Cold War The aim of this lesson is to analyse the Korea War between 1950-53 and understand the threat North Korea poses to the world today, with its insistence on spending millions on producing nuclear weapons despite catastrophic failures of industry and the famine of the 1990’s. Students learn about present day Korea using a brilliant video link, and annotate key facts around a map. They analyse key information about the Korean War in the 1950s and how this produced an armistice in 1953, which is still in force today. Students have to complete a variety of differentiated tasks which focus on the causes and consequences of the war and evaluate the reasons for the subsequent stalemate. The central enquiry of this and subsequent lessons is to ask why did civilians fear for their lives during the Cold War? 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 the key question) and build up a picture of how these and different countries in the world responded and acted in this new nuclear age. The resource comes in PowerPoint formats if there is a wish to adapt and change and is differentiated. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson.

Cold War The aim of this lesson is to analyse the causes and consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis, its significance and its effect on future relations between the USA and USSR during the Cold War. In an anger management task, students link various emotions to emojis as they learn why tensions (and therefore anger) between the USA and Cuba escalated following the coming to power of Fidel Castro and his subsequent alliance to the USSR. In a text mapping exercise they analyse how Castro defied the West by organising the placement of nuclear missiles on Cuba and how Kennedy reacted to this report and the stark choices he faced, urged on by the Hawkes and Doves in his assembled special committee, Excomm. Furthermore students undertake an interactive quiz which is designed to be engaging and challenging as they have to make 13 decisions in the 13 days of the crisis. The plenary is an interactive blockbusters and there are links to video evidence as well a recall, retention and retrieval task. The central enquiry of this and subsequent lessons is to ask why did civilians fear for their lives during the Cold War? 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 the key question) and build up a picture of how these and different countries in the world responded and acted in this new nuclear age. The resource comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change and is differentiated. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson.

The Cold War The aim of this lesson is to explore the winds of change within the USSR as Perestroika and Glasnost are introduced with the appointment of Gorbachev as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. But despite all the achievements he made, was it all in vain and just how successful was he with the Soviet Union in his short six years in office? Students are required to emoji rate the problems facing Gorbachev in 1985 and then justify the most serious one using a pressure gauge. Furthermore they have to evaluate how successful his policies were and how they were received in the west as compared to back home. A thinking quilt at the end challenges their thinking as they have to group all they have learnt into categories and then explain the significance of each fact. The central enquiry of this and subsequent lessons is to ask why did civilians fear for their lives during the Cold War? 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 the key question) and build up a picture of how these and different countries in the world responded and acted in this new nuclear age. The resource comes in PowerPoint formats if there is a wish to adapt and change and is differentiated. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson.

The British Empire This lesson focuses on the upheaval of the lives of the indigenous peoples of Australia with the coming of the Europeans. The lesson starts by looking at their customs and traditions and how these were quickly attacked through the attitudes and settlements of the colonists. A ‘Horrible Histories’ version of events is also scrutinised and questioned on its accuracy. I have included some comprehension questions and source scholarship using an extract from the brilliant ‘Empireland’ by Sathnam Sanghera which explains the atrocities committed in Tasmania by the colonists. Paintings from Governor Davey of Van Diemen’s Land can also analysed so the students are able to prioritise the most significant changes the colonists made to Australia and the legacy of the British Empire. The lesson comes with retrieval practice activities, 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 this lesson is to question how successful Lord Kitchener’s recruitment drive was in 1914 and how ‘frightening’ it might be to sign up. The lesson shows students how the themes of heroism, patriotism, shame and anti-German feeling led to thousands of young men volunteering to join the army. Students are led through video footage, an extract from Private Peaceful and Government posters to analyse how these four key themes were utilised. They also learn about the success in the recruitment of Pals Battalions from the Caribbean and India, to the Footballers Battalion of Walter Tull, as well from towns across the country. They will also learn about the horror and frightening consequences of this policy especially with what happened to the Accrington Pals in 1916. The 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.

