A no-prep, 6-lesson history unit on A study of a theme in British history beyond 1066. Written for Year 6 (ages 10-11). Pick it up at lunchtime, teach it that afternoon - every lesson has a full teacher script, projectable slides, a pupil worksheet, and an exit quiz.
Driving question: Why did Britain go to war in 1914 - and how should we remember the people who lived through it?

What’s included

• 6 x Teacher lesson plans (Word, fully scripted)
• 6 x Pupil worksheets in 3 differentiated tiers (Support / Core / Stretch)
• 6 x Projectable slide decks (PowerPoint, ~22 slides each)
• 6 x Exit quizzes (single-page printable, with answer key)
• 1 x Knowledge Organiser (Word, 2-page A4 landscape)
• 1 x End-of-unit assessment with baseline + mark scheme
• 50+ original illustrations included throughout
• Curated kid-appropriate YouTube videos linked from each lesson’s slide deck

Curriculum links

• UK National Curriculum - KS2 History: A study of a theme in British history beyond 1066 - The First World War (1914-1918)
• Causes of the First World War
• Life on the home front and in the trenches
• The Armistice, the poppy and the act of remembrance

What pupils will learn

• Pupils know the First World War lasted FOUR YEARS, from August 1914 to November 1918
• Pupils know FOUR main causes (MILITARISM, ALLIANCES, IMPERIALISM, NATIONALISM) - the MAIN acronym
• Pupils know about the WESTERN FRONT, trench warfare, the role of women on the HOME FRONT, and the use of horses, dogs and pigeons
• Pupils know about the 1914 CHRISTMAS TRUCE and the ARMISTICE of 11 November 1918
• Pupils know why we wear a POPPY on Remembrance Sunday and why two minutes of silence still happens every year

What pupils will be able to do

• Pupils can sequence key WW1 events on a timeline (1914 Christmas Truce 1916 Somme 1918 Armistice)
• Pupils can identify the FOUR main causes (MAIN acronym) and rank them
• Pupils can analyse a primary source (letter, poster, photograph) and explain what it shows AND what it leaves out
• Pupils can compare life in the trenches with life on the home front using shared categories
• Pupils can write about historical events with EMPATHY and HONESTY at the same time