KS2 History Resources, Lessons and Planning

ks2 classroom Expert-created KS2 history resources for Years 3–6, including complete lesson plans, PowerPoints, medium-term plans, assessment tasks, quizzes and knowledge organisers.

You will be helped to design and plan an exciting primary history curriculum , taking into account the difficult areas of assessment and progression and mindful of the new focus on curriculum within OFSTED’s framework. You will see how our enquiry-led approach, structured around a limited number of expertly-chosen key questions enables you to blend substantive and disciplinary knowledge. The interplay between the two is essential for great history learning. One without the other is of very limited value in building historical thinking.

It has been a decade since the last major curriculum review. In that time we have seen masses of superb practice which we are sharing with you. There are minor changes, principally around local history and diversity, for the 2028 curriculum which will be published in Spring 2027.

You will be shown which skills and concepts are best developed in which contexts along with examples of key questions that have proved most effective in deepening learning. 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 history planning, literacy, thinking skills and creativity.

The site also offers a unique set of detailed lesson plans and resources for about 150 lessons which have been judged as outstanding by OFSTED. These cover all the major topics linked to an outstanding medium-term planner which expertly shows how to combine the most significant content with the development of conceptual understanding.

You will see below that these resources are constantly being added to , thereby ensuring that you have not only the latest and best advise but also the highest quality learning materials for your pupils.

KS2 History Topic	Resources include
Ancient Egypt KS2	Lesson plans, PowerPoints, scheme of work, assessment, quiz and knowledge organiser
Ancient Greece KS2	Ancient Greece lessons, enquiries, planning, assessment and knowledge organiser
Anglo-Saxons KS2	Anglo-Saxon Britain lessons, enquiries, planning, assessment and resources
Benin KS2	Benin Kingdom lessons, key enquiries, planner, assessment and knowledge organiser
Beyond Face Value KS2	Thematic history enquiries exploring evidence, interpretation and history beyond 1066
Black & British History KS2	Black British history lessons, historical enquiries, significant individuals and thematic studies
Crime & Punishment KS2	Thematic Crime and Punishment lessons, chronology, change and continuity and enquiry activities
Early Islamic Civilisation KS2	Baghdad and the Golden Age of Islam lessons, planning, assessment and resources
Keeping Healthy Through Time KS2	Thematic health and medicine enquiries exploring change, continuity and developments over time
Local History KS2	Local history study guidance, enquiries, case studies and curriculum planning ideas
Maya Civilisation KS2	Maya civilisation lessons, planner, enquiries, assessment, quiz and resources
Romans KS2	Roman Britain and Roman Empire lessons, planning, PowerPoints, assessment and resources
Shang Dynasty KS2	Shang Dynasty lessons, historical evidence, enquiries and ancient civilisation resources
Stone Age to Iron Age KS2	Prehistoric Britain lessons, scheme of work, assessment, quiz and knowledge organiser
Tudor Britain KS2	Tudor history lessons, enquiry activities, PowerPoints, planning and assessment resources
Victorian Britain KS2	Victorian Britain lessons, source enquiries, planning, PowerPoints and assessment activities
Vikings KS2	Viking Britain lessons, planner, quiz, assessment and knowledge organiser
World War Two KS2	WW2 lessons, Home Front enquiries, propaganda, assessment, planner and knowledge organiser

Keeping up to date with your teaching of Alfred the Great

The outstanding lesson on Alfred addresses the key question as to his greatness. Has it been exaggerated? You might like to know what the most recent scholarship is saying. Marc…

Anglo-Saxons – KQ6 – How effective was Anglo-Saxon justice?

Pupils work in groups to create a series of short dramatic enactments, each of which illustrates a way of keeping law and order / punishments meted out in Saxon times….

Elizabeth I portrait. Why was it rejected?

Life in Tudor Times – KQ4 – Elizabeth I portraits – why aren’t things what they seem?

This powerful lesson on Tudor portraits as propaganda gives pupils the chance to appreciate that things aren’t always what they seem. Elizabeth wanted to be shown in a particular light…

WW2 – KQ5 – Britain at war. The Home Front – Why is it so difficult to be sure what life was really like on the Home Front?

