Benin Resources and Lessons KS2
Explore Benin at KS2
Study the kingdom of Benin through its surviving artefacts, society, trade and encounters with Europeans. Investigate historical evidence and debate the future of the Benin Bronzes.
Explore teaching resources
Everything for this history topic in one place
The enquiry sequence
Enquiry-based lessons and resources
6 activities
Benin Medium term planner
The NC’s focus is on 10th C Benin which creates problems for us. Not only are the resources sparse for this period, there is also little by way of written…
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Top tips for planning your KS2 history studies – Benin / Islam / Maya
Focus on why we are teaching this topic at KS2, often for the first time. Why was this civilization quite so special? Compare with society in Britain at the time,…
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Benin knowledge organiser – KS2
Benin was a very important civilization, not just within Africa but in world history too. An important part of what you’ll learn is a comparison with Benin offers a good…
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Benin – KQ1 – Why do YOU think we should study Benin in KS2 history? SMART TASK
After setting Benin in its context of place and time, pupils tour a gallery of images which give them hints as to why Benin might be a significant society, worthy…
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Benin – KQ2 – What sort of place was Benin 500 to 1,000 years ago? SMART TASK
Here pupils are introduced to the idea of a society from a distant time about which very little evidence remains. This can be frustrating for pupils who crave a clear…
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Benin – KQ3 – What can we tell about Benin society at this time from the images and artefacts that have survived?
Using evidence to study Benin This lesson revolves round four principal activities: Fastest Finger First; Mining for meaning, using an artist’s illustration; Call My Bluff which creatively uses images of…
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Benin – KQ4 – What changes took place when the European settlers started trading? Case study of one of the Benin bronzes
The first part of this session revolves around the encounter between indigenous Benin people and the European traders. It then looks briefly at the impact the European settlers had, looking…
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Benin – KQ5 – Why did the Victorians get involved in Benin and what were the effects on the Benin people? SMART TASK
Following an intriguing slow reveal of an interesting Victorian photograph showing the capture of the Oda’s palace in Benin, pupils create their own living graph to show Benin’s changing fortunes…
Read MoreBenin – KQ6 – Should the Benin Bronzes be returned? SMART TASK
This lesson is guaranteed to provoke a lively debate. Armed with all the contextual knowledge they need, and stimulated by some thought-provoking quotations, pupils work in teams to advocate a…
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Guidance Non Western Civilisations: Teaching Islam/Maya/Benin
This new topic is perhaps one of the most demanding in the Key Stage 2 curriculum. Admittedly Benin and Maya civilizations have appeared before in earlier manifestations of the history…
Read MorePrimary History: Teaching Benin
When teaching this unit, you are advised to use the medium-term planner in the planning section which links the learning strategies directly to specific well-chosen objectives which are pitched at 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.