The Holocaust The aims of this lesson are to explain how Jewish people rose in rebellion or resisted against Nazi atrocities during the holocaust. The first part of the lesson examines the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, using a thinking quilt to challenge ideas and ask key questions about the motivation and determination to succeed against overwhelming odds. The second part of the lesson analyses resistance in the extermination camps in particular events in Sobibor, Treblinka and Auschwitz. Students are then asked to justify the best and most effective ways to resist from passive to active resistance. Finally a find and fix activity checks understanding and the 3 R’s. The central enquiry of this and subsequent lessons in the bundle is to ask who was to blame for the holocaust? Students will map out their ideas each lesson (which can be plotted in different colours or dates to show the progress of their learning and centred around a lightbulb) and build up a picture of how difficult it is to blame a single individual or event for this catastrophe. The resource comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson.

AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45 The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the problems for Ebert in the very early stages if the Weimar Republic. Students begin at first by assessing the value of a speech given by Philip Scheidemann. This is an introduction to the source based question and using a COP technique, with help given if required. They are then introduced to Friedrich Ebert and have to prioritise the biggest problems he faced as leader. Students are also introduced to the Ebert-Groener Pact. They are then given numerous scenarios of which they have to decide why he needed the help of the army and justify their choices. Finally students have to decide which events posed a threat from the left or right wing. This culminates in the Spartacist rising from which they answer questions and predict the consequences for the Republic. The plenary is a true or false task on the elections to the constituent Assembly. 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 assess the strength of the Weimar economy under Stresemann. Students recap in the Ruhr crisis before they had to complete sentences to predict how the economy will fare under Stresemann. They are given a exam question to plan and prepare using the information provided – they will need to focus on the economy’s short and long term strengths and weaknesses. The thinking hats plenary uses differentiated questions for the students to decide the extent of the recovery. A final source exam question can be used for a homework with a planning sheet and generic markscheme provided. 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.

Norman Conquest The aim of this lesson is to judge how powerful Doom Paintings were in Medieval Britain. Students will be posed questions to answer, such as why was the Church so important in medieval society and why did people find it so hard to ignore its messages of doom and gloom? Students will learn how Doom paintings were a powerful propaganda tool in the Church’s message over its illiterate masses. Students will examine various paintings and video footage to give an in-depth analysis of their messages. They will then be required to transport themselves into the medieval era and create an extended written piece to express the impact these Medieval Doom paintings were having on their way of life. There is a peer assessment activity to complete and success criteria to help them if required. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end using a rate ‘o’ meter to show the progress of learning. The resource comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson and there are differentiated materials included.

This lesson is the sequel to the murder of Thomas Becket (Part 1). The students have to question if Henry II was really sorry for the murder of Becket or whether he used his public apology merely as a publicity stunt. The lesson begins by asking them how horse hair, a whip, bare feet and a shrine are connected to the lesson. As the story unravels, they learn what Henry II did as a penitence for the murder, and how he attempted to atone for his actions. They plot this on a graph which allows them to analyse and evaluate his real motives. They continue to plot the power struggle between the king, the church, the barons and the people in a sequence of lessons. This lesson includes: Fun, engaging and challenging tasks Links to video footage Printable worksheets Differentiated tasks Suggested teaching strategies PowerPoint format, which can be changed to suit

The Industrial Revolution This lesson aims to analyse the changing population demographic and the reasons why these changes were happening at the time. The lesson begins with a high tempo start revealing what’s behind the boxes and follows onto a true or false quiz using a clue mat. Each student is also given a character card and analyses how their person impacts upon the population changes happening. They have to explain these changes using various learning tasks, including an extended writing piece with help given if required Finally students have evaluate the various reactions people would have felt at the time and justify their decisions. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end to show the progress of learning. The resource comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson and there are differentiated materials included.

Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship The aim of this lesson is to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Nazi economy. I have always found this topic very dry; therefore I have tried to make it more accessible, more challenging as well as more relevant. Students are taken on a journey of success, from video footage of the time to Goebbels propaganda, a fall in unemployment as well as the ‘Strength Through Joy’ scheme. However further analysis, especially with aims of the Four Year Plan, shows the enormous cracks appearing in Nazi economic policy. A further look at the Home Front also proves how desperate Germans had become. Students will complete their own chart and scrutinise the evidence to come up with their own conclusions before deciding if the Nazis truly brought economic success. The GCSE question at the end focuses on which groups were more affected with Nazi economic policies and a self and peer assessment task is included to help the students mark their answers. 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.

What happens at a slave auction? How are the slaves prepared? Who attends the auction? Who is chosen and why? This lesson attempts to answer these questions and more; from branding to advertisements and the auction itself. Students also learn of the heartache and pain of those who are sold and how and why slaves are sold at different prices. They are also challenged in a task to think who would be more expensive and why. By the end of the lesson, students have to give examples in a true or false quiz of what they have learned in the lesson, including having to decide the worst aspects of the slave auction. 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 lesson examines the different punishments that the slaves endured on the plantations. Different sources are analysed showing the positive and negative aspects of plantation life as students have to extract fact from fiction. Students then look at the different forms of resistance from passive to active resistance and decide the best and most effective form of resistance and justify their reasons. There is also a chance of being more interactive as students are selected to take on some forms resistance which the class have to find out and decide. 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.

**Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship ** The aim of this lesson is to examine the role of the Churches in Nazi Germany and to decide how much control Hitler exerted over them. The lesson starts by studying Christianity in Germany and explains why there was a conflict of interest with the State. Nazi policies to both the Catholic and Protestant Churches are analysed as students have to interpret the threats they both posed to Hitler. Furthermore students have to distinguish the differences between the Christian Churches and the new Nazi Reich Church. There are some excellent links to video footage which explain why there was such a lack of opposition and a united front from the Churches, despite such fortitude and resolve from Cardinal Galen and Martin Niemoller. A thinking quilt poses some enquiry and GCSE questions, which students have to answer by linking specific key words to them. 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.

The British Empire This lesson aims to find out whether we should be proud or ashamed of gaining an Empire and how the indigenous peoples we conquered ‘benefitted’ under British rule. This lesson will best be delivered over 2 lessons . The opening slides give some context to the debate and define what an Empire is and which countries Britain owned by 1900. Through video and source analysis, the students have to explain their choice of being proud or ashamed or both and as the lesson progresses justify whether they are sticking to their decisions. Analysis focuses on Victorian propaganda, the recent views of British Prime Ministers as well as how museums refuse to engage about how they have obtained their imperial artefacts. The second part of the lesson examines a number of countries acquired by Britain and focuses on the ‘benefits of Empire’. Students then make their final decisions at the end before drawing conclusions on the legacy of the British Empire. A homework task is to design an Empire plate (photographic examples given) to celebrate Empire day from 1902. The lesson comes with suggested teaching and learning strategies, differentiated materials and is linked to the latest historical interpretations, video clips and debate. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end to show the progress of learning. The lesson is fully adaptable in PowerPoint format and can be changed to suit.

World War I The aim of the lesson is to understand why alliances and rivalries at the beginning of the Twentieth Century led to the outbreak of war. This lesson sets out the long term causes of the First World War based on four underlying principles: Nationalism, Imperialism, Alliances and Militarism. The lesson asks the students who and why were countries arguing with each other based on their geographical as well as their historic national rivalries. Students then have to decide who could sit next to each other at a dinner party after they have justified their reasons for distrust and paranoia. The alliances are plotted and colour coded on maps, culminating in a task prioritising and linking the reasons as to why the world was ready for war in 1914. 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.

World War I This lesson aims to analyse how the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the spark for World War 1 to start. Students will question how frightening the assassination was and the speed of European countries to mobilise for war. As video evidence is used to explain the events that led to the shooting in Sarajevo, an analogy is made to a bar brawl as students try to ascertain the causes of it and link these to the events which unfolded after 28th June, 1914. Students also have to complete a chronological exercise of the events as well as deciding the personalities of the main countries involved. The plenary is a catchphrase check (complete with music) on key words used in the lesson. 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.

