Engaging and challenging History resources for Key Stages 3, 4 and 5.
Striving to produce well-balanced, well-paced, challenging and differentiated resources that cater to a variety of ages and ability levels.
Engaging and challenging History resources for Key Stages 3, 4 and 5.
Striving to produce well-balanced, well-paced, challenging and differentiated resources that cater to a variety of ages and ability levels.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
Learning outcomes:
explain the impact the Blitz had on people living in London.
assess the extent to which the Blitz can be seen as both good and bad for people living in London.
form an opinion on the impact of the Blitz on people living in London and justify this opinion with well-explained historical knowledge
Lesson features differentiated learning objectives, a well-paced starter, main and plenary, and a focal on source evaluation, including evidence collection in a table.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
An engaging lesson that explains the feudal system to students. This lesson can be brought to life through some student participation!
Learning outcomes:
Describe what the Feudal System was. (C)
Explain how the Feudal System helped William keep control. (B)
Evaluate how effective the Feudal System was as a way for William to keep control. (A)
Starter - A recap of the Domesday Book (this could easily be changed to Why William Won if you are skipping the Domesday Book in your scheme of work)
Main - The Feudal System. An analogy to the school pyramid and a cartoon strip should be combined with active student participation to explain the feudal system to students. Use an A3 piece of paper to represent all of the land in England! Give it to a chosen student (the King). Tell him he has to apportion a certain amount of land for his barons. What are the dangers of giving too much? What are the dangers of giving too little? Repeat down the Feudal System pyramid.
Main - Now that students are engaged and attuned to the concept of the Feudal System, consolidate their knowledge by asking them to explain the feudal system in their books. This activity includes differentiated word lists that students should use in their explanations.
Plenary - Covers how the Feudal System helped William to control England, linking to the Harrying of the North and the Domesday Book. Once the fourth method is covered (Castles), students are prepared for a longer piece of work / an assessment on William's control methods.
Quiz - Students have to match statements to who said them to consolidate understanding of the feudal system!
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
An introduction to the topic of the Romans for Year 7, focusing on the extent of the Roman Empire and why Rome wanted an Empire. Contains presentation and accompanying handout.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
Learning outcomes:
describe what evacuation was and explain why it was so important
assess the typical experiences of an evacuee and their hosts
Lesson features differentiated learning objectives, a well-paced starter, main and plenary, and a focal on source evaluation, including the analysis of a source designed to encourage evacuation.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
This lesson covers the question 'Who should be the next King of England?'
Learning objectives:
identify the three men who want to be king in 1066
explain why they should and shouldn’t be king
justify your opinion as to who has the best claim to the throne
The topic is introduced through an engaging picture of the Bayeux Tapestry. Students are then asked to think about what qualities a good king should have.
They then 'meet the contenders', drawing a table in their books about why each candidate should/shouldn't be king.
This is followed by an assessment of the best candidate, with students justifying their choices. This plenary could easily be extended into an extended writing homework task or a speech to be given at the beginning of the next lesson.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
A lesson that forms part of a scheme of work on Oliver Cromwell, the Commonwealth and the Restoration.
Contains:
presentation with starter activity and plenary discussion
high quality images and resources, ready to print from Microsoft PowerPoint
Learning Objectives:
describe how the Great Plague broke out
use evidence from sources to explain what people knew about the spread of plague and disease in seventeenth-century London.
investigate a primary source to discover more precise details about the Great Plague
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
A lesson that forms part of a scheme of work on slavery.
Contains:
presentation with starter activity and plenary discussion
high quality images and resources, ready to print from Microsoft PowerPoint
Learning Objectives:
describe the duties and daily routines of slaves
explained the punishments slaves suffered
explored the emotions a slave might have felt
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
This lesson can be used as the first in a series looking at the 'MAIN' causes of the First World War - Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism and Nationalism - although it could also be used as a second lesson after an initial introduction to the world in 1900. This lesson pack includes a PowerPoint with differentiated learning objectives, key literacy words, a starter, main and plenary. The worksheets include information sheets and cards for a role-playing game demonstrated how the alliance system kicked into effect.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
This Presentation and accompanying worksheets address a key question asked on many GCSE History courses: How and why did Hitler become Chancellor?
