This lesson is titled “Why did so many people die in Pompeii in 79 CE – Escape Room.” The lesson begins with a Who Wants to be A Millionaire style question in which the class are invited to place the greatest volcanoes recorded in order (Pompeii is the fourth on the list). The Key Question is then introduced along with graduated learning objectives (all will/most will/some will). There are then slides of background information to enable teacher exposition. The class then begins their main activity, which is an Escape Room. There are six clues to figure out, meaning students can unlock the six tasks. They read the information about their character and complete the sheet as a team. If they complete all six, they attempt the final Boss Box. The lesson concludes by revisiting the stated aims and a plenary activity asking students to add to a hexagonal grid reasons and evidence that answer the Key Question (they will have acquired this knowledge by completing the info grid as they open all six boxes). This lesson has been pitched at high school students. I hope your students get as much from it as mine always have. Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson is titled “Why did Bonnie and Clyde divide American opinion so much – Escape Room.” The lesson begins with an Odd One Out Starter Activity designed to get them thinking about the lesson. The Key Question is then introduced along with graduated learning objectives (all will/most will/some will). There are then slides of background information to enable teacher exposition and a hexagon of six possible reasons is shown. The class then begins their main activity, which is an Escape Room. There are six clues to figure out, meaning students can unlock the six tasks. They read the information about their character and complete the sheet as a team. If they complete all six, they attempt the final Boss Box. The lesson concludes by revisiting the stated aims and a plenary activity asking students to add to the hexagonal grid reasons and evidence that answer the Key Question (they will have acquired this knowledge by completing the info grid as they open all six boxes). And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson is titled “What can we learn about the Spanish Civil War from Guernica?” The lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which the class are told the story of a Nazi officer’s visit to Picasso’s wartime studio in Paris and asked to come up with a reply to a question posed on the artist. Picasso’s clever reply is thus revealed. This introduces the Key Question, lesson aims, and graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will). There are then slides of background information to enable teacher exposition. The main activity is an artistic piece which supports historical learning, so its fun if you can liaise with your art department and get some paints and brushes. Students cut out a 12-piece card sort of the major features and devices of the painting as they relate to the Spanish Civil War and attempt to create their own Picasso! The lesson objectives are revisited, and the lesson concludes with a plenary in which students peer assess with three others against the given criteria and answer the Key Question. I hope your students get as much from this as mine always do. Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson is titled “Why was Gallipoli such a disaster?” The lesson begins with a Blankety Blank style Starter Activity in which students are invited to fill in the missing word. This then leads to the Key Question and the introduction of aims and graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will). After this there are slides of background information to enable teacher exposition. Students are then placed in five groups and given a one slide fact file on either planning and intelligence, bad leadership, logistical issues, challenging terrain, and stalemate and the nature of fighting. Their jigsaw activity is to research their topic using the cards as well as internet/library to then return to their group as an expert and convince them of the importance of their single factor. After this they are asked to work together to complete a piece of writing to answer the Key Question. The lesson objectives are revisited, and the lesson concludes with a plenary activity in which students vote on the most convincing reason. This lesson has been designed for high school students. I hope yours get as much from it as much as mine do. Please be aware this lesson is pitched to students who have reasonable research skills. Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson is titled “What really happened to the Lusitania?” 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 fateful ship. 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 kite which has four quarters labelled with the key theories (that it was destroyed as part of Germany’s unrestricted U-Boat warfare campaign, that it was torpedoed because of a case of mistaken identity, that it was attacked because it was deliberately provoked, and that it was sunk because it was carrying weapons cargo). The class are then given a 21 piece card sort and divide the information into these four 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 five and are tasked with producing a chat show discussion explaining the main theories and they act these out. An example is given so students can see a model of what their work should 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 kite (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.

This lesson is titled “What was life like for soldiers in the English Civil War?” The lesson begins with an Odd One Out Starter Activity which introduces the class to some fun facts about the English Civil War. The Key Question is then introduced along with aims and graduated lesson objectives (all will/most will/some will). Students will have been asked to bring in a toy bear or similar the previous lesson (it can work with printable cutouts too). There are slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition about three different groups in both the Cavalier and Roundhead forces, from Sergeants to Infantry to Drummer Boys etc. There are then two heads and tails card sort activities in which students tell the story of a day in the life of a member of both sides of the war. Students then begin their main model making activity using the bears. Aluminum foil is highly recommended, but they can use anything they want (toys, props, drawings) as they attempt to dress up their bears as one of the ranks. Slides are given explaining items they can use (lollipop stick for pikes, water pistols for artillery, half tennis balls for roundhead helmets etc) and printables of these are provided also (these might need to be adapted depending on the size of the bear!). After this the lesson objectives are revisited. There is then further information on battle tactics (sieges, skirmishing, flanking etc) and the students pair up with friends to add some of these to create group dioramas (it’s a lot of fun getting them to get bears to skirmish!). The lesson objectives are again revisited, and the class concludes with a plenary in which they are invited to come to the board and add knowledge they have learned on a group bear. This is a lesson students love and one that makes for a wonderful corridor display afterwards. I hope your class enjoy it as much as mine do. Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson is titled “Who was the Man in the Iron Mask?” 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 Man in the Iron Mask. 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 kite (because it has four points) which has four quarters labelled with the key theories (that he was of Royal blood, that he was spy, that he had witnessed a Royal scandal, and that he was a political prisoner). The class are then given a 21 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 five and are tasked with producing a TV chat show discussion explaining the main theories and they act these out. An example is given 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 kite 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.

