Year 6 History

This first lesson provides your class with a background to the Victorians, giving details about Queen Victoria, her reign and some of the characteristic features of the period. It also lets your class think about what they already know about Victoria... Read More

This thought-provoking lesson looks at the lives of poor children in Victorian Britain and looks at what they had to do in order to avoid the dreaded workhouse. Starting with an extract from ‘Oliver Twist’, your class will then find out why child... Read More

The Victorian era was a time of great social change. This lesson takes a look at the lack of protection for poor children in the early Victorian period and goes on to explore how and why laws were put in place to try and protect children from hazardo... Read More

This fun and informative lesson will have them marvelling at how different schools today are to schools during the Victorian era. The slides for this lesson start by showing them a photo of a typical Victorian classroom and challenging them to spot s... Read More

This lesson teaches your class why the Victorian era is often referred to as ‘the birth of childhood’. They will think about how leisure time for children might have been different in the Victorian period to today and learn about some of the ways... Read More

Your class can put their research skills to the test in this lesson as they carry out their own research to find out what everyday life was like for children in Victorian Britain. They will start by considering what they already know and making predi... Read More

Now that your class know lots of facts about life for children in Victorian Britain, they can now consolidate what they have found out. The slides pose some questions to discuss, such as what they think the best and worst part of being a child in Vic... Read More

This series starts by thinking about the kind of crimes that are common today and how we punish them. It then goes on to look at a timeline of Britain from the Romans to today and introduces the broad themes that will be looked at over the coming les... Read More

Looking for a Roman Crime and Punishment KS2 History lesson? You've found it! In the second lesson of this series, your class will recap when the Romans lived and when they arrived in Britain. They will then go on to explore which crimes were common ... Read More

This Viking and Anglo-Saxon Crime and Punishment KS2 History lesson explores how crime and punishment changed when the Romans left Britain, and how the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings dealt with criminals. Your class will find out about weregild and tithing... Read More

This Medieval and Tudor Crime and Punishment lesson will teach your KS2 class all about the new laws that were introduced to Britain after the Norman invasion. It explores new crimes that were being committed in the medieval period and the reasons fo... Read More

With a country in religious turmoil, the early modern period began with the infamous gunpowder plot and a Civil War. There were lots of crimes relating to religion, as well as a rise in highwayman, poachers and smugglers. Your class will find out wha... Read More

This Victorian Crime and Punishment KS2 History lesson will teach your class all about the social, economical and industrial changes that happened during the 19th century, and how this was reflected in the crimes that were committed and how they were... Read More

This Crime and Punishment Timeline KS2 History lesson gives your Year 5 or Year 6 class the chance to consollidate everything they have learnt about crime and punishment across the ages. It also challenges them to think about the kinds of crimes we h... Read More

Who was the last Tudor monarch? In this first lesson, children will learn about the life of Elizabeth I, and how she came to the throne. They will find out about the unrest in the country at the time due to religious differences, and how Elizabeth he... Read More

Why were Spain and England enemies? In this lesson, children learn about the tensions between these two countries during the Elizabethan era, and the events that led up to King Philip II’s decision to invade England. As a class, they will find out ... Read More

What was the plague? In this lesson, children learn about the bubonic plague, and how multiple outbreaks of the disease killed a large percentage of the population of England over the years. They explore the believed and actual causes of the plague, ... Read More

What was everyday life like in Elizabethan England? Children will find out how life was different for the rich and the poor by comparing aspects such as education, employment, food, health and medicine, and crime and punishment. In their independent ... Read More

What did the Elizabethans do for fun? In this lesson, children find out about the wide range of leisure activities for both the rich and poor in the Elizabethan era, and are encouraged to share their opinions on these activities. In their independent... Read More

Are we justified in calling the Elizabethan era a ‘golden age’? In this final lesson, children use their knowledge of Elizabethan England from the previous lessons to discuss the numerous achievements of Queen Elizabeth during her reign. In their... Read More

Why do we explore our world today? Children begin by looking at some of the reasons for exploration in the Elizabethan era, and compare any similarities with modern-day reasons. They are then introduced to Francis Drake. As a class, they find out how... Read More

