World War 2 Upper KS2 - The Complete Series (7 lessons)

Each ready-to-teach KS2 WW2 History lesson contains a detailed lesson plan with differentiated activities, an engaging slideshow and printable resources to support the children's learning.

This scheme of work is also part of our The World at War Cross-Curricular Topic for Year 5/6, which has lessons across a range of subjects to further immerse your class in the topic of WW2.

This initial session looks at when and where World War Two took place, who was involved and why war broke out.

Children will explore the difference between historical events and causes before using a diamond nine grid to rank the causes of the Second World War from most to least important.

This lesson pack includes all you need to teach children about the events leading up to the start of World War Two, including: a detailed and differentiated lesson plan, engaging lesson slides and printable resources.

In this lesson, children will learn about the different organisations and people involved in Britain’s war effort from across the British Empire and Commonwealth.

Children will analyse the biographies of a range of people who contributed to the war effort and explore the similarities and differences of their backgrounds, roles and experiences.

Everything you need to teach this lesson is included in the pack. There is an engaging slideshow, a detailed lesson plan with differentiated activity ideas and all the printable resources required.

In this session, children move their attention to look at Britain’s home front and start by discussing what rationing was and why it was necessary.

They will investigate different historical sources to discover what was rationed and how the rationing system worked before bringing the process to life with an engaging rationing role play activity.

This ready-to-teach lesson pack comes with an engaging slideshow, detailed lesson plan with differentiated activity ideas and printable resources.

During this lesson, children will learn about the significance of the Blitz, including why Britain was targeted by the German Luftwaffe.

Children will analyse photographs from the time to apply their learning and generate historically valid inferences and questions about the impact of the Blitz. Alternatively, children can create poems to express their understanding.

Everything you need to teach this lesson is included in the pack. There is an engaging slideshow, a detailed lesson plan with differentiated activity ideas and all the printable resources required.

During this session, children will learn about evacuation and explore why the government felt that Operation Pied Piper was necessary.

Through the use of carefully chosen and modelled examples, children will learn how to analyse oral testimonies. Once confident, children will analyse a range of oral testimonies from evacuees, parents and host families to investigate people’s different experiences of evacuation.

Inspiring children to learn has never been so easy with this instantly downloadable lesson pack. All you need is right here, including an informative slideshow, detailed lesson plan and engaging, printable resources.

This age-appropriate yet thought-provoking lesson explores how Hitler’s beliefs about race led to the persecution of the Jews across Nazi Europe, culminating in the Holocaust.

Children learn the story of Anne Frank and use extracts from her diary to understand the impact of the Holocaust on the Jewish people.

This lesson pack includes a detailed lesson plan with differentiated learning activities, a visual-filled slideshow, and well-researched, printable resources.

In this final lesson, children will apply the vocabulary, knowledge and skills they have developed during the unit to plan and carry out their own historical research and to draw their own conclusion as to whether the Allies would have won the war without the contribution of the British Empire.

Alternatively, children undertake self-led research about the events leading up to the end of the war.

If you want your class to develop their independent historical enquiry skills then this is the lesson for you. This lesson pack comes with everything you need: a detailed lesson plan with differentiated activities, an informative slideshow and printable resources to support children's learning.

This Year 5/6 History Knowledge Organiser has been created to complement our History Britain beyond 1066 strand. It is designed to support your children’s understanding of key vocabulary linked to this scheme of work. Enquiry questions have been included to encourage your children to think deeply about this topic.