KS1 History Resources, Lessons & Planning
Explore our KS1 History Resources by Topic
Explore expert-created KS1 history resources, lesson plans, medium-term planning, PowerPoints, assessments, quizzes and knowledge organisers for Years 1 and 2.
You will find masses of advice on how to make KS1 history lessons fun and how to help pupils to take their first steps into the fascinating world that is the past. You will be helped to design and plan an exciting primary history curriculum in line with the requirements of the National Curriculum taking into account the difficult areas of assessment and progression in history. You also will be helped to make the most of history’s contribution to the whole curriculum by being shown cutting edge practice in the areas of cross-curricular planning, literacy, thinking skills and creativity.
If it is imaginative ideas for KS1 history lessons you are looking for, then you will definitely want to spend time in the teaching section with its hundred great primary history teaching strategies and in the learning section with its wide range of imaginative approaches and brilliant ideas for products that children will love.As a subject leader, you will find easily accessible advice that is ‘right on the money’. Years of helping hundreds of infant teachers with their history planning, resourcing, and monitoring in history, has enabled me to know exactly what is needed, and which support strategies really work.
| KS1 History Topic | Resources include |
|---|---|
| Amelia Earhart KS1 | Amelia Earhart lessons, flight history, assessment, quiz and significant-person resources |
| Amy Johnson KS1 | Amy Johnson lessons, flight and exploration activities and significant-person enquiries |
| Castles KS1 | Castle history lessons, chronology, change over time and enquiry activities |
| Caxton & Bell KS1 | William Caxton and Alexander Graham Bell lessons, planning and significant-person resources |
| Christopher Columbus KS1 | Columbus lessons, planner, knowledge organiser, assessment and exploration enquiries |
| Florence Nightingale KS1 | Florence Nightingale lessons, historical enquiries, planning, assessment and resources |
| Grace Darling KS1 | Grace Darling lessons, enquiry activities, planner, assessment and resources |
| Great Fire of London KS1 | Great Fire lessons, PowerPoints, scheme of work, assessment, quiz and knowledge organiser |
| Gunpowder Plot & Guy Fawkes KS1 | Guy Fawkes and Gunpowder Plot lessons, historical sources, role play and enquiry activities |
| Louis Braille KS1 | Louis Braille lessons, planner, significant-person enquiries and classroom resources |
| Mary Anning KS1 | Mary Anning lessons, medium-term planning, assessment, quiz and knowledge organiser |
| Mary Seacole KS1 | Mary Seacole lessons, planner, assessment, historical interpretation and resources |
| Moon Landing KS1 | First Moon Landing lessons, planning, enquiries, assessment and classroom resources |
| Nursery Rhymes EYFS and KS1 | Reception history activities using nursery rhymes to explore past and present |
| On the move (transport) EYFS and KS1 | Transport activities using to explore past and present |
| Queens KS1 | Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II lessons exploring monarchy and change over time |
| Reception History Topics | EYFS and Reception activities introducing children to past and present, chronology and historical vocabulary |
| Remembrance Day KS1 | Remembrance Day, poppies and First World War history lessons and activities |
| Rosa Parks KS1 | Rosa Parks lessons, Civil Rights history, enquiry activities, assessment and quiz |
| Scott of the Antarctic KS1 | Captain Scott lessons, exploration history, enquiry activities, assessment and quiz |
| Seaside Holidays KS1 | Seaside holidays through time, lesson plans, historical sources, comparison and planning |
| Titanic KS1 | Titanic lessons, historical enquiries, planning, assessment, quiz and knowledge organiser |
| Toys Past & Present EYFS and KS1 | Toys past and present lessons, chronology, historical comparison, planning and assessment |
| Wright Brothers KS1 | Wright Brothers lessons, history of flight, planner, assessment, quiz and resources |
Using artefacts to help children’s historical understanding at Key Stage 1
Since the early 90s, artefacts have become increasingly available either to purchase or to loan. Many firms offer useful replicas and schools have built up their own small collections on…
Read More
Progression in why people did things, why events happened, and what happened as a result (cause and consequence) in KS1 history
Start of Key Stage 1 Can explain why one character in a simple story took the action he or she did. This may be a nursery rhyme, but children should…
Read More
Wright brothers – assessment task
In this brief diagnostic assessment task , supported by 4 pictorial clues, pupils are asked to show if they understand the notion of significance by describing not only what the…
Read More
10 questions which we should ask when planning historical enquiries at KS1
Planning effective historical enquiries at Key Stage 1 lays the foundation for developing children’s curiosity, critical thinking, and understanding of the past. By asking the right questions during the planning…
Read More
Sinking of the Titanic – assessment task – looking at consequences and change
This task asks pupils to consider consequences of the disaster and changes over time arising from it Assessment task and marksheme Subscribers only: You must be logged in to view this…
Read More
Florence Nightingale – assessment task
Focus: Change and significance This task offers pupils 3 carefully chose images to support their understanding of the achievements of Florence Nightingale which the pupils have to analyse and go…
Read More
Amy Johnson – assessment task – Can you explain why Amy Johnson was so important?
