KS1 Topic: Famous for more than Five Minutes Block I: Communicators
Meet William Caxton and Tim Berners-Lee and discover how they both changed the way we
communicate. Journey back through time to discover how people recreated and printed text in the past.
Try out a variety of ways to reproduce your writing for mass consumption. Create edible illuminated
manuscripts and your own printing press. Go on to create an online blog or website.
Block I: Famous for five
minutes
Communicators
[6 Sessions]
Main outcomes: History and Computing
Other outcomes: English and Art
By the end of this block you will
have achieved the following
outcomes:
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Learn about the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed
to national and international achievements in communication.
Compare aspects of life in different periods through the comparison of significant
individuals and developments in communication.
Use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve
digital content in the form of a book review blog/website.
Recognise common uses of information technology beyond school such as book
review sites.
Discuss and express views about a wide range of texts.
Write a book review.
Compose a book review orally before writing it.
Develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern,
texture, line, shape, form and space.
Session 1 English and History Children will:
Communicating information
past and present
Write a book review and think
about the ways it could be shared
with others. Find out about the
ways information was shared in
the past and compare them with
today’s digital world.
Session 2 Art and History
Creating an illuminated
manuscript
Explore the art of writing books out
by hand and have a go at
designing and creating your own
edible illuminated manuscript.
Session 3 Art and History
Caxton and his printing press
Learn about Caxton and his
printing press; Try making your
own printing press and print a
book review; Find out how Caxton
recreated images in his printing;
Create an image plate and print it
to accompany your review.
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Write a book review about a favourite book as part of a ‘book outreach team’.
Order methods of communication (and associated key people) through time, and
identify the pros and cons of each method.
Children will:
 Learn that in the past texts had to be handwritten.
 Explore illuminated manuscripts and have a go at creating their own, using their
book review.
Children will:
 Learn about Caxton and his printing press.
 Create and test out their own printing press using individual letters.
 Explore how Caxton recreated images.
 Create a printed image to accompany their book review.
© Original resource copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
The links to the websites and the contents of the web pages associated with such links specified on this list (hereafter collectively referred to as the ‘Links’)
have been checked by Hamilton Trust (being the operating name of the registered charity, William Rowan Hamilton Trust) and to the best of Hamilton
Trust’s knowledge, are correct and accurate at the time of publication. Notwithstanding the foregoing or any other terms and conditions on the Hamilton
Trust website, you acknowledge that Hamilton Trust has no control over such Links and indeed, the owners of such Links may have removed such Links,
changed such Links and/or contents associated with such Links. Therefore, it is your sole responsibility to verify any of the Links which you wish you use.
Hamilton Trust excludes all responsibility and liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of any Links.
KS1 Topic: Famous for more than Five Minutes Block I: Communicators
Children will:
Session 4 History and
 Meet Berners-Lee and learn about his invention of the World Wide Web.
Computing
The WWW revolution and Tim
Berners-Lee
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Explore online chn’s book review sites and identify features they do and don’t
like.
Learn about the history and
development of the WWW, and its
inventor, Tim Berners-Lee;
Investigate a range of children’s
book review blogs and decide
which features work well and
which don’t.
Session 5 Computing and
History
Creating an online book review
blog
Children will:
 Design their own book review blog based on research from previous session.
 Start to create their blog design online.
 Create a page to accompany their blog on the history of children’s book printing.
Use research from the previous
session to design a children’s book
review blog; Start to create an
online book review blog. Create a
section on the history of book
publishing.
Session 6 Computing and
History
Completing an online book
review blog
Children will:
 Complete the creation of their book review blog.
 Create and add to their blog a ‘visual story’ of Caxton and Berners-Lee, showing
how they contributed to the development of ‘printed’ communication.
Complete and tweak an online
book blog; Create a ‘visual story’
for Caxton and Berners-Lee to
include in your blog.
© Original resource copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
The links to the websites and the contents of the web pages associated with such links specified on this list (hereafter collectively referred to as the ‘Links’)
have been checked by Hamilton Trust (being the operating name of the registered charity, William Rowan Hamilton Trust) and to the best of Hamilton
Trust’s knowledge, are correct and accurate at the time of publication. Notwithstanding the foregoing or any other terms and conditions on the Hamilton
Trust website, you acknowledge that Hamilton Trust has no control over such Links and indeed, the owners of such Links may have removed such Links,
changed such Links and/or contents associated with such Links. Therefore, it is your sole responsibility to verify any of the Links which you wish you use.
Hamilton Trust excludes all responsibility and liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of any Links.
KS1 Topic: Famous for more than Five Minutes Block I: Communicators
Resources
Session 1
Provided: Information sheet with Book Outreach Team letter & return label; Methods of
communication timeline booklets; Information with analysis questions.
You will need: Access to a printer; Books; Boxes and 7 toys such as bears.
Session 2
Provided: Examples of illuminated manuscripts; Instructions for making an illuminated manuscript.
You will need: Access to the Internet: Pens/pencils/paper or rice paper, icing pens & tubes, and some
Rich Tea biscuits.
Session 3
Provided: Instructions for making a printing press; Instructions for making printed illustrations; Letter
from William Caxton; Examples of woodcuts.
You will need: Access to the Internet; Magnetic/wooden letters or similar (lots), Card strips, Double
sided tape, paint, cloth, small water bottle, Blu-Tack, elastic band; Paper and foam board.
Session 4
Provided: Web game instructions; WWW lucky-dip strips; Photo of Tim Berners-Lee.
You will need: Access to the Internet; 4 balls of wool/string.
Session 5
Provided: Children’s book detectives cards; Examples of children’s illustrated books; Possible features
of a book review blog/website.
You will need: Access to the Internet.
Session 6
Provided: Caxton & Berners-Lee: pictures, items & symbols; Sample visual story.
You will need: Paper, scissors, glue; Digital cameras/scanners.
© Original resource copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
The links to the websites and the contents of the web pages associated with such links specified on this list (hereafter collectively referred to as the ‘Links’)
have been checked by Hamilton Trust (being the operating name of the registered charity, William Rowan Hamilton Trust) and to the best of Hamilton
Trust’s knowledge, are correct and accurate at the time of publication. Notwithstanding the foregoing or any other terms and conditions on the Hamilton
Trust website, you acknowledge that Hamilton Trust has no control over such Links and indeed, the owners of such Links may have removed such Links,
changed such Links and/or contents associated with such Links. Therefore, it is your sole responsibility to verify any of the Links which you wish you use.
Hamilton Trust excludes all responsibility and liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of any Links.