Cold War The aim of this lesson is to explore the moon landings and the subsequent conspiracy theories which suggest it was faked and not real at all. Students have to decide why it was so important for the USA to be the first to put a man on the moon and prioritise their reasoning using their knowledge of the Cold War. They analyse footage from the time and are introduced to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to emphasise this audacious achievement in 1969. However they also analyse sources from the time and different interpretations making their own sustained judgements as to whether the moon landings were fake or fiction. They finish with writing an extended piece on the evidence they have selected and are given some argument words to help if required. The plenary required them to judge if further facts are fake or authentic news. The central enquiry of this and subsequent lessons is to ask why did civilians fear for their lives during the Cold War? 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 the key question) and build up a picture of how these and different countries in the world responded and acted in this new nuclear age. The resource comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change and is differentiated. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson.

Cold War The aims of this lesson are to explain how weapons developed during and after World War 2. The new destructive power of the atomic bomb is shown in a great video link and students colour code a worksheet (differentiated) with challenge questions to describe and explain the development of the arms race. Facts and figures are also given which students have to interpret, as well as key word tasks and source analysis, with help given if required. The plenary is literally an arms ‘race’ complete with interactive dice and bombs as board pieces. The central enquiry of this and subsequent lessons is to ask why did civilians fear for their lives? 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 the key question) and build up a picture of how these and different countries in the world responded and acted in this new nuclear age. The resource comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change and is differentiated. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson.

The Tudors This lesson aims to find out the real reason for the sinking of Henry’s flagship, the Mary Rose. The lesson starts with Henry crying (literally) and students have to decode a message to find out why. Students are then given four options as to why it sank, from which they give their initial opinions. Further analysis of video footage and written evidence will allow them to form their own judgements to be able to complete an extended writing task. This lesson uses Henry as a talking head, discussing how it was impossible to sink it in the first place, due to his genius and finally responding to the students’ evidence in a witty plenary. This lesson is engaging and fun and gives a different perspective of looking at Tudor seafaring and what was aboard the ships of the time. 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 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.

Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship The aim of this lesson is to analyse Nazi policies towards women and then evaluate how effective they were at controlling them. The start of the lesson questions the qualities Hitler is looking for in women and then questions what makes the perfect Nazi woman using key words. Students then have some differentiated questions to complete, using text before evaluating how much certain women were controlled and explaining to what extent. A GCSE practice question focuses on ‘Which source is the most convincing?’, complete with simplified markscheme and notes on the slide for more guidance. The key words are then revisited in the plenary. 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.

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.

The aim of the lesson is to question if Japan was justified in attacking Pearl Harbour without a declaration of war against the United States. This question is revisited later in the lesson to see if the students have changed their minds. As this is a new theatre of war and not in Europe, the lesson sets out clearly where the war was fought in the Pacific, the location of Pearl Harbour and its significance to the USA. Students are required to discover what Japan wanted and the reasons behind their surprise attack with a choice of options available to piece the jigsaw together. An excellent activity of Pearl Harbour in numbers, which is an idea from KNNTeach, enables students to clearly recognise the initial damage done to Pearl Harbour by the Japanese attack. There are video links to film footage as well as a plenary activity from which the students have to make up questions to the answers given on post it notes. 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 lesson comes in PowerPoint format is there is a wish to change and adapt.

The English Civil War This lesson aims to question the character and personality of Oliver Cromwell. Students will decide if he set out to kill the King from the start and make himself a despot or did circumstances dictate that this was his only option? Moreover, with his puritanical ideas, did he make England and the Commonwealth a better place for it, or was it exclusive only to the minority? This will ultimately be down to students’ own judgement as they plot his actions on a grid and justify their own conclusions. Analysis of video evidence also helps to track his ideas and personality and gives the students ideas for writing his obituary and question why his burial place in Westminster Abbey bears the inscription 1658-1661. 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 Industrial Revolution The aim of this lesson is to question how effective Victorian justice was. This is an interesting and engaging lesson for students as they decide who was a criminal (from their looks), which were the most common crimes in the early 1800’s and what you could expect at a public hanging though some source analysis. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to answer the following questions: Why was it so easy to commit crime in the Victorian period in the early nineteenth century and if you were unfortunate to get caught what could you expect from Victorian justice? What was the Bloody Code and why was the law so harsh to offenders irrespective in some cases of sex or age? There are also three case studies to unpick and students are left questioning the morality and effectiveness of the punishments inflicted. Please note that the reform of the criminal justice system is dealt with in other lessons such as the Victorian prison system and the setting up of the Metropolitan Police force by Sir Robert Peel and the abolition of the Bloody Code. There are a choice of plenaries from hangman to bingo and heart, head, bag, bin which get the students to prioritise the most ‘effective’ methods used to deal with crime. 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.

