PowerPoint and three worksheets that consider whether King Arthur was a real historical figure. The lesson focuses on the utility of three key pieces of evidence in proving King Arthur’s historical existence. Activities include Starter activity in which pupils consider why English monarchs tried to impress foreign visitors by showing them the Winchester Round Table. Main activity requires pupils to fill in a grid on how useful the Round Table, Glastonbury Graves and Artognou Stone are as evidence that King Arthur existed. Pupils rank the evidence according to their relative utility. Pupils add the three pieces of evidence to the correct location on a partially completed timeline of King Arthur sources which already includes Gildas, Bede, etc. Sorting activity of the surviving evidence of King Arthur’s existence into primary and secondary sources. Conclusion in which pupils write their own justified judgment on whether King Arthur really existed. Designed for teaching an academically able Key Stage 3 class covering the Medieval World. Lesson Length: 1 hour depending on pace.

PowerPoint and two worksheets that examine the causes and consequences of the Seven Weeks War between Prussia and Austria in 1866 with particular emphasis on the roles of Bismarck, Prussia and the development of German Nationalism. Activities include Reading & comprehension exercise on the build up to the Seven Weeks War to establish whether Bismarck was reacting to events or master of events. Sorting activity on the reasons for the outcome of the war to establish those which Bismarck can and can’t take credit for. Analysis of the reasons for the outcome of the war to identify 3 or 4 overarching factors to explain Prussia’s victory. Analysis of map of the German Confederation during the Seven Weeks War to generate a discussion on the extent of German unity in 1866. Designed for the teaching of OCR History Y314 The Development of German Nationalism 1789-1919. Lesson Length: 1hr depending on pace.

PowerPoint (with 5 slides) and worksheet that examines the causes of Chairman Mao’s Hundred Flowers Campaign in 1957 including the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, economic concerns in China and an attempt to identify and punish opponents of the CCP. The lesson also considers the consequences of the Hundred Flowers Campaign, including the persecution of the Anti-Rightist Campaign. Activities include Quick Quiz Starter on the Thought Reform, 3 & 5 Antis Campaigns Analysis activity focused on the 1956 Hungarian Revolt and what conclusions Mao might draw it. Matching task on the causes of the Hundred Flowers Campaign with the correct explanation. Ranking activity on how convincing the suggested causes for the Hundred Flowers Campaign are. Evidence sorting task to consider whether the Hundred Flowers Campaign was a mistake by Mao or a trap for his opponents. An evaluation exercise to test the validity of an historians view of the Hundred Flowers Campaign given the evidence the pupils now know. Designed for the teaching of Edexcel iGCSE History 4HI1 Paper 2 Breadth Study B4 China: Conflict, Crisis and change, 1900-89. Lesson Length: 1hr depending on pace

PowerPoint (with 6 slides) and one Word Document that examines the reasons why the police failed to catch Jack the Ripper in 1888. The lesson includes information on police failings (such as a lack of detectives, lack of co-operation between forces), issues with the environment of Whitechapel (alleyways, migrant populations, adversarial relationships with the police), and lack of technology (DNA, CCTV, fingerprinting). Activities include Ranking activity on the likely effectiveness of various tactics used to try and catch Jack the Ripper. Source analysis question on why the police did not offer rewards during the investigation. Source analysis exercise on the utility of a witness statement in aiding the police to solve the Whitechapel Murders. Evidence organisation task to identify three or four larger factors that help explain why the police were unable to catch Jack the Ripper. Source analysis task on the reasons Charles Warren lost his job as Metropolitan Police Commissioner. Concluding discussion / paragraph on whether police failings were the most important reason why the murders were never solved. Designed for the teaching of Key Stage 3 History. Lesson Length: 1hr depending on pace. Resource reviews and ratings are always much appreciated and help others using the site.

PowerPoint (with six slides) and a Word Document that examines the extent of success Thomas Wolsey achieved in placing his master, King Henry VIII, and England at the centre of European diplomacy between 1514 and 1520. The lesson considers the treaty of Saint Germain en Laye, signed with France in 1514, the Treaty of London in 1518 and the Field of the Cloth of Gold, 1520. Activities include Starter activity discussing why English foreign policy switched from war to peace in 1514 based on prior learning. Analysis of the terms of the Anglo-French treaty of 1514, and the events that occurred soon after, to identify supporting evidence for various interpretations offered about the territorial, economic and diplomatic success England enjoyed as a result. Evidence sorting activity to determine the extent the Treaty of London was a success for King Henry VIII and Wolsey given their aims. Source analysis exercise to consider whether the Field of the Cloth of Gold achieved English aims. Plenary ranking activity to stimulate discussion on the practical benefit for England of the three different examples of Wolsey’s peace policy considered over the lesson as well as the reputation benefit to King Henry VIII. Designed for the teaching of OCR History Y106 The Early & Mid Tudors. Lesson Length: 1hr depending on pace.

