the National Curriculum: To know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; achievements and follies of mankind To gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’ and ‘civilisation’ Understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses. Understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed. Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales. Lesson 1: A Chronology lesson which uses photographic evidence to give the children a deeper understanding of how and why different periods/peoples in time were so different. Children make links between different time periods as they start to use the language of chronology. Lesson 2: Children take the role of Archaeologists to better understand the uses of different Roman artefacts. Lesson 3: A practical activity which gives the children a deeper understanding of the ‘Roman invasion’ of Britain. Lesson 4: Children gain a better understanding of the size and geography of the Roman Empire. Lesson 5: Children create their own questions to gain further understanding of the reasons why the Romans wanted to invade Britain. Lesson 6/7. A research activity where the children are given the opportunity to discover more about the Roman and (British) Celt’s way of life. Within this unit plan there are hyperlinks to other resources associated with the plan.

This unit is designed for year 5 but could be adapted to fit into other year groups. The unit focuses on the Vikings as raiders – paying particular attention to their methods of travel and way of life. Throughout this unit, children will spend time learning about raiding and settlement. They will also learn how to carry out different types of historical research; develop their understanding of bias/historical interpretation. It develops the following skills and knowledge from the National Curriculum: To know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; achievements and follies of mankind Understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses. Understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed. Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales. Lesson 1: A Chronology lesson which uses photographic evidence to give the children a deeper understanding of how and why different periods/peoples in time were so different. Children make links between different time periods as they start to use the language of chronology. Lesson 2: A practical activity which gives the children a deeper understanding of the ‘Viking Raids’ on Britain. Lesson 3: Children look more closely at the Viking Raid on Lindisfarne and the different Historical interpretations of the raid. Lesson 4/5: A research activity where the children are given the opportunity to discover more about the Vikings – and whether they were just bloodthirsty raiders. Lesson 6/7: Children present their findings (to their own questions) on the Vikings through multimedia presentations. Within this unit plan there are hyperlinks to other resources associated with the plan.

This English unit is designed for year 4. The unit requires at least one copy of the book ‘Thieves of Ostia’ by Caroline Lawrence. The aim is for the children to write two newspaper articles based on the text. The unit allows the children the opportunity to become more familiar with newspaper reports and their composition. It also gives the children the chance to role-play newspaper reporters and eye-witnesses. It also develops the following skills and knowledge from the National Curriculum: Writing (composition): Plan their writing by: i.Discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write in order to understand and learn from its structure, vocabulary and grammar ii. Discussing and recording ideas Draft and write by: i. Organising paragraphs around a theme ii. In non-narrative material, using simple organisational devices Evaluate and edit writing by: i. Assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggesting improvements ii. Proposing changes to grammar and vocabulary to improve consistency, including the accurate use of pronouns in sentences Writing (Vocabulary, grammar, punctuation) i. Extending the range of sentences with more than one clause by using a wider range of conjunctions, including when, if, because, although ii. Using and punctuating direct speech This is a 2/3 week unit which includes 9 separate lessons/activities. However, some of these lessons will often need more than a single lesson to complete (particularly the writing and planning sections). Within this unit plan there are hyperlinks to other resources associated with the plan.

This unit is designed for year 4 but could be adapted to fit into other year groups. Ultimately the unit is focused around the concept of ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ and its link to the Hindu festival of Diwali. In this unit, children will spend time learning to discuss what ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ are and how these concepts are linked to Hinduism. It develops the following skills: Children can express a personal response to the concept of good and evil. Children can describe how the concept can be applied in their own and others’ lives. Children can describe what ‘Good and Evil’ means. Children can describe how Good and Evil is expressed by Hindus in the festival of Diwali. Children describe the value, for Hindus, of recognising good and evil through celebration. Lesson 1: Children discuss the concept of Good and Evil Lesson 2: Children use examples and work in teams to better explain the impact of Good and Evil. Lesson 3: Children learn about Diwali and its link to Good and Evil. Lesson 4: Children use what they have learned to take part in a debate on the relevance of Good and Evil to Diwali. Within this unit plan there are hyperlinks to other resources associated with the plan.