Who was Genghis Khan and how did he rule the largest land area in history? Students learn about his early life and background and how he became such a powerful ruler. They are required to judge two things about him; how good a leader was he and was he was unifier who brought peace and stability or did he bring chaos and destruction to his Empire? They are required to debate and complete an extended piece of writing with argument words and a scaffolding structure to help them decide. The plenary consolidates their learning about Genghis Khan with key words used in the lesson, from which examples must be given for each. 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 English Civil War The aim of this lesson is to be able to distinguish between the two sides in the English Civil War. Students will be researching how they differed from their dress, their mannerisms, what they believed in and their goals. They will also be analysing some real life examples from people today who discuss which side they would prefer to be on and why. Students will be using various written sources and video evidence to find out which side they would support. Ultimately they will have to produce a propaganda leaflet encouraging people to join their campaign as a Royalist or Cavalier using persuasive literacy techniques and song lyrics. Exemplars and scaffolding is included if required. This is a fun lesson with a number of activities designed to get all students involved actively and to enjoy their learning. 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 British Empire This lesson aims to question whether Britain was in India for the right reasons. The subject matter is the East India Company and a study of how it slowly took over the country of India taking with it a precious diamond and making a fortune out of its trade. There are some great video links used here from the BBC and Dan Snow which help bring reasoning and clarity. Students are asked if we should return the Koh-i-Noor diamond to India, the jewel in the British crown, after analysing some important evidence. Students are also given key words to help them with their arguments as to whether the diamond should be returned to India or not. The final activity focuses on the legacy of the East India Company and who benefitted from their rule before the company’s eventual collapse. The lesson comes with retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching and learning strategies and are linked to the latest historical interpretations, video clips and debate. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question of who benefitted from the Empire 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.

Why was the slave trade finally abolished in Britain and her Empire and why did it take so long to achieve? Why were arguments in the eighteenth century challenged so rigorously and overturned in the nineteenth? Which people inspired its abolition and who was against this? Students decide which arguments were being put forward to the plantation owners, racists, people who were ignorant and law makers to end the slave trade. They then prioritise the most important arguments in challenging these peoples’ staunch perceptions. The second part of the lesson is a case study of William Wilberforce. Through video, audio and source work, students build up a history of the great man and decide how and why he is significant (this is a differentiated task dependent upon ability). The final part of the lesson uses an interactive spinning wheel with key words used throughout the course, which the students have to define and explain their links to slavery. 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.

AQA GCSE 9-1 Elizabethan England, 1568-1603 The overarching aim of this and the subsequent bundle of lessons is to question and explore how Elizabeth tried to assert and establish her authority in the early years of her reign. The lessons are therefore linked together to build up a picture of her difficulties in trying to overcome this. This lesson focuses on the threat posed by the Puritans and how Elizabeth dealt with this threat, despite prominent members in her Government, such as Walsingham, being Puritans. Students begin by understanding the nature of Puritanism and how they disagreed with the religious settlement. They are given information about a number of controversies raised in Elizabeth’s reign and by colour coding decide how much of a threat they posed. A threat’o’meter give an overall picture which they will have to justify where their judgement lies. This lesson also focuses on two GCSE questions with a ‘write an account’ and a ‘How convincing is the Source?’ question given for GCSE exam practice. Students can answer both or choose which one to tackle. The information is included in the lesson to assist in 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.

The Industrial Revolution The aim of this aim is to assess why coal became known as ‘black gold’. Students learn how important coal was to the Industrial Revolution and how it was used in a number of areas. However the interesting facts focus on its extraction and yet again the dangers involved for all concerned, especially children. Students have to rate how effective the various measures put in place were to overcome some of the problems They also have to tackle some historical hexagonals to get them thinking and linking all the information together. A find and fix plenary should test their recall and knowledge from the lesson. 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.