The British Empire The aim of this lesson to investigate the causes and consequences of the Boer War (1899-1902) for the British Empire and the character of Lord Horatio Kitchener, appointed Commander of the British Army in South Africa. Students are required to analyse and make judgements on his character by deciding how heroic he was, before, during and after the war by rating each of his actions. They are soon shocked to find his underhand tactics of trying to win the Boer War through initial incompetence to devastating ruthlessness as the war progressed with his scorched earth policy and the setting up of concentration camps. They also learn how the war impacted upon the Government at the time, culminating in the Liberal Reforms and evaluate how these measures helped improve public health which left a lasting legacy on Britain. 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 lessons are fully adaptable in PowerPoint format and can be changed to suit.

World War II The aim of this lesson is to question whether the breaking of the Enigma Code led to Britain winning the Second World War. Having watched the ‘Imitation Game’, I was fascinated to learn more about the story of Alan Turing and the injustice he received at the hands of the British Government. I was therefore inspired to write this lesson for my department especially after his contribution to the war effort and his brilliance of mind. The first task naturally is for students to crack the code and find out what they will be learning about in the lesson. They will also learn about the significance of Bletchley Park and how the code for the Enigma Machine was deciphered by Turing and his team in Hut 8, using a missing word activity. A thinking quilt will also test and challenge their understanding of his early life, his work during the war as well as his legacy. There are some excellent video links using the bbc website and an exert from the film above. The plenary will finally test their understanding of the lesson, using a true and false quiz as well as images to link to the key ideas 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 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 why children were evacuated to the countryside. However, it also questions the success of evacuation through government propaganda, audio records of evacuees and from written sources of evidence. Students are led through the evacuation process, which on the surface looks amazingly planned and executed by the British Government. But, using primary evidence of the time, they realise how the Government failed to prioritise the needs of the children over the need to evacuate large numbers. Students will also learn how other vulnerable groups in society were also evacuated without due consideration of their needs. By the end of the lesson the students will evaluate the biggest problems faced by the children and learn some sad facts about the reality of war on the Home Front. 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 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 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.

AQA GCSE 9-1 Britain: Health and the People, c.1000 to present This lesson aims to assess how much the medical knowledge doctors and surgeons had. Surgery was of course limited without effective painkillers and bleeding whilst shock and infection were common. Students learn the various treatments on offer from wise women, quacks and barber surgeons and in turn rate each treatment and its effectiveness, justifying and concluding why this is. The lesson also includes a thinking quilt and a GCSE practice question where students critique an answer and suggest ways to improve it, using specific skills when answering a ‘usefulness’ 8 mark question. 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.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is to evaluate if Mary’s religious changes helped or hindered the return to Catholicism in England. Students begin by recapping on Mary’s key people and her possible thought processes on a return to Roman Catholicism. They will also learn her views on religion and discuss to what extent Mary was prepared to go to reassert the Pope’s authority over the Church. Students are also given a number of scenarios from which they have to assess the consequences to possible actions taken by Mary and her government such as the repatriation of monastic lands. The final learning task requires some decisions to be made over if Mary used a successful carrot or stick policy and the obstacles facing her for a full return to Rome. There is some exam question practice to finish, complete with a writing frame and markscheme to help if required. 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.

The Norman Conquest This is a great game to be used after having studied attacking and defending a Medieval Castle. Students take on the role of the defenders of a Medieval Castle (in this case loosely based on the siege of Rochester Castle by King John in 1215). They have failed to pay their taxes and King John and his knights are marching on the Castle. Their job is to defend the Castle at all costs by making wise choices and thus collecting points as they go. When they have completed the tasks, they are given a student friendly markscheme which will by the end give them great status as geniuses of siege warfare or not as the case may be! Students can write out the choices they make or just the numbers and corresponding letters. They can only make one choice per question. Please note that that it best presented by enlarging on an A3 sheet.

