🚢 History: The Titanic - Summer 1

This half term, UKS2 are stepping back in time to 1912 to investigate one of the most famous events in modern history — the sinking of the Titanic.

We will explore what made the Titanic so special, what life was like on board, and why the disaster is still remembered over 100 years later.

🌊 Our Big Question

Why is the Titanic disaster still remembered today?

Throughout the unit, we will think like historians by using evidence, asking questions and making careful judgements about the past.

🧠 What We Will Learn

By the end of this topic, we will know that:

• The Titanic was a British passenger ship.
• It sank in 1912 on its maiden voyage.
• Passengers travelled in different classes.
• Life on board was very different for rich and poor passengers.
• The disaster had many causes.
• The sinking led to important changes in sea safety.
• Historians use sources to understand what happened.

Key vocabulary:
Titanic, voyage, disaster, passenger, crew, class system, cause, consequence, evidence, source, reliability, interpretation, significance

🔍 Becoming Titanic Historians

We will investigate:

📸 photographs
📰 newspaper reports
🗣️ survivor stories
📜 historical evidence
🚢 diagrams of the ship

We will ask:

• What can this source tell us?
• Is this source reliable?
• Whose story is being told?
• Are there different interpretations?
• Why does this event still matter?

🚢 Challenges

🧊 Iceberg Investigation

Find out three facts about icebergs.

🎟️ First Class or Third Class?

Compare life for rich and poor passengers on board Titanic.

📰 Titanic Newspaper Report

Write a dramatic newspaper headline about the disaster.

🕰️ Timeline Challenge

Can you place the key events of the Titanic disaster in order?

⭐ Significance Challenge

Explain why Titanic is still remembered today.

⭐ Remember

History is not just about what happened.
It is about asking questions, using evidence and explaining why the past still matters today.

🏰 History: The Tudors (UKS2)

This half term in history, we are learning about The Tudors, an important period in British history that lasted from 1485 to 1603.

We will be finding out about Tudor kings and queens, changes to religion, and what everyday life was like for people living at that time.

You can explore the Tudors further using this page:
🔗 BBC Bitesize – The Tudors

🧠 What We Are Learning (Our Knowledge)

By the end of this unit, you will know that:

• The Tudor dynasty began in 1485 after the Battle of Bosworth

• The Tudors were a royal family who ruled England

• Henry VII was the first Tudor king

• Henry VIII had six wives because he wanted a male heir

• England broke away from the Catholic Church during the Tudor period

• A new church was formed called the Church of England

• Elizabeth I was a powerful and successful Tudor queen

• Life in Tudor times was very different for rich and poor people

You will learn and use important historical words such as:
Tudors, dynasty, monarchy, heir, reign, Reformation, Catholic, Protestant, execution

🔍 How We Think Like Historians

We are not just learning facts — we are learning to think like historians.

This means we will learn to:

• place events and monarchs on a timeline

• ask questions about cause and consequence

• use sources such as portraits, documents and artefacts

• think about whether sources are reliable or biased

• explain why certain people or events were significant

• make historical judgements and explain our reasons

Historians use evidence and careful thinking, not guesses.

❓ Questions to Think About

As you learn, try to answer questions like these:

• What happens when there is no clear heir to the throne?

• Why was having a male heir so important to Henry VIII?

• Why did religion change during the Tudor period?

• Was life the same for everyone in Tudor England?

• What makes a ruler successful?

🚀 Challenges (Choose One)

👑 Tudor Timeline Challenge
Can you place these in the correct order?
Henry VII → Henry VIII → Elizabeth I

🏠 Life in Tudor Times
List three differences between the lives of rich and poor Tudors.

⛪ Religion and Power
Do you think Henry VIII changed religion because of belief or power?
Explain your answer.

⭐ Significance Challenge
Which Tudor monarch do you think was the most important? Why?

🌍 Big Question

How did decisions made by the Tudors still affect Britain today?

⭐ Remember

Historians don’t just learn what happened —
they explain why it happened and why it mattered.