Lessons - Key Stage 1

The Nuffield Primary History project developed a range of approaches and techniques for doing history with children, between and 1991 and 2009. The resources produced by the project are all real lessons which have been taught by real teachers. They include guidance on teaching and examples of children's work. Many of the lessons have been developed by teachers as part of their continuing professional development. A narrative style was used to describe the lesson and what happened. Read more

Sort by: Date (Newest first) | Title A-Z
Show: All | Articles | Podcasts | Multipage Articles
  • Three first-class ladies – teaching significant individuals in Key Stage 1

    Article

    The turn of the 20th century was in many ways a golden age of aviation. In 1903 the Wright brothers conquered heavier-than-air flight. From that time onward there were many other visionaries who wanted to be part of the dream of flying. The topic of early aviation history is an...

    Click to view
  • Samuel Pepys and the Great Fire of London (KS1)

    Article

    This resource is free to everyone. For access to hundreds of other high-quality resources by primary history experts along with free or discounted CPD and membership of a thriving community of teachers and subject leaders, join the Historical Association today Please note: this resource was created prior to the 2014 National...

    Click to view
  • Samuel Pepys and the Great Fire of London (KS1) - more lessons

    Article

    Please note: these resources pre-date the 2014 National Curriculum.  This resource is free to everyone. For access to hundreds of other high-quality resources by primary history experts along with free or discounted CPD and membership of a thriving community of teachers and subject leaders, join the Historical Association today These...

    Click to view
  • Gunpowder plot at key stage 1

    Article

    Please note: this resource pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum. Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot is a cracking tale for any age group, although the complex political and religious elements are difficult for young children to understand. However, we can help them to gain insights into past people's motivations and...

    Click to view
  • The Great Plague of London (KS1)

    Article

    This resource is free to everyone. For access to hundreds of other high-quality resources by primary history experts along with free or discounted CPD and membership of a thriving community of teachers and subject leaders, join the Historical Association today This was originally part of a 7-week unit looking at...

    Click to view
  • Roman Baths

    Article

    Please note: this lesson was produced as part of the Nuffield Primary History project (1991-2009) and pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum. It is part of a full sequence of lessons available here. The account tells how we recreated a Roman bath house in the Reception/Year 1 classroom during a ten-week unit learning about...

    Click to view
  • Roman market (KS1 or KS2)

    Article

    Please note: this lesson was produced as part of the Nuffield Primary History project (1991-2009) and pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum. It is part of a full sequence of lessons available here. Shopping in a Roman townPart of 'The way of life of people who lived in the more distant past in Britain'....

    Click to view
  • Famous People: Florence Nightingale (KS1)

    Article

    The life of a famous person from the past and why she acted as she did Florence Nightingale: her life, why she went to the Crimea, and what happened as a result of her work. Cross-curricular work: this lesson stretches and challenges all children, regardless of their ability, whilst teaching...

    Click to view
  • Story-telling and discussion: KS1 exemplar: Columbus the explorer

    Article

    Please note: this resource pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum. Setting the scene: what is an explorer? This resource is free to everyone. For access to hundreds of other high-quality resources by primary history experts along with free or discounted CPD and membership of a thriving community of teachers and subject...

    Click to view
  • Castles: homes in the past

    Article

    Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated. The key stage 1 classes were looking at castles in terms of homes in the distant past. This was the second lesson- in the first we debated and decided the best place to build a castle....

    Click to view
  • Houses: Artefacts from the past (KS1)

    Article

    Please note: this resource pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum. In these lessons we investigated real objects from late Victorian times. The aim was to enable the children to become more independent in their learning and to extend their literacy. The two lessons described formed part of a Year 1 topic...

    Click to view
  • Remembrance Day at KS1

    Article

    Famous event in the past This lesson introduces a famous event in the past through personal family history. (These resources are attached below) The photograph of Angela's grandfather, and the surrounding illustrations, provided a direct route into discussions about remembrance and war, then ranged wider still. The children's literacy was...

    Click to view
  • Detectives: what were schools like in the past?

    Article

    In this lesson we asked what clues (objects and pictures) can tell us about the past. How were schools in the past different from ours? (Resources attached below.) The objectives were: To introduce the children to the idea of history as detective work. To help the children to make comparisons...

    Click to view
  • Grace Darling

    Article

    I taught a short history topic on Grace Darling, using a painting as the main focus, to encourage evidence-based learning. The painting depicts Grace and her father rowing towards the rocks where the remains of the Forfarshire are resting, with the lighthouse in the distance. The speaking and listening elements...

    Click to view
  • Magellan at KS1

    Article

    The Year 2 story of Magellan and his voyage round the world. The lessons provided part of the history and geography element in a wider topic on ‘Water'. (These resources are attached below) The teaching was done through the powerful medium of storytelling. The first session was taken up by...

    Click to view
  • Local study: Fulwell Windmill

    Article

    Please note: This article pre-dates the current National Curriculum and some content and references may be outdated. The lesson formed part of a local study of Fulwell and Fulwell Windmill in Sunderland. It could also be taught as part of the Victorian Britain Study Unit. The children had already looked at maps and...

    Click to view
  • Children in Victorian Britain: Henry at boarding school

    Article

    Please note: this free resource pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum. For more recent resources see: Victorians (Primary History article, 2014) Scheme of work: Sarah Forbes Bonetta Scheme of work: Brunel In this lesson children pursued an historical enquiry, raising questions and using original sources. They gained an understanding of conditions in early...

    Click to view
  • Magdalen Road

    Article

    We focused on changes in one local set of shops (in Magdalen Road) and looked at the impact of the World War II Exeter blitz on the area. The topic was a local study incorporating history and geography, developing children's historical understanding. To develop as fully as possible the children's...

    Click to view
  • Mystery of the Missing Cake

    Article

    Please note: these resources pre-date the 2014 National Curriculum and some content and links may be outdated History Mysteries at KS1 and KS2 The lessons centred round a mystery, the theft of a cake in an imaginary land where soft toys or characters from children's nursery rhymes live - Nursery...

    Click to view