I am a History Teacher with a love for producing high quality and easily accessible history lessons, which I have accumulated and adapted for over 20 years of my teaching career. I appreciate just how time consuming teaching now is and the difficulty of constantly producing resources for an ever changing curriculum.
I am a History Teacher with a love for producing high quality and easily accessible history lessons, which I have accumulated and adapted for over 20 years of my teaching career. I appreciate just how time consuming teaching now is and the difficulty of constantly producing resources for an ever changing curriculum.
World War I
The aim of this lesson is to question how much Britain valued its Empire soldiers in World War 1.
This subject is very topical at present as historians such as David Olusoga are putting cultural diversity at the forefront of our British history curriculum.
The starting point of the lesson is to analyse the story of Private Johnson Beharry, focusing on his background and the reasons why he was awarded a Victoria Cross, through source or video evidence.
Students will then link his story to World War 1, where they will learn how more V.C.’s were awarded to Empire soldiers than anyone else and discover which parts of the Empire contributed to the war effort and why.
There are case studies in the lesson focused on troops from the Punjab and the West Indies.
The main task students face is to judge how valued Empire soldiers were at the time and if not, how and why they were viewed differently. Ultimately they will need to clarify why this varied widely according to country and race.
They will also be required to write an extended answer using their own opinions, with argument words and scaffolding given if required.
There is a plethora of video evidence to accompany this lesson, with brilliant clips from the BBC and other sources.
Students will finally consolidate their learning by creating sentences from
‘fragments’ and a retrieval task.
The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning.
The resource includes suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603
The aim of this lesson is understand how Henry consolidated his power at the beginning of his reign.
Students have to recall his previous problems before deciding how he would overcome these problems.
They are then given the solutions to his problems which they categorise into short and long term problems as well as financial and political security and the succession.
The plenary challenges student to think outside the box by linking key themes using the octagon to what they have learned in the lesson.
There is an enquiry question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work.
The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit.
The lesson is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.
AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603
The aim of this lesson is to assess the threat the nobility posed to Henry VII during his reign.
Students begin the lesson by summarising the importance and duties of the nobility and naming some important nobles throughout the country.
They then have to assess the threat level posed by the nobles and decide how successful Henry was in reducing their power by plotting this on a grid.
Their final task is to take on the role of Henry and decide how he dealt with eight nobles during his reign, whether that be through Acts of Attainder, imprisonment, fines, execution, confiscation of land or other choices given.
The plenary asks students to link a number of statistics to the nobles learned throughout the lesson.
There is an enquiry question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work.
The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit.
The lesson is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.
AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603
The aim of this lesson is to question how effective the burning of heretics was in Mary’s reign to restore Catholicism.
The lesson begins with some exam extract practice and then focuses on Cardinal Pole’s positive approach at first to gathering ‘the lost sheep’ back into the Catholic fold.
Students learn the process of how a person was condemned to death in Marian England by burning at the stake and why the first executions encouraged large crowds to gather.
Using some more ‘burning’ evidence, students have to evaluate how effective they were in Marian England, and be able to give both sides of the argument, including revisionist views from Dr Anna Whitelock.
Students will finally have to analyse and decide where Protestantism and Catholicism was embedded around the country if at all and the significance of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.
There is an enquiry question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work.
The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit.
The lesson is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.
Conflict and Tension 1918-1939
The aim of this lesson is to explore the reasons why Mussolini invaded Abyssinia.
Throughout the lesson, students will be required to analyse the reasons as to why, in the face of unprovoked hostility and belligerence, the League of Nations did little to stop Italian aggression against Abyssinia and why Britain and France went out of their way to appease Mussolini.
At first, students will recap on the previous dealings Mussolini had with the League of Nations in the Corfu incident.
They will then evaluate the role of the League and its clear inability to act decisively, even before Britain and France undermined its very foundations.
When students have built up a clear picture of the whole incident, they are then ready to tackle a ‘write an account’ question.
