Year 4 History

Discover how our understanding of the world grew during the 'Age of Exploration', and how seafaring explorers sought to establish trade with the New World - the Americas. During the two included activities, children will either learn more about the d... Read More

To set the scene for this, and later lessons in this Complete Series, the slides explain the fundamental concepts of what a slave is, and what 'trade' means. Included are a number of questions about this trade for children to consider and discuss. Af... Read More

Discover how the ruthless East India Company gained control of trade in Southeast Asia, as well as how many people living in the countries corrupted by the Company resisted British rule. It might seem strange to your class that there was so much fier... Read More

Discover how and why the people of India rose up against the corrupt East India Company, and about how Queen Victoria replaced it as rulers of India. The included slides challenge children to consider reasons why the Indian people were unhappy with l... Read More

Building on children's growing knowledge about the British Empire, this lesson focuses on identifying both the harm and the good done by many years of British rule in India. The slides include a number of questions to provoke thinking and discussion,... Read More

When the Second World War ended, the British Empire rapidly crumbled. The included slides with this lesson challenge children to consider reasons why, as well as identify ways in which they could learn more about former Empire countries and the ways ... Read More

In this first lesson, children discuss their definitions of a hero. They are then introduced to William Wilberforce, and explore how he became involved in the campaign to abolish the slave trade. Children find out what the slave trade involved, and h... Read More

Children first learn about the effects of the Industrial Revolution on the population of, and crime levels in, towns and cities, and find out what prisons were like during this time. They are then introduced to Elizabeth Fry, and learn how her charit... Read More

Children find out about the working conditions of Victorian children who were employed in the coal mines, in factories, and as chimney sweeps. They learn about Lord Shaftesbury’s role in trying to improve these conditions, and look at three importa... Read More

Children first look at and describe some pictures of modern-day hospitals. They then explore what hospitals and nursing used to be like in the Victorian era. Children find out about the early life of Florence Nightingale, and her decision to become a... Read More

This lesson begins with children learning about the role of women in the 19th century. They find out how women began to speak out against their inequality with men, and in particular, how they wanted the right to vote. As a class, they explore and di... Read More

Children first find out about the life of Winston Churchill before he became Prime Minister. They are encouraged to discuss his actions and how he might have been feeling at various points in his life. Children then look at Churchill’s actions duri... Read More

In this final lesson, children review the information they have learnt about the British history heroes from the previous lessons, and then explore which one of them they think is the ‘greatest’ in terms of the significance of the changes they ma... Read More

This lesson starts by introducing your class to the Spanish conquistadors and tells them the story of their conquest of the Aztecs and consequent expeditions deeper into Mesoamerica. They will look at some of the mysterious ruins the Spanish discover... Read More

This lesson gives your class a brief overview of the Mayan civilisation and looks at some of the ways historians have been able to find out about the lives of people hundreds of years ago. Your class will look at a variety of Mayan artefacts and dedu... Read More

This lesson starts by challenging your class to think about how our society is run and who makes our decisions before comparing this with how Mayan society was structured. They will find out about different groups of Maya from kings and nobles to sla... Read More

Be prepared for a few gruesome facts in this lesson as your class find out what the Maya believed and how this affected their daily lives. They will explore some of the Mayan gods and what they demanded from the Mayan people, including bloodletting a... Read More

Now that your class have more of an understanding about Mayan society as a whole, they can explore what daily life was like for the average Maya. They will use a variety of sources of information to ask and answer questions about topics including hom... Read More

This fascinating lesson teaches your class about Maya achievements, specifically a complete writing system, number system and calendars. They will investigate some Mayan glyphs, explore the three types of Mayan calendars and have a go at some Mayan m... Read More

The final lesson in this series starts by exploring the evidence for battles between Mayan city states, as recorded on stelae and other artefacts, before considering why these records suddenly disappeared from history around the year 900. At this tim... Read More

