KS1 Topic: the Great Fire of London Block F: Diaries

KS1 Topic: The Great Fire of London Block F: Diaries

Find out about the famous diarists Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn.Write your own diary entries, including a realistic entry set during the Great Fire. Finally, share diaries in a ‘coffee house’ setting to celebrate the completion of this block.

Block F: Diaries [5 sessions] / Main outcome: History
Other outcomes: English
By the end of this block you will have achieved the following outcomes: /

Meet Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn and understand their diaries give us information about life in their times, including the Great Fire of London.
Learn where people and events fit within a chronological order, using a time line.
Understand how writing implements have changed over the years.
Realise afresh how very old the diaries of Samuel Pepys are.
Read their diaries to each other in a Coffee House setting to celebrate the completion of this block.
Write their own diary entry about modern day life.
Use adjectives to add interest and information to their writing.
Participate in mime / drama to further understand the feelings and emotion generated by GFOL.
Perform to an audience.
Learn how to make comments and suggest improvements for peer assessment.
Work to improve their drama presentation.
Show their understanding of the events in the GFOL through drama.
Write speech bubbles depicting these emotions/ feelings.
Consolidate use of exclamation marks and question marks.
Write a realistic page from a diary as written during the GFOL 1666.
Complete writing and then make covers for their historic diaries.

Session 1:HistoryandEnglish
Who ARE They?
Find out about famous diarists Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn; learn about the art of diary writing and write your own diary entry. / Children will

Understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.
Learn about events beyond living memory that are significant nationally.
Write about real events.

Session 2:Historyand English
FREEZE!
Role-play scenes from the Great Fire of London that were captured in diary entries at the time; Perform and perfect your scenes; capture a key moment in a ‘freeze frame’photograph. / Children will

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.
Understand where the people and events fit within a chronological framework.
Participate in and gain knowledge, skills and understanding associated with 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.

Session 3:Historyand English
What Did You Say?
Look carefully at your freeze frame pictures; write speech bubbles to depict the emotions experienced by the people in the scene. / Children will

Ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events.
Improvise, devise and script drama for one another and a range of audiences.

Session 4:Historyand English
Quills and Ink!
Learn about the writing implements of the 17th Century; make your own quill and ink; write a realistic looking diary page about an incident during the Great Fire of London 1666. / Children will

Understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.
Write about real events.

Session 5:History
Before this session chn will need to bubble print A4 card, ready to make diary covers.
Coffee House!
Use paint to recreate an authentic looking diary cover for your historic diary; read your diary to other children in a ‘coffee house’ setting to celebrate the completion of this block. / Children will

Learn about events beyond living memory that are significant nationally.
Understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.

Resources

Session 1
Provided:
You will need: Example of an appointment diary; Writing / topic books; Pencils; Colouring pencils.

Session 2
Provided: Image of Charles II to add to time line; Diary entry worksheets.
You will need:Time line, as used in previous sessions; Role play clothes if available; Appropriate props.

Session 3
Provided: Large speech bubble shapes for teacher to model writing; Smaller speech bubble shaped ‘post-it’ notes for chn to write on.
You will need: Freeze Frame photographs from S2.

Session 4
Provided:
You will need: Group photos from S3 + speech bubbles; A4 paper tea stained to look old (prepared beforehand) fold in half to use as diary writing sheet; Plastic drinking straws; Ink OR paint thinned with water; Small containers for the ink; Coloured Feathers; Glue; Basket/ bin.

Session 5
Provided:
You will need: Paint; Washing up liquid; Plastic drinking straws; A4 size plastic trays; A4 thin card; Paper for labels; Old 1d coins; Coffee shop role-play items; Beverages to serve in coffee house, such as hot chocolate, milky coffee, cold drinks; Oat based biscuits.

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