Knowledge Organisers for KS1 and KS2
What is a knowledge organiser?
A knowledge organiser is a simple, child-friendly document that brings together the key information children need to know about a topic in one place. Knowledge organisers are designed to help pupils remember important facts, vocabulary and concepts throughout a unit of work.
Primary knowledge organisers often include:
- Key vocabulary and definitions
- Important facts and information
- Maps, timelines and diagrams
- Topic summaries and visual prompts
- Questions or prompts to encourage discussion and thinking
Many teachers use KS1 and KS2 knowledge organisers to clearly show the essential knowledge children should learn and retain by the end of a topic.
Why are knowledge organisers useful?
Knowledge organisers can play an important role in helping children learn, understand and retain information over time. By keeping key knowledge easily accessible, they can help reduce cognitive load and allow children to focus on applying their understanding rather than struggling to remember facts or vocabulary.
Knowledge organisers are also useful for supporting retrieval practice and strengthening long-term memory through activities such as self-testing, partner quizzes, flashcards and writing tasks.
How can knowledge organisers be used in the classroom?
Knowledge organisers are flexible and can be used in many different ways throughout a topic. Some teachers keep them on tables during lessons so children can refer to them independently, while others use them as part of classroom displays, homework tasks or retrieval practice activities.
For example, children could:
- Turn the information into a mind map or poster
- Explain key concepts in their own words
- Quiz a partner on key vocabulary and definitions
- Complete gap-fill activities using topic vocabulary
- Create quizzes, crosswords or word searches to test each other
PlanBee’s knowledge organisers
PlanBee is developing a growing collection of knowledge organisers for KS1 and KS2 to support our ready-to-teach lesson packs and schemes of work. Our knowledge organisers are designed specifically for primary-aged children and include clear vocabulary definitions, key knowledge, visual prompts, thinking questions and other curriculum-linked information relevant to each topic.
We are continually adding new knowledge organisers across a wide range of subjects and topics. If there is a particular knowledge organiser you would like to see, feel free to get in touch and let us know!
