upper key stage 2 topics

learn about world war 2 in europe and the impact of the battle of britain. study the timeline of the outbreak of war, dunkirk, the blitz, the d-day landings, concentration camp liberations and ve day celebrations. research rationing, evacuation, anne frank and winston churchill.

cover the key aspects of key stage 2 physical geography by studying the water cycle, coasts and rivers, mountains, volcanoes, earthquakes, climate zones and biomes. apply the knowledge gained from research to practical tasks such as model making, drama, artwork and dance.

track the development of the great islamic city of baghdad including trading practices and everyday life and compare it with contemporary cities in western europe. learn about the spread of islam through the middle east and beyond and the legacy of and continuing influences of early islam.

learn about the causes and effects of climate change, including the greenhouse effect, global warming and carbon footprints. research the impact on plants and animals. explore how children's rights are being affected and what can be done to help.

study the magnificent maya in this vigorously researched topic. discover where and when the maya built their civilisation as you develop a range of skills across the curriculum. investigate how the maya lived, their culture and their legacy. compare their lives to your own as you bring your learning together.

become a palaeontologist! discover prehistoric creatures and the main epochs of fossils. investigate 18th-century palaeontologists mary anning and william buckland. explore fossil footprints, humans and ice age creatures. study dinosaurs and their eggs, behaviour and extinction. learn about darwin and evolution.

discover the empire of ancient greece and its lasting influence on the western world. marvel at alexander the great and his leadership. learn about trading, ancient greek buildings, lifestyle and clothing. find out about aesop's fables. research democracy. examine the olympics and its legacy.

learn about the ancient egyptians and the historians who discovered and studied them. study the pharaohs, their pyramids and their mythology. understand how the nile allowed the ancient egyptian civilisation to flourish, and examine daily life, comparing it to our own.

travel the world. work towards key human and physical geography learning goals as you compare peoples and places in the uk, europe, north america and south america. look at your own location and discover the similarities and differences between where you live and these other locations.

study benin culture in the period 900-1300, and contrast features of this west african society with contemporary developments in british history. learn what brought the edo people to the rainforests of benin and study the edo rulers, everyday life, religion, trading currencies and routes and music and art.

place the ancient sumer civilisation in the context of world history and compare it to contemporary britain. learn about life in ancient sumer, how the people lived, what they did, how they worshipped and what they have left behind for us to discover.

understand the timeline of the development of the world wide web. learn about the internet entrepreneurs who contributed to its biggest innovations. create webpages, develop a fantasy football database, use 3d modelling software, design a stop motion animation and devise your own computer game.

find out about the fascinating bronze age civilisation based in the indus valley around 3300-1300 bc and place it on a world timeline. learn how harappan civilisation functioned and how its cities flourished. discover daily life, investigate the evidence we have for this civilisation and speculate about why it ended.

learn about the shang dynasty of ancient china (1600-1046 bc), its formation and the kings who ruled it. discover shang everyday life, music, cities and settlements. study how the shang worshipped and how they developed warfare techniques, technology, and writing.

this topic provides thoughtful, nuanced and age-appropriate planning for sessions on some of the challenging issues arising from consideration of similarities and differences, lifecycles, life choices and sexual health and pregnancy.

practising archaeological skills, creating ice age art and making stone age homes bring ancient britain to life. find out about bronze age tool making and the religious importance of stonehenge. role-play life in an iron age village, understand hill forts and make iron age objects.

study queen victoria - her life, family, portraits and homes. find out about victorian schools and the changes in education during the era. workhouses and child labour are studied through fiction. use census data and maps, to develop an understanding of local history.

use these spag presentations and exercises to teach and revise grammar in preparation for the sats.

through the creation of a cyber-safety game understand the meaning of cyber-bullying, its consequences and outcomes; the importance of privacy settings and safe passwords; the potential pitfalls of sharing photographs and videos; the phrase ‘think before you send’; emojis and the hidden costs of app usage.

this topic enables you to cover the core elements of the whole of the ks2 geography curriculum. all of the skills and areas of knowledge are included. it is perfect for introducing or summing up geography for this key stage. 'enrichment activities' allow you to incorporate other subjects as well.