I am a History Teacher with a love for producing high quality and easily accessible history lessons, which I have accumulated and adapted for over 20 years of my teaching career. I appreciate just how time consuming teaching now is and the difficulty of constantly producing resources for an ever changing curriculum.
I am a History Teacher with a love for producing high quality and easily accessible history lessons, which I have accumulated and adapted for over 20 years of my teaching career. I appreciate just how time consuming teaching now is and the difficulty of constantly producing resources for an ever changing curriculum.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
I have produced this bundle of resources on the Nazi racial state and the impact of war 1933-45 to help A Level students gain a deeper understanding of Germany’s changing policies during the war years.
The enquiry question throughout these lessons will be evaluate the reasons why the Nazis committed mass murder and assess the impact of total war on Germany.
Students will learn about the development of anti-Semitic policies and the radicalisation of the state with its social Darwinism and race theories.
They will study how the events of the Anschluss, Kristallnacht and the invasion of Poland sparked a sea change in how the Nazi regime reacted towards undesirables as well as Jewish people.
Students will evaluate the effectiveness of propaganda in maintaining morale during the war years and the changing impact of war on German society such as the appointment of Albert Speer and the mobilisation of the German economy for armaments production.
They will also assess how effective opposition was to the Nazi regime and how different groups resisted the totalitarian state.
Finally students will analyse the origins of the ‘Final Solution’, the key figures involved and the role of the Einsatzgruppen and extermination camps in Poland. They will also decide who should take responsibility for the holocaust and why.
The lessons are as follows:
L1 Radicalising the State
L2 Undesirables
L3 Nazi policies towards the Jewish people, 1933-37
L4 Nazi policies towards the Jewish people, 1938-40
L5 Nazi policies towards the Jewish people, 1940-41
L6 Impact of war (free resource)
L7 Speer and the war economy
L8 The changing impact of war on German society
L9 Opposition
L10 The final solution
The lessons include the two types of exam question used, with examples of how to tackle them, using model answers, helpful hints and tips, structuring and scaffolding as well as markschemes. However, please refer to the AQA website for further assessment materials as they are subject to copyright.
The lessons are also differentiated and fully resourced and allow students to reach the very top marks.
If you have any questions about the lessons, please email me via my TES shop, or any other information about the course.
I would also welcome any reviews, which would be gratefully appreciated.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to assess the reasons behind the radicalisation of the Nazi state.
Students begin by noting the three main phases in the development of the Nazi regime.
They learn about social Darwinism and how this played a role in the formation of the Volksgemeinschaft.
There are some key questions posed about this and the policy of lebensraum.
A 3-2-1 plenary at the end will check and consolidate learning of the racial state.
There is some source exam question practice to finish, with help and tips and a detailed markscheme given if required.
An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work.
The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs.
It 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 impact of war upon Nazi Germany.
The lessons begins by assessing the value of some sources, to be used in some exam practice at the end, which questions the effects of the war on civilian morale.
There is a missing word activity for the students to complete after studying how rationing was introduced in Germany and its repercussions.
There is also a grid sheet to complete as students evaluate the four phases of the war and how the use of propaganda affected civilian morale, particularly as the German people began to realise the war was not going to plan and would not end quickly.
An octagon plenary will check understanding and consolidate the learning at the end of the lesson.
The lesson is quite literacy heavy and may have to be delivered over two lessons.
There is some exam practice to be completed at the end, with a markscheme provided if required.
An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work.
The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs.
It is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to evaluate why opposition to the Nazis was limited and sporadic.
Students begin the lesson by giving reasons for opposition and how it might vary across different sections of German society.
A number of tasks are completed on different types of opposition to the Nazis, from youth groups, Churches, elites and the army.
For each opposition group there are key questions, source analysis, links to video footage and a requirement to discuss and debate.
The plenary exemplifies this discussion and debate with a talk like an expert task.
The lesson may be delivered over two lessons. There is some exam practice to be completed at the end with the challenge that opposition methods were too varied and fragmented to be effective against the Nazis. There is a markscheme provided if required.
An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work.
The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs.