PowerPoint and two worksheets that examines the events that took place in Mississippi in 1962 when Black civil rights campaigner James Meredith attempted to attend the all white Ole Miss University. The lesson covers the actions of Meredith, President Kennedy and the Federal Government, the Ole Miss Riot and its aftermath. Activities include Decision making exercise in which pupils must consider events from the perspective of James Meredith, the Governor of Mississippi, President Kennedy and the Federal Government based on prior learning of earlier civil rights campaigns and the nature of the southern states. Having discussed potential courses of action, pupils complete a gap fill activity of a passage of text to reinforce the actual events that took place. Ranking activity on the relative importance of the Meredith case, Brown vs Board of Education and Little Rock in improving access to desegregated education for Black people in the south. Designed for the teaching of Edexcel iGCSE History 4HI1 Paper 1 Depth Study 7 A Divided Union: civil rights in the USA, 1945-74. Lesson Length: 1hr depending on pace.

PowerPoint, source pack & worksheet that examines the consequences of the Whitechapel murders and considers how the crimes should be remembered today. The lesson considers attitudes to women, crime, housing and poverty both in late Victorian England and today through the interpretations of George Bernard Shaw and historian Haillie Rubenhold. Activities include -Starter activity which tests the prior learning of factual information about victims, suspects and the environment of Whitechapel. Comparison of two versions of a memorial to Catherine Eddowes to consider why her plaque may have been redesigned. The main activity is a source analysis exercise to test George Bernard Shaw’s view that the Whitechapel Murders provoked positive change in the East End in the period that followed the murders. Plenary discussion on how the Whitechapel Murders should be remembered today with stimulus material of some controversial street art and the views of historian Hallie Rubenhold and Ripperologist Mickey Mayhew. Designed for the teaching of Key Stage 3 History. Lesson Length: 1hr depending on pace.

PowerPoint and worksheet that examines the extent of success Thomas Wolsey achieved in his administration of English domestic policy during the reign of King Henry VIII. The lesson considers his administration of Justice, Finance, Parliament, the Privy Chamber and the Church in England. Activities include Reading and comprehension task to highlight examples of success and failure in Wolsey’s domestic policy. Matching task connecting Wolsey’s abuses as a clergyman with the correct definition. Pupils add evidence to a table looking at the extent that his domestic policies were beneficial or detrimental to the King, the nobility, the common people and Wolsey himself. Plenary ranking activity to stimulate discussion on the relative success Wolsey achieved in different areas of domestic policy. Designed for the teaching of OCR History Y106 The Early & Mid Tudors. Lesson Length: 1hr depending on pace.

PowerPoint & two worksheets that examine the threat posed by the Yorkshire & Cornish tax rebellions to King Henry VII. Activities include Comprehension activity on the relative causes, threat, Government response and outcome of the rebellions in order to complete a table. Source analysis of Perkin Warbeck’s explanation of the causes of the Cornish Rebellion to evaluate reliability. Discussion / debate on the most threatening rebellion Henry VII faced based around a line of continuum that covers all the rebellions Henry faced. Designed for the teaching of OCR History Y106 The Early & Mid Tudors. Lesson Length: 1hr depending on pace.

PowerPoint & two worksheets that examine the causes of the decline of Austrian power in the 1850s. The Austrian economy, the legacy of the 1848 Revolts, the Crimean War, the Second War of Italian Unification and cultural differences with much of the German Confederation are all considered. Activities include Analysis of a letter from Bismarck to consider the nature Austro-Prussian relations. Linking activity to connect the problems Austria faced in this period with Austria’s policies and the consequences of those policies. Sorting activity on facts to determine whether they apply to Austria or Prussia. Ranking activity on how beneficial Austria’s problems were to Prussia. Designed for the teaching of OCR History Y314 The Development of German Nationalism 1789-1919. Lesson Length: 1hr depending on pace.