This English unit is designed for year 4. The unit requires at least one copy of the book ‘How to live forever plan’ by Colin Thompson’. The aim is for the children to write a setting description based on the book. The unit allows the children the opportunity to become more familiar with setting descriptions and develop their understanding of how to use powerful vocabulary. It also gives the children the chance to create setting descriptions using the ‘journey of the eye’ method. It also develops the following skills and knowledge from the National Curriculum: Writing (Vocabulary, grammar, punctuation): • choosing nouns or pronouns appropriately for clarity and cohesion and to avoid repetition • use and understand the grammatical terminology accurately and appropriately in discussing their writing and reading. Writing (composition): Plan their writing by: • discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write in order to understand and learn from its structure, vocabulary and grammar • discussing and recording ideas Draft and write by: • composing and rehearsing sentences orally (including dialogue), progressively building a varied and rich vocabulary and an increasing range of sentence structures • in narratives, creating settings, characters and plot Evaluate and edit by: • assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggesting improvements • proposing changes to grammar and vocabulary to improve consistency, including the accurate use of pronouns in sentences • proofread for spelling and punctuation errors This is a 2-week unit which includes 8 separate lessons/activities. Within this unit plan there are hyperlinks to other resources associated with the plan.

This Year 5/6 unit is based on creating a game which includes a diary entry about a ship being wrecked in a storm and persuasive letter sent from a desert island. It is designed to get the children to produce purposeful writing where they give the final game to a family member/carer/friend. The unit starts by playing an example version of the game (included in the plan as a link) and builds towards the writing a descriptive diary entry describing the sinking of a ship. The historical time period is meant to be based in the classical pirate era, however this can be altered. The unit then goes into the second section where children simulate the feelings of being shipwrecked then write a persuasive letter begging to be rescued. The children will use metaphors, rhetorical questions, modal verbs and emotive adjectives/verbs to create their diary entries and letters.

This game is an incredibly fun, addictive and different way to reinforce Bidmas through the genre of tabletop war gaming. The resource includes the rules for the games as well as a powerpoint for special weapons known as the god scrolls. You will need to find your own pieces to represent the different characters but I have used chess pieces, child-designed pieces and differently-coloured counters for this. In previous classes, I have also included a premier league and a cup competition to boost interest in the game. I would also encourage you start with groups of three when playing where one of the players acts as the games master. I hope you and the children you teach enjoy the game as much as my classes have.

This Year 5/6 unit is based on the question of A.I. rights. It is designed to get the children to take part in a structured child-led debate; as well as writing a persuasive writing piece. The unit starts with a series of debates (P4C, speech-related and Socratic) and builds towards the writing of persuasive text. The unit uses video, sources of evidence, discussion and argument to give the children a clearer understanding of how to build persuasive language. The children will use rhetorical questions, modal verbs and fronted adverbials to create a persuasive argument for or against A.I. rights. The students loved this unit and were highly engaged by the subject matter.

This enormous set of resources includes a complete list of Year 3/4 spelling sets. Also included are 16 powerpoint spelling presentations along with a list of 16 dictations with links to online YouTube dictations. These spellings are loosely based on the Year 5/6 spellings which children would need to learn according to the English National Curriculum guidelines. Weekly planning format (there are 3 different sessions during the week): Children learn the spelling rule. They are introduced to 6-8 words which match that spelling rule. They practice the words using four different spelling strategies to learn the words. Finally, they play a game which reinforces their understanding of the word (this can be a game like spinal spellings where they draw the word on the partner’s back and their partner has to say the word and spell it). Words are chosen due to their relevance and use to children in the class (overly long and pointless spellings aren’t really included). Children take part in a small diagnostic spelling test where they self mark, evaluate and practice any spellings they got wrong (they use the spelling strategies introduced each spelling session to practice the spellings). They finish with another game like ‘guess the spelling based on the clue’ or ‘throwing a counter to see which spelling it lands on and spelling that word’. At the Beginning of the following week, children listen to the dictation. They dictate what is said including relevant punctuation. This can be done by children independently using electronic devices or as a whole class (with the dictation playing through the speakers in the class - or being read by the teacher). The process continues for the next spelling in the list and so on.

This Year 5/6 unit is based on the first chapter of the Peter Bunzl book ‘Cogheart’. It is designed to get the children to write a series of stories. The unit starts with independent writing and builds towards the guided writing of Chase Story. The unit uses music, play-based activities, video and sound to give the children a clearer understanding of building tension and suspense. The children will use subordination, short sentences and dialogue to create a chase story based on the Victorian ‘Penny Dreadfuls’. This unit works really well alongside Victorian history and guided reading units.

