This British Empire KS2 History lesson plan pack takes your Year 3 or Year 4 class on a voyage of discovery as they learn about Britain's growing power as a seafaring nation during the age of exploration.

Find out all about the powerful and corrupt East India Company's battles and bribes that enabled it to dominate trade in Asia. Then, explore how the empire crumbled after the end of the Second World War, and about the Commonwealth of Nations today. These challenging British Empire KS2 lessons are packed with facts and information, as well as prompts and activities for discussion, about Britain's controversial imperialism. Each lesson includes everything you need for your class to learn all about the British Empire and in particular, India – the largest of the Empire nations and 'the jewel in the crown'.

You may also like our Incredible India Topic Bundle – choose schemes from different subjects to create your own India-themed cross-curricular topic!

The Age of Exploration

With this Age of Exploration lesson plan pack, your KS2 children will discover how our understanding of the world grew during the 'Age of Exploration', and how seafaring explorers sought to establish trade with the New World - the Americas.

During the two included activities, children will either learn more about the dangerous life for sailors aboard expeditionary ships, or consider how widely held beliefs about the world changed as new countries and sailing routes were discovered.

This Age of Exploration lesson plan pack comes with an easy-to-follow lesson plan, a slideshow presentation for the whole class teaching input, differentiated activity ideas and a range of handy printable teaching resources.

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The Empire in Asia

To set the scene for this, and later lessons in this Complete Series, the slides explain the fundamental concepts of what an enslaved person is, and what 'trade' means. Included are a number of questions about this trade for children to consider and discuss.

After that, children will discover how the capture of a Portuguese ship laden with rare and valuable goods from the East Indies led Britain to launch expeditions to Asia with the intention of dominating trade there. There's a choice of differentiated activities included too, where children may either write a 'royal charter', or listen to an audio version of a letter sent to Queen Elizabeth I by a member of the crew who captured the Portuguese treasure ship!

This British Empire in Asia lesson comes with an easy-to-follow lesson plan, a slideshow for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas and a range of printable teaching resources.

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The East India Company

Discover how the ruthless East India Company gained control of trade in Southeast Asia, as well as how many people living in the countries corrupted by the Company resisted British rule in this ready-to-teach History lesson for KS2.

It might seem strange to your class that there was so much fierce competition over spices and some other commodities which are abundant today, but the included slides challenge children to consider how they came to be so important for traders and for people living in Britain.

As with all the lessons in this Complete Series, there's a choice of differentiated activities, including a board game where children will find out more about how the East India Company sought to control trade.

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The British Raj

Discover how and why the people of India rose up against the corrupt East India Company, and about how Queen Victoria replaced it as rulers of India in this fascinating KS2 History lesson for children in Year 3 & Year 4.

The included slideshow presentation challenges children to consider reasons why the Indian people were unhappy with life under the rule of the company, and how the lives of Victoria's Indian subjects differed from those living in Britain. There's also a choice of two differentiated activities where children will learn more about the life under the British Raj.

This British Raj lesson pack comes with a detailed lesson plan, a slideshow for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas and a range of printable resources.

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Pros and Cons

Building on children's growing knowledge about the British Empire, this KS2 History lesson focuses on identifying both the harm and the good done by many years of British rule in India.

The slides for the teaching input include a number of questions to provoke thinking and discussion, and the choices of activities provide opportunities for children to consider ways in which Britain's imperialism affected every aspect of Indian life.

This Pros and Cons lesson plan pack comes with a slideshow presentation, a detailed lesson plan and a range of printable teaching resources.

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The End of the Empire

Your KS2 children will study the end of the British Empire in the final lesson of this History series.

When the Second World War ended, the British Empire rapidly crumbled. The included slides with this lesson challenge children to consider reasons why, as well as identify ways in which they could learn more about former Empire countries and the ways in which they influence life in Britain today.

Also included are two differentiated activities where children may either learn more about the end of the Empire, focusing on Gandhi and India's independence, or find out about the Commonwealth and the values its member countries share.

View Lesson 6