PowerPoint & two worksheets that examines the extent King Henry VIII was successful in achieving his foreign policy aims between 1509-1513 by going to war against France & Scotland. The extent to which Henry achieved glory through war, conquered territory in France and prevented Scottish interference are all considered. Activities include Ranking activity on the relative importance of Henry’s aims to the King himself. Comprehension / highlighting activity to identify evidence of success and failure from the events of 1509-1513 in Henry achieving his aims. Table to be completed in which students judge the extent of Henry’s success in achieving his aims during every stage of of his foreign policy including the Battle of the Spurs, the sieges of Therouanne & Tournai and the Battle of Flodden. Plenary activity in which pupils consider Henry’s achievements in comparison to the early campaigns of King Francis I and Emperor Charles V. Designed for the teaching of OCR History Y106 The Early & Mid Tudors. Lesson Length: 1hr 30min depending on pace.

PowerPoint and three worksheets that examines Sino-Soviet Relations between 1900 and 1972. Material covered includes Russia and the Boxer Revolt, Cominform, the United Front and the Northern Expedition, The Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance, Mao’s relationship with Stalin and Khrushchev, Soviet support for the First Five Year Plan and the Great Leap Forward, the Sino-Soviet Split, the border conflict of 1969 & Nixon’s visit in 1972. Activities include Analysis of a passage on Sino-Soviet Relations to identify evidence to support various statements related to the topic. Pupils to complete a line graph showing the changing nature of Sino-Soviet relations over the period. Gap fill on the labels for the line graph. Discussion on key turning points in the relationship. Ranking activity on how positive/negative different periods of the relationship were over the period. Essay question that could be set for homework. Designed for the teaching of Edexcel iGCSE History 4HI1 Paper 2 Breadth Study B4 China: Conflict, Crisis and change, 1900-89. Lesson Length: 1hr depending on pace.

PowerPoint, one worksheet & one sheet of notes that examines Prince Metternich’s attempts to manage German Nationalism in the Vormarz period between 1815-1848. Content includes the Wartburg Festival (1817), murderer Karl Sand (1819), the Congress of Troppau (1820), the Hambach Festival (1832), the Six Articles & the assault on the Bundestag Gatehouse (1833). Activities include Source analysis of Metternich’s writing to determine his attitudes to liberalism & Nationalism. Comprehension activity to complete a table on nationalist events in the period, Metternich’s reaction and the extent to which the threat was successfully managed. Source based plenary activity on whether metternich’s oppressive response to nationalism was an effective response to the threat’s posed by German nationalism. Designed for the teaching of OCR History Y314 The Development of German Nationalism 1789-1919. Lesson Length: 1hr depending on pace.

PowerPoint & 3 worksheets on the impact of Napoleon Bonaparte on the development of German Nationalism at the start of the 19th Century. Activities include A chronology task ordering events related to Napoleon & Germany Comprehension activity on the extent Napoleon was beneficial or detrimental to the development of Germany Source analysis exercise on King Friedrich William III of Prussia’s letter to his people Sorting activity on the importance of the Wars of Liberation to the development of German Nationalism Discussion activity on Napoleon’s management of German nationalism. Designed for the teaching of OCR History Y314 The Development of German Nationalism. Lesson Length: 1hr x 2 depending on pace.

PowerPoint and worksheet that considers whether King Richard I deserves his reputation as a ‘Lionheart’. The lesson focuses on the events of Richard’s life including his rebellions against his father, his conduct and achievements during the Third Crusade, his capture and imprisonment in Germany and his return to England and death in France. Activities include Starter activity in which pupils define what characteristics someone with the name Lionheart might have. Reading and comprehension exercise on the life of Richard. Pupils create a spider diagram on Richard’s actions during his lifetime before colour coding them according to whether they fit Richard’s reputation as a ‘Lionheart’ or not. Source analysis exercise on whether Richard’s treatment of prisoners while on crusade and his efforts to finance the crusade fits his reputation as a ‘Lionheart’. Source analysis exercise to judge the utility of the romantic poem Coeur de Lion to a historian investigating Richard’s reputation as a ‘Lionheart’. Having added the extra information to their spider diagrams pupils write a conclusion on whether Richard deserves his nickname. Designed for teaching an academically able Key Stage 3 class covering the Medieval World. Lesson Length: 1 hour depending on pace.