The plenary is an A-Z tasks using the key words and events from the lesson.
The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning.
The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, some retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603
The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the reasons for the increasing problems Elizabethan society underwent towards the end of the 16th Century.
Students also have to evaluate the impact of these changes upon society as a whole, from a rising population, gentry class and continuing inflation.
They will also question if there was a crisis in the aristocracy, a case put forward by renowned historians such as Hugh Trevor Roper, as he argues their decline of importance coincides with a rise in influence of the gentry class.
Finally students will examine and decide if there were any differences in the patterns of trade in the Elizabethan era compared to previous Tudor times. Was England still dominated by agriculture and the cloth trade to Antwerp or were any changes happening to expand markets?
There is an enquiry question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work.
The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit.
The lesson is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.
This key word literacy display has been designed to be used on classroom walls (or on display boards outside) when introducing a new History topic to the students.
It is an easy resource to print and will hopefully save an incredible amount of time and effort when incorporating literacy into a new or existing scheme of work. The slides can also be laminated and used as mobiles hanging from the ceiling or used as part of an informative display.
The slides cover the following words and their definitions:
Cat and Mouse Act, conciliation, constitution, discrimination, Emmeline Pankhurst, equality, Emily Davison, enfranchise, Epsom Derby, Force feeding, franchise, hunger strikes, Married Women’s Property Act, Matrimonial Causes Act, legislation, militant, Nancy Astor, patriarchal society, petition, propaganda, subordinate, suffrage, suffragette, suffragist, W.S.P.U., World War 1.
The slides come in PowerPoint format so they are easy to change and adapt.
Britain: Health and the People c.1000-present
These key individual flashcards aim to get the students thinking of key people and their significance in medicine.
I always find students have revised thoroughly for exams, but do not push their grades into the higher brackets as they focus on content rather than the individual’s impact and importance, particularly over time.
There are 36 individuals listed, Students can use them in class (I use them as starters and plenaries) or to take home and use for their own personal revision programme.
I also display them in the classroom (enlarged) and use when teaching this unit of study.
The resource comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is twofold: to introduce the A Level course and its requirements and then to assess the strengths of Germany before 1914.
The course requirements are outlined to the students and how it will be assessed through the two examination components of source analysis and essay writing.
The second part of the lesson analyses the three Reich’s in Germany and how it was governed from 1871.
A colour coding activity on Germany unification, questions on the impact of World War I on Germany and its political structure under the Kaiser will allow students to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of Germany in 1914.
There is a enquiry question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work.
The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit.
The lesson is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to understand the political vacuum left in Germany after the abdication of the Kaiser and the political consequences for Germany.
Students begin with a definition task using some key words and phrases linked to the Treaty.
They are then introduced to the political machinations of Ludendorff and the implications of the Peace Note.
A chronological and multiple choice task as well as a ‘Am I a robot?’ exercise allow students to grasp the consequences of the abdication of the Kaiser and analyse the political parties vying for ascendancy in the Republic.
Some exam question practice completes the lesson using sources, with a model answer given if required.
There is a enquiry question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work.
The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit.
The lesson is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.
Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship
This lesson aims to evaluate how successful Hitler was in consolidating his power after becoming Chancellor.
As Hitler contrived to win more votes, a succession of events throughout 1933 and 1934 helped him achieve this.
Students therefore have to rate how much power in their opinion he gained from each event (such as the use of Article 48 and the Enabling Act), colour coding the power indicators after each.
Then they plot these events on a living graph, thus mapping out this process, also having to decide the legality or illegality of these events.
Alternatively they are given a timeline in which they analyse each event and decide the positives and negatives of each of them and whether these contributed to an increase or decrease in his power.
The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning.
The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
Rise of Dictators
The aim of this lesson is to decide how evil Tsar Nicholas was.
Students are given facts about Tsar Nicholas and his family which suggest he is a caring and devoted family man as well as a competent ruler. Inferences will be made using video, source and photographic evidence.
