Who were the Victorians?

Take your Year 5 or 6 class on a fascinating journey back in time with this engaging Who were the Victorians? KS2 History scheme of work. Designed to meet the National Curriculum objectives for upper Key Stage 2, this comprehensive unit introduces pupils to life during Queen Victoria’s reign and explores how this era shaped modern Britain.

Through a series of fully planned and resourced lessons, children will discover what life was like for rich and poor Victorians, investigate key inventions and industrial advances, and explore the life of Queen Victoria herself. They’ll also learn about the important advances made to healthcare during this era through a study of medicine and disease, as well as explore how leisure time changed during this period.

Each lesson includes a detailed plan, differentiated activities, teacher slides, printable resources and assessment ideas – everything you need to teach with confidence. Whether you're covering Victorian childhood, social reform, or the legacy of the Industrial Revolution, this Who were the Victorians? KS2 pack brings history to life with curiosity and creativity.

You might also be interested in our Victorians Topic Enrichment Pack, which includes ready-to-teach Art, DT, Geography and RE lessons. Perfect for cross-curricular teaching!

Queen Victoria

This Queen Victoria KS2 History lesson for Year 5 and Year 6 will teach your class everything they need to know about the life of the second-longest-reigning monarch in British history.

The included slideshow presentation informs children about Victoria's early life, how and when she became queen, the details of her family life, including her marriage to Prince Albert, and finally her death in 1901. Children present what they have found out about Victoria in a variety of ways, or prepare their own Queen Victoria quizzes.

This Queen Victoria KS2 lesson pack contains an easy-to-follow plan, an informative slideshow, printable resources and differentiated activity ideas.

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The Industrial Revolution

This Industrial Revolution KS2 History lesson teaches your Year 5 or Year 6 class everything they need to know about the Industrial Revolution during the Victorian period.

Children first explore some of the reasons for the Industrial Revolution, and the effect it had on the people of Britain. During their independent activities, children then consider the positive and negative impacts of the Industrial Revolution, or write a more detailed description of what the Industrial Revolution was, using the provided support resources to help them.

Including a detailed plan, an informative slideshow, differentiated activity ideas and printable resources, this Industrial Revolution KS2 lesson pack includes everything you need!

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Victorian Inventions

This Victorian Inventions KS2 lesson will help you teach your Year 5 or Year 6 class about some of the many things invented during the Victorian period, and the impact they had on everyday life.

Exploring Victorian inventions with your class will not only pique their interest but also help to give them a deeper historical context for understanding what life was like during the Victorian era. During their independent activities, children are challenged to order Victorian inventions chronologically, or work out whether a variety of objects were invented before, during or after the Victorian era.

Included with this Victorian Inventions KS2 History lesson pack is an easy-to-follow plan, a set of slides for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas and printable resources.

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Medicine and Disease

This Victorian Medicine KS2 History lesson contains a wealth of facts and information to help your class gain a deeper understanding of how healthcare changed during the Victorian era.

Your Year 5 or Year 6 class will first explore why you were more likely to die in a hospital than be cured in one at the start of the 19th century, before going on to look at how the work of individuals such as Louis Pasteur, Florence Nightingale and Joseph Lister made significant improvements to Victorian hospitals and healthcare.

This Victorian Medicine KS2 History pack contains everything you need to deliver the lesson, including a detailed plan, a slideshow presentation, and a choice of differentiated activities.

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Leisure Time

In this Victorians Leisure KS2 History lesson, your class will explore various leisure pursuits of the Victorians, from seaside outings and theatre trips to sports events and zoo visits.

Children will first consider why the Victorians had more leisure time than in previous periods in history, before studying a variety of historical sources, including photographs and posters, to find out what leisure activities were popular.

Including a detailed plan, slideshow, printable resources and differentiated activity ideas, this Victorian Leisure KS2 History lesson pack contains everything you need!

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