350+ ready to use and fully resourced History lessons. As a British history teacher with 25 years of experience, I understand the challenges you face in the classroom. That's why I created my store — to share high-quality lessons and to save you time. This store shares my love of History, inspires critical thinking, and get students connected with the past. I’m also an examiner and textbook author, so you can trust that my lessons align with current standards and best practices.
350+ ready to use and fully resourced History lessons. As a British history teacher with 25 years of experience, I understand the challenges you face in the classroom. That's why I created my store — to share high-quality lessons and to save you time. This store shares my love of History, inspires critical thinking, and get students connected with the past. I’m also an examiner and textbook author, so you can trust that my lessons align with current standards and best practices.
“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking.
Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan
Escape from Sobibor is a terrific movie to showcase both the horrors of the Holocaust as well as one shining example of widerstand/resistance. In this activity there are 50 questions for students to response to as they watch the movie. Answers are provided also for peer and self assessment.
“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking.
Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan
Students begin this lesson with a starter activity in which they watch a video clip of the traditional view of events (with some true or false questions to test comprehension). They then work through a detailed 3-page set of notes before handling 17 pieces of evidence, some of which offer the traditional view (that this was a peaceful protest whereby the Imperial Guard massacred innocent civilians) and others of which suggest a more revisionist perspective (that Father Gapon was a double agent and expected/wanted to provoke a violent response). Students answer questions on the sources and are invited to give their opinion, which ties back neatly to the starter activity and the Key Question. The lesson concludes with a plenary activity which asks students to listen and contemplate on the meaning and nuances within Dmitri Shostakovitch’s famous 11th symphony. I hope you enjoy this lesson as much as my students do. It has been pitched towards high achieving secondary aged students but please do ask me if you have any questions.
“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking.
Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan
In this lesson students begin by working through the set of background notes before completing a large diamond 9 activity as a group task. They then fill in their pyramid activity collectively before making recipe equations. I hope your students get as much from this lesson as mine always do.
“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking.
Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan
In this lesson students explore the long term causes of the 1905 revolution in Russia. The starter activity invites them to discuss the concepts of revolution from above and below. They are then provided with a bespoke set of notes which break down the knowledge into socio-economic, political, and military reasons for unhappiness amongst the population. Students then follow this with the main consolidation activity which is a card sort (broken down into reasons why military, peasants, urban dwellers and opposition groups might be unhappy) and use this information to write speeches to the Tsar seeking reform. The lesson concludes with a plenary activity in which students tie together their answer to the lesson question.
Please let me know if you have any questions about this lesson pack, which has been designed for students of secondary age.
I have also included a colour coded version of the card sort for purposes of differentiation.
“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking.
Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan
This lesson begins with a fun starter activity where students view images of Putin and are introduced to the idea that Russians like a tough muzhik style leader (Geoffrey Hosking). They then read through a detailed 4-page pack of notes before completing a card sort where they divide information onto two ‘roads’ - one that suggests Russia was legitimately on the road to reform and democracy, and one that suggests it was on the road to revolution because of a Tsar who refused to give up any power. Students are then expected to write a short response to the overall question before the plenary which shows them two different Historians’ views on this question (Pipes and Morison). The class are asked to vote by standing either on the left or right of the room.
I hope you enjoy this lesson as much as I do when I deliver it and please do ask me if you have any questions. The lesson is pitched at high achieving secondary school students.
My exam revision packs are the resources my examination students value the most. I offer essay plans to the most popular questions on topics within the Cold War which give students structure and which teem with precisely supporting material. In this pack the revision notes are focused on the following questions:
Who was to blame for the start of the Cold War?
What were the causes and consequences of US involvement in the Korean War?
Who gained the most out of the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Why did the USA get involved in Vietnam?
Why did the USA withdraw from Vietnam?
What were the similarities and differences between Hungary and Czechoslovakia?
Why was the Berlin Wall built in 1961?
What was the main reason for the collapse of the Soviet Union?
Issuing these notes to students prior to an examination massively boosts their attainment in examinations and I’m very proud to share this resource with you and them. It certainly saves my students a lot of exam stress and has given me excellent results year after year.
“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking.
Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan
My students love this activity. 160+ questions based on the following categories:
USA & her allies
Soviet leaders
The People
Wars
Words & Phrases
Statistics
It takes a little while to cut out the cards and the board and works best once laminated but your students will love this revision activity. The questions are designed to boost subject knowledge and focus on precise historical detail which in turn helps student examination performance.
