I am an experienced Primary school teacher with over twenty years experience in EYFS, KS1 and KS2. I have made and used all of the interactive topic based lesson plans, power-points and resources in this shop with my classes. I hope you enjoy using them with your classes too.
I am an experienced Primary school teacher with over twenty years experience in EYFS, KS1 and KS2. I have made and used all of the interactive topic based lesson plans, power-points and resources in this shop with my classes. I hope you enjoy using them with your classes too.
Greek Myth story plan on a page
KS1 & 2 Greek Myth story planning template. A fun resource for pupils to use to plan their own mythological writing. Includes story prompts and spaces for pupils to develop writing in note or bullet point format when planning their own character description, setting and story structure.
Great to use following a ‘Myths’ writing lesson or drama. Can also be used with topics: Myths and Legends, Ancient Greece, Greece, Heroes and Heroines/Superheroes.
Victorian Christmas Traditions. KS1 and 2 power-point of 58 slides (including worksheets).
This power-point can be used as a complete stand-alone lesson which can be edited into topic sections or as an additional spin off to related topics which encourage the pupils to think about how a Victorian Christmas is celebrated and how the traditions we know today originated. I have kept the information simple with a mix of slides, and lots of additional fun linked activities including a quick dictionary definition exercise, a short youtube clip, book exercises (written tasks), paired talk activities, 11 worksheets. Christmas traditions covered are: Tree, decorating the tree and the home, presents, crackers, cards, dinner, entertainment and games.
Learning objectives
• To know the origins of Christmas traditions in the United Kingdom.
• To compare Christmas traditions today with Victorian Christmas traditions.
• To express opinions and views about Victorian Christmas and compare what it was like for rich people and poor people.
• To work co-operatively with a partner or small group to discuss answers and ideas about Christmas traditions.
Worksheet 1: Matching task. Victorian and present-day Christmas tree decorations.
Worksheet 2: Venn diagram – rich and poor Victorian Christmas.
Book activity: Label the evergreen decorations.
Worksheet 3: Write a message / joke for a cracker.
Worksheet 4. Follow Instructions. How to make a Christmas cracker.
Book activities: Christmas cards.
Worksheets 5,6,7: 3 blank templates with a Victorian border for Christmas card designs.
Worksheet 8: Work out the Figgy Pudding recipe used by the Victorians but written in old English.
Worksheet 9: Blank plate templates for a Victorian and present-day Christmas dinner.
Worksheet 10: 6 Victorian Parlour games on cards.
Worksheet 11: Victorian traditions blank writing summary for each tradition.
Each slide includes pictures which illustrate the key learning points.
Useful alongside lessons or topics on Christmas, celebrations, Winter, entertainment, Victorians.
Amy Johnson complete lesson for Primary pupils.
Learning objectives
To talk about Amy Johnson’s life.
To know why Amy Johnson is famous.
To explain an event that Amy achieved.
To look at pictures and other sources to gather information about Amy Johnson.
To give reasons why Amy Johnson’s life is still important today.
The lesson includes information about Amy Johnson’s life and how she became a pilot, her flying records, her life after flying and her time as a civilian pilot in WW11 . There are opportunities for pupils to work in paired tasks to discuss the type of plane flown by Amy, how it differed from planes today and what it would have been like to navigate and fly in the 1930’s. The lesson covers Amy’s record-breaking solo flight from London to Australia and some of the dangers she encountered.
There is a list of simple questions to use as prompts for an Amy Johnson Hot Seat activity and simple teacher notes.
Worksheets include:
Short writing piece about why Amy Johnson was famous and what do pilots do?
Homework activity to be completed with a relative or friend about pilots and what they need to be good at.
Label the parts of a bi-plane (simple vocabulary).
What was it like to fly a bi-plane like Jason (Amy’s plane).
London to Australia map-list the stops in order.
Key questions about London to Australia journey using a newspaper article of the distances travelled on each stage.
Amy Johnson fact sheet
Amy Johnson timeline for cut and stick or a prompt for writing a diary or log.
There are examples of primary sources for pupils to discuss: Photos (of Amy, her husband, her plane), Amy’s pilot licence, newspaper article of distances, a link to Amy’s 20-day log of her London – Australia journey and a link to a voice recording when Amy landed in Australia.
This lesson can be edited and used as suitable for your class and time or space constraints. Can be a stand-alone lesson or linked to topics such as Famous people/Explorers, International Women’s Day, Flight, Feelings and Emotions, Going for Gold.
Crime and Punishment Anglo Saxons resource pack. KS2
The pack is based around a fictional short story called ‘The False Oath’ set in AD 964 at the time of the reign of the last Viking king of Northumbria, Eric Bloodaxe. The description of crime and punishment in the story is based upon historical sources. A significant feature of Saxon law relied upon people telling the truth and behaving honourably. Men swore an oath of loyalty to a lord, part of which was a promise to obey the law. Oath breaking was a very serious offence. Swearing an oath on the bible was solemn and binding and if broken, people believed they would be condemned to persecution in the afterlife.
