*New* What was the Sikh Empire?
Exploring how the Sikh Empire was founded and its legacy.
- Subjects >
- History >
- Upper key stage 2 >
- Year 6 >
- Transition unit >
-
*New* What was the Sikh Empire?
Please note
This new unit for 2024/25 gives greater opportunities for the children to explore sources and includes new teaching resources designed to enrich their learning and deepen their understanding of the topic. The Archived unit: The Sikh Empire will no longer be updated.
Unit outcomes
Pupils who are secure will be able to:
- Explain terms such as unification and absolute power.
- Identify the skills and behaviours of leaders that contributed to achieving a goal.
- Describe and assess the impact of beliefs on change.
- Identify the significance of a place.
- Make deductions and inferences from sources.
- Apply criteria to decide and explain historical significance.
- Describe how and why interpretations are different.
- Make observations and explain historical achievements.
This unit prepares the children for the challenges of Key stage 3 History.
Suggested prior learning
What was the impact of World War 2 on the people of Britain?
Get startedLessons
Lesson 1: How did the Sikh Empire begin?
- To explain how the Sikh Empire was established using a timeline and map.
Lesson 2: How do Sikh beliefs impact society?
- To describe the impact of Sikh beliefs on society during the Sikh Empire.
Lesson 3: What made Lahore important to the Sikh Empire?
- To recognise the significance of Lahore in the Sikh Empire.
Lesson 4: Why is Ranjit Singh historically significant?
- To evaluate the historical significance of Ranjit Singh.
Lesson 5: How do different interpretations shape our understanding of the Sikh Empire?
- To analyse different interpretations of the Sikh Empire.
Lesson 6: How do the achievements of Sophia Duleep Singh compare to Ranjit Singh?
- To compare the achievements of Ranjit Singh and Sophia Duleep Singh.
Related content
Unit resources

Knowledge organiser – History Y6: What was the Sikh Empire?
Aimed at pupils, two pages providing key facts and definitions from the unit 'What was the Sikh Empire?'.

Vocabulary display: What was the Sikh Empire?
A display version of the vocabulary from the unit 'What was the Sikh Empire?'.
Cross-curricular opportunities
English: Reading comprehension, Spoken language.
British values: Mutual respect, Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
Religious Education
Geography: Human geography.