History · Year 2

Active learning ideas

London in 1666: A City of Wood

Active learning works because this topic requires students to move beyond textbook descriptions and physically engage with the crowded, flammable conditions of 1666 London. Handling materials, building models, and walking through simulations helps students grasp the density and danger in ways static images cannot.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: History - Events beyond living memory
• KS1: History - Chronological understanding

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

Activity 01

• Mystery Object
• 45 min · Small Groups

Model Building: Crowded London Street

Provide craft sticks, straws, cardboard, and glue for groups to construct a 30cm street model with overhanging buildings and thatched roofs. Add labels for materials. Groups present how density increases fire risk. Discuss observations as a class.

What was the Great Fire of London and when did it happen?

Facilitation Tip

During Model Building, circulate to ensure students follow the tight street layout, asking questions like, 'How close are your windows to your neighbor’s?' to highlight overcrowding.

What to look for

Show students images of different building materials (e.g., brick, stone, wood, thatch). Ask them to sort the materials into two groups: 'Likely in London 1666' and 'Not likely in London 1666'. Discuss their choices, focusing on why wood and thatch were common.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Mystery Object
• 25 min · Pairs

Sorting: 1666 Building Materials

Gather real and image samples of wood, thatch, stone, and brick. Students sort into 'common in 1666 London' and 'rare' piles, justifying choices. Follow with a class vote on safest materials.

How did the fire start and why did it spread so quickly?

Facilitation Tip

When sorting materials in 1666 Building Materials, provide actual samples so students feel the weight of straw thatch or the splinter of oak timber.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are walking down a very narrow street in London in 1666. What dangers might you see or experience related to the buildings around you?' Encourage students to mention overhanging stories, close proximity of houses, and flammable materials.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Concept Mapping
• 30 min · Pairs

Concept Mapping: Fire Spread Simulation

Pairs draw a simple map of 1666 London streets on paper. Use red crayons to simulate fire spread from a starting point, noting narrow alleys and wooden buildings. Compare paths and share predictions.

What do you think it would have been like to live in London during the fire?

Facilitation Tip

For Fire Spread Simulation, use string or chalk to mark the fire’s path, then pause to ask groups to predict where it will go next based on their maps.

What to look for

Provide students with a simple drawing of a street. Ask them to add two features that would have been common in London in 1666 and explain in one sentence why each feature made the city a fire risk.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Role Play
• 40 min · Small Groups

Role Play: Market Day Chaos

Assign roles like baker, shopkeeper, or resident in a small group skit of a busy 1666 market. Incorporate props for wooden stalls. Debrief on how layout aided fire spread.

What was the Great Fire of London and when did it happen?

Facilitation Tip

During Market Day Chaos, give students roles with props (baskets, coins) to physically block narrow streets, forcing them to see congestion up close.

What to look for

Show students images of different building materials (e.g., brick, stone, wood, thatch). Ask them to sort the materials into two groups: 'Likely in London 1666' and 'Not likely in London 1666'. Discuss their choices, focusing on why wood and thatch were common.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers succeed by balancing concrete experiences with guided reflection. Avoid long lectures about fire risks—instead, let students discover them through touch, sight, and movement. Research shows that hands-on tasks build lasting understanding, but only when teachers prompt students to articulate connections between their models and historical records. Keep the focus on evidence: ask students to point to specific features in their models or maps that explain fire spread.

Successful learning looks like students confidently explaining why wood and thatch spread fire, identifying fire hazards in their models, and using maps to trace how flames moved through narrow streets. They should connect historical evidence to the Great Fire’s spread with clear examples from activities.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Sorting: 1666 Building Materials, watch for students assuming stone was common because of castles. Have them feel the weight of timber samples and compare costs listed in historical records.

  During Sorting: 1666 Building Materials, have students arrange the materials by cost and weight, then discuss why timber and thatch were chosen despite their flammability. Reference Samuel Pepys’ diary entries about building expenses to ground the comparison in evidence.

• During Model Building: Crowded London Street, watch for students spacing buildings too far apart. Ask them to compare their models to Wenceslaus Hollar’s drawings of overhanging storeys.

  During Model Building: Crowded London Street, provide rulers and force students to measure gaps between buildings to match the ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’ descriptions in eyewitness accounts. Point out how wind could carry embers between overhanging floors.

• During Mapping: Fire Spread Simulation, watch for students drawing straight fire paths through wide streets. Refer them to the historical map showing narrow alleys and ask, 'How would wind funnel through these gaps?'.

  During Mapping: Fire Spread Simulation, give students a second map with wind arrows and ask them to redraw the fire’s path, explaining how narrow streets acted like chimneys. Use a hairdryer (safely) to demonstrate wind effects on flame movement in a controlled way.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Mystery Object
• Concept Mapping
• Role Play