‘The false oath’ focuses on a young boy and his family find themselves at the centre of a feud over land with their Norse neighbours. Their actions see the family and their neighbour face Saxon justice in the Witan with far reaching consequences for everyone.
The story includes a historical context and notes.
I wrote the story myself after being unable to find resources which helped pupils understand the concepts, beliefs, ideas of democracy and justice, fairness and motivation surrounding the Saxon justice system rather than the punishments themselves.
The resource pack includes:
• Short story and historical notes.
• Historical information power-point about the Anglo Saxon justice system.
6 pupil resources:
• Pupil worksheet to summarise the historical context of the story.
• Glossary Activity
• Glossary cards
• Witan drama activity and thinking worksheet for pupils.
• Pupil activity about the importance of people (in the story) and their place in the ‘pecking order’.
• Anglo Saxon punishment factsheet.
KS2 Pompeii powerpoint lesson of 30 slides broken into short focused activities. There are opportunities for pupils to watch and take notes from a YouTube clip, scrutinise and compare photographs and paintings and use maps and atlases to locate Italy, the Bay of Naples and Pompeii. Each slides contain images to help pupils ‘get a feel’ for the history of Pompeii as well as simple information about Vesuvius.
Great to link with cross curricular topic such as Italy, Volcanoes, Ancient Rome, Early civilizations etc.
Learning Objectives
I must find Pompeii in my atlas.
I should recognise which the country where Pompeii is located.
I could explain what Pompeii was like and what happened in 79AD by looking at and comparing ‘before’ and ‘after’ photographs and information from books and the internet.
Extension
I could research Pompeii and make an information booklet.
KS1&2 The Great Fire of London story and sequencing activity.
Learning objective: To sequence and retell the story of the Great Fire of London in order.
Pupils cut out the images and descriptions and sequence the story onto a storyboard template. There are three templates attached which support differentiation and reading levels. HA template is numbered only and pupils order the story into the numbered boxes. MA is differentiated using key times when events took place from the main text in the numbered boxes. LA pupils can order the story into the numbered boxes with the support of key sentences which they can match to the main text.
KS1 & 2 Myth story planning template. A resource for pupils to use to plan their own mythological writing. Includes a bullet point reminder of the rules for writing myths and spaces for pupils to develop writing in note or bullet point format when planning their own character description, setting and story structure.
Great to use following a ‘Myths’ writing lesson or drama. Can also be used with topics: Myths and Legends, Ancient Greece, Greece, Heroes and Heroines/Superheroes.
Grace Darling Famous person fact sheet.
Includes key events and important stages in their life broken into short easy to read sections with pictures and photos.
I have used this with pupils in Years 1-4 to help them retrieve information / develop their knowledge to write about a famous person in a range of genres (newspaper report, biography, letter or diary writing, fiction, non-fiction etc). I have also used it with a guided reading group and a set of questions linked to the topic followed up with a written comprehension exercise.
Ancient Greek Olympics KS1 and KS2 Assembly.
A simply written whole school assembly to cover the main aspects of the Ancient Greek Olympics which can be used in the days preceding the Olympic Games. A link (on last slide) to traditional Greek music played on a lyre can be easily slotted into the assembly if you chose.
Power-point of 30 slides which include:
Suggested music, video clip and hymns.
The meaning behind the Olympic rings and the Olympic motto.
Ancient Greece and the important kingdoms of Athens and Sparta.
The first Olympics in Olympia and the competitions held there. Image of the remains of the stadium today and image of how Olympia may have looked.
Facts about the differences between the games today and in Ancient Greece. The honouring of Zeus, the opening ceremonies, symbolism of lighting the torch.
The Ancient Greek sporting events and the experience of the spectators.
Final prayer.
Links well with topics on The Modern Olympics, Greece, Ancient Greeks, Health, sports and fitness, Sports Day, Going for Gold.
Florence Nightingale KS1 complete lesson(s) pp of 49 slides and worksheets. Slides 2-6 begin with a 3-clue riddle for the pupils to solve; Slides 7-8 are learning objectives and a class poll; 9-15 focus on hospitals; 15-37 focus on Florence’s life with supporting worksheets and opportunities for paired talk. Slide 38 - a link to Youtube showing the children how to make a lantern; Slide 39 - a link to a clip about Florence’s life (13 mins);40-46 Hygiene and hand washing and a leaflet activity; 47-49 Florence’s life and a fact sheet for pupil use.