The first lesson in this series encourages your class to think of what life was like in 1948 and some of the main changes that have occurred since then, identifying characteristics of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. It starts by showing the... Read More

This lesson encourages your class to identify the advantages of studying such a modern period in history and looks at some of the historical sources that have never before been available, such as photographs and videos, as well as investigating the d... Read More

This lesson starts by giving your class some clues to see if they can identify some key events of the 1950s. It then goes on to give a brief outline of what life was like in Britain at this time, focussing on five main areas: home life, work life, te... Read More

Take your class back to the swinging sixties as they find out who invented the mini skirt, what Beatlemania was and how life changed in terms of home, work, population and more. Through a range of fun activities, your class will be able to express wh... Read More

Children will look at a variety of changes that were occurring during the seventies, such as the women’s liberation movement and key inventions, before focussing on the country’s economic difficulties. Your class will find out why the three-day w... Read More

Take your class back to 'Thatcher's Britain' as they find out what life was like under Britain's first female Prime Minister. Your class will find out about Thatcher’s rise to power and some of the key features of her time as Prime Minister before ... Read More

The final lesson in this series looks at the main changes, inventions and events of the 1990s, including the death of Princess Diana and the invention of the world wide web. It then goes to challenge your class to look for links between the changes ... Read More

The first lesson in this Complete Series focuses on the state of British leisure and entertainment at the start of the 20th Century. Find out all about how legislation during the Victorian and Edwardian eras effectively created leisure time for worki... Read More

How were many popular British pastimes affected by the outbreak of war? The included slides explore this question and include a number of images and descriptions of many of the changes that affected daily life in Britain during the Second World War. ... Read More

All aspects of everyday life, including leisure and entertainment, were affected by the Second World War, but what happened when the war ended? Via the images, descriptions and questions included in the slides with this lesson, children will find out... Read More

Moving forward to focus on the second half of the 20th century, this lesson explores ways in which trends in popular music have changed over time. As well as this, children will find out how the technology used to produce and listen to music has chan... Read More

How are we influenced by the film and television we watch? In this lesson, explore ways in which the media influences ourselves and others, then go on to consider how our perception of other parts of the world are affected by what we watch (and vice ... Read More

How have holiday destinations and pastimes in Britain changed over time? During this lesson children will consider the ways in which seaside holidays have changed (and remained the same!) since the Edwardian era. The slides focus on one popular Briti... Read More

The concluding lesson of this Complete Series briefly recaps prior learning in previous lessons, then challenges children to consider what they have understood, which history skills they have used and how effectively they have used them. A range of p... Read More

Begin a journey through medical history with the prehistoric civilisations. Explore how historians have hypothesised and investigated this period of time using primary and secondary sources, learning about these people’s beliefs about disease and h... Read More

Take the next step along the timeline to explore how the Ancient Greek and Roman civilisations influenced medicine and how people thought about the human body and disease. Discover the advancements made by Greek physicians such as Hippocrates and Gal... Read More

The children take a trip back in time through role play and questioning to discover what life was like during the Medieval period. Discover the epidemic of the Black Plague and how it was believed to have spread across the country and the different w... Read More

Turn the children in your class into archeologists as they start the lesson enquiring about an artefact they have discovered. They create their own hypotheses about the artefact and then discover if their ideas were correct. They then explore the wei... Read More

Investigate and explore some of the key turning points for medicine and medical treatments from the 19th century. Have your class look into and research the lives and discoveries of some of the important Victorian figures such as Florence Nightingal... Read More

What is the NHS and why was it started? Discover the world of modern medicine and how it came to be. Learn about how modern medicine has been influenced by the past and what discoveries have been made in the past 100 years which have progressed our m... Read More

Consolidate your class’s knowledge and understanding of medicine throughout the ages in this lesson which focuses on recapping what they have learnt about prehistoric civilisations through to today’s medicine. The children have the opportunity to... Read More

