Teaching Year 5 History>
Victorian Britain – KQ6 – The Victorian Era: Dark Age or Golden Age?
This is the concluding lesson on the Victorians. It starts with a plate and a poster commemorating the achievements of Victorian Britain to set it in an international context. Pupils…
Read MoreBenin – 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…
Read MoreBenin – 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…
Read MoreBenin – 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 MoreEarly 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…
Read MoreEarly 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…
Read MoreEarly 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…
Read MoreMayan civilization – KQ3 – What was everyday life in Mayan civilization? How different was it for rich and poor?
Having been introduced to the nature of Mayan society with its clear hierarchy, and having seen various models and artists’ impressions of life in Mayan city states 1,200 years ago,…
Read MoreUsing a Victorian census to discover what life was like 100 years ago SMART TASK
There are 4 separate ways of approaching this topic, each becoming increasingly more ambitious. Stage 1 only is featured below. Stages 2 and 4 are suggestions using your own local…
Read MoreThe mystery of the empty Saxon grave
This highly engaging lesson places pupils in the role of detectives. After a short briefing they have to work out the significance of the various clues found in the bodiless…
Read MoreUsing a Victorian census to discover what life was like 100 years ago
There are 4 separate ways of approaching this topic, each becoming increasingly more ambitious. Stage 1 is featured below. Stages 2-4 are to follow, though draft material is available to…
Read MoreVictorian Cities
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…
Read MorePrimary History: Teaching Early Islam/Baghdad c.900
All the lessons featured below flow from the detailed medium-term planner. Each has been chosen to help pupils not only to learn about this magnificent society in its Golden Age…
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Knowing and being able to explain the sequence in which your pupils will experience their history topics is an important part of the history subject leader’s role. But it can be difficult to be sure what works best. With our wealth of experience we are well placed to give you this crucial advice. Indeed, we nail our colours to the mast so that our planning, lessons, assessment and progression all follow the same rationale and are pitched to particular year groups.










