WiseArk Ltd which is a ‘micro-company specialising in supplying educational resources.
We specialise in resources for use in tutor time -many of which are also suitable for use in citizenship/PSHE.
We also have a range of resources to support learning in history.
I was a teacher for over 20 years so know from first-hand experience how engaged students can be when given challenges and puzzles.
WiseArk Ltd which is a ‘micro-company specialising in supplying educational resources.
We specialise in resources for use in tutor time -many of which are also suitable for use in citizenship/PSHE.
We also have a range of resources to support learning in history.
I was a teacher for over 20 years so know from first-hand experience how engaged students can be when given challenges and puzzles.
A simple sequencing activity to help develop chronological knowledge of Ancient Egypt (and ability to order events into order).
This is based on twenty events from King Narmer unifying Egypt in c3,100 BCE to the Roman annexation (30 BCE)
This comes in three different variants to provide support or challenge, but all are based on the same approach. This is where the events are listed alphabetically -with their approximate dates- and students need to sort them into chronological order -using the outline sheet provided.
This means that they are suitable for adaptive teaching, by providing degrees of scaffolding whilst keeping the content the same.
The main activity is where the events are arranged in groups of five (each of the four different sets in order so that the ‘blank’ timeline is filled from oldest to newest) -there are blank sheets to help with the sequencing.
For greater challenge there is a version with the events organised into two groups of ten events.
For support there is an outline timeline table with the dates already provided, students need to match the correct events to the date.
(The correct order of each set of ten events is provided!)
This resource is suitable for use in class as well as ideal for homework / independent study.
A resource to help students improve their knowledge and understanding of the chronology of Ancient Sumerian history.
This resource is designed specifically to help students in particular with the concept of chronology through a visual example.
The power point is designed to convey a sense of the passage of time by having the transition between slides vary in length depending on how many years actually passed between events.
There is a range of 24 selected events from c4,100 BCE -start of the Uruk period and increasing urbanisation to c1760 BCE when the Babylonians conquered Mesopotamia.
Each slide has a date, event and appropriate illustration. Each event slide is on show for five seconds and with the transitions varying from one second to forty seconds the whole presentation lasts for approximately five minutes. (most transitions are eight seconds or shorter, so students don’t have too long to wait but does give a sense of different lengths of time).
There is also a ‘click through’ version of the slide show (same events) to enable the teacher to pause to give additional information or discuss the event with students.
The selection of events is not meant to be definitive for the study of that period (it’s a selection not a comprehensive timeline). This allows for an extra activity/challenge of students deciding what is missing/what could be left out?
This is a companion resource to our timeline activity on this period -which features most of these events in a sequencing challenge.
A resource to help students improve their knowledge and understanding of the history of Roman Britain.
This resource is designed specifically to help students in particular with the concept of chronology through a visual example.
The power point is designed to convey a sense of the passage of time by having the transition between slides vary in length depending on how many years actually passed between events.
There is a range of 25 events, from the invasion of 43 CE (ordered by Emperor Claudius) to the end of Roman control in 410 CE (when the appeal to Rome for help was rejected).
Each slide has a date, event and appropriate illustration. Each event slide is on show for five seconds and with the transitions varying from one second to twenty-seven seconds the whole presentation lasts for approximately five minutes. (most transitions are ten seconds or shorter, so students don’t have too long to wait but does give a sense of different lengths of time).
There is also a ‘click through’ version of the slide show (same events) to enable the teacher to pause to give additional information or discuss the event with students.
The selection of events is not meant to be definitive for the study of that period (it’s a selection not a comprehensive timeline). It is also a compilation from a range of different sources allows for an extra activity/challenge of students deciding what is missing/what could be left out?
A resource to help students improve their knowledge and understanding of the chronology of English history during the Anglo-Saxon / Viking period.
This resource is designed specifically to help students in particular with the concept of chronology through a visual example.
The power point is designed to convey a sense of the passage of time by having the transition between slides vary in length depending on how many years actually passed between events.
There is a range of 26 events, from 449 CE -the traditional date for the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons in England-to 1066 CE and the end of Anglo-Saxon England following the Norman invasion and victory at Hastings.
Each slide has a date, event and appropriate illustration. Each event slide is on show for five seconds and with the transitions varying from one second to twenty-four seconds the whole presentation lasts for approximately five minutes. (most transitions are shorter than ten seconds, so students don’t have too long to wait but does give a sense of different lengths of time).