It is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to evaluate to what extent were the elites, workers women and young people affected by war between 1939-45 in Germany.
The students analyse and evaluate the roles played by these different groups in turn during the war and assess how each group were impacted.
Key questions are asked throughout and students are required at the end to prioritise which group was the most affected and why.
The lesson may be delivered over two lessons. There is some exam practice to be completed at the end, with a focused markscheme provided if required.
An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work.
The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs.
It 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 whether the war in the East was the main reason for the implementation of the Final Solution.
This lesson can be delivered over two, with the breath and depth of information covered.
Students begin with a recap of some key dates in their implementation of anti-Semitic policies. The significance of the Wannsee Conference is explained, with a comprehension task and timeline guide to examine in the move towards the Final Solution.
There are some key multiple choice questions to answer as well as some map analysis of the concentration and extermination camps in Europe.
Case Studies on Auschwitz and Ceija’s Story give context to the horrific crimes committed by the Nazis in this period.
The final parts of the lesson focus on Jewish resistance (with a colour coding activity to complete) as well as a note on the death marches and questions over who bears responsibility for the holocaust.
The lesson is quite literacy heavy and may have to be delivered over two lessons. There is some exam practice to be completed at the end, with a focused markscheme provided if required.
An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work.
The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs.
It 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 impact of Albert Speer in armaments production.
The lesson begins with a recap of the policies previously mentioned of Hjalmar Schacht and Goering in his Four Year Plan. Students will assess how much of an impact their policies had preparing Germany for war and if the German economy was on the verge of collapse before from 1942.
Students will learn about the background of Speer and how he implemented reforms and efficiency to turn the economy around with his appointment as Armaments Minister and War production.
There is some source analysis to complete together with a true or false quiz at the end of the lesson.
The exam practice will allow students to evaluate the successes of Speer’s policies as well as questioning deep rooted divisions and problems within the economy, which were unreconcilable and ultimately led to its collapse with the defeat of Nazi Germany.
The lesson is quite literacy heavy and may have to be delivered over two lessons.
An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work.
The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs.
It is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the reasons behind the radicalisation of Nazi policies towards Jewish people in the years 1940-41.
The scene is set with the outbreak of war, the invasion of the Soviet Union and further restrictions placed on Jewish people in Germany.
Students follow a flow diagram of events with questions posed throughout. There is also a case study of the Warsaw Ghetto and its uprising.
They are then introduced to the Einsatzgruppen, what their key aims were and the possible actions they carried out in a true or false quiz. Further information, including whether the group were ‘ordinary men’ or ‘willing executioners’ is examined before students complete a quiz to check their understanding and consolidate their learning.
There is some exam practice to be completed at the end, with a focused markscheme provided if required.
An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work.
The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs.
It 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 short and long term impacts of key events upon the Jewish community between 1938-40 such as the Anschluss, Kristallnacht, emigration and the invasion and Poland.
Students begin the lesson by analysing the events of the Anschluss and the impact upon the Jewish community living in Austria.
They are also required to match up a number of statements on the significance of decrees passed in Germany leading up to Kristallnacht and discuss why this event was pivotal for the Jewish people in Germany and Europe.
Further analysis of voluntary and forced emigration within Germany and the key figures of Heydrich and Eichmann will give the students an in-depth and rounded study of the period, together with details of the flawed Madagascar plan.
The lesson will culminate with a final assessment of the invasion of Poland will require them to prioritise the most important reasons for a change in policy towards the Jewish question in Europe.
There is a thinking hats plenary to finish with some exam question practice, complete with markscheme finishes the lesson.
An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work.
The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs.
It 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 growing discrimination and persecution of Jewish people in Nazi Germany between 1933-7.
Students begin by evaluating some Nazi propaganda posters and a source from an eye witness account to gain an understanding of the changing Nazi policy towards Jewish people.
They will also learn about the different laws and measures introduced and how these impacted upon the Jewish community living in Germany. There is also a focus on the Nuremberg Laws and their impending impact.
I have also included who was classed as a Jewish person in Germany and how this applied through their ancestry, rather than heritage.