What was Britain’s involvement in the Second World War? How was life at home affected? What was its impact on Britain by the time it ended? This first lesson is packed with information about WWII so you can bring your class up to speed with key eve... Read More

In this lesson, children are first asked to consider and discuss the many ways in which British people had been affected by the war. Following this, take a look at one of the first priorities for the post-war government: repairing the cities. Explore... Read More

In this lesson, find out all about the wave of optimism that swept a radically different government into power when the war ended, and its vision for rebuilding and modernising Britain. Following this, challenge children to consider why various aspec... Read More

What is the NHS? What does it do? How does it work? What would life in Britain be like without it? Challenge children to consider all these questions and more as they find out about the creation of the NHS, the campaign to raise awareness about the s... Read More

What do you know about the British Empire? Fill in those knowledge gaps with the included slides, which describe the Empire and the involvement of people from British colonies in the War Effort. They may be surprised to learn just how many people fro... Read More

With the nationalisation of many services and industries and the rebuilding of Britain underway, it became apparent that there would be a shortage of labour. With that in mind, the post-war government granted all people of the British Empire full cit... Read More

Look at what are some of the most visible, lasting legacies of the post-war plans for rebuilding Britain: new towns. Focus on Harlow and the reasons for its construction, then take a look at some of the peculiarities of its layout and architecture. C... Read More

The first lesson in this series starts by exploring the restrictions and roles of women in the ancient world before going on to look at medieval and Renaissance women in Britain. They will find out about coverture which forced married women to submit... Read More

This lesson starts with the example of Margaret Hughes and her role as the first British woman to be legally allowed to act on stage as a way of looking at some of the restrictions that were placed on women prior to the 1900s. It goes on to look spec... Read More

Find out about the history of the women’s suffrage movement in this lesson as your class are introduced to the women who fought in different ways for the right to vote. They will learn about the peaceful campaigns of the NUWSS before finding out ab... Read More

The outbreak of World War I forced the suffragettes to temporarily abandon their cause to help the war effort. This lesson will take a look at what women did in Britain during war time, particularly looking at the jobs they now did that they had neve... Read More

After recapping some of the major events in the history of women’s rights up to 1928, this lesson will teach your class the difference between primary and secondary sources, and use both to find out about the role of women during the 1950s. They wi... Read More

Children will consider the inequality in girls and boys being rewarded differently for the same tasks as a context for exploring the disparity in pay and work options between men and women in the 1960s and 1970s. Using the example of the Ford Dagenha... Read More

The final lesson in this series gives your class the chance to consolidate what they have learnt about the changes to women’s roles, rights and responsibilities throughout the ages. They will also consider whether women and men are equal in Britain... Read More

The first lesson in this series starts by introducing your class to where modern-day Benin is and which countries are near it in West Africa. They will discover that the Kingdom of Benin was located in modern day Nigeria, place the Benin Empire on a ... Read More

This lesson gives your class a brief overview of the Benin civilisation between 900 and 1300. Your class will look at a variety of Benin artefacts and deduce facts from them, as well as exploring a timeline of Benin and British history and reading a ... Read More

This lesson starts by challenging your class to think about a bronze artefact. They will discuss who they think the artefact is depicting and what we can learn about the leaders of Benin from it. They will then find out about different Obas of Benin ... Read More

This lesson starts by challenging your class to share what they remember about the royalty of Benin. Then they then will think about the people who made the bronze sculptures we learnt so much from and continue to thinking about the jobs and lives of... Read More

Now that your class have more of an understanding about Benin society as a whole, they will explore the effect trade routes had on the kingdom and consider the way in which Europeans carried out trade with Benin. They will find out about the differen... Read More

This fascinating lesson teaches your class what a golden age is and what the Kingdom of Benin achieved during their own golden age, specifically trade with Europeans and the expansion of their territory. They are lots of possible learning opportuniti... Read More

The final lesson in this series starts by recapping the achievements during the Benin Golden Age and goes on to explore the decline of Benin. Your class will think about the effect that many years of civil wars can have on a civilisation, before find... Read More