This Sutton Hoo KS2 History lesson will turn your Year 3 or Year 4 children into history detectives as they explore the mystery behind the burial ship at Sutton Hoo. They will start by thinking about what the job of an archaeologist entails before re... Read More

Who were the Anglo-Saxons? Help your Year 3/4 class find the answer to this question with this ready-to-teach 'Who were the Anglo-Saxons KS2' History lesson. The lesson starts by placing the Anglo-Saxons on a timeline and challenging children to ... Read More

This Picts and Scots KS2 History lesson takes your Year 3 or Year 4 children further up north as they find out who the Picts and Scots were. They will consider why they lived so close to each other yet had such different cultures, and many other fact... Read More

This Anglo-Saxon Life KS2 lesson for Year 3 or Year 4 starts by giving children the chance to discuss what they have already found about about Anglo-Saxon life in Britain and who might have been buried at Sutton Hoo. They will then have the oppor... Read More

This Beaowulf KS2 lesson uses the story of Beowulf to help Year 3 or Year 4 children identify aspects of Anglo-Saxon culture and society. They will think about some different pastimes for both rich and poor Anglo-Saxons, and use the story of Beowulf ... Read More

This Anglo-Saxon Religion KS2 lesson for Year 3 or Year 4 will give your class an overview of the pagan beliefs of the Anglo-Saxons, as well as details about the spread of Christianity throughout Britain due to key figures, such as St Columba, from c... Read More

The final lesson in this series looks at all the evidence that has been gathered so far about Sutton Hoo to draw a conclusion about who was buried there. It explains that lots of historians believe it to be King Raedwald of East Anglia for many diffe... Read More

This lesson introduces your class to the Tudor royal family, how they came to power and how they are all related to each other! Your class will place the Tudors on a timeline and use the Tudor family tree to find out about these famous kings and quee... Read More

This lesson takes a close look at Tudor fashion and the types of garments and outfits worn by the Tudors and how they are different from the clothes we wear today. Your class will then have the chance to express their knowledge of Tudor clothes in a ... Read More

This lesson first looks at whether or not your favourite meals today would have been available in Tudors times and explores the reasons why perhaps they wouldn't have been before looking at the diets of rich and poor Tudors, as well as some of the ne... Read More

This lesson delves into the world of medicine and diseases as your class find out some of the weird and not-so-wonderful ways in which sick people were 'cured' by Tudor doctors. It also looks at which diseases were prevalent and why and how medical c... Read More

This grisly lesson takes a look at the punishments 'criminals' were given in Tudor times and how law and order was controlled. Your class will find out what a ducking chair was, who got put in the stocks and why people were hung, drawn and quartered.... Read More

How different is modern childhood to Tudor childhood? Your class will be able to answer this question after this lesson as they find out what life was like for rich and poor children, and how life as a child was different for boys and girls. It also ... Read More

The first lesson in this series introduces your class to the term 'civilisation' and uses timelines to help your class identify when the first civilisations developed, starting with ancient Sumer and moving through history to the Indus Valley, Ancien... Read More

This fascinating lesson takes a look at how and why the ancient Sumerians developed the world's first writing system which developed into cuneiform writing. It then looks at some of the other writing systems of early civilisations, including ancient ... Read More

How did people buy and sell their goods before money was invented? This lesson introduces your class to the idea of trade and helps them to understand why trade was important in the development of early civilisations. They will also find out when mon... Read More

This lesson will get your children thinking about how and why number systems were developed by early civilisations and gives them the opportunity to investigate and compare the number systems of the ancient Sumerians, ancient Egyptians and the Shang ... Read More

This lesson gives your class an insight into just how much the earliest civilisations achieved. Starting by looking at the wheel and going on to explore the other inventions, achievements and developments across societies, your class will make predic... Read More

The achievements of the early civilisations can be best summed up by the incredible structures that were built thousands of years ago. The mind-bogglingly huge pyramids and ziggurats of the Egyptians and Sumerians are still a source of awe and wonder... Read More

The final lesson in this series gives your class the chance to consolidate what they have learnt about the earliest civilisations and their achievements. They will discuss which achievements they think were most important and recap the facts they hav... Read More

