Overview

This 30-minute lesson is Lesson 4 of 6 in the unit "London’s Fiery Past" designed for Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 students. The lesson aligns with the National Curriculum for England (History key stages 1) and focuses on understanding the consequences of the Great Fire of London (1666), particularly the rebuilding of London. Students will develop historical vocabulary and analytical skills by comparing images of London before and after the fire through a collaborative Venn diagram activity.

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National Curriculum Links

History: Key Stage 1

• Pupils should develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time.
• They should know where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework.
• They should identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.
• A local history study.
• Use a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to:

1. Describe two ways London changed after the Great Fire, using simple historical vocabulary.
2. Compare and contrast images of London before and after the Great Fire using a Venn diagram.
3. Understand the concept of cause and effect regarding historical events and their aftermath.

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Resources

• Large printed images of London pre-fire and post-fire (colourful, age-appropriate, simple details)
• A large Venn diagram template on flipchart paper or whiteboard
• Individual mini Venn diagram worksheets for pairs/groups
• Picture cards with vocabulary: fire, smoke, rebuilding, houses, streets, church, destroyed, new, old, people
• Scissors, glue sticks, coloured pencils
• Story-teddy or soft toy to encourage participation
• Timer (for activity management)

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

• Gather the class in a circle and recap quickly what they already know about the Great Fire of London (from previous lessons in the unit), reinforcing the historical vocabulary with picture cards (fire, smoke, destroyed).
• Use a story-teddy to encourage participation; pass the teddy around and invite one pupil at a time to share one thing they remember about the fire.
• Explain: “Today, we’re going to find out what happened after the fire. How did London change?”

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2. Engage with Images: London Before and After (8 minutes)

• Show the large images of London before the fire and London after the fire had been put out and rebuilding had started side by side.
• In small groups (3-4 pupils), ask children to talk about what they see in each picture, prompting with questions:
  • “What do you notice about the houses?”
  • “Are there more or fewer buildings?”
  • “What looks different about the streets?”
• Highlight simple differences: narrow burnt buildings vs. newer stone buildings, fewer wooden houses, wider streets.

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3. Venn Diagram Creation (12 minutes)

• Gather the class and introduce a large Venn diagram on the board or flipchart, labelled: "Before the Fire" and "After the Fire" with a central overlapping area for similarities.
• Ask pupils for ideas to place in the diagram, using their earlier observations. Write or stick picture cards as they contribute.
• Support less confident pupils by offering sentence stems, e.g. “Before the fire, London had…”, “After the fire, London had…”
• Once the group Venn diagram is complete, provide pairs or small groups with mini Venn diagram worksheets to mirror the activity and draw or stick images/words to represent their understanding.
• Circulate to scaffold and encourage use of historical vocabulary.

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4. Assessment and Plenary (5 minutes)

• Invite volunteers to share one thing they learned about London after the fire, using vocabulary from the lesson.
• Use a quick thumbs-up/thumbs-down mini-plenary: “Do you think London was better or worse after the fire? Why?”
• Ask pupils what questions they still have about the fire or the rebuilding, recording these to revisit in future lessons.

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Differentiation

• Reception: Focus on simple vocabulary and picture recognition; use lots of visual aids and verbal prompts. Allow drawing instead of writing for mini Venn diagrams.
• Year 1: Encourage use of simple sentences in the Venn diagram with scaffolding language.
• Year 2: Challenge to explain cause and effect more clearly, e.g., “After the fire, London had wider streets because…”

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Curriculum-Linked Skills Focus

• Chronological Understanding: Recognising that events happened in sequence: London before, during, and after the fire.
• Historical Interpretation: Using images as sources to understand change over time.
• Communication: Expressing observations and ideas clearly with appropriate historical vocabulary.

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Thinking Outside the Box: Additional WOW Moment

Sensory Extension (optional): If time allows, provide small fragments of safe “building materials” (e.g., cardboard, twigs, fabric scraps) and let children create a small “model” area of London before the fire and a “rebuilt” area after. This hands-on tactile activity embeds learning with multi-sensory memory anchors.

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End of Lesson 4 Plan – London's Fiery Past Unit