Smart tasks are short activities that exemplify the sort of learning we expect to find in outstanding lessons. They will not have a full set of objectives or a timed, structured plan but will describe in detail how the activity works and will include all the ready-made resources you need. Often they will have ideas for differentiation that you can use with other tasks. Many will be effective starters or mini-plenaries. Above all they should fulfil the main aim of the website: a valuable resource or idea that stimulates an even better one when you take it and adapt it for your pupils.

anne boleyn letter
Life in Tudor Times – KQ2 part 3 – History and literacy – Making sense of a letter from Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn

OR 14 ways of telling this is a love letter. Pupils are given a copy of a letter from Henry…

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hardwick hall lesson
Life in Tudor Times – KQ3 part 2 – Linking history with numeracy; a Tudor enquiry

More glass than wall? Is this a fair description of Hardwick Hall? And how do we find out? This SMART…

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Push or Pull? What were the real reasons why the Saxons invaded? SMART TAKS KS2

A fun thinking skills activity in which pupils infer from visual clues before moving on to analyse a range of…

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viking boat
Are we fair to the Vikings? A question of interpretation. SMART TASK KS2

Pupils are shown a range of stereotypical images of Vikings, using slides 2 and 3. This should be used to…

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Replica pot from TTS
Ancient Greece: Short task on using Greek pots

What can I do with just one Greek pot in the resource cupboard? Collaborative and creative storyboarding At the core…

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victorian photo
Using a Victorian census to discover what life was like 100 years ago

There are 4 separate ways of approaching this topic, each becoming increasingly more ambitious. Stage 1 is featured below. Stages…

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portrait of henry viii
History and literacy – Making sense of a letter from Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn

Pupils are given a copy of a letter from Henry to Anne Boleyn. It appears, at first glance to be…

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Boudicca
Assessment of interpretations of Boudicca

Below is an account of an assessment task on Boudicca , with downloadable resources,  just one of many assessed tasks…

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