This lesson is titled “What really happened to the Mary Celeste?” 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 fateful ship. 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 starfish (because it has five points) which has five points labelled with the key theories (that it was abandoned due to rough weather, that it was a victim of piracy, that it was an insurance scam, that there was a mutiny, and that there was an explosion from the cargo.) The class are then given a 21 piece card sort and divide the information into these five categories. A colour-coded version is also supplied in case any one needs a little extra help. The class then get broken into teams of five and are tasked with producing a TV chat show discussion explaining the main theories and they act these out. An example is given 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 five pointed 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.

This lesson is titled “What were the causes of the Spanish Civil War?” The lesson begins with a Blankety Blank Starter Activity to introduce the students to a quotation by H. L. Mencken related to the conflict. The Key Question is then made clear along with aims, and lesson objectives are graduated (all will/most will/some will). There are then slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition. The main activity takes the form of a jigsaw classroom approach. Students are given one of five fact files on an alternative cause of the Spanish Civil War (political instability and polarization, social and economic problems, military uprising and coup attempt, regional differences, and foreign intervention and ideology). The students then break away and research their respective area of expertise using the fact file given (as well as a library book box/internet) before rejoining the group. The challenge is for them to then persuade the others in their ‘jigsaw’ that theirs was the principle cause. Following this the lesson objectives are revisited, and a piece of written work is set in which they collaborate their research to arrive at a fuller answer to the Key Question. The lesson concludes with a starfish plenary in which students are asked to vote on which of the five causes they felt was the most important. I hope your students enjoy it as much as mine always do. It is pitched toward high achieving post-16 high school students and requires them to have some research skills. Wishing you a terrific day.

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.

This lesson is titled “What was aerial warfare like in the First World War?” The lesson begins with an Odd One Out Starter Activity and then introduces the Key Question and lesson aims. Learning objectives are graduated (all will/most will/some will) and there are slides of background information to enable teacher exposition. After this, students are paired up and walk around the class to read information on a Gallery Walk. They add this information to a mind map (suggested branches are offered). When they have finished the class discuss their mind maps with peers and the lesson objectives are revisited to see how much knowledge they have acquired. The lesson concludes with a ladder plenary in which they are invited to come to the board and add on information they have learned – the higher they place it the worse an aspect they consider it to be (Royal Flying Corps’ pilots had a life expectancy of only 11 days at one point so information like this will feature highly on the ladder.) I hope your students get as much from this lesson as mine always do. Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson is titled “Was Guy Fawkes set up?” The lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which the class are invited to spot the connection between four celebrities. The answer is they have all been used as ‘Guys’ in Britain on Guy Fawkes Night (effigies of them have been burnt because they have been perceived as that year’s villains). This then leads to the introduction of the Key Question and lesson aims. Lesson objectives are introduced, and these are graduated (all will/most will/some will). There are then background information slides to allow for teacher exposition. After this, students are asked to make notes as journalists on a range of slides in which 12 major talking points are discussed. Students are given a digested slide (printed) which summarise the points and are asked to create a newspaper showing two columns: those suggesting Guy Fawkes was guilty and simply caught in the act and those that suggest he was set up. After this, students present their findings. The lesson objectives are revisited, and the lesson concludes with two plenary activities. First they are asked to complete 8 petals on a flower for the most compelling evidence they have found. They are then asked to stand up and vote with their feet on the Key Question by walking to the side of the debate they agree with. Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson is titled “Why did Wellington defeat Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo?” 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 battle which ended the Napoleonic Wars. 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 the key theories (weather, Napoleon’s errors, Wellington and his allies’ strengths, and health issues). The class are then take part in a 24 piece gallery walk and divide the information into these categories on a mind map. 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 a ladder of importance. They then answer the Key Question by reviewing the evidence/knowledge acquired. I hope your students get as much out of this lesson as mine always do. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

The title of this lesson is “What can we learn about Native America from the 1995 Disney movie Pocahontas?” NB: To use this lesson you need to have a copy of the 1995 Disney movie Pocahontas. Students are given graduated learning objectives (some will/most will/all will). The lesson begins with a starter activity to engage your students in which they are invited to guess which of four facts is incorrect. There is then some background information about the story of Pocahontas. The class then work through 30 different bingo cards as they watch the movie and are invited to tick those which they see (some they do not, as the movie is not completely accurate). There are two versions of this card sort, one for students who like a challenge and a differentiated version for students who need a little help. It is a nice end of term type activity - but not simply watching a movie for the sake of it. From this the class then complete a movie review exercise using the template given and vote with their feet to establish how many stars (1-5) they would rate the movie for historical authenticity (i.e. they now answer the essential question). This lesson was written for high achieving high school students and is written in UK English. Wishing you a terrific day.