The children are given the task sheet containing three pictures and the question. Each has been included for a particular purpose to prompt but not to give away too much….
Read More
Toys; old and new – assessment task
Focus concept: Making deductions/ similarity and difference This task is designed to be non-threatening and to be carried out in small groups when the pupils have just been taught the…
Read More
Scott of the Antarctic – assessment task Y2
Focus concept: Causation The first task serves as a more gentle introduction to the idea of cause by looking at Scott’s personal motivation. By using the speech bubble device we…
Read More
Mary Seacole – Assessment task – Assessing pupils’ understanding of the work of Mary Seacole
Target concepts: characteristic features of the period and significance This task is designed to elicit pupils’ understanding of the contribution of Mary Seacole to the development of nursing. When it…
Read More
Amy Johnson knowledge organiser – KS1
You are learning about Amy Johnson because she was a very famous British pilot who flew her plane, called Jason, on her own, all the way to Australia. She was…
Read More
Toys old and new knowledge organiser – KS1
You are learning about old toys to help you to understand the difference between toys people played with in the past and the ones you enjoy playing with today. It…
Read More
Moon landing – end of unit quiz – KS1
Welcome to the end of unit Moon landing quiz for KS1. You’ve learned so much about how astronauts traveled all the way to the moon, what they did when they…
Read More
9 highly effective retrieval activities that really help history to stick ..and show real historical understanding too!
To prevent retrieval activities simply resembling a random fact pub quiz consider using the following , which I’m sure many of you are, in some form or other. You’ll notice…
Read More
Ideas for assemblies on the Olympics: Dorando’s story
At both KS1 and KS2 it would be good to focus on one individual and see the extent to which they embodied the principles of the Olympic movement-in this case…
Read More
Using story books at KS1 to develop a sense of time
I have written on this topic before, but there are always new and fresh titles appearing that necessitate an update. So in the next few weeks I’d like to introduce…
Read More
Strategies for introducing and using historical artefacts at Key Stage 1
As a preliminary activity try using sheets of unused tissue paper. Challenge the class to pass the unfolded piece of tissue paper from pupil to pupil without making a crease…
Read More
Six step approach to structuring history lessons at KS1
Step 1: Teacher motivates pupils to want to learn and scopes the enquiry Hooking them in: eg. with a slow reveal Setting the puzzle Scoping the enquiry Whetting the appetite…
Read More
Case study: The importance of history to the curriculum – history policy at Vicarage Primary
History is all about people. The study of people of different types from different times and different places is the most important aspect of our work. History fires pupils’ curiosity…
Read More
Amelia Earhart knowledge organiser – KS1
You are learning about Amelia because she was a very famous American woman who learned how to fly and then broke lots of records for how fast high and long…
Read More
Amelia Earhart – KQ1 – Why do we think that Amelia was famous?
This introductory session starts with firing pupils’ curiosity via a slow reveal in which pupils build a picture of her by means of a series of clues introduced in a…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read MoreAmelia 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…
Read More
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…
Read More
History as problem solving
Pupils solve problems when they study mathematics. They solve problems in science lessons. So why not in history? Perhaps it’s because we don’t see it as a problem-solving subject. But…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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….
Read MoreWhen 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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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….
Read More
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,…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Florence Nightingale Knowledge Organiser – KS1
Florence Nightingale Knowledge Organiser – In their study of Florence Nightingale, often compared to the lesser-known Mary Seacole, pupils learn not only about the pioneering role of a determined lady…
Read More
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…
Read More
EYFS and History in OFSTED deep dives
According to OFSTED (January 2023), inspectors will want to know how key stage 1 builds on the knowledge that children learn in the early years. They will want to look…
Read More
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…
Read MoreKeeping up-to-date with developments in primary history
Every few years, the Primary wing of the Historical Association carry out a survey of primary schools to see what the current picture of history teaching and provision looks like….
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
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.