Investigating what the Vikings were really like, creating a Viking trade route game, writing their version of a Viking saga, evaluating the impact of the Viking invaders on Britain and displaying the achievements of the Vikings in a ‘Viking achievement gallery’.

This unit is new to Year 5 for 2024/25. Please see our History: Long-term plan for more information about recent updates to our scheme and how they may affect your school.

Comparing Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, children learn about the changing nature of monarchy. They examine how monarchs tried to control their public images using portraits and royal progresses. Using Tudor inventories to investigate whether people were rich or poor, children learn what life was like for people in Tudor times.

Investigating the city-states of Athens and Sparta to identify similarities and differences between them, learning about democracy and assessing the legacy of the Ancient Greeks.

Comparing the Maya and the Anglo-Saxons, children learn about the Maya civilisation. They investigate how the Maya settled in the rainforest, their religious beliefs, homes and what archaeological remains tell us about Maya cities. Using primary evidence, they examine theories into how the Maya cities declined.

Investigating local histories from the Victorian to the inter-war period, children explore census records. They learn about the census, its purpose and its changes over time. Children suggest reasons for these changes, linking them to national events. Planning their own historical enquiry, they research a local family or street.

Investigating the causes of WW2; learning about the Battle of Britain; investigating the impact of the Blitz and evacuation on people’s lives; and evaluating the effectiveness of primary sources.

Choose a unit from the options below.

A new version of this unit is available.  This archived unit investigates local history during the Victorian period, children carry out an enquiry using census and factory records.