Students are then given more information which will challenge their original assumptions. Incompetence, an ambitious and influential wife, a massacre as well as the growing influence of a ‘mad monk’ will enable students to give him an ‘evil rating’ out of 10.
An extended written piece using argument words and a writing frame if required will allow students to give their final judgements and be able to justify their conclusions as to how evil they think he was, or not as the case may be.
In the plenary activity, students have to prove they are not a robot by ticking the correct images which link to the learning of the lesson.
The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning.
The resource includes some retrieval practice on Dictators, suggested teaching strategies, differentiated materials and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
This key word literacy display has been designed to be used on classroom walls (or on display boards outside) when introducing a new History topic to the students.
It is an easy resource to print and will hopefully save an incredible amount of time and effort when incorporating literacy into a new or existing scheme of work. The slides can also be laminated and used as mobiles hanging from the ceiling or used as part of an informative display.
The slides cover the following words and their definitions:
Alliance, armistice, arms, barbaric, bellicose, conscientious objector, cowardice, desertion, escalate, imperialism, inevitable, Jerry, Kaiser, militarism, munitions, nationalism, naval, propaganda, stalemate, trench foot, tommy, shellshock, shrapnel, trenches, Triple Alliance, Triple Entente, Victoria cross, warfare.
The slides come in PowerPoint format so they are easy to change and adapt.
World War II
The aim of this lesson is to understand how the British Government prepared for war.
The lesson leads students through a wealth of primary sources from path𝑒 news, government films and information leaflets.
It analyses how the government used propaganda to rally and convince the nation to stand firm against Hitler and how they could endure and eventually win the war.
How effective and convincing their messages were is up to the students to unpick and judge for themselves.
Primary evidence, which not surprisingly gives a positive outlook on events such as the evacuation of Dunkirk, Churchill’s radio broadcasts and the bombing of cities, is used; but how effective is their message and will the nation adhere to their warnings about spying and what not to say?
Students are questioned throughout the slides and complete some independent research on the types of propaganda posters published.
A summarising pyramid at the end builds upon the evidence and judgements they have made.
The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning.
The resource includes retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
The English Civil War
The aims of this lesson are to analyse the Battle of Marston Moor and evaluate how the New Model Army won the battle, as well as to question if Parliament decided to kill the king from the start.
Therefore this lesson comes in two parts.
This first lesson focuses on how the two sides fought in the Civil War.
Students learn about the musketeers and pikemen, before analysing their role in the Battle of Marston Moor.
The students take on the job of Oliver Cromwell and make key decisions to win the battle, gaining points as they go along.
However they must be careful not to make mistakes and lose the battle with catastrophic consequences for Parliament and the New Model Army.
The second part of the lesson looks at an alternative view of the Civil War. Was the decision taken to kill the King early on, or did Parliament arrive painstakingly at this decision over time.
Students plot this on a graph before reaching and justifying their own conclusions, using some argument words for help if required.
A lightbulb is posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning.
The resource includes retrieval practice, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship
The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the significance of the Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht.
The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 and Kristallnacht in 1938 are two significant events which can sometimes be overlooked when students write about Nazi policies towards the Jews in Germany, as they tend focus on the events after 1939 only.
What were the Nuremberg Laws, why were they introduced and in which order did policies towards the Jews change after these laws were introduced?
Moreover, was Kristallnacht a spontaneous or well planned atrocity led by the Nazis?
Students are given evidence from which to make an informed decision which they must justify.
A car number plate activity further assesses their understanding before the students plan an examination question for some GCSE exam practice.
There are some great video links to help the learning as well.
The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning.
The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
This resource in booklet form sets out the whole AQA GCSE 9-1 Britain: Health and the People c.1000 to present course in two sides of A4, including the exam questions
This is ideal for the student who wants a quick recap before the exam as it sets out all the main details in bullet form.
