Knowing who's who and what they did and why is not only fascinating but illuminating too. The significance of fame can be more than we think, as we relate the person to historical events that changed or shaped our world, to discoveries that had impact on our lives or movements that influenced our culture. There are lots of learning resources below for a variety of famous names.

You might also like to try the Guinness World Records Hall of Fame www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/hall-of-fame, which is fascinating and includes more than just the world's tallest man!

Information

40 Inspirational children

www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/inspirational-stories/g5188/kids-who-changed-theworld

A good starting point for finding out about contemporary children activists along with some inspirational children from the past.

Famous people

www.teachingideas.co.uk

Select Themes, then Famous People, for a host of cross-curricular teaching ideas and resources. This has lots of activities, lesson plans and resources to download. It is fantastic for teachers and parents with children learning at home. It includes printable banners for displays, which would be useful for classrooms, libraries and home use.

Famous people: Biographies

www.ducksters.com/biography

This is a good starting point for identifying the main players for a period of history or for a list of World Leaders; Women Leaders; Civil Rights Heroes; Inventors and Scientists; Entrepreneurs; Artists; and Explorers. The information given for each named person is certainly well structured and the list of famous people is quite extensive. However, there is a concentration on historical figures and a lack of contemporary figures included.

Famous Scots

www.visitscotland.com/about/famous-scots

This provides a list of famous Scottish people with information and places related to the individual.

Interviews with famous children's authors and artists

www.bl.uk/childrens-books/themes/interviews

A fascinating and very useful set of interviews with children's authors and illustrators, including: Jacqueline Wilson; Zanib Mian; Julia Donaldson; Joseph Coelho; Michael Rosen; SF Said; Andy Stanton; Quentin Blake; Axel Scheffler; and Viviane Schwartz. Find out how they got started and their earliest inspiration.

National Geographic Kids: famous people

www.natgeokids.com/uk/teacher-category/significant-people

Primary resources to download for a host of well-known significant and historical people. Well worth looking at.

Women of science

www.nls.uk/learning-zone/science-and-technology

Learn about pioneering Scottish women of science.

Famous individuals

Ada Lovelace

www.natgeokids.com/uk/primary-resource/ada-lovelace-primary-resource

Find out about mathematician Ada Lovelace and her role in computer programming.

Andrew Carnegie

www.carnegiebirthplace.com/history-resources

Find out about Andrew Carnegie, once the richest man in the world, philanthropist and founder of the free Carnegie Libraries in the US and UK.

Anne Boleyn

www.hrp.org.uk/schools/learning-resources

The Story of Anne Boleyn video resource from the Historic Royal Palaces. Suitable for KS2 and KS3. Select Tudors from the Topic list.

Anne Frank

www.natgeokids.com/uk/primary-resource/anne-frank-primary-resource

A resource sheet that helps pupils learn about the life of Anne Frank and how her famous diary has become an important part of world history.

Anne Frank: writing in impossible circumstances

www.amnesty.org.uk/resources/lessons-writing-impossible-circumstances

There are two downloadable lessons produced by Amnesty International and the Anne Frank Trust to explore Anne Frank's life and legacy through the context of the right to freedom of expression and opinion. It includes a powerpoint, resource sheets and learning and teacher notes. Excellent.