This enormous set of resources includes a complete list of Year 3/4 spelling sets. Also included are 19 powerpoint spelling presentations along with a list of 19 dictations with links to online YouTube dictations. These spellings are loosely based on the Year 3/4 spellings which children would need to learn according to the English National Curriculum guidelines. Weekly planning format (there are 3 different sessions during the week): Children learn the spelling rule. They are introduced to 6-8 words which match that spelling rule. They practice the words using four different spelling strategies to learn the words. Finally, they play a game which reinforces their understanding of the word (this can be a game like spinal spellings where they draw the word on the partner’s back and their partner has to say the word and spell it). Words are chosen due to their relevance and use to children in the class (there are no overly long and pointless spellings which children will never use). Children take part in a small diagnostic spelling test where they self mark, evaluate and practice any spellings they got wrong (they use the spelling strategies introduced each spelling session to practice the spellings). They finish with another game like ‘guess the spelling based on the clue’ or ‘throwing a counter to see which spelling it lands on and spelling that word’. At the Beginning of the following week, children listen to the dictation. They dictate what is said including relevant punctuation. This can be done by children independently using ipads and the link or as a whole class (with the dictation playing through the speakers in the class). The process continues for the next spelling in the list and so on.

This inquiry unit focuses on the question ‘Was the Roman Invasion of Britain a good or bad thing for the British Celts?’ There are a mixture of experiential and inquiry based activities which help the students to decide whether the Roman invasion of Britain was actually a good or bad thing! This unit is built around the twin learning concepts of research and experience. For those who are interested, it is also centered around Higher Performance Learning goals. There are numerous resource links included in the plan.

This English unit is designed for year 4. The unit requires at least one version of the myth ‘Midas and the Golden Touch’. The aim is for the children to write a mythical story based on an edited version of the Greek myth – King Midas. The unit allows the children the opportunity to become more familiar with mythical stories and their composition. It also gives the children the opportunity to role-play, read and immerse themselves in a variety of different mythical stories. This unit is very specific and detailed when it comes to the planning and writing stages (a modelled write is included in the plan). It also develops the following skills and knowledge from the National Curriculum: Writing (Composition): Plan their writing by: i. discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write in order to understand and learn from its structure, vocabulary and grammar ii. discussing and recording ideas Draft and write by: i. composing and rehearsing sentences orally (including dialogue), progressively building a varied and rich vocabulary and an increasing range of sentence structures ii. organising paragraphs around a theme in narratives, creating settings, characters and plot iii. using commas after fronted adverbials develop their understanding of the Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation by: i. choosing nouns or pronouns appropriately for clarity and cohesion and to avoid repetition ii. extending the range of sentences with more than one clause by using a wider range of conjunctions, including when, if, because, although iii. using fronted adverbials Evaluate and edit by: i. assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggesting improvements ii. proposing changes to grammar and vocabulary to improve consistency, including the accurate use of pronouns in sentences iii. proofread for spelling and punctuation errors iv. read their own writing aloud, to a group or the whole class, using appropriate intonation and controlling the tone and volume so that the meaning is clear. This is a 3/4-week unit which includes 12 separate lessons/activities. However, some of these lessons will often need more than a single lesson to complete (particularly the writing and planning sections). Within this unit plan there are hyperlinks to other resources associated with the plan.

THIS PLAN INCLUDES A SLIDESHOW AS PART OF THE RESOURCE This year 6 English unit is a 6-7 lesson mini-unit which gets the students to analyse then perform two poem World War One poems. ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ by Wilfred Owen and ‘An die Soldaten des Grossen Krieges’ by Gerrit Engelke. It is designed to get students to ask their own questions about the poem, then answer them. They also learn how to perform poetry while other members of the class are also performing at the same time. The second poem offers them the opportunity to rewrite parts of the Gerrit Engelke’s poem then create a video presentation. The unit has many links to Michael Rosen’s ideas about performing poetry, while making sure the children understand that the impact of performing poetry from the First World War. While it has been designed as a Year 6 unit, it could be used in Year 5 or Year 7.

This is an English Plan which helps children to write a formal email. It is based on the book Wonder by R.J.Palacio. The unit offers the children a chance to better understand the purpose of formal email writing. It uses the character Jack Will as a stimulus for this writing. This unit is focused on HPL (Higher Performance Learning) and the UK National Curriculum.

This is an English Plan which helps children to write an informal letter. It is based on the book Wonder by R.J.Palacio. The unit offers the children a chance to better understand the purpose of informal letter writing. It uses the characters Via and Grans as a stimulus for this writing. This unit is focused on HPL (Higher Performance Learning) and the UK National Curriculum.

This is an English Plan (with resources) which helps children to write and then present a TedTalk on their philosophy for happiness. It is based on a TedTalk by Sam Berns. The grammar focus is heavily linked to the outcome. The use of short sentences, patterned language and precise punctuation gives the writing more meaning. This unit is focused on HPL (Higher Performance Learning) and the UK National Curriculum. This plan focuses on children reading aloud and presenting a piece of writing they have a great deal of ownership over.