The English Civil War The aim of this lesson is for the students to decide whether Charles I was guilty or not guilty at his own trial of ‘subverting the fundamental laws and liberties of the nation and with maliciously making war on the parliament and people of England.’ The lesson starts by questioning the types of hat the judge should wear followed by a series of biased images depicting Charles at his trial, of which students have to analyse and explain why. Students then examine and evaluate information about Charles’s actions to come up with a guilty or not guilty verdict. If found guilty then they will have to sign his death warrant! There is some sentence scaffolding and argument words provided if help is required. 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, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

**EDEXCEL GCSE 9-1, SUPERPOWER RELATIONS AND THE COLD WAR 1941-1991 ** There is no doubt that students are finding this unit of the course extremely challenging. Therefore I have been inspired to write this summary guide for my students to help pass the GCSE examination. This resource sets out the whole course in two sides of A4. This is ideal for the student who wants a quick recap and summary before the exam or an internal assessment, as it sets out and gives all the main knowledge required. It is also great for quickly printing and giving out for revision lessons, especially when the students claim they cannot remember anything you have taught! It covers the main events, issues and people and key terminology connected to the topic, with a focus on the exam requirements at the beginning. I have included both PDF and word documents in case there is a wish to adapt and change.

The Tudors The aim of this lesson is to decide whether Mary deserved her nickname ‘Bloody Mary’. Students analyse the nursery rhyme and have to work out the hidden meanings, with two possible versions given to them. Using video evidence, students build up a picture of Mary before they have to then make their judgements, using differentiated sources of information as to whether she was bloody or not. For further challenge, they also have to debate and decide if it is weak or strong evidence. 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 Suffragettes The aim of this lesson is to question the motives of Emily Davison. Did she really mean to kill herself or was it a protest that went drastically wrong? Students learn what a martyr is and then sift through the evidence of her handbag to make a judgement. However not is all as it seems as conflicting source and video evidence only serves to add confusion to the debate. The plenary also requires the students to question whether she can be called a martyr or not and whether she helped the suffragette cause. This is a fun, engaging and challenging lesson which requires students to evaluate and make judgements using evidence as well as getting them to justify their opinions. There is also a chance of role play if you feel daring or not as the mystery of her death unfolds. 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 Tudors The aim of this lesson is to understand why Henry VIII is always judged to be larger than life. It focuses on four portraits of Henry VIII from the early years until his death. Students will aim to write a descriptive piece about Henry by using each other to write it. When they finish, they will have a masterful descriptive paragraph which has been co-constructed by a number of them (with help from a word list). This activity is great for differentiation and team work. The lesson also attempts to banish the perception that Henry was always a large person who ate a lot. This is shown through video evidence and a thinking quilt. The plenary gets the students to summarise Henry’s match statistics and what he ‘should’ be remembered for. 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 asserted her authority and control in the second half of her reign. In this lesson, students learn how much Elizabethan society was changing due to this increase in status, wealth and power. The foundations of the Great Chain of Being were being shaken as there was a rise in status of the gentry class, making their money through land and trade and being given jobs of responsibility by the Queen such as JPs, MPs and Privy Councillors. With this new money came the desire to build new houses and a case study of Hardwick Hall is used as an example of how to show off your wealth and power, Students analyse how these new houses demonstrated that their inhabitants were cultured and fashionable people. Students are shown the latest ideas from the BBC and have to analyse and colour code text before demonstrating their knowledge in a ‘how important’ GCSE practice question. After completion they peer assess their answers to check they have included the correct evidence and answered the question properly rather than a given a narrative description which can be a common error. 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 This lesson directly tackles the overriding enquiry question throughout this sequence of lessons, namely who was to blame for the holocaust? They will continue to map out their ideas (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 lesson focuses on Police Battalion 101 who were ‘instructed’ by their Commander, Major Trapp to execute Jews in Poland and send many others to the extermination camps. Two historians have conducted extensive research in this area and either concluded they were willing executioners or just ordinary men, victims of an extraordinary situation. It is up to the students to make up their own minds by tracking one of the battalion’s first ‘actions’ against 1800 Polish Jews living in the village of Jozefow. There are accompanying worksheets and grids to colour code as well as excellent links to video footage and differentiated tasks to help students of all abilities. Other figures to blame in the lesson debate include Adolf Eichmann, the organiser of the transportation of the Jews as well as the German public, train drivers, Camp Commandants or foreign governments who failed to respond. Students have to prioritise their responsibility list in the plenary. 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 aim of this lesson is to decide who rules in Medieval England - the Crown or the people? As the lesson unfolds the overriding question becomes more challenging; in the short term the Peasants’ Revolt ultimately failed but the consequences in the longer term for the people were much more positive. The scene is set with each student taking on the role on a peasant and spokesperson for their village. They complete a grid sheet throughout the first part of this lesson to clarify their significance in the village. As the demands of the King become ever more unacceptable, they have to make choices, using a quiz to choose the correct actions to take, gaining or losing points in the process. This can be completed as a class or independently. The second part of the lesson examines what happened to Wat Tyler – piecing together evidence from the King’s supporters at the time. Ultimately they will write a narrative account of the Peasants’ Revolt using differentiated tasks which give guidance and help if required. They continue to plot the power struggle between the king, the church, the barons and the people on a graph in a sequence of lessons. This lesson includes: Fun, engaging and challenging tasks Links to video footage Printable worksheets Differentiated tasks Suggested teaching strategies Homework ideas PowerPoint format, which can be changed to suit

