Saxon Story Creation

Overview

This 60-minute lesson is designed for Year 4 students (ages 8-9) to synthesise their learning from their recent trip to Ufton Court, focusing on Saxon history. They will collaborate to brainstorm and outline key experiences for an upcoming assembly presentation. This lesson integrates History and Computing, aligning tightly with the National Curriculum for England. Students will also gain an introductory, hands-on experience with Canva for designing eye-catching digital slides that enhance storytelling.

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National Curriculum Links

History:

• Pupils should be taught to:
  • Know and understand the chronology of Britain’s history and significant events, people and changes in the past.
  • Note connections, contrasts and trends over time in the history of the locality and Britain as a whole.
  • Understand aspects of Saxon life and society (e.g., settlements, culture, daily life).

Computing:

• Pupils should be taught to:
  • Use technology purposefully to create, organise and manipulate digital content.
  • Use software to design and produce content to suit a purpose.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, all students will be able to:

1. Identify and articulate at least three key experiences or facts about Saxon history from their Ufton Court trip.
2. Work collaboratively in small groups to prioritise and organise ideas for a class assembly presentation.
3. Demonstrate basic skills in using Canva to create digital slides with appropriate visuals and text.
4. Apply design principles (such as layout, colour, and font choice) to make their slides engaging and easy to understand.

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Resources

• Whiteboard and markers
• Large sheets of paper or flipcharts for group brainstorming
• Sticky notes or cards for idea sorting
• Laptops or tablets with internet access and Canva accounts (pre-set for classroom use)
• Projector to demonstrate Canva basics
• Photographs or notes from the Ufton Court trip
• Saxon artefacts or images (optional for stimulus)

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter (10 minutes) – Recall and Discuss

• Begin with a brief whole-class discussion: What did we learn at Ufton Court about the Saxons?
• Ask students to talk with their partner for 2 minutes, sharing their favourite or most surprising Saxon facts or experiences.
• Capture ideas on the whiteboard in two columns: Daily Life and Saxon Adventure.
• Reference the History curriculum by linking these ideas to understanding people’s lives in the past.

2. Main Activity 1 (15 minutes) – Group Brainstorm and Prioritise

• Divide the class into 4 groups (approx. 4-5 students each).
• Provide each group with flipchart paper and sticky notes.
• Groups brainstorm key experiences from the trip they’d like to include in the assembly story. Encourage them to think about what made the experience exciting, unusual or informative.
• Each group sticks their ideas on paper, then collectively chooses 3-4 priority points to present visually.

Curriculum Link: Collaboration skills support speaking and listening objectives; understanding historical concepts through shared discussion.

3. Main Activity 2 (25 minutes) – Canva Introduction and Slide Design

• Bring the class to the front; project Canva on the screen.
• Demonstrate how to:
  • Log in and select a presentation template.
  • Add text boxes and images related to their Saxon story.
  • Use Canva’s tools to adjust font sizes, colours and background images for clarity and impact.
• Students work in their groups on laptops/tablets to create one slide summarising their 3-4 priority ideas.
• Support students to find relevant images (use teacher-approved library or uploads of photos from the trip).
• Emphasise design basics aligned with the Computing curriculum (purposeful digital content creation).

4. Plenary and Assessment (10 minutes) – Share and Reflect

• Each group briefly presents their slide to the class explaining their choices.
• Teacher provides immediate formative feedback on both content (historical accuracy and relevance) and design (clarity, creativity).
• Conclude by reflecting on how their stories help others understand Saxon life and the importance of visual storytelling.

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Differentiation and Inclusion

• For more able learners:
  Encourage using Canva’s advanced features such as layering images or adding simple animations.
• For learners needing extra support:
  Provide a scaffold sheet with sentence starters for ideas and step-by-step Canva instructions.
• Use mixed-ability groups to foster peer support.

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Assessment Criteria

• Can the student recall relevant Saxon facts from their visit?
• Does the group prioritise the most engaging and historically significant points?
• Can students demonstrate basic proficiency in Canva tools?
• Are visuals and text on slides appropriate and engaging?
• Is oral communication clear and confident during group presentations?

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Extension Ideas

• Create a class digital Saxon storybook combining slides from all groups.
• Develop a narrated version of the assembly presentation using recorded audio over Canva slides.
• Tasks linking to English curriculum: write individual diary entries as a Saxon child.

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By integrating purposeful historical enquiry with emerging digital skills, this lesson promotes deep understanding and creativity, perfectly suited for a modern Year 4 classroom working towards confident, historical storytelling.