Caxton and Bell Lessons and Resources
Explore how Caxton and Bell changed communication
A comparison of two significant people whose inventions transformed how ideas and information could be shared. Pupils investigate William Caxton’s printing press, Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone and changes in communication across time.
Explore teaching resources
Everything for this history topic in one place
The enquiry sequence
Six key questions to develop pupils’ historical understanding
6 lessons
Caxton and Bell – assessment task
Focus: characteristic features of period & using sources Y2 Using just one image which contains lots of clues, pupils have to explain how they know this is an image of…
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Medium Term Planner – Caxton to Bell
The ‘significant people’ element of the KS1 history curriculum now requires pupils to compare achievements of individuals within a linked theme – in this case communication in a topic called…
Read MoreCaxton and Bell – KQ1 – What did Caxton do that was so important to us today?
Following a mysterious PowerPoint slow reveal in which pupils look for clues to Caxton’s fame, pupils are given a brief illustrated summary of the key moments in his life which…
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Caxton and Bell – KQ2 – Quick the King and Queen are coming! How Caxton changed the way books were made
Having shown pupils how books were made before Caxton’s time, the main focus of the lesson is on how the new system worked. To prevent this being a dull session…
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Caxton and Bell – KQ3 – How and why should Caxton be remembered?
Having discussed the possible options for ways of commemorating his achievement, pupils have to create a new plaque on his statue, because the old words have worn and faded away….
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Caxton and Bell – KQ4 – How did Alexander Graham Bell manage to make a telephone work so long ago? and why did he want to?
The focus here is on sequencing of events, looking for turning points in his life and for his personal motivation. How did his life choices end up with him inventing…
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Caxton and Bell – KQ5 – Why was Bell’s invention so important, then and now? Bells and whistles!
Pupils write a plaque to go on the side of a new statue that has been built to commemorate Bell’s achievement in response to government’s offering a prize to the…
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Caxton and Bell – KQ6 – How has the telephone improved since the days of Bell?
This session really helps pupils to get a strong sense of change through time, linking the past of Bell’s time to the present bringing things right up to date. It…
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Fun activity on anachronism to help children develop a sense of period when learning about Caxton
Getting young children to develop a sense of period and an awareness of how different the distant past was to the present is never easy- a bit like picking up…
Read MoreTeaching Caxton and Bell at Key Stage 1
These two famous people are linked by the theme of communication; spreading the word. Tim Berners-Lee founder of the world wide web could also be mentioned to bring the topic…
Read MoreWritten by Neil Thompson
All content on Keystage history is written and quality assured by Neil Thompson, a former history teacher, county history adviser and Ofsted inspector with more than 30 years’ experience in history education.