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is to evaluate how Protestant the country had become by 1547. Students are required to estimate from the start which percentage they think the country had changed its religion, before they study the evidence and give their final evaluations and conclusions. The evidence ranges from the Reformation Parliament, the Ten and Six Articles, Royal Injunctions, changes in doctrine, the influence of his wives as well as humanism. The plenary focuses on a describe, explain, list, correct and erase activity. There is some exam practice to also complete, together with a planning sheet, some focused help and a markscheme supplied. 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 evaluate the role Henry VIII played in Europe and if he did indeed play third fiddle throughout. Students begin the lesson by recapping Henry VII’s foreign policy and are also introduced to the new players in Europe in their respective countries. They are given numerous facts and scenarios where Wolsey and Henry attempt to assert their authority and political craft in Europe, from which students decide how effective and far reaching their policies were. They will be required to justify their decisions at the end and ultimately decide if they were major players in Europe or just pawns of France and Spain and the Holy Roman Emperor. The plenary analyses an extract, from which students use their newly acquired knowledge to test its judgement. There is some exam practice to complete with writing frame and markscheme to use if required. 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.

World War II The aim of this lesson is to decide if Winston Churchill deserves the title as the ‘Greatest Briton’? When the BBC conducted a poll entitled ‘Who is the Greatest Briton?’ Winston Churchill came out on top, besting some strong competition. This lesson therefore challenges this assumption and evaluates the four areas the BBC cites as his fortitude; for being the greatest British Gentleman, for inspiring the nation, for symbolising the spirit and strength of Britain and for his comforting speeches. The evidence for this task is through radio broadcasts, video footage and source analysis (using a battery rating) from which students will conclude and either concur or not with the poll. A splat the bubble plenary will test their new assumptions. This lesson is ideal as preparation for GCSE if you are embedding source skills or teaching the interwar years or WWII at Key stage 4. It 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 includes retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91 This lesson aims to assess Reagan’s new approach to the Soviet Union and the reasons for a Second Cold War. Students learn about the precarious nature of the life span of some of the Soviet leaders as well Reagan’s background before he became President. They then have to emoji rate and judge his Presidency as to how tough a stance he takes using a number of statements. There are also some statement options to judge correctly as well as a differentiated questioning task. Some GCSE question practice on the importance of Reagan’s Presidency can be completed at the end of the lesson, with help given using a scaffold and a student friendly markscheme if required. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout this and subsequent lessons to show the progress of learning. The lessons in this bundle are therefore linked together to build up a picture of how diplomacy, propaganda and spying led two Superpowers with opposing political ideologies to create tensions, rivalries and distrust as well as subsequently forming mutual understanding and cooperation over the time period in question. The resource includes retrieval practice, suggested teaching strategies, differentiated material and GCSE question practice. It comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Conflict and Tension 1918-1939 This lesson analyses the reasons for Hitler and Stalin signing the Nazi Soviet Pact and how and why Britain and France were rebuffed by Stalin. Students have the chance to understand the background to their decision and how Stalin had finally had enough of the Allies foreign policy aims towards Hitler. They do this through using some differentiated resources, including video footage, some higher order questioning as well as evaluating some key sources from the time. Towards the end of the lesson, students are required to recognise the short and long term consequences of the pact and have the chance to answer a 16 mark GCSE practice question, with some help if required. The plenary focuses on a literacy task using the 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 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.