History · Year 2

Active learning ideas

Fighting the Flames: 17th Century Methods

Hands-on exploration helps Year 2 students grasp the limits of 17th century fire-fighting methods. Moving buckets, pulling hooks, and observing reactions makes abstract challenges visible and memorable for young learners.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: History - Events beyond living memory
• KS1: History - Cause and consequence

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Stations Rotation
• 30 min · Small Groups

Role-Play: Bucket Chain Relay

Divide class into lines to mimic passing leather buckets from a 'river' (basin) to a 'fire' (marked area). Use plastic cups with water or balled socks; time each relay and discuss spills or delays. Groups reflect on why water barely reached the fire.

What did people in 1666 use to try to put out the fire?

Facilitation Tip

For the Bucket Chain Relay, set clear spacing between students so they feel the effort of passing water, linking the activity directly to the slow speed of human chains.

What to look for

Show students images of different fire-fighting tools from 1666 (e.g., leather bucket, firehook) and modern tools (e.g., fire hose, fire engine). Ask students to sort them into two groups: 'Used in 1666' and 'Used Today', explaining their choices for at least two items from each group.

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

Activity 02

• Stations Rotation
• 25 min · Pairs

Hands-On: Fire Hook Firebreaks

Provide wooden blocks as houses and sticks as fire hooks. Students build rows of structures, then hook some down to form gaps before 'spreading fire' (red tissue waves). Note how gaps slow the fire and link to real 1666 tactics.

Why was it so hard to stop the Great Fire from spreading?

Facilitation Tip

During Fire Hook Firebreaks, have students work in pairs to build and test gaps so they can see how gaps stop spread, reinforcing cause and effect.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are a child living in London in 1666. What would be the hardest part about helping to fight the Great Fire?' Encourage students to share their ideas, referencing the methods and challenges discussed in class.

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

Activity 03

• Stations Rotation
• 20 min · Pairs

Sorting: Past vs Present Tools

Prepare cards with images of buckets, hooks, gunpowder, and modern gear like hoses. In pairs, sort into '1666' or 'Today' piles, then justify choices. Whole class shares one difference per pair.

How is fighting a fire today different from how people fought fires in 1666?

Facilitation Tip

In the Sorting activity, ask students to justify their placements out loud to uncover hidden assumptions about modern versus historical tools.

What to look for

Give each student a slip of paper. Ask them to write down one reason why the Great Fire spread so easily in 1666 and one way fire fighting is different today.

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

Activity 04

• Stations Rotation
• 35 min · Whole Class

Demo: Gunpowder Simulations

Use baking soda and vinegar in film canisters to show controlled blasts safely. Students predict if it creates a 'firebreak' gap, observe pops, and compare to blowing up buildings. Discuss risks in 1666.

What did people in 1666 use to try to put out the fire?

Facilitation Tip

In the Gunpowder Simulations, keep groups small so every child can observe the reaction and connect it to historical accounts of controlled blasts.

What to look for

Show students images of different fire-fighting tools from 1666 (e.g., leather bucket, firehook) and modern tools (e.g., fire hose, fire engine). Ask students to sort them into two groups: 'Used in 1666' and 'Used Today', explaining their choices for at least two items from each group.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Begin with the Bucket Chain Relay to establish the physical constraints of 1666 methods. Follow with hands-on fire breaks so students experience demolition as prevention. Use sorting to contrast past and present tools, and end with simulations to show both success and failure of gunpowder. This sequence builds from concrete to abstract, addressing common misconceptions through direct experience before discussion.

Students will explain why the Great Fire spread, compare past and present tools, and articulate the connection between tools and outcomes through active participation and discussion.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Bucket Chain Relay, watch for students who assume fire engines existed in 1666.

  After the relay, ask students to describe how water moved from the river to the fire. Have them calculate how many buckets one child could pass in a minute and compare that volume to a modern hose to make the lack of engines clear through math and effort.

• During Fire Hook Firebreaks, watch for students who believe fire hooks spread fire by knocking embers.

  During the activity, ask students to test two scenarios: one with a gap and one without. Have them mark the spread of ‘fire’ on paper to see how gaps stop flames, directly addressing the misconception through measured outcomes.

• During Gunpowder Simulations, watch for students who assume gunpowder always worsened fires.

  After the simulation, guide students to compare controlled blasts with uncontrolled explosions using simple terms. Ask them to draw outcomes and label which one helped or hurt the effort, clarifying the intended but risky use of gunpowder.

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Methods used in this brief

• Stations Rotation