There is some exam practice to be completed at the end, with a focused markscheme provided if required.
An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work.
The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs.
It is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the reasons behind the systematic persecution of minority groups in German society.
Whilst the Nazis aimed to create a unified and homogeneous national community by promoting a sense of collective identity among “racially pure” Germans, students will find that this idea was based on the exclusion of those deemed “racially inferior” or politically undesirable.
Students are introduced to the theory of eugenics and the significance of this theory when applied to this persecution.
Students learn about the policies towards different minorities including Roma and Sinti peoples, disabled, homosexuals, religious groups and the Euthanasia programme set up in Berlin.
There are tasks to complete throughout including prioritisation exercises, key questions and source analysis.
The lesson is quite literacy heavy and may have to be delivered over two lessons.
There is some exam practice to be completed at the end, with a focused markscheme provided if required.
An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work.
The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs.
It is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.
This guide is aimed at students to help them study, revise and be prepared for the AQA Elizabethan Historic Environment question for 2025.
I have broken down the main details into manageable chunks using the 5 w’s of what, where, when, why and who ,
This guide has been revised from my 2018 version and focuses on the main concepts of location, function, structure, design, people connected to it, the culture, values and fashions of the time and how the site links to important events of the period.
I have also included all the key information needed such as Bess’s background and status, the latest in fashions and the designing of Hardwick Hall as well as its furnishings and garden layout.
Please note that many of the pictures from the AQA guidance on Hardwick Hall are not included due to copyright. Please feel free to therefore adapt the guide and include them.
Any reviews on this resource would be greatly appreciated
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to decide to what extent the Nazis achieved their aims towards women in Nazi Germany.
Students are forewarned about how views today cannot be applied back then and therefore Nazi policies towards women, as misogynistic as they were, would not necessarily have been rejected but welcomed by women.
Some source analysis using images and text begin the lesson, as students gauge what Nazi policies were towards women in 1930’s Germany.
They are questioned on policies to raise the birth rate as well as the organisational apparatus established to do this.
There is a case study of Gertrude Sholtz-Klink before students evaluate the successes or failing of these Nazi policies.
The plenary uses talking heads to decide who would have said what and why at the time.
There is some exam practice to finish focusing on the aims of the lesson, complete with a markscheme and help if needed.
An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work.
The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs.
It is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
Nazi Dictatorship 1933-39
I have produced this bundle of resources on the beginnings of the Nazi Dictatorship 1933-39 to help A Level students gain a deeper understanding of Germany’s past and the establishment of a Dictatorship.
The enquiry question throughout these lessons will be evaluate how much of a totalitarian state Germany became under the Nazis.
Students will learn about the impact of the Night of the Long Knives and the significance Hindenburg’s death had on Hitler’s consolidation of power.
They will also explore the mechanisms and apparatus Hitler installed to provoke fear and ensure compliance among the population, including the roles of the Gestapo and SS.
Students will assess the effectiveness of Nazi propaganda in controlling public perception and opinion., the economic policies of the Four Year Plan and autarky and the impact upon workers of the DAF, Strength Through Joy and Beauty of Labour programmes.
Finally students will analyse the efficacy of social policies on the young and women and decide how successfully the Churches were brought into line and replaced with the Nazis version of Christianity.
The resources provided include detailed lesson plans, case studies, source documents for analysis, chronological tasks and exam practice questions with comprehensive mark schemes.
The lessons are as follows:
L1 One Party State (Free resource)
L2 The Night of the Long Knives
L3 The Terror State
L4 Early Opposition
L5 Propaganda
L6 Economic Policy
L7 Youth Groups
L8 Women
L9 Workers
L10 The Churches
The lessons include the two types of exam question used, with examples of how to tackle them, using model answers, helpful hints and tips, structuring and scaffolding as well as markschemes. However, please refer to the AQA website for further assessment materials as they are subject to copyright.
The lessons are also differentiated and fully resourced and allow students to reach the very top marks.
If you have any questions about the lessons, please email me via my TES shop, or any other information about the course.
I would also welcome any reviews, which would be gratefully appreciated.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to question to what extent the Nazis created a totalitarian state.