Why is it so difficult to be sure what life was really like on the Home Front? Two great tasks which together make up Key Question 5 of the Britain…

Anglo-Saxons – KQ7 – Were Saxon times really ‘Dark’ Ages?

Pupils design a two-sided paper plate on which they record the arguments used in the debate about the ‘Darkness’ of Saxon Britain. On one side they show the enlightened side…

Life in Tudor Times – KQ4 part 2 – Get ready – the queen is coming!

This enquiry focuses on helping children to learn about the power and authority of Queen Elizabeth and to appreciate the contrasting lifestyles of rich and poor in late Tudor England….

How well do you and your pupils understand the Anglo-Saxons? Diagnostic Smart Task

This short activity contains a number of statements about the Anglo-Saxons (RS1) which can be used diagnostically. Some are correct: some partially accurate; others downright wrong. But what will your…

WW2 – KQ6 – What was VE day really like? Advising the film producer

In this really varied lesson pupils are asked to offer first-rate historical advice to a film producer who is about to make a new movie in which scenes from VE…

Life in Tudor Times – KQ5 – How was the Spanish Armada defeated by the smaller English fleet? Using a technique called Waiting room

This lesson works really well because the tension you build into the waiting room activity gets all the class involved and focused. The more able pupils have a specific, more…

Life in Tudor Times – KQ6 – How did people enjoy themselves in Elizabethan England?

This KS2 enquiry comprises three outstanding activities: 6a. Advising the film director To imaginatively reconstruct the scene using a variety of evidence 6b. Prove it! Using a gallery of images…

10 things your pupils MUST know about the Anglo-Saxons

For many of you teaching the Anglo-Saxons will be something you are doing forte very first time. It is easy to get bogged down in a series of dates and…

WW2 – KQ6 Background information – What was VE Day really like?

8 May 1945 – VE (Victory in Europe) Day – was one that remained long in the memory of all those who witnessed it. It meant an end to nearly…

Roman Britain – KQ1 part 1 – From Caesar’s invasions to Claudius’ conquest

This first part of the first enquiry links to earlier work on the Iron Age and takes pupils from Julius Caesar’s two short-lived invasions through to anticipating Claudius’ invasion and…

Ancient Egypt – KQ1 – Launching the Enquiry. So you think you know about Ancient Egypt?

What can we quickly add to what we already know about Ancient Egypt? This way of starting should build on what some pupils already know without slowing down the start….

Ancient Egypt – KQ2 – How can we discover what Ancient Egypt was like over 5,000 years ago?

Pupils are invited to join an archaeological excavation, using slide 2-5 to set the scene. Before they can begin their preparations, they need to know where they are going (both…

Beyond Face Value – KQ4 – Why did Ford Madox Brown paint this detailed picture of a scene that never existed?

This lesson revolves around a single painting entitled Work, painted by Ford Madox Brown between 1852 and 1865. Using Fastest Finger First pupils are encouraged to explore the full detail…

Ancient Egypt – KQ3 part 1 – The opening of Tutankhamun’s tomb

The opening of Tutankhamun’s tomb: a brilliant reconstruction relay The activity that forms the basis of this lesson is called reconstruction relay. It is GUARANTEED to enthuse even the most…

Roman Britain – KQ1 part 2 – Why did the Romans invade Britain?

This lesson uses a variety of approaches including role play, decision-making, card sorts, hot seating and completing speech bubbles. The focus is clearly on causation. It follows on from lessons…

Ancient Egypt – KQ3 Part 2 – So who did build the pyramids? Did the Prince of Egypt film get it right?

This active lesson for Year 4 has been adapted from the one featured in the QCA Teacher Assessment Activities for history at Key Stage 2. It involves pupils seeking out…

Ancient Egypt – KQ4 Part 1 – What can an old clay model and a pair of old sandals tell us about life in Ancient Egypt 5,000 years ago?

