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

A six step approach to history lessons

Step 1: Teacher motivates pupils to want to learn and scopes the enquiry Hooking them in: eg. with a slow reveal Making it real, exciting, a job that needs doing,…

10 questions which we should ask when planning historical enquiries at KS2

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Progression in historical interpretations at Key Stage 2 – How the past is represented and interpreted in different ways, and to give reasons for this

Beginning of Key Stage Children can identify differences between versions of the same event e.g. the video gives a different view to what we have just read e.g. version of…

Using timelines in history at Key Stage 2

Timelines in school may be individual timelines or made collaboratively with different groups working on separate theme within a study unit. They may be made of single sheet of paper…

Key ideas in primary history

When we are teaching 11 subjects it is often difficult to catch the essence of each. If we’re not careful we can simply deliver the scheme of work very professionally…

How to assess pupils’ progress in KS2 history. At last the answer that not only works but will work for you too.

Even though we will have had the National Curriculum for history ( albeit in different guises) for nearly 30 years, there hasn’t been a great deal of attention paid to,…

What is history? – Key stage 2

In the classrooms of some non-specialist Key Stage 2 teachers, history is still presented as the story of the past. It is enjoyed as story full of colour, fascination, action…

The top 10 things you need to know about chronology at KS2, but were afraid to ask.

The top 10 things you need to know about chronology at KS2, but were afraid to ask. 1. There is more to chronology than sequencing While sequencing is fundamentally important,…

Planner for teaching early Islamic civilization at KS2

For many schools this is new topic and one to be taught with particular sensitivity in the 21st century. Try wherever possible to think of the reasons it is on…

Roman Britain – KQ2 part 2 – Boudicca’s rebellion: from sequencing to living graph

This KS2 lesson on Roman Britain uses the idea of a living graph to see the ups and downs of Boudicca’s life as a way of helping children make sense…

Roman Britain – KQ2 part 2 additional information – Boudica’s rebellion: from sequencing to living graph

The focus on the dramatic story of Boudica is a good opportunity to help pupils to understand why things happen in history, but it also open a window onto the…

Roman Britain – KQ2 part 2 additional information – Making sure you are teaching Boudica in the right way.

Let’s start with the name. Boudica is the correct spelling, not Boudicea. Boudica means ‘victory’. Her chariots were light, springy, wicker vehicles not the armoured cars with scythes of Victorian…

Roman Britain – KQ2 part 3 – What image do we have of Boudica today?

Key Stage 2 pupils find Boudica fascinating so this is a good context for exploring the tricky ideas of historical interpretations. They start by drawing their own picture of her…

Roman Britain – KQ3 – How were the Romans able to keep control over such a vast empire?

This lesson offers considerable variety in terms of learning approaches. Pupils work in tug-of-war teams to represent the differently weighted factors that help to explain why the Romans were able…

Roman Britain – KQ4 part 1 – Picture this. Creating a group drawing of a Roman town with all key buildings included in the right place

After re-capping the main features of Iron Age settlements, pupils work collaboratively in role as spies trying to find which special buildings the Romans had in their towns. They then…

Roman Britain – KQ4 part 2 – Is this another Roman villa?

NB. It has been brought to our attention that the link to the video doesn’t work as the video has been taken down by channel 4. As this is an…

Roman Britain – KQ5 – How can we solve the mystery of why this great 400 year empire suddenly came to an end? Can you make the links?