The lesson contains a focus on the following areas: the failure of Weimar democracy: election results; the role of Papen and Hindenburg and Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
This lesson - the final one in a scheme of work about the Cold War - introduces Year 9 students to the following issues.
- Ronald Reagan and his 'Tear Down This Wall' speech
- The problems facing the USSR and its allies
- Mikhail Gorbachev and his reforms
- Popular protest and uprisings in Eastern Europe.
It starts with an analysis of the Reagan speech (a short 4 minute video available on YouTube), before students categorise the problems facing the USSR and Gorbachev's potential solutions. These solutions are discussed, with students prioritising the problems and solutions, and identifying that the 'solution' for problems in Eastern Europe isn't really a solution at all! This leads nicely on to a brief discussion of popular protest in Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and East Germany, before students assess the relative importance of the above four factors in the fall of Communism.
This lesson is ideal as an overview of the topic, or as an introduction. It could easily be stretched over two lessons with a little improvisation and expansion of the section on popular protest in Eastern Europe.
Contains: Starter (Video discussion), Main (Card sort/Table activity), Main (Discussion), Plenary (Assessment), Plenary (Exit Questions for Students)
KS3 History resources: 50 mins-1 hour PP, worksheets, well differentiated.
These resources have been designed to be engaging, detailed and easy to follow. All resources are editable (so easy to adapt for your classes) and are designed to last between fifty minutes and one hour each.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
A two-part, Year 7 lesson on the mystery of the Bog Man aka the Tollund Man. Focus on evaluating historical evidence to reach a judgement. Contains two presentations, a worksheet on evidence and a newspaper article worksheet allowing students to express their opinions on the mystery.
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KS3/KS4 History resources: 50 mins-1 hour PP, worksheets, well differentiated.
These resources have been designed to be engaging, detailed and easy to follow. All resources are editable (so easy to adapt for your classes) and are designed to last between fifty minutes and one hour each.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
A lesson on the nuclear arms race and the space race. Forms part of a scheme of work on the Cold War, designed either for Year 9 or GCSE students.
Learning Objectives:
Bronze: describe what the nuclear arms race was and identify the key events as it developed
Silver: explain the consequences of the nuclear arms race on the Cold War
Gold: assess whether the nuclear arms race was ‘good’ thing
Contains:
recap of Hiroshima bombings and the reasons for them
evidence collecting activity, visiting several information stations
nuclear arms race worksheet which distils the notes, defining key terminology
opportunity for students to reflect on the impact of the nuclear arms race and space race
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KS3 History resources: 50 mins-1 hour PP, worksheets, well differentiated.
These resources have been designed to be engaging, detailed and easy to follow. All resources are editable (so easy to adapt for your classes) and are designed to last between fifty minutes and one hour each.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
A lesson that forms part of a scheme of work on slavery.
Contains:
presentation with starter activity and plenary discussion
high quality images and resources, ready to print from Microsoft PowerPoint
Learning Objectives:
define ‘abolish’ and describe the laws that abolished slavery
identify the arguments in favour of and against slavery
categorise the arguments into factors
categorise the arguments for and against slavery into factors
assess the reasons for the abolition of slavery, arriving at a judgement
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KS3/KS4 History resources: 50 mins-1 hour PP, worksheets, well differentiated.
These resources have been designed to be engaging, detailed and easy to follow. All resources are editable (so easy to adapt for your classes) and are designed to last between fifty minutes and one hour each.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
An ‘outstanding’ rated lesson. Contains:
presentation with starter activity on Oppenheimer quote
evidence collecting activity (two options - either walk around the room sources or a single source sheet that can be shared at desks between two students)
two differentiated tables for collecting the evidence (or that gives more time for slower students by being partially filled in)
opportunity for students to write a speech either justifying or opposing the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
two options for either self- and peer-assessment or just peer-assessment
Learning Objectives:
Gold: Assess the extent to which Britain and France were also responsible for the outbreak of the Second World War.