World War I The aim of this lesson is to question how frightening it was to fight on the Western Front. This lesson centres around the case of Private Harry Farr who was shot for ‘misbehaving before the enemy in such a manner as to show cowardice.’ Students re-enact his court martial using the witness statements before his sentencing and ultimately decide if his sentence was justified… The start of the lesson requires them to define a coward and more importantly question what shellshock is, which the Government at the time refused to recognise. Students will analyse why so many soldiers refused to fight and preferred to desert instead fully aware of the consequences of their actions. The students will use visual and source evidence and apply higher order thinking skills at the end of the lesson in an extended piece of writing. The plenary questions students’ beliefs on cowardice and challenges their original assumptions at the beginning of the lesson. 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.

World War I This lesson is split into two parts: The aim of the first part of this lesson is to focus on the roles women played in World War 1 and how significant a contribution they made to the war effort. Students have to prioritise which jobs also contributed the most to the war effort. The second part looks at the Woolwich Arsenal weapons factory as a case study, using documentary and audio evidence from the time as students consider how frightening it was to work in an arms factory. Furthermore, students decide how significant women were in the short, medium and long term. They have a chance to justify their ideas with a differentiated extended writing task, with help given if required. A plenary Bingo tests and challenges students’ understanding at the end. 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.

The Tudors This lesson poses the question ‘How much of a threat did Mary, Queen of Scots pose to Elizabeth I?’ Students are taken through Mary’s life from becoming Queen of Scotland to the controversy of her husbands and her eventual house arrest in England. Through sources, visual and video evidence, students have conclude how much of a threat Mary posed to Elizabeth, after pleading their case through the eyes of Mary herself. There is some help to write an extended answer using key words which help mention cause and effect, to sequence events and to emphasise judgements. There is also analysis of the Babington Plot and a deciphering exercise to work out on how Mary was implicated. 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.

The aim of this lesson is to analyse life in a slave plantation. What was a typical day like? How hard was the work? Was it made easier by the invention of the cotton gin? How did they relax if at all in the evening and what were their living quarters like? Learning tasks include comparing a day in their school life with the day of a plantation slave and recognising the hardships endured. Students also have to use a number of sources, which are differentiated according to ability and challenge a statement which suggests a slave’s life wasn’t really that bad. The plenary asks them to use four letters and come up with as many associated words as they can from their learning. The lesson comes with a retrieval practice activity, suggested teaching and learning strategies and is linked to the latest historical interpretations, video clips and debate. The lesson is fully adaptable in PowerPoint format and can be changed to suit.

World War I The aim of this lesson is to understand the importance of the Poppy on Armistice Day. The lesson is split into two parts. The first part of the lesson analyses the causes of the war ending in 1918. Using a causal spiders web (an idea taken from Emily Thomas), students link the ideas together by drawing lines and then justify their reasons to create a spider’s web. The second part of the lesson analyses the significance of the use of the Poppy with students giving their own reasons for this on the poppy leaves (a template is included). They then have to prioritise the most important reasons why the Government introduced Poppy Day with a diamond nine activity. Students also have the chance to evaluate John McCrae’s in Flanders poem with some ‘clever question stems’. This lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout the lesson and this unit of study 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.

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.

Rise of the Dictators This lesson aims to challenge preconceptions and assumptions that Hitler was a monster from birth, determined to commit mass murder and genocide. Growing up with his parents, his schooling, his move to Vienna and his life as a soldier are scrutinised as students have many opportunities to make judgements which are ultimately challenged at the end. The lesson starts with finding out what the students know about Germany after World War 1 and which statements Hitler could have said or supported during his life. The lesson includes a lot of visual evidence (such as Hitler’s propaganda posters) and well as video evidence of his life as a young boy. There is a differentiated research activity in which there is a chance for students to conduct their own independent investigations before reporting their final conclusions to the class. This lesson would also be ideal for a non specialist or as preparation for GCSE if you are embedding source skills, teaching the interwar years or World War 2 at Key Stage 4. 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, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.