20th Century Sparks!, an education pack based around the QueenSpark archive has been created for Primary and Secondary school teachers, as well as parents. It is a guide to the rich resources of the archive and supports the teaching of history from a local perspective at Keystage 1, 2 and 3. It can also be used to support the teaching of Citizenship, Drama, English, Geography, ICT and Science.

The Education pack is made up of extracts drawn from the archive, which form an engaging history of the first half of twentieth century Brighton & Hove, as told by a generation of mainly working-class people. These extracts have been grouped under themes (below) in a way that maintains their original spirit and that is also relevant to the National Curriculum.

This theme explores early twentieth century memories of schooling at the beginning of compulsory education. It brings back the time of chalk and slates, no school dinners, cold classrooms, free milk and the dreaded cane!

Download resources about this theme by clicking the links below.
Early days of education
School dinners
Discipline and punishment

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Teachers and Parents Lesson Plans
History Keystage 2
Drama Keystage 3
Other curriculum links

This theme explores memories of home life between 1900 and 1950. Extracts have been selected from the archive around memories of childhood games, food and shopping, the weekly routines of laundry, and baths, and the arrival of modern entertainment - radio.

Download resources about this theme by clicking the links below.
Games
Gramaphones and radios
Meals
Washdays

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Teachers and Parents Lesson Plans
History Keystage 2
Drama Keystage 3
Other curriculum links and further study links for Keystage 2

This theme explores the effect of poverty in the local area of Brighton and Hove during the early twentieth century. Many people were living in impoverished conditions at the beginning of the century. The impact of World War One and the effects of the Depression further reduced the quality of their lives.

The extracts paint a bleak picture of unemployment, hunger, debt, bad housing and illness. However, this is offset by the attitude of the writers, who often remember this period with affection, and who question the cultural effect of changes brought in to improve conditions.

Download resources about this theme by clicking the links below.
Living in 'slum' conditions
Hard times, good times
Being ill, keeping healthy

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Teachers and Parents Lesson Plans
History Keystage 2
Drama Keystage 3
Citizenship Keystage 3
Other curriculum links

This theme explores memories of work and employment during the early part of the twentieth century. It evokes a time shopkeepers, tradesmen and servants, delivery boys and rag 'o' bone men.

Download resources about this theme by clicking the links below.
Children at work
Into Service
Shopkeepers
Tradesmen

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Teachers and Parents Lesson Plans
History Keystage 2
Drama Keystage 3
Other curriculum links

This theme explores memories of the seaside during the early part of the twentieth century. It evokes a time of sand on the beaches, hawkers and vendors, paddle steamers, ladies with parasols and day trippers in deckchairs.

Download resources about this theme by clicking the links below.
The beaches
The piers
'Kiss me quick'!

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Teachers and Parents Lesson Plans
History Keystage 2
Drama Keystage 3
Other curriculum links and further study links

This theme is about the memories of the Great War. It covers the heady patriotic days at the outbreak of war, the rush to join up and the subsequent horrors of the trenches, the wounded and the dead. There is testimony of the hard times in 'Blighty' of rationing and poverty and the demand for change from the working class in the aftermath of the War.

Download resources about this theme by clicking the links below.
The outbreak of War
Your country needs you!
Life in Blighty
After the War

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Teachers and Parents Lesson Plans
History Keystage 3
Drama Keystage 3

This theme is about the memories of World War Two: from when the war began and the everyday changes it brought, from preparing the beaches for invasion, the trials of rationing and having identity cards, to building air raid shelters in the hope of protection from the daily threat of air attack bombings.

This was also a time of great movement of people; be it child evacuees and overseas soldiers joining the community, as well as local people being conscripted to foreign places whether to fight or work. And finally this theme looks at how the war changed the town - the celebrations of VE and VJ day and the slow journey back to peace.

Download resources about this theme by clicking the links below.
The people's War
Air raids
Rationing
Evacuees
Who were the Bevin Boys?
VE Day - the War is over!

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Teachers and Parents Lesson Plans
History Keystage 3
Drama Keystage 3
Further study links for Keystage 3

This theme explores local memories of community in the first half of the 20th Century. It evokes a time of neighbourly spirit and colourful local characters. It looks at the motivations of QueenSpark writers and highlights recent publications which celebrate the myriad of communities that Brighton and Hove are home to today.

Download resources about this theme by clicking the links below.
Our community 1920-1940
Diversity
QueenSpark

Click the link below for suggestions on how to use the material to support teaching and learning in a classroom setting.
Teachers and Parents Lesson Plans
Citizenship Keystage 3
English Keystage 3
Drama Keystage 3
Citizenship Keystage 3 and GCSE coursework
English Keystage 2