The summary guide includes all the main individuals, events and discoveries made which are asked in the exam.
It is also great and cheap for quickly printing and giving out for revision lessons, especially when the students claim they cannot remember anything you have taught!
I have included both PDF and Word formats if there is a wish to change and adapt.
Elizabethan England 1568-1603
This is a Summary Revision Guide tailored to the AQA GCSE 9-1 Elizabethan England 1568-1603 unit.
It has also been revised to include the historic environment question for 2024 for the Americas and Drake’s Circumnavigation, with an emphasis on location, function and structure, people connected, design and important events connected to it.
The resource is in booklet form and is ideal for the student who wants a quick recap before the exam as it sets out all the main details in bullet form.
It is also extremely useful and cheap for printing and giving out when the students claim they have forgotten everything they have been taught!
I have included both PDF and Word formats so the resource can be edited and changed to suit.
I have created these set of resources for the History Key Stage 3 National Curriculum ‘challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day’.
These lessons are also useful if you are studying the Cold War at GCSE, where the students will gain an invaluable insight into the key terms, ideologies, events and people post 1945.
The central question throughout these eleven lessons is to find out why civilians feared for their lives during the Cold War. They are closely linked together and students continually plot their ideas around the key question, which can be referred back to each lesson (either dated or colour coded) to show progress throughout this unit of work.
Pupils will learn the significance and impact of the arms race on the wider world and be able to see the causes and consequences of the Berlin blockade and airlift finally culminating in the building of the Berlin Wall.
They will learn key historical terms such as containment, buffer zones, mutually assured destruction and the domino theory as well as understand the differences between the capitalist and communist ideologies.
They will be given sources to analyse such as the evidence from the moon landings in 1969 and make historical inferences from them as to whether they are fact or fiction.
Furthermore they will be able to write structured accounts and narratives on the Vietnam war as to whether US soldiers committed war crimes by killing innocent civilians or how much of a threat is North Korea to world peace?
Each lesson comes with suggested teaching and learning strategies and are linked to the latest historical interpretations and ideas used by current history teachers on twitter.
The lessons are fully adaptable in PowerPoint and can be changed to suit. I have included a couple of free lessons to give an idea of what is being offered.
I strongly recommend using GCSE style questions from your chosen exam board and markschemes to assess the pupils at the end of this unit, which are always available on line.
The 11 lessons are broken down into the following:
L1 The defeat of Germany in 1945
L2 Introduction to the Cold War
L3 The Arms Race
L4 The Berlin Blockade and Berlin Airlift
L5 The Berlin Wall
L6 The Korean War
L7 The Cuban Missile Crisis
L8 Man on the Moon
L9 The Vietnam War
L10 Cold War sports
L11 Mikhail Gorbachev
(+ Key word History display)
Any reviews would be greatly appreciated.
This bundle follows the Key Stage 3 National Curriculum - challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world, 1901 to the present day with a focus on the rise of Dictators
The aims of this bundle are to know and assess the characters and personalities of a number of Dictators of the Twentieth Century and understand how they have shaped our history today.
I have also created and used these lessons to challenge and engage students and to show how much fun learning about this part of history really is.
Students will learn and understand key historical skills throughout such as change and continuity in Dictatorships of the Twentieth Century, the causes and consequences of Castro’s Cuban Revolution and the similarities and differences of Dictators such as Hitler and Stalin.
They will also learn about the significance of the abdication of Tsar Nicholas and his subsequent murder, the execution of Saddam Hussein as well as interpretations as to how much love their was for Chairman Mao in China.
The lessons are as follows:
L1 Tsar Nicholas
L2 Adolf Hitler
L3 Josef Stalin
L4 Benito Mussolini
L5 Chairman Mao
L6 Fidel Castro
L7 Saddam Hussein
L8 Idi Amin
L9 Robert Mugabe
L10 Francisco Franco
This bundle includes some retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials.
All lessons come in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
