Outstanding Lessons at KS1

If you have ever searched the internet for inspiration for your history sessions you will know how frustrating it can be. Luckily the answer is at hand. Built up from twenty years’ experience of working with infant schools, the site brings into one place some of the best history lessons you can expect to find. Not only are they logically developed with clear learning objectives, thoughtful structure and fit for purpose activities, they are all in some ways creative or imaginative. They are not run of the mill. They will almost certainly fire your imagination and stimulate an even better idea.

2 fun facts for pupils studying Florence Nightingale at KS1 and 2 key learning points

Just thought these two fun facts might interest your pupils, building on infants' interest in animals rather than death rates from dysentery! So the two facts are: 1. As a child, Florence already showed an interest in nursing by mending broken dolls and fitting splints to injured...

Remembering the sinking of the Titanic- a famous event for KS1

To mark the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic on this day in 1912, we are getting ready to launch three brand new fully resourced outstanding lessons. To add to the existing ones explaining why the unthinkable happened and helping the film director show...

KS1 |Great Fire interactive resource

Just thought I'd bring to the attention of those who haven't yet seen it the interesting resource put together by the Museum of London and other agencies a year or so ago. You can find it here

Are you teaching your KS1 the truth about Guy Fawkes?

In many schools I hear teachers tell the same story about Guido Fawkes. Guy Fawkes was angry at the King and the government for the way it treated Catholics. He then brought together a team of plotters intent on killing the king and his cronies...

How can we possibly know about the Wright Brothers first flight when there’s nobody alive now who saw it? This is a question about evidence, one which makes pupils consider how we know for sure about the past. Their thinking needs to be developed beyond ‘it...

Varied introduction to the Moon Landing topic with pupils actively involved in sequencing, speculating and then the killer activity called Prove it in which they have to use a gallery of visual clues to find evidence to prove that man really did go to the...

At the very start of the topic, on the assumption that you haven’t told them what the topic is about!! pupils are shown slide 2 in the form of a slow reveal. 4 coloured boxes obscure a picture of the Wright Brothers’ Flyer. But can...

How did people react to Amy at the time, and how do we know? KQ4

Children generate adjectives to describe Amy’s arrival in Australia using a photograph and short newspaper extracts and then are given 10 statements which they have to prove using a gallery of...

This activity goes beyond simple sequencing of images, which pupils first attempted at the start of the topic, to explaining the nature of the changes that have taken places in aviation since the Wright brothers. They finish by attaching significance to each change. Which do...

In this session on Amy Johnson (KQ1 on the planner) children learn to: predict from small clues link together disparate pieces of evidence and draw conclusions based on the clues they are given. With the help of the slow reveal of the clues in carefully arranged order, pupils build...

How did Amy the secretary end up being the first woman to fly to Australia? Smart Task KQ2

This short, fun activity using mime and props, tells the story of Amy Johnson's first flight to Australia in a way that children will never forget. Each of...

Having heard the story of Amy Johnson's life, pupils are now asked to focus their attention on explaining why it was such a difficult feat for Amy to achieve at that time. Can they think of any ideas themselves before working out from clues on...

Was Amy really successful for the rest of her life? A Living graph Smart Task KQ5

The focus here is on the ups and downs of Amy’s life, in the ten years after her famous flight to Australia. Step 1 Give pupils an envelope containing a set of...

How can we solve the mystery of what happened to Amy Johnson? Smart Task KQ6

This enduring mystery has puzzled historians for over 75 years. New evidence has just come to light which makes this an ideal opportunity for pupils to explore reasons for themselves. Clearly...

Why did the Great Fire of 1666 burn down so many more houses than other fires in London at that time?

In this exceptional lesson, pupils adopt the role of providers of a new plaque for a monument explaining why the Great Fire of 1666 burnt...

This enquiry comprises a series of three smart tasks: the first is a sequencing task based on storytelling; the second a ‘living graph the third an optional ‘reconstruction relay drawing task’ . All contribute to helping pupils gain a firm grasp of the key events...