There is also a ‘click through’ version of the slide show (same events) to enable the teacher to pause to give additional information or discuss the event with students.
The selection of events is not meant to be definitive for the study of that period (it’s a selection not a comprehensive timeline). It is also a compilation from a range of different sources allows for an extra activity/challenge of students deciding what is missing/what could be left out?
This is a companion resource to our timeline activity on this period -which features most of these events in a sequencing challenge.
A set of thirty-five thirty pages of colouring sheets:
A resource to support work on this popular topic as well as being useful for cross curricular art and when providing resources for ‘school at home’.
The images have been selected to cover a range of topics from Britain (and some elsewhere) during the Anglo-Saxon Period including the Viking attacks and settlements. Includes workers, buildings, ships, coins, jewellery and the farming year etc.
Supplied as a pdf for ease of printing-designed for A4 but can easily be printed multiple images on a page if wished. The images are taken from a range of public domain sources (mainly 19th century books). As they are mainly screenshots of old book pages this may be reflected in the quality of the outlines though many have been digitally enhanced to help provide an outline for colouring in.
This is a set of five colouring pages featuring some of the Olympian deities from our linked resources. (Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Athene, Demeter, Hepasteus, Hera, Poseidon, and Zeus in Olympia)
A resource to support work on this popular topic as well as being useful for cross curricular art and when providing resources for ‘school at home’.
Supplied as a pdf for ease of printing-designed for A4 but can easily be printed multiple images on a page if wished. the images are taken from a range of public domain sources (mainly 19th century books) and as they are mainly screenshots of old book pages this may be reflected in the quality of the outlines though many have been digitally enhanced to help provide an outline for colouring in.
This is a set of three comprehension activities on a range of Olympian deities
The three challenges offer a range of difficulty in terms of literacy and so helps provide a degree of differentiation whilst studying the same gods/goddesses.
The first is to read a piece of informative text (c 220 words) which covers all the deities and their area of influence and then complete a table -giving the relevant area for each god/goddess.
The second is to read a shorter piece of text (160 words) and then complete a family tree ; there is also a support version with the first letter given.
The third has a table giving the deities and their symbols/associated objects with a blank table to complete using this information -as well as a version for students to draw the appropriate symbol.
This resource provides students with the opportunity to develop their knowledge of the same range of deities whilst providing varying degrees of challenge/support. They are suitable for use in class -both as a main activity and as an extension task- as well as for homework / independent study.
The deities covered are: Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Cronus, Demeter, Hades, Hephaestus, Hera, Leto, Persephone, Poseidon, Zeus
A resource to reinforce knowledge and understanding of the wider context of Holocaust Memorial Day.
This worksheet looks at some groups of victims of the Nazis: Jews, Poles, Roma, Ukrainians with a range of activities looking at the number and proportion murdered as well as the Nazi’s ‘reasons’ for their murders.
These are mostly numeracy based- such as completing outline graph or pie chart.
The information used makes it clear that the Jews were the main victims of the Nazis but that, in the words of the UN resolution, the victims included ‘countless members of other minorities.’
366 events/people from the history of the continent-from the first Chinese Emperor to ISIS.
This is a resource to increase awareness of Asian history by informing students of a wide range of individuals and events which have a link to a different date through the year.
There is a power point presentation on which every day has its own slide with the featured event or person from the history of Asia -including the Middle East. As it is an introduction there is just the title of the event or a sentence about the person with their birth/death dates.
There is also a word document with the same information on.
There is a wide range of events/people including the well-known such as Gandhi and Malala Yousafzai; there are also less famous ones such as Kenjiro Takayanagi and the Battle of San Juan del Monte. Similarly, we have tried to include every nation on the continent, so it literally covers Afghanistan to Vietnam.
As it is an awareness raising resource this could be used as the basis for further research by students.
A collection of resources that help illustrate the significant role that Imperial forces played in WW2 -did you know that over 2m Indian troops served?
There is a word document with some basic information about the main contributors to the Imperial forces -used as the basis for the worksheet. There is a power point with the same information , including a map slide linked to a set of brief information slides -one about each major participant.
A worksheet looks at where Imperial soldiers fought and the casualties they suffered. This also includes a wordsearch featuring some of the nations that supplied troops to the Allied war effort, as well as some major campaigns.