I hope your classes enjoy this activity as much as my IGCSE and IB classes always do.
Comprehensive and detailed notes as well as rigorous and engaging activities for this entire topic.
Lessons covered include:
Why did Saddam Hussein rise to power in Iraq?
What was the nature of Saddam Hussein’s rule in Iraq?
Why was there a revolution in Iran in 1979?
What were the causes of the Iran-Iraq War?
What were the consequences of the Iran-Iraq War?
What were the causes of the First Gulf War?
I have also thrown in a comprehensive revision menu for the unit.
I hope your students enjoy these materials as much as mine do.
EdExcel IGCSE History – Russia & The Soviet Union 1905-24 Full Unit Paper 2 Breadth Study Bundle
Comprehensive and detailed notes as well as rigorous and engaging activities for this entire Paper 2 topic. Now includes comprehensive revision menu.
Lessons covered include:
Russia in 1900 in 8 objects
Why were so many Russians unhappy in 1905?
What happened on Bloody Sunday 1905?
How much did rule and government change between 1905-14?
Rasputin: Holy Man or Mad Monk?
How did Rasputin die? Escape Room activity
Why did Russia do so badly in the First World War?
What were the causes of the February Revolution?
How successful was the Provisional Government?
How did the Bolsheviks come to power by 1917?
Why did the Reds win the Civil War?
What happened to Princess Anastasia?
How well did Lenin rule Russia?
I hope your students enjoy these materials as much as mine do.
“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking.” Dan
This is a great project-based lesson designed to introduce students to the topic of Ancient China and to the second-order concept of significance and includes graduated learning outcomes (all of you will/most of you will/some of you will).
The lesson begins with a quick starter activity where students have to guess which of four sports was not invented in China. They’re often a bit surprised by the answer (table tennis) and this leads on to a second activity in which they have to see how many inventions which originated in China they can identify (the rocket, paper, wheelbarrows - 21 are given in total). From this the class are then introduced to the idea of how historians decide what makes an event or discovery significant and they explore the acronym GREAT: G = ground-breaking, R = remembered, E = extent of importance to people at the time, A = affected the future, and T = turning point. For the main task students are given a card with three different inventions on. They need to choose one of their inventions and explain in presentation form why they felt it was so significant. The lesson concludes with a class vote on which they felt was the most important invention and why.
I’ve also thrown in an assessment rubric should you wish to turn the project into a formal assessment.
Please note this lesson was designed for high achieving Year 7 students with the ability to do their own research (some websites are given) but it also works well as a great library-based lesson depending on the resources you have in yours.
Please let me know if you have any questions and I hope your students get as much from this lesson as mine always do.
“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking.
Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan
“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking.” Dan
In this lesson students are given a quick odd one out activity as a starter to invite them to consider the positives and negatives of Capone, the notorious gangster.
The PPT then offers them some background information and the learning objectives are broken down into all of you will/most of you will/and some of you will. The main activity is a 44-piece card sort and there is a slide explaining the answers to this also. The lesson concludes with a short voting plenary where students are asked to side with the views of different personalities when answering the question as to whether Capone was as “black as they say” to use his own words.
This lesson has been designed for high achieving high school students.
“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking.” Dan
This is a History mystery lesson in which students explore the Essential Question ‘what happened to Princess Anastasia?’ This is always a popular lesson because of the 1997 Disney movie (!) but more importantly one that really challenges student second order thinking and gets them working on their reasoning skills.
The lesson begins with a starter activity where students watch two short video clips about Anastasia’s death and answer a few quick questions on this. The clips are deliberately very different and from this the class are encouraged to create their own lesson title (which will be very similar to the title given here). Students then work through graduated learning objectives (all of you will / most of you will / some of you will) before working through some detailed background information. The class then work through a card sort activity detailing evidence which suggests a) that Anastasia did die at the Ipatiev House and b) evidence which suggests she may have survived (the Anna Anderson story). A colour coded differentiated version is supplied also. Students then use this information from the card sort activity to complete a template to help them write an Okhrana police report which answers the Essential Question. The lesson concludes with a voting plenary.
This lesson is pitched towards high achieving secondary students and is always one they really do well in. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Have a great day fellow teachers and if you enjoy this lesson please leave me a review.
