Bombing and evacuation
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain why evacuation was a huge turning point for many children during the Second World War.
Key learning points
- The Second World War saw mass bombing campaigns against British civilians for the first time.
- Nazi Germany targeted British cities in 1940-1941, hoping to destroy British industry and morale.
- The government had prepared for this by evacuating many children away from the cities the moment the war started.
- For many city children, this was the first time they had been to the countryside, seen farm animals or eaten vegetables.
- For many children, away from home for so long, returning to their old lives and families in the city was very difficult.
Keywords
Civilian - a civilian is someone who is not part of the armed forces
Bombing - dropping explosives out of an aeroplane onto the ground below is called bombing
Evacuee - a person who has been moved to another place for safety is an evacuee
Morale - the confidence and cheerfulness of a group of people is called morale
Common misconception
Pupils may think that children were only evacuated to areas in Britain during the Second World War.
Children were sent to other countries like Australia and South Africa in 1940.
Teacher tip
You could share some real life stories of evacuees in the areas local to you.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Select all the continents on which fighting happened during WWII.
Q2.What is a group of countries which is ruled by one country or leader called?
Q3.What was the term given to Britain and those countries that fought with Britain in the Second World War?
Q4.Which statements are accurate statements about the Second World War?
Q5.Which statement is an accurate description of what 'ethnic diversity' means?
Q6.How many different languages were spoken in The Fourteenth Army?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Who was evacuated from areas of Britain that were at high risk of bombing in 1939?
Q2.What was the plan to move people to areas of safety known as?
Q3.When did Nazi Germany begin their bombing of British cities?
Q4.Which statements about the night-time bombing by Nazi Germany are correct?
Q5.True or false? Evacuees were only sent to the countryside in Britain.
Q6.How many homes had been damaged or destroyed during WWII?
To help you plan your 6 history lesson on: Bombing and evacuation, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 history lesson on: Bombing and evacuation, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 history lessons from the Significant turning points: how did experiences differ during WWII? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.