At Anchor, many of our care homes and retirement housing developments have strong links with local schools, creating great connections across the generations.

Those links inspired us to work with education specialists to develop tools to help others do the same.

Our Life Histories teaching guide has been designed to deliver many of the key National Curriculum learning outcomes for children in years five and six, while breaking down the barriers between the young and old.

Anchor Life Histories is a unit of work which fits comfortably within strands for Speaking and Listening and Writing.

It provides opportunities for developing questioning skills, planning and chronological writing within a real context of talking to and learning from an older person who may not be known to the children.

This unit is planned in four developmental phases, from examining and interrogating texts, planning for an interview and then developing and improving writing.

It could take from two to four weeks, depending on how many of the speaking and grammar activities teachers wish to include.

Teaching Notes outline the possible teaching strands and activities for each phase and highlight the end of Key stage learning outcomes for years 5 and 6 that are met by these lessons.

Anchor Life Histories teaching notes, writing scaffolds and curriculum planning document can be downloaded free of charge here.

We hope you and your pupils enjoy using these materials.

The team at Anchor