What does the evidence tell us about the everyday life for men women and children? Here the focus is on two pieces of evidence which reveal a picture of the…

Ancient Egypt – KQ4 Part 2 – Using evidence of Life in Ancient Egypt KS2 – Pupils love playing history detectives

Crimewatch Ancient Egypt: Tomb Robbers This fun activity is a brilliant way of developing pupils’ deductive thinking skills in a realistic context. Pupils are cast in the role of police…

Ancient Egypt – KQ4 – Additional Smart Task

(NB This is not included on the planner) How can we learn so much about Ancient Egypt from just these 6 objects? After an initial stimulus ‘slow reveal’, pupils working…

upils use this website to actually assist Anubis in carrying out a mummification

Ancient Egypt – KQ5 Part 1 – Embalming the dead in Ancient Egypt : Great history and great literacy too

Helping the Hopeless Embalmer This really fun lesson, in the style of ‘mantle of expert’, asks the children to help the Hopeless Embalmer whose boss has left him in charge…

Ancient Egypt – KQ5 Part 2 – After-life lesson KS2

Understanding the Book of the Dead: from page to stage Using simple drama techniques to make a very old document come alive, this lesson involves pupils becoming the characters in…

Scene from the Book of the Dead. Pupils take on the role of characters in the image and act out the journey of Ani to Osiris and the afterlife

Ancient Egypt – KQ5 – After-life lesson additional information – Dealing with sensitive issues

This supports the teaching of KQ5. As you know, pupils get very excited by whole topic of mummification. Whilst we rejoice in this enthusiasm, there is a danger that important…

Ancient Egypt – KQ6 – What did Ancient Egypt have in common with other civilizations at the time?

The main activity here is called gallery. Pupils are shown images (printed from the KQ6 PowerPoint) which are displayed around the room, as if an art gallery. Pupils have to…

Ten things your KS2 pupils should know about language and communication in the ancient world.

This article should inform your teaching of the Ancient Civilizations topic Imagine a world without writing-without any writing at all: no literature; no news stories; no history even. No tax…

Roman Britain – KQ1 part 3 – The Roman invasion: have the books got it right?

This lesson follows on from the decision-making role play ‘Why did Claudius invade?’ Pupils are now asked to create a written explanation good enough to beat a textbook. To do…

Roman Britain – Supporting KQ1 – Julius Caesar and the invasions of Britain. Why did he come?

Julius Caesar and the invasions of Britain. Why did he come? Exploring human motivation. When Julius Caesar invaded in successive years 55BCE and 54BCE what was on his mind? We…

Roman Britain – KQ2 part 1 – Should the Celts take on the Romans? A reconstruction relay.

The Roman Army This highly active, boy friendly activity has proved extremely popular in schools and has led to some high quality learning because the children are fully engaged. The…

Beyond Face Value – KQ5 – Were the evacuees as happy as they were shown?

Two great tasks which together make up Key Question 5 of the Britain at War medium term plan, Why is it so difficult to be sure what life was really…

Victorian Britain – KQ1 – What were the main changes that took place during this time?

Motivating introductory lessons which, from the outset, challenges pupils to compare two images of the same place from the start and end of Victoria’s reign, before moving on to look…

Victorian Britain – KQ2 – Children working in Victorian factories: was it as bad as they tell us?

This lesson is designed for Y5/6 pupils who already have a little knowledge of industrial change but have not yet studied cotton mills. Although the main part of the lesson…

Victorian Britain – KQ3 – If life was so hard for families in the towns why did so many leave the countryside and move to the towns in Victorian times? – a history mystery

Starting a lesson with an apparent contradiction is a good way of engaging pupils interest. This ‘history mystery’ makes excellent use of pupils’ thinking skills, enabling them to make their…

Victorian Britain – KQ3a – What the Dickens was life like in the Victorian cities?

This lesson makes extremely good use of a technique called creative tension. Pupils listen, with their eyes closed, to a spoken description which they then have to visualise in their…

How did people feel about the coming of the railway?

Victorian Britain – KQ4 – Victorian railways: winners and losers. A thinking skills activity leading to a role play

This active thinking skills lesson asks pupils to consider the likely effect of the coming of the railways on different groups in society before going on to take part in…

Victorian Britain – KQ5a – Going to school in Victorian times: can pupils write a paragraph for a KS1 textbook using photographs alone? SMART TASK Y3-5

This activity puts pupils in the role as researchers for a new book on Victorian schools. They have been commissioned to write a book for key Stage 1 pupils. Therefore,…

KS2 History Resources, Lessons and Planning

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Written by Neil Thompson