Gives a brief indication of the role of forces from: Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa, East Africa, West Africa, West Indies.
Ideal for study of the British Empire as well as ‘Black History’ -this is a companion to our resource on Imperial soldiers in WW1
Since the end of WW1 the world has never been fully at peace.
This resource is ideal for use in developing awareness and understanding of the extent of conflict in the modern world.
This resource shows in visual form how the past 100+ years have still been a period of ongoing conflict (despite hopes that WW1 would be the ‘war to end all wars’).
There is a selection of 50 different conflicts; a range covering civil wars, invasions and multi-national wars. The post 2000 period in particular helps support citizenship learning- through helping show why there are so many refugees given the recent and on-going conflicts. (The emphasis is on the global community so wars such as the Falklands which was ‘just’ UK v an opponent are not included in this resource).
In the main presentation each slide represents one year (running through takes just over 5 minutes) with each year showing the selected conflicts taking place in that year (so some slides are rather crowded!). For each conflict the dates are given as well as one sentence about it (this only appears when the conflict begins).
There is also a power point presentation of 50 slides -one per conflict- as well as a word document with the same information.
Finally there is a set of three word searches featuring most of the nations involved in the featured conflicts.
This free resource is taken from a collection of resources that illustrate the role that Imperial forces played in WW1 -did you know that over 1m Indian troops served?
The wordsearch features fifteen of the nations that supplied troops and labourers to the Allied war effort.
In the full collection there is also a power point with a map slide showing the main contributors to the Imperial forces with each linked to a brief information slide; this information is also provided in a word document.
A worksheet looks at where Imperial soldiers fought and how many there were from around the globe.
Ideal for study of the British Empire as well as ‘Black History’
A collection of resources that illustrate the role that Imperial forces played in WW1 -did you know that over 1m Indian troops served?
There is a power point with a map slide showing the main contributors to the Imperial forces with each linked to a brief information slide; this information is also provided in a word document.
A worksheet looks at where Imperial soldiers fought and how many there were from around the globe.
There is also a wordsearch featuring fifteen of the nations that supplied troops and labourers to the Allied war effort.
Ideal for study of the British Empire as well as ‘Black History’
This resource provides students with the opportunity to develop their knowledge of a range of people, places and terms relating to the 20th century whilst providing varying degrees of challenge/support.
This is a set of three different word searches & quizzes on Britain’s international relations in the 20th century, each of which follows the same format.
They are based on a quiz that is connected to a wordsearch. Each version of the quiz has a set of ten questions, the answers to which are also contained within the wordsearch.
There are four versions :
One has just the questions.
One has the first letter of the answer.
One has the number of letters in the answer.
One has both the first letter and number of letters.
This means that they are suitable for adaptive teaching, by providing degrees of scaffolding whilst keeping the content the same.
There is also a ‘traditional’ version that just has the wordsearch with the words provided.
They are suitable for use in class -both as a main activity and as an extension task- as well as for homework / independent study or a cover lesson activity or as a resource for ‘school at home (maybe even as staff challenge!)
Thess wordsearch (& quizzes) features a range of places and terms:
The places/terms covered are:
Abyssinia Appeasement Blitz Boer War Cold War Conscription Depression deterrent Dominions Dreadnought
Dunkirk Empire Entente Europe Falklands Gallipoli
Gulf War Hong Kong Independence India
Israel Jamaica Jutland Kenya Marne NATO
Pakistan Security Somme Suez crisis
A selection of 60 people who were the first in an occupation or to achieve a specific goal, ranging from the first Black MPs to the first British Ladies footballer via No1. Pop artist and police officers.
As it is an introduction there is just the title of the event or a sentence about the person with the year they were ‘first’.
An ideal resource to support Black History Month but also useful at any time-especially as a resource for tutor or assembly time.
A power point presentation with one slide per person and their achievement (also in a ‘run through’ version that plays automatically);
One of a set of linked resources featuring the same people.
As it is an awareness raising resource this could be used as the basis for further research by students.
This resource provides students with the opportunity to develop their knowledge of migration to the British Isles –both individuals born abroad and nationalities that have provided many migrants to Britain over the centuries. whilst providing varying degrees of challenge/support.