This reconstruction relay - part of KQ3, Why did the Wright Brothers succeed where others had failed - is fantastic fun as well as helping pupils to look carefully at the features of The Flyer, the Wright Brothers 1903 plane. Basically pupils are cast in the...

This lesson was taught by Sarah Duck, Leading Teacher for History, Hampshire LA. She kindly describes for us how the lesson went. "Work had already begun on the Wright Brothers' topic and the children were familiar with the sequence of events leading up to, including...

How do you think we should remember the first man on the moon on July 21st 1969? What symbol could we use?

Coming at the end of the topic this smart task encourages pupils to show their understanding of why this was such a significant event....

The 2014 history curriculum at KS1 asks schools to provide a little more coherence in their choice of famous people to study, suggesting that they might be linked by theme. Here we have a possible theme of flight which links earlier work on the Wright...

This session for KS1 children comprises three distinct activities. Activity 1 This activity is a simple story telling one using Mark Haddon’s book, The Sea of Tranquillity. The story is great; the author narrates his recollection (as a kid) of Apollo 11. The picture on the cover...

Commemorating the Wright brother's achievements with words young children can understand

Pupils have to create a plaque to commemorate the Wright brothers’ achievements to replace the incomprehensible one on the monument at Kitty Hawk. But they can use only 50 words so they need to be...

Lessons and activities

How could the unsinkable Titanic sink? This history mystery asks pupils to speculate as to the possible reasons before comparing different explanations. When people have so many opinions on this question, it is appropriate that pupils feel that they are making their...

Here are 10 probing questions. See how you get on. Oh, and the answers are given below, in case you need them. As if! Q1. How was Florence Nightingale received by the doctors when she first arrived at the hospital in Scutari? Q2. Why was Florence known as...

There are two types of events that are expected to be taught to KS1 pupils as part of the National Curriculum. One is commemorative events and anniversaries, the other significant events in the history of this country and the wider world. Increasingly these events are...

Many of you will be starting your Great Fire topic this term. Naturally you will want this to be exciting as well as challenging and you will want to focus on the main historical concepts: in this case, cause and consequence and change. But you might...

If you get the chance, between the end of term and April, to visit the Museum of London’s exhibition Fire! Fire! don’t hesitate. There are some extraordinary exhibits and it offers a really interesting opportunity to bring your teaching of this popular topic...

Y1 explore the contents of the mystery bag

An object-based problem-solving approach to learning about life during the Great Fire

This Smart Task is just part of a lesson and uses the power of concealed objects to fire children’s curiosity. Pupils work to help archaeologists establish the likely owner of the mystery...

Long before Grace Darling appeared in one of the additional QCA schemes of work, Grace Darling was being taught as a famous person. She was particularly popular with teachers of Year 1 in term 2. Not only was the story of her life focused on...

Jack has forgotten what has happened to him. Can the children help jog his memory?

This lesson was kindly provided by David Cowie and his team at Ringwood Infants C of E School. Their theme for a three week block was Nursery Rhymes. Particular sessions were used to trial specific thinking skills approaches. In this case they looked at Jack...

Sample page from outstanding website produced by Warwickshire's Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum

This lesson draws on some excellent resources you may not have come across, produced by museums in Bedfordshire and Warwickshire. Not only do they look at old and new and then and now they also offer Venn diagrams which provide that extra challenge. You will...

If you have ever searched the internet for inspiration for your history sessions you will know how frustrating it can be. Luckily the answer is at hand. Built up from twenty years' experience of working with infant schools, the site brings into one place some...

If you have ever asked children in Y1/2 to write a postcard home as if it were from Victorian times you'll know the problem. After hours of your time teaching the topic and creating the beautifully authentic postcards, all you get in return is:...

Lessons and shorter activities. Please note that these lessons and smart tasks have accompanying resources to download and that most of the PowerPoint presentations on the site have been kept deliberately simple, anticipating that you will want to personalise them.

Castles

Planning a pageant at a medieval...

This lesson focuses on helping pupils to move beyond simple story telling and sequencing to thinking about the effect that each event in her life had on Mary. By encouraging pupils to think in terms of happy and sad events, you will help them build...