Students begin by learning Hitler’s ideal of a totalitarian state and how he dealt with the existing political parties.
They will also discover how laws passed centrally dissolved the independence and power of the state assemblies.
There are some key questions to answer about the revamp of the civil service and the impact of the death of Hindenburg for the German state.
The plenary is an old favourite using the octagon and checking the learning from the lesson.
An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work.
The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs.
It is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to question whether the Nazi economic miracle between 1933-9 was merely a propaganda myth.
The exam practice question is introduced from the start and revisited throughout to check judgement and understanding.
Students are introduced to the economic policies of Hjalmar Schacht and how he managed to stimulate the economy through for example building homes and autobahns, mefo bills and tax concessions.
Students soon discover how Hitler’s meddling and appointment of Hermann Goering to the Four Year Plan, spelt disaster for the economy. Through a variety of tasks including a true or false quiz, a positive or negative challenge and plotting on a graph, they soon build up a picture of what the reality was for the economy despite the contrary messages from propaganda.
The plenary requires them to describe, explain, list,correct or erase the learning from the lesson.
An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work.
The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs.
It is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the success of Nazi efforts to coordinate the Churches in Germany.
This lesson is split into two. The first part focuses on the Catholic Church and students begin by being given the context to Hitler’s Catholic background, Catholicism in Germany pre-1933 and why he believed the Catholic Church proved a threat to the volksgemeinschaft.
Students then have to analyse Nazi policies towards the Catholic Church, such as the Concordat and rank them in order severity. They also have to decide how these policies weakened the power and influence of the Church.
There are case studies on the Pope which investigate the Pope’s actions and responses to Hitler ,as well as the significance and the resistance of Cardinal Galen
This section concludes with some source analysis, focusing on the tone used in the language of two sources before the students have to decide the successes or failings of these coordinating policies.
The second half of the lesson introduces students to the importance and history of the Protestant Church in Germany.
Students identify which Nazi policies might align with Protestant Church interests. before completing a chronological task on the policies introduced by the Nazis and their attempt to create a Reich Church.
There are case studies on Martin Niemoller and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, their actions and opposition to the Nazis and the setting up of their Confessional Church.
Students can then complete some exam question practice with a comprehensive markscheme to help if required.
An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work.
The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs.
It is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson to evaluate the success of Nazi policies towards its workers in creating a volksgemeinschaft.
Students are introduced to the DAF and its leader Robert Ley. They analyse its aims and policies in encouraging workers to increase production.
They are then given a number of statements which they will RAG rate (Red, Amber, Green) which will enable them to evaluate the successes or failings of the organisation.
They also learn about the Strength Through Joy programme and again have to analyse its strengths and weaknesses.
Some source analysis and skills at the end of the lesson will prepare the students for some source exam practice with help and guidance given if required.
An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work.
The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs.
It is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
This lesson questions to what extent the Nazis achieved their aims in relation to young people.
The lesson begins with an introduction to the youth of Germany and their importance, both girls and boys, within the Volksgemeinschaft.
Students then analyse the aims of the Nazis education policy, its education and youth leaders and are then questioned over the role education played within Nazi Germany.
The lesson then switches to the Hitler Youth and similarly the students have to answer a number of questions relating to its policies and aims.
A graph of the membership of the Hitler Youth is also evaluated as with youth successes and failings.
Some exam question practice will consolidate learning at the end of the lesson, which also includes Youth opposition to Hitler’s policies, so that the aims of the lesson can be addressed. There is a comprehensive markscheme included if required.
An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work.
The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs.
It 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 how much of a threat early opposition to the Nazis was.
From the off, students have to decide and give reasons why there would be political, worker, Church and youth opposition.
They then have to complete some source scholarship from an SS article, promoting total allegiance and devotion of the state.
The main task is to analyse the different forms of early opposition giving reasons for why and how resistance was shown, as well as the Nazis reaction to it
A headline plenary will aid the consolidation of learning from the lesson.
There is some source exam practice to complete if required, with help given together with a generic markscheme.
An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work.
The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs.
It is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.
