KS1 Topic Overview: the Great Fire of London

KS1 Topic Overview: The Great Fire of London

Be gripped by this significant historic event from the 17th Century!Contrast fire-safety from the past with today. Study the buildings of the period and create your own buildings. Study the rhymes and songs of the time; study St Paul’s Cathedral and make sketches, prints, clay sculptures and 3D models inspired by this great building.Enthused by the famous diarists Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn, write diaries and read them at your class coffee shop! Learn about the food of the time and bake bread.Finally organise a classroom tour of 17th Century London to demonstrate all the knowledge you have acquired.

• Be taught about events beyond living memory that are significant nationally.
• Know where the people and events fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.
• Ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events.
• Ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge.
• Maintain attention and participate actively in collaborative conversations, staying on topic.
• Write about real events.
• Find answers to these questions by reading non-fiction books.
• Learn about the structure of non-fiction books - contents page, index, glossary, sub-headings.

• Design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves.
• Generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock- ups + ICT.
• Select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks.
• Select from and use a range of materials, including textiles according to their characteristics.
• Build structures, exploring how they can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable.
• Be taught about events beyond living memory that are significant nationally.
• Know where the people and events fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.
• Understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.
• Distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made.
• Identify and name a variety of everyday materials, including wood, plastic, glass, and metal.
• Describe the simple physical properties of everyday materials.
• Ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge and find answers to these questions by reading non-fiction books.
• Learn about the structure of non-fiction books - contents page, index, glossary, sub-headings.
• To justify ideas with reasons, beginning to give well-structured descriptions and explanations.

• Experiment with songs and chants and know that they can be based on historical events.
• Explore the use of dynamics, tempo, beat and pitch.
• Use tuned and un-tuned instruments creatively.
• Explore, choose, organise sounds and musical ideas.
• Listen to and react to recorded music.
• Know that the songs: London´s Burning and Ring- a-ring-a-roses are based on historical events.

• Find out about the Great Fire of London and St Paul’s Cathedral.
• Use drawing and imagination to develop their ideas about St Paul´s Cathedral.
• Use tone, pattern, line, and shape in charcoal pictures.
• Examine paintings and sculptures and use them to develop their ideas about St Paul´s Cathedral.
• Use shape and form when making clay models.
• Use potato printing to make a piece of abstract art.
• Learn about abstract art.
• Compare their own work to Paul Klee´s work
• Communicate their ideas in a group.
• Develop ideas through talking and mock-ups.
• Make a junk model Cathedral.

• Compare fire fighting today and the 17th Century.
• Learn about fire fighting during the Great Fire of London.
• Recognise how the fire started.
• Understand what happened as a result of the fire.
• Understand that the ways we communicate today is different to the 17th Century.
• Listen to stories that tell you about people and the past.
• Participate in discussions.
• Role-play an emergency call.
• Create a poster that describes safety tips.
• Use graphic and phonetic knowledge to aid writing.
• Vary writing to suit purpose of the listener.
• Gather group ideas into sentences.

• Learn about events beyond living memory that are significant nationally, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time and a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms.
• Know where the people and events fit within a chronological framework.
• Ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events.
• Understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.
• Participate in and gain knowledge, skills and understanding associated with the artistic practice of drama.
• Adopt, create and sustain a range of roles, responding appropriately to others in role.
• Improvise, devise and script drama for one another and a range of audiences.
• Write about real events.

• To understand historical concepts such as continuity and change.
• To identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.
• To be taught about events beyond living memory that are significant nationally.
• To use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes.
• To understand where food comes from.
• To select from and use a range of equipment to perform practical tasks.

• To consider and use knowledge and facts gained about the Great Fire of London.
• To be taught about events beyond living memory that are significant nationally.
• To participate in group discussion.
• Answer and speak in the role of a character.
• Participate in a class drama event.
• Design purposeful, functional, appealing products.
• Create Great Fire of London souvenirs.
• Use drawing and imagination to develop their ideas of 17th Century London.
• Use tone, pattern, line and shape in pictures.

© Original resource copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.

We refer you to our warning, at the foot of the block overview, about links to other websites.