Can be used as a one-off lesson or developed into 2-3 lessons using all of the worksheets and activities. Useful to link to topics on ‘Keeping healthy’, ‘People who help us’, ‘Famous people’, ‘Victorians’.
Learning objectives
To recognise a photograph of Florence Nightingale and explain her job.
To describe what hospitals were like during the Crimea War before Florence Nightingale’s visit.
To explain the changes Florence made to hospitals and caring for the soldiers.
To explain how Florence’s work in the Crimea has changed how nurses work today.
Tudor History full Y6 6-8 weeks unit of work ‘Off with their heads!’ covering the following learning objectives:
• To know the names and order of the Tudor monarchs.
• To know who was important in Tudor government and which people were the most powerful.
• To understand why it was important for Henry V111 to marry Catherine of Aragon.
• To explain why Henry V111 needed a healthy male heir and consider solutions.
• To order the names of Henry V111’s wives and children and explain whether Henry’s marriages solved his problems.
• To explain how and why the religion of England changed during Henry V111’s reign.
• To explain how England was ruled after Henry V111’s death.
• To consider the reign of Mary Tudor and judge the impact of her rule on England.
The power-point contains 98 slides which include the 6/8 week planning grid. There are interactive pupil tasks, prepared factsheets to guide pupil research, a range of worksheets and tasks to scaffold the Tudor family tree, ruling hierarchy etc. Also sentence starter exercises and drama activities, sorting activities (Catholic and Protestant), letter and portrait discussion stimulus and link to You tube clip. There are also opportunities for pupils to complete written tasks and summaries.
My class of Y6 enjoyed these lessons and particularly engaged with the drama tasks of Conscience Alley and Hot Seating.
Florence Nightingale pack of 8 worksheets.
I used this set of worksheets with class of KS1 pupils.
Includes A4 factsheet of her life with pictures. Great to help pupils start their own research or to use as an information source for writing diaries/letters/newspaper article etc.
Template and simple scaffolding for a handwashing leaflet for children to personalise. (Note will need to be cut and pasted onto landscape format for pupil use).
Worksheet of Florence with speech bubbles to argue her case for being a nurse. This is a good introduction in preparation for drama or a hot seat activity.
Scutari hospital improvements worksheet.
‘Cut and Sequence’ sentence activity of Florence’s life.
Sort and stick the Victorian/modern day hospital items activity.
Improvements Florence made to the hospitals worksheets with question space to formulate questions for Florence. Also good for preparation for a drama activity. I used this for groups of 4 pupils (in role as 2 reporters + Florence + modern day nurse) with the reporters interviewing Florence about her impact on hospitals and the modern-day nurse saying how Florence’s work has continued today.
Hospitals and germ prevention pupil worksheet.
Y 5 & 6 KS2 Greek themed Maths Booklet
I made this booklet based upon similar Level 4 SATs questions but with an Ancient Greek theme. It is targeted at Years 5 & 6 for practise in the areas below. There are 50 questions altogether in the booklet. Each topic has a learning objective for pupils to match against their targets. The questions are set out in a simple format with spaces for pupils to write answers and show workings and calculations. Greek pictures are included alongside the questions which are practical and fun.
Answer sheet provided at the end of the booklet.
Pages 1 &2: Proportion and Ratio. 12 questions.
Learning objective:
I can solve ratio and proportion questions by working out the relationships between numbers.
Page 3: Checking the cost (calculations). 3 questions.
Learning objective: I can check a calculation.
Page 4: Factors and Multiples. 5 questions.
Learning objective: I can multiply pairs of factors to make a given number.
Page 5: Multiplication and Division. 5 questions.
Learning objective: I can use times tables.
Page 6: Multiplication and Division. 5 questions.
Learning objective: I can multiply and divide by 10 or 100.
Page 7: Using a calculator. 5 questions.
Learning objective: I can use a calculator to work out calculations and solve problems.
Page 8: Measurement. 5 questions.
Learning objective: I know which units of measurement to use for length, mass and capacity.
Page 9: Tables and charts. 2 questions.
Learning objective: I can show information in a chart and interpret what that information means.
Page 10: Tables and charts. 3 questions.
Learning objective: I can show information in a chart and interpret what that information means.
Page 11: Number Patterns. 5 questions.
Learning objective: I can recognise patterns in numbers and can explain the pattern.
Fiction Writing Genres. Pack of 14 KS2 pupil templates.
Template genres include: Horror, Dilemmas, Adventure, Comedy, Fables, Greek Myths, Flashbacks, Fantasy, Playscripts, Sci-Fi, Historical (Knights), Raising issues, Mystery, Conversations.
Each template includes a bullet point reminder list of the rules for writing in a specific genre and spaces for pupils to develop ideas, character description, setting, the problem and the structure of their stories. Depending upon the genre there are prompts for descriptive vocabulary and phrases, character emotion and responses.