The first lesson in this series introduces your class to the Roman invaders who came to Britain, and explores why people choose to invade and settle other lands. The included slideshow goes through these points and also help your class to place the R... Read More

This fun Roman Army KS2 lesson will teach your Year 3/4 class all about Roman soldiers and how the Roman army was organised. The included slideshow presentation goes through some fascinating information about the Roman army and how it became such a f... Read More

This KS2 Celts lesson explores what Celtic life was like for the people living in Britain before the Romans invaded. The included slideshow for the teaching input gives your class some basic background information about the Celts (or Britons as they ... Read More

In this KS2 Boudicca lesson, your Year 3 or Year 4 class will find out how not everyone welcomed the Romans when they arrived in Britain. It looks at the story of Boudicca (or Boudica or Boadicea) and why, as queen of the Iceni tribe, she was so agai... Read More

Now that your class know who she is, they can look in more detail at Boudicca's revolt. They will explore why it was initially so successful, but then ultimately failed. Children will be encouraged to discuss and explain their views and opinions of ... Read More

This Life in Roman Britain KS2 History lesson for Year 3 or Year 4 challenges your class to find out what life in Roman Britain was like for ordinary people. The slides for the teaching input first challenge children to establish what they can learn ... Read More

This fascinating lesson looks at what the Romans did for us and how their occupation of Britain changed the country forever. The slides start by exploring the collapse of the Roman Empire and when the Roman rule of Britain came to end. It then goes o... Read More

Journey across millions of years of prehistory with this KS2 Prehistoric World topic for Year 3 and Year 4. This series of 18 lessons across a range of subjects will immerse your class fully in the prehistoric world, exploring and questioning how pal... Read More

Looking for prehistoric Art lessons for your Prehistoric World topic? We've got four great prehistoric Art lessons all planned and ready for you to download and enjoy with your Year 3 or Year 4 class. Each of these four lessons explores a different t... Read More

Download this Computing lesson as part of a complete Year 3/4 'The Prehistoric World' classic cross-curricular topic. Read More

Download this DT project as part of our complete 'The Prehistoric World' classic cross-curricular topic. Read More

Download this PE lesson to use as part of a complete Year 3/4 'The Prehistoric World' classic cross-curricular topic. Read More

This set of four Prehistoric Science lessons takes your Year 3 or Year 4 class back to the age of the dinosaurs as they explore how fossils are formed, how to identfiy and classify dinosaurs, and consider what happened to cause the end of the dinosau... Read More

This fun and informative dinosaur Art lesson for KS2 children will help your class explore what dinosaurs looked like, including their size, shape, colour and skin texture, and how we know so much about this. They will then be challenged to use this ... Read More

Imagine what life was like before cars, trains or aeroplanes! In this lesson, children are given a taste of what transport in Britain was like before the Industrial Revolution. They'll then consider some of the problems with the transport available a... Read More

The invention of the stationary steam engine changed everything! This lesson focuses on how the development of steam engines and better materials and technology meant that railways were soon to become a practical means of transport. Read More

Improvements in the design of steam engines meant they were finally small enough, powerful enough and reliable enough to be used to power locomotives. Find out all about the creation of the first passenger railways and how steam-power changed transpo... Read More

In this lesson, children will find out about how the railways rapidly spread across Britain, and consider how this new, fast, affordable mode of transport changed the lives of British people. As with all of these lessons, there's a choice of two acti... Read More

Learn all about the extraordinary achievements of the engineers who built the world's first underground railway, and imagine what it must have been like for the first passengers in those dark, smoky, steam-filled tunnels! Read More

In this lesson, children will find out all about how the railways have continued to develop beyond the Industrial Revolution, up to the present day and beyond. After this, you have the option whether to challenge children to design a carriage for a f... Read More

The first lesson in this scheme of work gives your class the chance to reflect on what they already know about ancient Egypt, before going on to explore when the ancient Egyptian civilisation took place and where in the world Egypt is. They will thin... Read More