“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking.” Dan
This works really well as a quick starter or plenary activity. Students complete a questionnaire about Roman inventions and how recently they have used them. From this they achieve a score (out of 66) and are asked to stand up when their score bracket is read aloud. A fun way to introduce the concept of why the Romans are so significant.
“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking.” Dan
These two sided front sheets look great when attached to student work. Moreover, they save teacher time and increase the level of precise feedback received by students.
They have been designed specifically for the IB History course.
I hope your students find them as useful as mine do.
“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking.
Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan
This lesson is titled “What really happened to the Roman Army’s Ninth Legion?”
The lesson begins with an Odd One Out Starter Activity in which the class are invited to consider some truths and one mistruth about the Ninth Legion that mysteriously disappeared. The Key Question is then introduced along with aims and graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will). There are then slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition as well as a slide which features a pizza (because it has three points) which has three corners labelled with the key theories (that it was defeated in battle and wiped out, that it was reassigned, or that it assimilated with local people). The class are then given a 15 piece card sort and divide the information into these three categories. A color-coded version is also supplied in case any one needs a little extra help. The class then get broken into teams of four and are tasked with producing a TV chat show discussion explaining the main theories and they act these out. An example is given using real historians so students can see a model of what their work might look like. The lesson objectives are revisited and the lesson concludes with a plenary activity in which they are invited to come to the board and add information to the three sided object they saw earlier (under the correct theory). They then answer the Key Question by reviewing the evidence/knowledge acquired. I hope your students get as much out of this History Mystery as mine always do.
Wishing you a terrific day.
“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking.
Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan
This 52-page pack is the incredibly detailed and complete set of notes I have written for my students. It is basically an entire course on Weimar and Nazi Germany in one pack! Suitable for 16+ including GCSE, AP, A Level, and IB students. Notes are broken down into the following sections:
What problems did the Weimar Republic face between 1919-23?
How did the Weimar Republic recover between 1923-29?
Why did the Weimar Republic collapse between 1929-33?
How did Hitler consolidate his power between the years 1933-34?
Through what methods did Hitler control Germany?
Who benefitted from the Nazi state?
How did the Nazis control the economy?
Who supported and who opposed the Nazi state?
What was the Holocaust?
I am confident you will love this resource because there is nothing on the Internet which I have found which offers the same level of breadth and detail on this topic.
Your students will find the notes supremely useful and they will help them achieve examination success.
“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking.
Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan
This 32-page pack contains background knowledge as well as 16 different character cards to issue to your students, ranging from Captain Smith, ship’s architect Thomas Andrews, down to lesser known characters such as 2nd Officer Charles Lightoller (who failed to fill the lifeboats). Once in character students then work through 48 detailed evidence cards to help them answer the question who was to blame for the large number of deaths (more than 1,500). This is one of my favourite activities and students always find it both fun and interesting and it helps hone historical skills such as evidence handling, refining questions, and formulating arguments. I hope you get as much out of this activity as my students always do.
“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking.
Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan
I hope they can be of much use to your students as they are to mine. If you enjoyed this resource please leaf through my collection of other revision menus and resources.
This pack focuses on USA 1917-41, includes space for student notes, and includes revision content for the following topics:
The impact of the First World War on the USA
Immigration
Prohibition and gangsterism
Mass production and the stock market boom
The Roaring Twenties
The position of black Americans
The USA in Depression, 1929-33
Roosevelt and the New Deal, 1933-41
The opposition to the New Deal
“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking.
Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan
Of all of my resources these revision menus are my must-haves!
I hope they can be of much use to your students as they are to mine. If you enjoyed this resource please leaf through my collection of other revision menus and resources.
This pack focuses on Twentieth Century China, includes space for student notes, and includes revision content for the following topics:
China 1911-34
The triumph of Mao and the CCP, 1934-49
Change under Mao, 1949-63
The impact of the Cultural Revolution
China, 1969-89
“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking.
Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan
In this lesson students work through a ‘what’s behind the squares’ starter activity which introduces them to the horrors of the First World War. They then proceed to work through the detailed set of notes and use this knowledge in the main activiation tasks (questions to test comprehension and a mind-map activity) before testing their chronological understanding of the notes in the ‘play your cards right’ plenary. My students always love this lesson and it is a great introduction to life in 1920s USA. I’m confident your students will love it too.