The templates can be used to develop story writing linked to most cross curricular topics and drama particularly Celebrations, Famous People, Explorers, Fairytales and stories, Animals, Greece etc.
I have used these templates with Years 3 to 6 and with HA Year 2 pupils.
Amy Johnson Famous person fact sheet.
Includes key events and important stages in her life as a pilot and adventurer, broken into short easy to read sections with pictures and photos.
I have used this with pupils in Years 1-6 to help them retrieve information / develop their knowledge to write about a famous person in a range of genres (newspaper report, biography, letter or diary writing, fiction, non-fiction etc). I have also used it with a guided reading group and a set of questions linked to the topic followed up with a written comprehension exercise.
Links well to topics: Flight, Journeys, World records, Famous people, Women in History.
KS1 & 2 Ancient Romans. Set of 5 worksheets. Label the armour on the Roman soldier, Label the clothes on the Roman man, Label the armour on the gladiator (3 worksheets). 2 Ancient Roman alphabet (Latin) worksheets .
Total set of 5 worksheets: Three separate worksheets to enable pupils to match the clothing vocabulary to the correct part of the picture (soldier, gladiator and man in toga).
There are ten items of clothing to label on the gladiator and soldier worksheets and six parts to label on the Roman man. The vocabulary list is included on each worksheet for pupil use and there is an image of a soldier, gladiator and Roman man for pupils to colour.
There are 2 simple worksheets for pupils to use to translate common words into the 21 letters of the Latin alphabet. A simple translation grid is included.
Useful activities to assess pupil knowledge of key vocabulary at the end of a mini topic on Ancient Rome, The Roman Empire, Clothes through the ages, Ancient writing.
3 Biographies of Nelson Mandela simplified into three differentiated pieces for HA, MA, LA (Versions: 1= HA, 2= MA, 3= LA) aimed at Y2 & KS2. Each simplified biography is up to one page long. Can be used to identify features of biographies, to aid understanding of how to structure a biography and support content understanding. Also, can be used to support historical research when writing a diary, newspaper report, letter.
Knights and castles story template
KS1 Historical story planning template. A resource for pupils to use to plan their own ‘Knights and castles’ story writing. Includes a bullet point reminder of the rules for writing historical stories and spaces for pupils to develop character description, setting and ideas for the structure of their story.
Great to use following a History writing lesson, a visit to a castle or topic related drama lesson. Can also be adapted for most History topics eg: Norman Castles, Explorers, Travel, Romans, Egypt, Saxon Britain etc.
The Great Fire of London pp KS1 31 slides.
The power-point can be divided into separate sections depending on how you want to follow up some of the aspects/features depending on your class. Each set of slides includes paired discussion or individual/ paired written follow up tasks or worksheets. There are a range of strategies to keep the content interesting and interactive. Slides 2-6 introduce the topic with a 3-clue riddle, slides 7&9 focus on a sentence starter activity /worksheet about fire engines. Slides 10&11 focus on Samuel Pepys. Slides 12-15 show London in 1666 and a you tube clip about the Great Fire. Slides 16-17: Fire-fighting in 1666.
Slides 18-22 focus on the fire as seen by Samuel Pepys. Slide 23-25: How the fire started and how it spread. Slide 26-27: After the fire. Slides 28-30: Differentiated sequencing activity worksheet, teacher notes and a simple pupil comprehension worksheet.
Resource 1 Halloween powerpoint lesson. Fully resourced with 9 pupil worksheets.Learning objectives
• To know the origins of Halloween.
• To compare long ago Halloween customs, superstitions and rituals with those celebrated today.
• To create and perform spells and spine-chilling descriptions about Halloween.
• To work co-operatively with a partner or small group to discuss answers and ideas about Halloween and create a short role play.
Fun, interactive lesson which begins with pupil experiences of Halloween. Simple historical origins, customs and superstitions are introduced through riddles, mapwork, completing captions in speech bubbles, role play and idea showers. There are opportunities for pupils to complete structured written tasks and develop literacy ideas through writing spells (using ‘the witches’ from MacBeth) and short descriptions. The lesson includes nine pupil worksheet activities which link (optional) to the lesson and include a creepy picture description, Haunted house spine chilling vocabulary, witch / monster descriptive template, Halloween activity mat (jumbled words, wordsearch, maze, pumpkin decorating, draw the other half), a spell template, co-ordinates activity, Pumpkin acrostic poem template and a 32 card Halloween Quiz.
This lesson can also be broken into 2-3 lessons if all of the templates are used.
Resource 2: Halloween Quiz of 32 quiz cards
Resource 3: Horror Story Planning Template
Resource 4: Bats 2 week planning grid including learning objectives and ideas for a topic on Bats.
Resource 5: Bats Factsheet.
Resource 6: Halloween wordsearch x2