As this is a brief overview question, without time for much independent research, pupils are introduced to a series of ideas which they have to comprehend, illustrate and then see…

Roman Britain – KQ6 – What have the Romans ever done for us? Under the cloth

This activity is a good fun way of concluding a study of the Romans. It is called ‘under the cloth’. A local museum has sent a display on the Roman…

10 things history leaders need to know about the new OFSTED 2019 Framework

10 things you need to know about leading history 1. Show you are teaching history You will have to show that you are in fact teaching history (and not just…

Medium term planning for history at KS2

KS2 History Planning and Plans All compulsory National Curriculum topics now have full medium-term plans rated as outstanding by OFSTED. You will find them as downloadable high-quality files in the resources section…

Top 10 tasks for effective history subject leaders

We all need reminding of what our core purposes are from time to time as we get caught up in the daily round of frantic activity that is school life…

Outstanding medium-term planner for Vikings

This KS2 Vikings planner, judged outstanding by an OFSTED history inspector now links to all the fully-resourced outstanding lessons and smart tasks making the teaching of this topic completely self-contained….

Teaching Anglo Saxons & Vikings Outstanding lessons for KS2 history

The National Curriculum has afforded separate status for individual units of work on the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. Whilst this may be applauded in some circles, it has increased the amount…

Vikings – KQ1 – What image do we have of the Vikings?

This two part session gives the topic on the Vikings a really active start. Following an introduction to the Vikings in time and place, including a competitive Time Team task,…

Vikings – KQ2 – Why have the Vikings gained such a bad reputation?

Having explored the nature of the stereotypical Viking image in the first session, it is now time to examine the origins of the image. Pupils compare two very contrasting accounts…

Vikings – KQ3 – How did the Vikings try to take over the country and how close did they get?

This task encapsulates the struggle between the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings in an engaging way that really makes pupils think about the dynamics of the conflict – rather than ‘one…

Vikings – KQ3 Additional Resource – How did the Vikings try to take over the country and how close did they get?

This article supports KQ3 The first raids early 790s 1. In 789 three ships from Norway landed in Dorset. The king’s local official went to meet the Vikings in the…

Vikings – KQ4 – How have recent excavations changed our view of the Vikings?

Evidence of Viking occupation Using the Mantle of the Expert approach, pupils help a confused museum curator to write high quality captions for 11 images that MIGHT show Viking occupation…

Vikings – KQ4 Supporting information – The invisible Vikings?

Key Question 4 address the key issue of evidence to support, or contradict, the idea that the Vikings were simply raiders rather than trader sand settlers. Getting to grips with…

Early Islamic civilization – KQ1 – Why should we study the early Islamic civilizations in school today? SMART TASK

One of the misfortunes of a long history of stereotyping and conflict between Islam and the West is that it has fostered ignorance. Muslims and westerners know too little of…

Early Islamic civilization – KQ2 – How was the Islamic civilization able to spread so far, so quickly?

In this demanding but important overview session pupils have to work out from clues the key reasons for Islam’s growth before going on to classify and prioritise them. The session…

Early Islamic civilization – KQ3 – What can we learn about early Islamic civilization from the way they set up the capital at Baghdad?

Pupils are first asked to design a picture showing what Baghdad would have looked like 1,000 years ago. It is best if they draw it as an aerial view- a…

Early Islamic civilization – KQ4 – What was so special about Baghdad in its Golden Age?

In it’s Golden Age, ten times more people lived in Baghdad than in London. So what was so special about it? And how can we possibly know? Pupils work on…

Early Islamic civilization – KQ5 – Just how amazing was daily life for rich people in Islamic cities such as Baghdad and Cordoba?

Pupils in role as rich Saxon visitors to 10C Islamic cities, have to capture the essence of these amazingly sophisticated cities. Towards the end of their journey they have to…

Mayan civilization – KQ1 – Why do we study the Maya in history at KS2?

Following a brief introduction to locate the Mayan civilization in time and place, stress that we knew very little about this society until recent excavations. Then give over most of…

Mayan civilization – KQ2 – Reasons why the Maya empire grew – When so much of the land they lived in was mountain and jungle, how did the Maya manage to become so important?

This is a contentious area and historians cannot be sure so it is a quick overview type lesson. Learning objectives Pupils are able to offer at least 2 valid reasons…

KS2 History Resources, Lessons and Planning

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Written by Neil Thompson