Focussed on a quiz that is connected to a wordsearch. Each version of the quiz has a set of ten questions, the answers to which are also contained within the wordsearch. (4 different sets of questions)
There are four versions:
One has just the questions.
One has the first letter of the answer.
One has the number of letters in the answer;
One has both the first letter and number of letters.
This means that they are suitable for adaptive teaching, by providing degrees of scaffolding whilst keeping the content the same.
There is also a ‘traditional’ version that just has the wordsearch with the words provided
These provides students with the opportunity to develop their knowledge of a range of individuals or groups who were born abroad / moved to Britain whilst providing varying degrees of challenge/support.
They are suitable for use in class -both as a main activity and as an extension task- as well as for homework / independent study or a cover lesson activity or as a resource for ‘school at home (maybe even as staff challenge!)
The four word-searches cover the following groups/individuals:
Africans, Angles, Asians, Belgians, Chinese, Danes, Flemings, Germans, Huguenots, Indians
Irish, Normans, Norwegians, Polish, Romans, Russians, Saxons, Somalians, Syrians, West Indians
Prince Albert, Montague Burton, Joseph Conrad, Mo Farah, Lucian Freud, Alec Issigonis, Boris Johnson, Judith Kerr, Doreen Lawrence, Michael Marks
Karl Marx, Freddie Mercury, Rupert Murdoch, Rita Ora, Shantra Patak, Prince Phillip, Cliff Richard, Salman Rushdie, Charles Saatchi, JRR Tolkien
An introduction to one hundred notable women with a connection to the 20th century -such as Billie Jean King and the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ in 1973.
This is a sample of two women from the 20th century selection which covers the well known (e.g. Mrs Thatcher) to the less well known (such as Rita Loza, first female No.1 chart artist)
For each one there is a brief overview of their life/ impact (250-300 words).
This is provided as a word document. There is also a powerpoint presentation which has a picture of each woman and a descriptive sentence.
The full version contents are:
Elizabeth, the Queen Mother; Barbara Cartland;;Barbara McClintock; Marie Curie ;Jennie Lee;Gertrude Ederle ;Grace Hopper ;Frida Kahlo ;Simone de Beauvoir ;Raymond de Laroche ;Elizabeth Arden ;Mildred Didrikson ;Julliete Gordon Low ;Emily Davison ;Hedy Lamarr ;Edith Cavell ;Lois Weber ;Jessica Mitford ;Marie Stopes ;Rosa Luxemburg ;Edith Burton Hughes ;Betty Wilson ;Helena Normanton ;Maria Callas ;Sue Ryder ;Laura Ashley ;Elisabeth Beresford ;Constance Markievicz ;Maya Angelou ;Margaret Bondfield ;Ellen Church ;Lilian Baylis ;Dorothy Day ;Fay Wray ;Leni Reifenstahl ;Lucy Duff-Gordon ;Diana Mitford ;Edith Wharton ;Ellen Sirleaf ;Jane Bolin; Hattie McDaniel ;Amy Johnson ;Anita Roddick ;Sophie Scholl ;Alice Walker ;Violet Szabo ;Mamie Smith ;Anne Frank; Donna Summer ;Mo Mowlam ;Grace Kelly ;Ethel Rosenberg ;Maria Montessori ;Lita Roza ;Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence ;Rosa Parks; Irene Curie ;;Dorothy L Sayers ;First female Peers ;Barbie ;Sirimavo Bandaranaike ;Grandma’ Moses ;Valentina Tereshkova ;Edith Piaf; Nancy Astor ;Stephanie Kwolek ;Indira Gandhi ;Alice Toklas ;Barbara Harrison ;Shirley Temple ;Betty Friedan ;Dorothy Fields ;Mary Peters ;Billie Jean King ;Virginia Apgar ;Margaret Thatcher ;Agatha Christie ;Virginia Wade ;Hannah Dadds ; Mary Pickford ;Bette Nesmith Graham ;Dame Mary Donaldson;Rachel Heyhoe-Flint ;Corrie Ten Boom ;Mary Warnock ;Gale Sondergaard ;Neerja Bhanot ;Diane Abbot; Elizabeth Lane ;Lucille Ball ;Eve Balfour ;Helen Sharman ;Betty Boothroyd ;Audrey Hepburn ;First female Priests ;Alison Hargreaves; Ella FitzGerald ;Mother Teresa ;Barbara Mandell ;Iris Murdoch
An introduction to one hundred notable women with a connection to the 20th century -such as Billie Jean King and the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ in 1973.