This lesson starts by looking at a map of ancient Egypt and encouraging your class to think about the position of settlements around the River Nile. They will go on to consider some of the uses for the Nile during the ancient Egyptian civilisation, e... Read More

This Tutankhamen and Howard Carter KS2 History lesson takes your class on a quest to discover ancient Egyptian tombs in the Valley of the Kings! The provided slideshow presentation take them through Howard Carter's discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb and... Read More

Download this fun Hieroglyphics KS2 lesson for Year 3 or Year 4 to teach your class all about ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics! The lesson starts by looking at some images of ancient Egyptian artefacts and asking children to explain what we can lea... Read More

Use this Ancient Egypt Daily Life KS2 History lesson to challenge your Year 3 or Year 4 class to find the answers to various questions regarding daily life in ancient Egypt. The included slideshow presentation for the teaching input explores some of ... Read More

This Mummification KS2 lesson is sure to be a hit with your Year 3 or Year 4 class as they find out about ancient Egyptian beliefs in the afterlife, in particular the mummification process. They will start by finding out the basics of the ancient Egy... Read More

This final lesson gives your class the chance to consolidate their learning and reflect on everything they have found out over the last six lessons. They will need to think back to all the facts they have found out, particularly considering how objec... Read More

This first lesson gives your class all the background they will need to understand how and why the war started. It introduces the main world leaders of the time and examines which countries fought on which side, all of which will help to put their un... Read More

Your class will have the chance to learn all about the Blitz in this lesson. They will look at a range of photographs showing the devastation caused by the Blitz before examining the facts surrounding the air raids. They will also think about the eff... Read More

Now that your class know what the Blitz was they can look in a little more detail about what the Blitz meant for the people of Britain. They will find out how gas masks, blackouts, shelters and evacuation were used to protect people as much as possib... Read More

How would you have felt at being separated from your family during the war? This lesson looks at the reasons for evacuation and the experiences of children who were sent away from their families in the cities to safer places in the country. Your clas... Read More

This informative lesson looks at why rationing was necessary and how it worked. Your class will discover how much food people were allocated each week, as well as exploring other items that were rationed. They will also explore how people supplemente... Read More

This thought-provoking lesson starts by looking at why the war was more difficult for some groups than others before looking specifically at why Jews were targetted during the Holocaust. Your class will then go on to find out about the experiences of... Read More

What was life like for British families during World War II? This lesson firstly looks at how the war affected people's lives on a daily basis before giving your class the chance to consolidate their learning to answer the question: "What was like li... Read More

This first lesson introduces the Tudor family and explains how they came to power at the Battle of Bosworth, what the Tudor Rose symbolises and teaches your class to place the Tudors on a timeline. They will also have a whistle-stop tour through the ... Read More

This lesson takes a closer look at Henry VIII himself as your class study some portraits of one of England’s most famous kings. They will think about what they can learn about Henry through his portraits before reading some accounts of him from his... Read More

This lesson teaches your class about the roles, responsibilities and importance of being a monarch in Tudor England, and examines what a typical day would have been like for Henry, from attending mass and signing papers to hunting and feasting. They ... Read More

The first and longest of Henry's marriages is the focus of this lesson as your class looks at his marriage and divorce to Catherine of Aragon. Your class will find out some of the reasons why Henry sought a divorce, looking particularly at the lack o... Read More

Now that Henry was rid of wife number one, he was free to marry Anne Boleyn. This lesson looks at her rise and fall, considering some of the reasons for the failure of the marriage, including Henry’s roving eye! After finding out about Anne’s beh... Read More

This interesting lesson examines how marriage was as much (if not more) about political alliances for Henry as it was about love. It explores some of the reasons for which Henry chose Anne of Cleves for his fourth wife and looks at why the marriage w... Read More

The final lesson in this series identifies Henry’s last two wives as Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr, and challenges your class to carry out their own research to find out about them and their marriages to the now old and ill Henry. They can us... Read More