Bring the story of the RMS Titanic to life with this engaging Upper KS2 cross-curricular lesson, designed to introduce pupils to the world of Titanic before exploring the famous disaster.

This is Lesson 1 in a complete Titanic Topic Pack and investigates the enquiry question:

Why did people believe Titanic was the greatest ship ever built?

Pupils discover Britain in 1912, the Industrial Revolution, White Star Line, shipbuilding in Belfast and the incredible engineering that made Titanic the most famous ship in history. The lesson encourages pupils to think critically, use evidence and develop historical enquiry skills while making meaningful links across the curriculum.

This resource includes:

Fully editable teaching PowerPoint (55+ professionally designed slides)

Student workbook

Teacher guide

Independent assessment

Vocabulary activities

Knowledge quizzes

Retrieval practice

Think-Pair-Share discussion tasks

Cross-curricular challenges

Model PEE paragraph

Plenary activities

Learning Objectives

Pupils will:

Learn about Britain during the Edwardian Era.
Understand why Titanic was built.
Explore the engineering behind Titanic.
Explain why people believed Titanic could not sink.
Cross-Curricular Links

History

Geography

Science (floating, sinking and buoyancy)

English (persuasive writing and historical explanation)

Maths (measurement and scale)

Art

Design Technology

Speaking and Listening

Activities Included
Britain in 1912 investigation
Timeline activities
Fact matching
Scale drawing challenge
Floating and sinking investigation
Paper Titanic design challenge
Persuasive travel brochure
Vintage travel poster
Vocabulary games
Retrieval quizzes
Independent assessment
Big Question reflection

Perfect for:
Upper KS2
Year 5
Year 6

Cross-curricular history topics
STEM learning
Enquiry-based learning
Cover lessons
Whole-class teaching
Home learning

This resource forms Lesson 1 of a complete Titanic Topic Pack.

The full bundle will include six fully planned units covering:

The Greatest Ship Ever Built
Life on Board Titanic
The Maiden Voyage
The Disaster
Aftermath and Legacy
Titanic Today

Each lesson follows the same high-quality structure and includes a PowerPoint, workbook, teacher guide, assessments and engaging cross-curricular activities, making it easy to deliver an inspiring Titanic topic from start to finish.