For each one there is a brief overview of their life/ impact (250-300 words).
The selection covers the well-known (e.g. Mrs Thatcher) and the less well known (such as Rita Loza,(1) first female No.1 chart artist). The range is global and includes politics, sport, art, science and business.
This is provided as a word document. There is also a PowerPoint presentation which has a picture of each woman and a descriptive sentence.
The women featured are:
Elizabeth, the Queen Mother; Barbara Cartland;;Barbara McClintock; Marie Curie ;Jennie Lee; Gertrude Ederle ;Grace Hopper ;Frida Kahlo ;Simone de Beauvoir ;Raymond de Laroche ;Elizabeth Arden ;Mildred Didrikson ;Julliete Gordon Low ;Emily Davison ;Hedy Lamarr ;Edith Cavell ;Lois Weber ;Jessica Mitford ;Marie Stopes ;Rosa Luxemburg ;Edith Burton Hughes ;Betty Wilson ;Helena Normanton ;Maria Callas ;Sue Ryder ;Laura Ashley ;Elisabeth Beresford ;Constance Markievicz ;Maya Angelou ;Margaret Bondfield ;Ellen Church ;Lilian Baylis ;Dorothy Day ;Fay Wray ;Leni Reifenstahl ;Lucy Duff-Gordon ;Diana Mitford ;Edith Wharton ;Ellen Sirleaf ;Jane Bolin; Hattie McDaniel ;Amy Johnson ;Anita Roddick ;Sophie Scholl ;Alice Walker ;Violet Szabo ;Mamie Smith ;Anne Frank; Donna Summer ;Mo Mowlam ;Grace Kelly ;Ethel Rosenberg ;Maria Montessori ;Lita Roza ;Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence ;Rosa Parks; Irene Curie ;;Dorothy L Sayers ;First female Peers ;Barbie ;Sirimavo Bandaranaike ;Grandma’ Moses ;Valentina Tereshkova ;Edith Piaf; Nancy Astor ;Stephanie Kwolek ;Indira Gandhi ;Alice Toklas ;Barbara Harrison ;Shirley Temple ;Betty Friedan ;Dorothy Fields ;Mary Peters ;Billie Jean King ;Virginia Apgar ;Margaret Thatcher ;Agatha Christie ;Virginia Wade ;Hannah Dadds ; Mary Pickford ;Bette Nesmith Graham ;Dame Mary Donaldson; Rachel Heyhoe-Flint ;Corrie Ten Boom ;Mary Warnock ;Gale Sondergaard ;Neerja Bhanot ;Diane Abbot; Elizabeth Lane ;Lucille Ball ;Eve Balfour ;Helen Sharman ;Betty Boothroyd ;Audrey Hepburn ;First female Priests ;Alison Hargreaves; Ella FitzGerald ;Mother Teresa ;Barbara Mandell ;Iris Murdoch
(1) first female artist with UK chart No.1
A set of three different types of prompts to encourage discussion in a structured way and promoting tolerance of different views
There are:
40 Discussion points with a citizenship related question that requires a group response -e.g. ‘Should driverless cars be allowed on UK roads?’
20 Moral dilemmas with a particular focus on reflecting on personal and social values- each Moral Dilemmas provides a situation (such as finding money in the street) and asks student’s how they would respond –individually or as a group.
10 Top threes : select three items for a category-such as crisps - so means consideration of criteria for decision making (in a more light hearted manner than some of the other two types which include bullying and capital punishment)
Resources are supplied on a power point and a word document
The objectives are to encourage students to
discuss and so develop their speaking and listening skills;
reflect on their values and how to treat others with respect
They fit into many areas of school life; ideal for use in tutor time -especially in encouraging talk with a focus and helping tutors learn more about their group.
Suitable also for use in PSHE/Citizenship and RE –saving the need to devise suitable scenarios.
A set of over 50 of the popular vocabulary-based challenge.
Each ladder has a four-letter word at the top and a different four-letter one at the bottom.
Simply change the top word into the bottom one by altering one letter at a time (so creating three new words to fit in the empty ‘rungs’)
Supplied on power point (1 ladder per slide) and in a word document (with answers separately)
Ideal for use in tutor time or as a starter/time-filler -or even as a staffroom challenge!