Outstanding History Lessons at KS1

class activity Outstanding history 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, fully-resourced 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.

Amelia Earhart – KQ2 – What were the main events in Amelia’s life that shaped her ?

Having listened to an illustrated description of Amelia’s early life, pupils have to select suitable adjectives to describe her character using the odd-one-out options on the PowerPoint presentation to check…

Amelia Earhart – KQ3 – Why was Amelia so keen to fly when so few women at the time were interested?

A relatively short session exploring Amelia’s motivation starts with pupils drawing on their prior knowledge to consider why she took such risks, followed by an analysis of a few simply…

Amelia Earhart – KQ4 – What were the main ups and downs in Amelia’s life?

Using the living graph technique pupils sequence the events of Amelia’s flying career and then physically create points on a graph by deciding which events were good ones for Amelia…

Amelia Earhart – KQ5 – How do we know so much about Amelia’s life when she lived so long ago?

In this session pupils get to work as history detectives matching clues within sources to statements historians have made about Amelia. Using the active ‘prove it’ strategy, pupils in pairs…

Amelia Earhart – KQ6 – What was Amelia’s greatest achievement and how should it be remembered?

Working towards the end goal of producing a book cover to encapsulate the key details of Amelia’s achievements, pupils learn, through a few short preparatory tasks, to discriminate between what…

When three queens ruled knowledge organiser – KS1

In this topic you are going to find out about three of the most famous queens that each ruled this country for a very long time. One lived nearly 500…

When three queens ruled – KQ1 – Which three queens of England are most remembered in history and why?

This active and entertaining first session aims to provide pupils with a clear chronological overview of the last 500 years into which they can insert their knowledge of Queen Elizabeth…

cartoon of queen victoria looking out window

When three queens ruled – KQ2 – How different was life in England when the 3 queens were ruling?

Out of the window Children are shown three images of scenes from the different periods as seen through a window. They have to identify characteristic features from each of the…

When three queens ruled – KQ3 – How do we know about the queens who lived so long ago?

Handling sources of evidence Having explored the range of visual sources available to historians studying the three queens, pupils actively try to match statements historians make to the sources they…

When three queens ruled – KQ4 – What important changes happened when each of the queens ruled?

Change / Significance Starting with 3 short video presentations, pupils go on to research the key changes from each of the reigns, focusing on those they think are most significant….

When three queens ruled – KQ5 – How should we remember these famous queens?

Pupils explore a range of ways in which monarchs are commemorated, focusing on Queen Elizabeth II, before going onto design a set of three stamps which contain images of the…

Poppy Day: what are memories?

This is the first session on Remembrance Day. It uses the excellent story of Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge as a way of exploring children’s understanding of memories. From the general…

What do we remember on Poppy Day / Remembrance Day?

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….

Seaside knowledge organiser – KS1

You are learning about this topic to help you to understand how different life was over the last 100 years. As many of you will have been to the seaside,…

Columbus knowledge organiser – KS1

Columbus is a world-famous navigator and explorer whose daring voyages in search of the Indies led to the opening of the Americas. The world today would be a very different…

Scott of the Antarctic knowledge organiser – KS1

You are learning about Scott as he was one of Britain’s most famous explorers. Perhaps you are studying other explorers too such a Columbus or even the men who first…

Grace Darling knowledge organiser – KS1

You are learning about Grace Darling because at a young age she carried out a brave rescue and saved 9 men from a shipwreck. She was the daughter of a…

Mary Seacole knowledge organiser – KS1

Mary was a remarkable lady best remembered for her work during the Crimean war (1853-1856) where she helped injured soldiers, even riding on horseback onto the actual battlefields. Although not…

Wright brothers knowledge organiser – KS1

For centuries, man had dreamed of flying like birds. By the end of the 19th century, men could rise into the air using balloons, kites and gliders, but always needed…

Moon landing knowledge organiser – KS1

This event captured the attention of the whole world with hundreds of millions, perhaps 1 in every 5 people, watching on TV. On July 20, 1969, two astronauts did what…

Sinking of the Titanic knowledge organiser – KS1

In this topic you are going to find out about the most famous ship, at the time the biggest ever built – the Titanic. It was a ship like no…

Great Fire of London knowledge organiser – KS1

The Great Fire of 1666 is an event that most people know about today not least because it changed the face of London as we know it today. It provides…

Rosa Parks – KQ1 – Can we work as history detectives to work out what Rosa Parks did that made her famous?

Pupils are pitched straight into the role as history detectives using mainly visual clues to piece together the possible reasons why Rosa Parks might be famous to then have their…

Rosa Parks – KQ2 -What can we learn about what sort of person Rosa was from stories of her early life?

Based on 3 key episodes from Rosa’s life, drawn from a lively story book, pupils act out 3 key episodes and have to select adjectives that best describe the aspects…

Rosa Parks – KQ3 – What was life like for black people living in southern USA in the 1950s?

This session looks at what life was like for Black people living in the southern parts of the United States in the 1950s. Back then, people didn’t always have the…

Rosa Parks – KQ4 – Why do you think Rosa acted as she did on that day that made her famous?

In this session pupils explore what drove Rosa to take her stand in December 1955, going beyond oversimplification of a tired seamstress to examining evidence that she was politically motivated….

Rosa Parks – KQ5 – How did Rosa’s action lead to life for black people getting better?

How did Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat help bring about change? In this KS1 lesson, pupils become museum curators, sorting muddled pictures and captions to explore what…

Rosa Parks – KQ6 – How should we remember Rosa Parks today?

How should we remember someone who helped change people’s lives? In this final enquiry, KS1 pupils draw on their learning about Rosa Parks to suggest and compare ways of celebrating…

Columbus – KQ1 – Why do you think we still remember Christopher Columbus, even though he’s been dead for 500 years!

Pupils are in the role of history detectives. They are given 8 progressively revealing, mainly visual, clues in a controlled predetermined order, to elicit ideas as to why Columbus is…

Columbus – KQ2 – How did Columbus become famous?

Pupils listen to an illustrated description of the main of episodes Columbus life which they then sequence from the jumbled images provided before creating a whole-class talking timeline of Columbus’…

Columbus – KQ3 – What was Christopher Columbus’s motivation?

Driving at the heart of Columbus‘ motivation, allows pupils to build on what they have already deduced about his character as well as the political realities of trying to please…

Columbus – KQ4 – What was life like on board during such a long journey?

This question shifts the focus away from the actions of just one man and adds a colourful dimension to the topic. Pupils have to consider the hazards and privations on…

Columbus – KQ5 – How have opinions of Columbus changed in the light of new evidence?

In this session the focus is squarely on helping pupils to grasp that people’s opinions of Columbus have changed in the light of new evidence and new perspectives. It brings…

Columbus – KQ6 – How and why should we remember him?

Having seen the different ways in which Columbus achievements are still commemorated today, 500 years after his death, pupils have to sift through the arguments to distil what makes him…

10 key messages about teaching significant people in KS1 history

The most important changes in the way we teach this aspect of the KS1 curriculum are: a. the need to link people through a theme, so that pupils make comparisons over…

KS1 Medium Term Planner for Spreading the Word: 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…

Caxton 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…

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…

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….

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…

Outstanding History Lessons and Resources at KS1

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Written by Neil Thompson