Silver: Explain why he wanted to revise the Treaty of Versailles.
Bronze: Describe Hitler’s foreign policy aims.
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***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
Learning objectives:
identify some of the differences between Catholic and Protestant churches
explain how the changes affected the lives of ordinary people
evaluate the reign of King Edward VI
A lesson on the reign of King Edward VI, with particular attention paid to the changes he made to religion, and the implications of these changes for ordinary people.
KS3 History resources: 50 mins-1 hour PP, worksheets, well differentiated.
These resources have been designed to be engaging, detailed and easy to follow. All resources are editable (so easy to adapt for your classes) and are designed to last between fifty minutes and one hour each.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
This lesson forms part of a scheme of work on The Tudors. Ideal for Year 7 / Year 8 students, depending on your school’s SoW.
Learning Objectives:
describe what the Wars of the Roses were
explain the events of the Wars of the Roses
explain how Henry Tudor gained power.
Starter - introduction to Wars of the Roses, with word bank
Main - movement activity to collect information about the Wars of the Roses
Main (option) - activity to produce a news report on Richard III, detailing the key events of the war.
Plenary - consider the impact of the Wars of the Roses on King Henry VIII.
Plenary (option) - memorising activity
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KS3/KS4 History resources: 50 mins-1 hour PP, worksheets, well differentiated.
These resources have been designed to be engaging, detailed and easy to follow. All resources are editable (so easy to adapt for your classes) and are designed to last between fifty minutes and one hour each.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
A complete lesson on the Manchuria Crisis of the 1930s. Contains three worksheets (a flow chart for noting down key information, an inference square for detailed source work, and a peer assessment sheet for assessing mock exam question), as well as a PowerPoint presentation with animations to scaffold the learning. The starter activity recaps the League of Nations and events in the 1920s.
Leave me a review and choose any other resource for free - just contact me via the Conversations tab.
KS3 History resources: 50 mins-1 hour PP, worksheets, well differentiated.
These resources have been designed to be engaging, detailed and easy to follow. All resources are editable (so easy to adapt for your classes) and are designed to last between fifty minutes and one hour each.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
A lesson that forms part of a scheme of work on the Industrial Revolution.
Contains:
presentation with starter activity and plenary discussion
high quality images and resources, ready to print from Microsoft PowerPoint
Learning Objectives:
describe the factors that led to the Industrial Revolution
explain how they led to the Industrial Revolution
analyse and prioritise these factors, making links between them
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KS3 History resources: 50 mins-1 hour PP, worksheets, well differentiated.
These resources have been designed to be engaging, detailed and easy to follow. All resources are editable (so easy to adapt for your classes) and are designed to last between fifty minutes and one hour each.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
A Key Stage 3, Year 8 observation lesson designed to test students’ understanding of the historical concept of significance by deciding which Industrial Revolution inventor’s face should be on the next banknote.
Differentiated learning objectives:
Gold: Argue why one inventor is more significant than another, justifying your choice.
Silver: Assess how significant an inventor was using Partington’s model of historical significance.
Bronze: Describe the key inventors of the Industrial age, explaining their impact on Victorian Britain.
A ‘hook’ starter designed to get students engaged with the topic, asking about the most important inventions in their lives.
An information gathering activity using five sources giving information about five key Industrial Revolution inventors.
A speech writing activity on the most significant inventor, with differentiated learning objectives.
A plenary for student-led sharing of ideas and a class vote.
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The first lesson in an enquiry entitled ‘How was the world ‘turned upside down’ in the 1600s?’
Students consider some of the situations and decisions Charles I faced as king, and evaluate whether a civil war was inevitable or if it could be avoided.