When did the Shang dynasty start? When did it end? Where in the world was the Shang dynasty in power? Your KS2 class will find out the answers to all these questions and more in the first lesson of this Shang Dynasty scheme of work as they are introd... Read More

In this Shang Dynasty Kings KS2 History lesson, your Year 5 or Year 6 class will get the chance to do some historical detective work as they look at the evidence surrounding the first ten Shang Dynasty kings. The history books and the archaeological ... Read More

This lesson unearths some of the historical gems that have been found in the Shang Dynasty tombs of royalty, in particular the tomb of Fu Hao. The included slideshow presentation goes through some information about different objects that have been fo... Read More

In this Shang Dynasty Daily Life lesson for KS2 children, your class will explore what life was like for the ordinary people of the Shang Dynasty era. They will discover what towns, cities and homes were like, as well as looking at some of the ways i... Read More

This Oracle Bones KS2 History lesson explores how the Shang Dynasty was the first civilisation in China to leave written evidence of its existence on oracle bones, as well as how they were the first people in China to develop a calendar. The incl... Read More

The final lesson in this series explores how the end of the Shang Dynasty came about. Your KS2 class will read the story of how the Zhou army attacked and took over the Shang palace, ending the Shang Dynasty. Your class will read some evidence in the... Read More

The first lesson in this series explore what England was like before the first Viking invasions. It reminds your class when the Romans left Britain and explores who the Anglo-Saxons were and where they came from. Your class will find out about the se... Read More

This exciting Viking Raids KS2 lesson will give your Year 5 or Year 6 class a great understanding of the Lindisfarne Viking invasions and how the Viking raids affected the Anglo-Saxons. This lesson starts by recapping the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdo... Read More

This Danelaw KS2 History lesson pack explores the peace treaty that was eventually reached between the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons. During the lesson, your Year 5 or Year 6 class will find out how the Vikings continued to raid England and other part... Read More

This Alfred the Great KS2 lesson planning pack explores how Alfred became king of all the remaining kingdoms of England after the Danelaw was established. Your Year 5 or Year 6 children will explore the reign of King Alfred and challenges them to thi... Read More

This Viking Life KS2 lesson pack gives your class the chance to explore what life would have been like for Vikings living in Britain, and to compare this to how their Anglo-Saxon neighbours lived, identifying similarities and differences between the ... Read More

By the 900s, the Anglo-Saxon kings were enjoying a 'golden age' but this was not to last. This lesson explores how Anglo-Saxon power quickly waned after the death of Edgar the Peaceful and how England became a unified country under the control of a s... Read More

The final lesson in this series explores the years between 1016 and 1066 when the Normans invaded and conquered England, ending the era of the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons in England. Your class will be introduced to the men who thought they had the righ... Read More

How did the first world war start? Have your class discover the events in the lead-up to WWI and how the assassination of the heir to Austria-Hungary’s throne sparked the beginning of the war. Challenge your class to investigate countries who were ... Read More

Investigate the Western Front with your class and discover the beginning of trench warfare and how this affected how the war was fought. Take a look into a soldier’s day when living on the front line and learn about the poor conditions that they ha... Read More

Explore how technology advanced during WWI and how the inventions and development of vehicles and weapons such as planes, tanks and machine guns changed the way in which the war was fought. Challenge your class to put their historians’ hats on and ... Read More

Discover how millions of animals worked alongside the human soldiers during WWI and learn about their different jobs and roles which were vital for communications, transport and morale. Investigate how many different animals such as horses, dogs, pig... Read More

Explore the effects that having most men away at war had on life in Britain during WWI. Discover the new and changing roles that women had to play in order to keep the country fed and running, as well as looking after children and supporting the war ... Read More

Investigate and discuss some of the events which led up to Germany signing an armistice to end the fighting of WWI. Identify the similarities and differences between Europe in 1914 and in 1920 and why these changes may have happened. Discuss the Trea... Read More

What have your class learnt about WWI? Challenge them to come up with their own presentation of information to make their own quiz to show off what they know about this key event in history. Alternatively discuss the events that happened within WWI a... Read More