PowerPoint (with 8 slides) and three Word Documents that examines the Lady Jane Grey Plot including why Edward VI named Jane over Mary Tudor, Elizabeth Tudor, Mary Queen of Scots or Francis Grey, the role of the Duke the Northumberland, the reasons why the plot failed and the issue of who was the rebel; Jane or Mary. Activities include Starter activity connecting Henry VIII’s Acts of Succession with the correct description (based on prior learning) Analysis of the Tudor Family tree to complete a table on the suitability of potential heirs to Edward’s throne in 1553. Analysis of Edward’s Device for the Succession to consider how the document changed and why. Source analysis to identify the Duke of Northumberland’s motives in supporting Lady Jane Grey. Comprehension activity on the events of the plot to identify causes of failure and three overarching factors Evidence based discussion / debate on who was the rebel in 1553; Jane or Mary? Designed for the teaching of OCR History Y106 The Early & Mid Tudors. Lesson Length: 1hr x 2 depending on pace.

PowerPoint and two worksheets that examines the role of gender in Mary’s reign looking at Wyatt’s Rebellion, the marriage to King Philip II, John Knox’s attack on female monarchs. Activities include Source analysis of the the Monstrous Regiment of Women by Knox Evaluation of the key events of the reign to determine whether or not gender caused Mary’s problems or limited her ability to deal with them. Source analysis of the marriage treaty between Mary & Philip. Designed for the teaching of OCR History Y106 The Early & Mid Tudors. Duration: Two 1hr lessons approx.

PowerPoint & 2 worksheets that examine the key evidence for and against a number of prime suspects in the Whitechapel murders carried out by Jack the Ripper in 1888. The suspects covered are John Pizer, Montague John Druitt, Aaron Kosminski, Francis Tumblety, James Maybrick, George Chapman, Carl Feigenbaum, Michael Ostrog and Prince Albert Victor. It also raises the underlying prejudice that drove many of the accusations. Activities include Starter activity to analyse two very different sketches of the killer published in the Illustrated London News. Pupils to read mini-biographies on the suspects and use the information to complete a comparative table on key information about the suspects such as their location in 1888, their mental health, their nationality, whether they had a history of violence against women, whether they were known to have killed before or after 1888, etc. To spark discussion, pupils to score the suspects out of 10 according to how likely they were to have been guilty. Extension activity to identify the homophobia, xenophobia and Anti-Semitism that was an underlying feature of many of the accusations. Conclusion on whether any of the suspects were likely Jack given the evidence. This could lead onto an essay on the issue. Designed for the teaching of Key Stage 3 History. Lesson Length: 1hr depending on pace.

PowerPoint & two worksheets that compares the reigns of King Henry VIII and his contemporary Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire. This lesson is a great way to continue to teach the Tudors at Key stage 3 but also to diversify the history curriculum. Activities include Starter activity to identify which quote is not about Henry VIII (a positive amongst negative judgments). A gap fill covering key areas of Henry’s reign that have likely been considered in earlier lessons to establish a baseline for the comparison. A comprehension activity to identify evidence of Suleiman’s foreign relations, his religious policies, his treatment of wives, family members and advisers, his management of finance, and whether his policies benefited the people of his empire. Have completed a comparison table pupils judge whether Henry and Suleiman were similar or different in their polices, actions and achievements. Source analysis and accompanying questions on which monarch best lives up to Erasmus’ judgment on ideal kingship. Extension task on whether a comparison of the Monarch’s achievements using a 16th century map as stimulus might not be fair. Designed for teaching an academically able Key Stage 3 class covering the Tudors. Lesson Length: 1hr depending on pace.

PowerPoint and worksheet that examines the socio-economic and political causes of the 1848 Revolts with a particular focus on the experience of the German Confederation. Activities include Comparative analysis of primary source to identify causes of the revolts. Sorting activity to match causes with the social group most effected; peasants, urban workers or the middle classes. Activity to link causes to show the relationships between them. Ranking activity to consider which causes (socio-economic, nationalist or liberal) were most important important to different social groups. Evidence sorting task to consider the credibility of the Marxist interpretation of the 1848 Revolts. Comprehension task to write a synopsis of a historian’s view of the causes of 1848. Designed for the teaching of OCR History Y314 The Development of German Nationalism 1789-1919. Lesson Length: two 1hr lessons depending on pace.