In this London Past and Present KS1 Planning Pack for English, your Year 2 class will travel back in time to find out what London was like in the 1600s and compare it to modern-day London. They will become experts at writing in both the past and present tenses.

To begin with, your KS1 class will use detailed non-fiction texts to find out differences between London past and present. They will then go on to sort sentences about London into those written in the past tense and those written in the present tense. They will be taught that verbs indicate the tense of a sentence and will identify these. In the next lesson, using expanded noun phrases to describe London is the focus. Then, your Year 2 class will learn the spelling rules for changing present tense verbs into the past tense. In the final lesson of the unit, children will apply everything they have learnt to write a comparison between London past and present.

This Great Fire of London - London Past and Present KS1 English Planning Pack contains everything you need including interactive slideshows for each lesson, detailed lesson plans created by an experienced teacher with differentiated activities and all the Great Fire of London KS1 worksheets you will need.

You may also like our Vlad and the Great Fire of London Reading Comprehension and Great Fire of London Diary Entries English schemes to complement this pack.

How was London in the 1600s different to London now?

In this London past and present lesson, your Year 2 class will begin by using images of London to discuss how they can see London has changed since the 1600s.

They will then read non-fiction texts to deepen their understanding and will record differences they find in a table. They might research buildings in London, crime and punishment, the River Thames, facts about the city or entertainment.

This London past and present KS1 single lesson download includes a detailed lesson plan, PDF lesson slides as well as all the Great Fire of London KS1 worksheets required.

View Lesson 1

Sorting sentences

In this London past and present lesson, your Year 2 class will begin by learning what is meant by the past tense and the present tense.

They will then look at how verbs within a sentence indicate its tense and will practise sorting verbs into either the past or present tense. Once secure, children begin sorting sentences about London and identify the past or present tense verbs within them. At the end of the lesson, children are challenged to help change a piece of present tense writing about London in the 1600s into the past tense.

Everything you need to teach this London past and present KS1 lesson is included in the pack. There is an interactive slideshow, a detailed lesson plan with differentiated activities and all the printable resources needed.

View Lesson 2

Describing London using expanded noun phrases

In this London past and present lesson, your Year 2 class learn to identify nouns in a sentence and will find out that, when adjectives are used to describe these, expanded noun phrases are created.

Children read descriptive texts about London and identify expanded noun phrases within them. They then move on to developing their own expanded noun phrases to describe London. Improving base sentences provides opportunity for them to apply their understanding of how expanded noun phrases can be used to improve writing.

This London past and present KS1 lesson pack contains everything you need to teach this lesson including an interactive slideshow, a detailed lesson plan with differentiated activities and all the Great Fire of London KS1 worksheets you will need!

View Lesson 3

Rules for changing writing into the past tense

In this London past and present lesson, children begin by learning the spelling rules for changing present tense verbs into the past tense. They look at examples and practise applying what they learn to changing new sets of verbs into the past tense.

After looking at irregular verbs and the progressive form to describe ongoing activities, children change writing about London in the present tense into the past tense. Alternatively, they play a game of 'Four in a Row' to revise the spelling rules.

This London past and present KS1 single lesson download contains everything needed to teach this lesson including a detailed lesson plan with differentiated activities, an interactive slideshow and all the printable resources required.

View Lesson 4

Comparing London in the 1600s to London now

In this London past and present lesson, children will be learning how to use conjunctions such as 'whereas' or 'although' to write sentences which compare London in the 1600s to London now.

They practise as a class first using sentence frames and prompts to support them. They then apply what they have learnt independently to produce a comparison between London at the time of the Great Fire of London to the city we know today. Alternatively, your class might become open-top bus tour guides taking the rest of the class on a tour around London, explaining how it has changed since the 1600s.

This London past and present pack contains all you will need to teach this lesson including a detailed lesson plan with differentiated activities, an interactive slideshow and all the printable resources needed.

View Lesson 5