Lessons - The Victorians

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

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  • Brunel and Clifton Suspension Bridge

    Article

    Please note: this free resource pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum. For a more recent resource, see our Primary scheme of work on Brunel. The focus for this literacy hour lesson was a picture, used as a text. The literacy hour genre was non-fiction. In it we studied a specific Victorian, the engineer...

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  • Children in Victorian Britain: Down the Mine

    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 free resource pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum....

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  • 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...

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  • 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...

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  • EYFS Medium Term Plan - Toys and Games

    Article

    This EYFS Medium Term Plan is based around the theme of Toys and Games. It is designed to give teachers and early years practitioners different starting points for learning about the past, across all areas of learning. The activities could be led with a whole class or as small group...

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  • 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...

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  • 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...

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  • 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...

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  • Introducing the Empire through coins

    Article

    This coins lesson introduces children to the complex and controversial subject of the British Empire in a practical, hands-on way. (These resources are attached below) The lesson can stand alone or form an introduction to an in-depth study of empire, immigration and emigration. It overlaps usefully with geography and citizenship....

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  • Investigating Victorian mining disasters

    Article

    Please note: these free resources pre-date the 2014 National Curriculum.  In this series of lessons about two mining disasters, I integrated learning in history, literacy and ICT. As the children are an able group, I intended to challenge them to explore primary written sources, to identify differences between them, to...

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  • 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...

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  • Resources for courses: ideas for your history curriculum

    Article

    In times of tight budgets and with the new financial year on the horizon in April, now might be a good time to look at different ways to resource your history curriculum effectively. Alongside all the resources for teachers available from Primary History and the HA website, the following list...

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  • Victorian Britain: a brief history

    Article

    Victorian era | Questions | Industrial revolution | Social reforms | Empire | Teaching the Victorians | Citizenship | Victorian achievements | Key concepts < This resource is free for everyone For access to hundreds of other high-quality resources by primary history experts along with free or discounted CPD and...

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  • Victorian Britain: short lessons and exemplars

    Multipage Article

    Please note: these resources pre-date the current National Curriculum and some content may be outdated. A series of lessons, exemplars and guides to help you teach your students about Victorian Britain.

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  • Victorian child labour in textile factories

    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 What was life like for workhouse children in the early nineteenth century? The aims of the lesson were for children...

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  • Victorian child labour: slate mining

    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 Download Resources 1 and 2 as well as the teachers' notes.  Resources 1 gives you the paragraphs for the children to cut...

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