Medium term planning and planner for Scott of the Antarctic KS1

This topic has been designed for Term 3 of Y1 but would also suit use with older pupils. It lends itself very well to inclusion within a broadly cross-curricular topic on Hot and Cold or Journeys....

You can use this task on Scott's journey to the South Pole in a number of ways: as a simple sequencing task, which really challenges across the ability range or as a diagnostic assessment task, for instance. Whatever you choose, you will need to ensure...

The concept of an intrepid explorer may not be completely alien to even the youngest children as the media does focus a lot on individual record breaking, whether it be climbing or sailing, running or swimming. They already know something about conditions at the South...

Medium term planning and planner for Going to the Seaside KS1

This history topic has been designed to be taught in Year 1 Term 3 and the literacy links make that assumption but there is plenty of challenge for Y2 pupils as well. The downloadable planner...

Can you help Grandma sort these seaside holiday photos?

This smart task which forms the first half of this KQ5 enquiry takes a broader look at change in seaside holidays over the past 150 or so years which is then followed by a more detailed look...

This session revolves around a PowerPoint presentation which poses 6 significant questions, each designed to encourage pupils to think and to share their knowledge and understanding of this annual event.

Question 1

Who and what do we remember on Poppy Day? Show PowerPoint slide 2 which shows poppies...

Two infant teachers from southern Hampshire, Julie Syms from Crofton Hammond Infants and Nicola Beazley from Sarisbury Green Infants, have created a composite description of their experience of using de Bono’s Thinking Hats. The article in the resources section at the side focuses mainly on...

2 SMART TASKS AND Using de Bono’s Thinking Hats approach to deepen children’s understanding of the Great Fire. A fascinating short article in which 2 talented infant teachers explain how they successfully used de Bono’s Thinking Hats approach to both deepen pupils’ understanding of the...

This fun first lesson on Scott of the Antarctic using the slow reveal technique of an iconic image to enable pupils to work out the clues as to why the subject might be famous. Stage by stage different parts are exposed, As pupils make connections...

In this lesson in the teaching sequence on Scott as a famous person, or as part of a more integrated topic on Cold lands, pupils have to solve a history mystery. If Scott and his team were so brave, why then did they fail to...

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Louis Braille – evaluating the video

This lesson comes at the end of the sequence of lessons which explore Louis Braille's life and achievements. Rather than using a video for information and atmosphere, this lesson uses it to help pupils to evaluate what they have seen. They first consider what they...
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How could the unsinkable Titanic sink?

This Y2 lesson takes pupils understanding beyond that of knowing what happened to the Titanic to work out why it sank. The aim is to go beyond simple one cause answers to develop a more sophisticated explanation, which children are capable of, given the right...
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How should we film the sinking of the Titanic?

Stephen Spielberg has asked for a historically accurate poster for a new film he is planning on the sinking of the Titanic. He wants school children to design a poster for him, but it MUST be historically accurate. The children can only ensure this if...
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Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole: Who said it? / Who am I?

This simple task encourages children to spot the differences between Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole. With a large A4 image of Florence on one side, and Mary Seacole on the other, you sit with a pack of cards which contain statements made by, or about, one...
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Teaching Scott of the Antarctic to Key Stage 1

Those of you who are thinking that this choice of famous person seems to presage a return to an Our Island Story approach to heroes and derring-do, couldn't be further from the reality in the classroom. The topic goes well beyond discussions of bravery and adventure,...
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Over 300 fully-resourced, complete lessons (judged outstanding by OFSTED)

Over 200 more stand-alone activities

Expert advice on 40 key aspects of history teaching, for each key stage

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Remembering the sinking of the Titanic- a famous event for KS1

Starting the enquiry into Ancient Greece KQ1 part 1

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Outstanding Lessons: Key Stage 1
If you have ever searched the internet for inspiration for...

Using artefacts to help children’s historical understanding at Key Stage 1
Since the early 90s, artefacts have become increasingly available either...

New GCSE Crime and Punishment resources
To support the teaching of the GCSE thematic study, Crime...

So you think your pupils know about Witchcraft in early modern Britain.
1. Were witches burned in English-speaking countries? A. No, they...

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