History · Year 2

Active learning ideas

Christopher Wren and Rebuilding London

Young learners need to grasp how Wren’s rebuilding changed London from a maze of wooden streets to a safer, stone-built city. Active, hands-on tasks let them see, touch, and question the shift, turning abstract facts into memorable experiences.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: History - Events beyond living memory
• KS1: History - Significant individuals in the past

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 30 min · Pairs

Model Building: Old vs New London

Provide card, straws, and blocks for pairs to build a narrow, wooden-style street then redesign it wider with stone towers. Discuss fire risks in the first model and safety in the second. Photograph models for a class display.

Who was Christopher Wren and what did he help build after the Great Fire?

Facilitation Tip

During Model Building, circulate with pre-1666 and post-1666 photographs so students compare their models to real evidence right away.

What to look for

Provide students with a card. Ask them to draw one difference between London before and after the Great Fire, and write one sentence about Christopher Wren's role in the rebuilding.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Stations Rotation
• 45 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Wren's Designs

Set up stations with images of St Paul's, street maps, and biographies. Small groups rotate, sketching one feature at each like a dome or wide road, then share in plenary. Use sticky notes for questions.

How did people rebuild London after so many buildings had burned down?

Facilitation Tip

For Station Rotation, place a small timer at each station so groups move purposefully and stay on task.

What to look for

Show images of St Paul's Cathedral and a drawing of pre-fire London. Ask students: 'What is different about these pictures?' and 'Who helped make London look like the second picture?'

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 35 min · Small Groups

Role-Play: Rebuilding Committee

Assign roles as Wren, mayor, and builders in small groups. They debate using stone over wood and draw a plan. Perform short skits for the class to vote on best ideas.

Can you name one famous building that Christopher Wren designed?

Facilitation Tip

In the Rebuilding Committee role-play, step back after assigning roles so students’ conversations reveal what they understand about collaboration and planning.

What to look for

Ask students: 'Imagine you are a Londoner in 1667. What would you tell Christopher Wren about how you want your new house and street to be built, and why?'

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 25 min · Whole Class

Timeline Walk: Fire to Cathedral

Create a whole-class floor timeline from Fire to Wren's buildings. Individually add drawings or labels of changes, then walk and narrate as a group.

Who was Christopher Wren and what did he help build after the Great Fire?

What to look for

Provide students with a card. Ask them to draw one difference between London before and after the Great Fire, and write one sentence about Christopher Wren's role in the rebuilding.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with clear before-and-after images to build curiosity, then let students manipulate materials so they discover the benefits of Wren’s changes. Avoid long explanations; instead, ask guiding questions that push them to notice details. Research shows concrete experiences anchor abstract ideas, especially for six- and seven-year-olds.

Students will explain why wider streets and stone buildings mattered after the Great Fire, describe Wren’s role, and show how his designs created lasting change. They use models, maps, and role-play to make these ideas their own.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Model Building: Old vs New London, watch for students who create elaborate buildings but leave the streets unchanged. Redirect by asking, 'How could your buildings connect to wider streets? What would that look like?'

  Direct students to compare their narrow wooden-street model with the wider stone-street photograph, then revise their model to match Wren’s safer design.

• During Model Building: Old vs New London, watch for students who claim Wren did all the work alone. Redirect by pointing to the team of workers in the construction images and asking, 'Who else helped Wren make these changes?'

  Have students add miniature figures of builders, surveyors, and stone masons to their models and name each role before they present.

• During Station Rotation: Wren's Designs, watch for students who focus only on church spires. Redirect by asking, 'What other parts of the city did Wren change?'

  Challenge groups to find and mark non-church buildings on their maps, such as market halls or hospitals, and explain how Wren’s designs improved them.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Inside-Outside Circle
• Stations Rotation