This lesson is titled “What was life like in the Roman Army? Teddy Bear Project” The lesson begins with an Odd One Out Starter Activity which introduces the class to some fun facts about the Roman Army. 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 Emperors, Generals, Centurions, and Soldiers. There is then a heads and tails card sort activity in which students tell the story of a day in the life of a member of the Roman Army. 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 four ranks. Slides are given explaining items they can use (laurels, gladius, satin robes, greaves, breastplates 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 (testudo, phalanx 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 throw pilums!). 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 “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 was Ancient Egyptian religion like? – Teddy Bear Project.” The lesson begins with an Odd One Out Starter Activity which introduces the class to some aspects of religion in the period. The Key Question is then introduced along with lesson aims and graduated criteria (all will/most will/some will). After this there are slides of background information to enable teacher exposition. Students will have been asked to bring in a bear before hand and in their main activity they turn their bear into one of the main Egyptian Gods. Examples of props that can be used for various Gods are given and printables are included (although students can bring in toy props and things from home to help them too). Students explain who their bear is and what the symbols represent when the objectives are revisited. The lesson concludes with a plenary activity in which they are invited to place a post it note about knowledge acquired on a bear on the board. I hope your students enjoy this lesson as much as mine always do. It makes a great corridor display afterwards! Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson is titled “What were the roles of religion in the Middle Ages?” The lesson begins with an Odd One Out Starter Activity which gets students thinking about the Key Question. Lesson aims and graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will) are then introduced. After this there are slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition. The main activity is a Gallery Walk where students get out of their seats and walk around the classroom making notes on the social, economic, spiritual, and political aspects of religious life in the Middle Ages. From here students create mind maps and show them to their peers. The lesson objectives are revisited. The lesson concludes with a trash can plenary in which students are invited to come to the board and place a post it note with knowledge acquired in the correct category. I hope your classes enjoy this lesson as much as mine always do. Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson is titled “How were the Pyramids built?” The lesson begins with three anagrams designed to introduce the topic in a Countdown Style Starter Activity. The Key Question is 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 theory which explains how the pyramids may have been built (water theory, slave theory, social cohesion theory, and ramp theory. I have also included alien theory for fun if you want to use it but obviously this one isn’t correct!). The students then break away and research their respective area of expertise before rejoining the group. The challenge is for them to then persuade the others in their ‘jigsaw’ that their theory is the correct one. Following this the lesson objectives are revisited, and a piece of written work is set. The lesson concludes with a starfish plenary in which students are asked to vote on which of the five theories they felt was most persuasive. This was a lesson I created whilst teaching at an international school in Cairo, so it means a lot to me to pass it on to other educators. I hope your students enjoy it as much as mine always did. It is pitched toward high school students but could be adapted for slightly younger students. 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 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 “How did strategy and technology interact in the war at sea, 1914-18?” The lesson begins with an Odd One Out Starter Activity before the Key Question and lesson aims are introduced. Lesson criteria are outlined and graduated (all will/most will/some will) and there are slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition. Students then work in a pair to divide 12 cards into examples of how a) naval strategy changed technology and b) technology changed naval strategy. From this, the pair work together to design a Tom and Jerry style story to show the relationship between the two (an example is given). Students then share their findings. The lesson objectives are revisited, and the lesson concludes with a trash can style plenary in which students are invited to come to the board and add information to the two trash cans (technology and strategy) to showcase what they have learned. I hope your students get as much from this lesson as mine do. Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson is titled “Was William Wallace a hero or a villain? Braveheart.” The lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which students are asked to place four historical figures in order of height. This introduces the class to the idea of myth (Wallace was probably not the giant legend states). The Key Question is then stated. Aims and lesson objectives are graduated (all will/most will/some will). There are slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition. Students are then placed in a pair and given one of two character cards (for and against Wallace). They work together to sift through 12 evidence cards to decide if the evidence suggests he was a hero or a villain. A plain version is provided as well as a colour coded one for those who need a little more help. Using this they then attempt the second part of the main activity which is to write a two-sided newspaper report. The lesson objectives are revisited. The lesson concludes with two plenaries. First, they are asked to come to the board and fill up an eight-petalled flower with compelling evidence. They then vote with their feet by standing to the side of the classroom they mostly agree with (i.e. he was a hero, or he was a villain). I hope your students get as much from this lesson as mine do. Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson is titled “Why did the Roman Empire collapse?” This lesson begins with a Blankety Blank style Starter Activity which introduces students to the concept of collapse. The Key Question is introduced along with aims and graduated lesson objectives (all will/most will/some will). After this there are slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition. Students are then introduced to the five key reasons and placed into jigsaw groups. Each is given a factor to research using the 5 x fact files given (as well as internet or library). Their challenge is to return to their group and to convince the others of the importance of their single factor. Once they have listened to all five reasons (political, social, and economic problems, as well as barbarian invasions, and military overspending) they write a written response to the Key Question. The lesson objectives are revisited and the lesson concludes with a starfish plenary in which students are invited to come up to the board and vote on which of the five factors was most significant and why. It has been written for high school students and I hope your class enjoy this lesson as much as mine do. Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson is titled “What caused the Great Fire of London?” The lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which the class are invited to spot the one fact which is not true. 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 given one of four character cards and asked to make notes as journalists by interviewing the other three but only after they have completed a 21 piece Diamond 21 activity on the most important reasons. They are are then asked to create a newspaper outlining the causes and a beginning example is given. After this, students present their findings. The lesson objectives are revisited, and the lesson concludes a Have I Got News for You style fill in the gaps plenary activity to test knowledge acquired. Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson is titled “How similar and how different was the treatment of Conscientious Objectors in the First and Second World Wars?” The lesson begins with an Odd One Out Starter Activity which invites students to pick out Elvis Presley (the only one of the three who picked up arms to fight for his country). This then introduces the lesson’s Key Question/title and aims are given along with graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will). After this there are slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition. The class are then allocated roles within teams and begin a Gallery Walk which they use to fill in their grids to show similarities and differences. After this they complete a piece of written work to answer the Key Question. Lesson objectives are revisited, and the lesson concludes with a plenary activity where they are invited to come up to the board and to add a similarity or difference to one of the two categories (trash cans) given. Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson is titled “Why was the Spanish Armada defeated in 1588?” The lesson begins with a What Would You Do? Style Starter Activity in which the scene of Francis Drake playing bowls at Plymouth Hoe is told in the form of a story. The class are asked to decide if they would finish their game or immediately go and fight the invading ships. This leads into the Key Question and lesson aims. Lesson objectives are laid out and graduated (all will/most will/some will). Students are then placed into groups of four and given a different character card. They need to work together to walk around the class collating information from 10 different stations in a Gallery Walk. From this, they then choose three characters and script out a debate they might have on a TV chat show (an example is provided). The class read their scripts. Objectives are revisited and the lesson concludes with a plenary activity in which they are asked to add a thought or comment on a speech bubble around Drake to answer the question Why was the Spanish Armada defeated in 1588? I hope you enjoy this lesson as much as my students always do. Wishing you a terrific day.

This product is titled “What was religion like in Ancient Rome?” The lesson begins with an Odd One Out Starter Activity which introduces the class to some facts about religion in Ancient Rome. They are then informed of the Key Question and aims as well as graduated objectives are discussed (all will/most will/some will). There are then background slides of information to allow for teacher exposition. After this, students are given the task of creating a diorama in which the Roman Gods are symbolised by modern superheroes (Superman is Jupiter because he is all powerful for example). The class explain their work and the lesson concludes with a fill in the gaps Have I Got News for You style plenary in which they test their knowledge acquired in this lesson. Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson is titled “What was life like for a Crusader?” This lesson begins with an Odd One Out Starter Activity in which the class are asked to pick out one untruth from a choice of four. This then introduces the Key Question and aims and there are graduated learning objectives (all will/most will/some will). There are then slides of background knowledge for teacher exposition. After this, students are placed in groups of four and given a character card. They need to then walk around 10 portraits in a Gallery Walk exercise to jot down knowledge and information to help them create a TV Chat show to answer the Key Question. After this they perform their responses. The lesson objectives are revisited to ensure students have made progress and the lesson concludes with a plenary activity in which they are invited to write on speech bubbles on a Crusader to help explain what life was like for him. Wishing you a terrific day.

The title of this lesson is “Why did the USSR lose the Afghanistan war?” The lesson begins with an Odd One Out Starter Activity in which students are invited to review four lesser known facts about the Soviet-Afghan War and to identify the incorrect one. After this, the title is introduced as are aims and graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will) and two different perspectives on the Key Question are offered (Yousuf and Gorbachev). These are revisited later. There are then background information slides to allow for teacher exposition to introduce the topic. The main activity then begins. This is a Gallery Walk activity. The class are broken up into groups and each group is given various roles (coordinator, recorder, timekeeper, researchers, presenter, and proofreader – students can carry out more than one role). Students then walk around the room and read each of the 15 pieces of evidence in the Galleries (these need to be printed and stuck up around the room, or corridor if you want to get your class out and moving around school). As they do so they complete the grid provided and are then asked as a group to create a TV news report to answer the Key Question. Following this there is a voting plenary in which the class are asked to vote on their answer to which of the earlier interpretation they mostly agree with. They stand to the side of the room that represents where they fit into the historiographical debate and explain their position to another student. And before you leave be sure to bookmark 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 impact did women have on the Civil Rights movement?” This lesson begins with a What’s Behind the Squares Starter Activity which reveals a work of art entitled ‘The liberation of Aunt Jemima.’ It is an assemblage piece created by Betye Saar, a female artist, and features Black Power symbols. It introduces the class to the importance of the role women played in the Civil Rights movement. The PPT then explains the title of the lesson and aims and objectives are graduated into all will/most will/some will. There are then slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition. These include examples of women in terms of leadership, activism, media and communication, protest songs, grassroots work, legal cases, as well as inspiration for the future. Following this the class are told they will begin their main task which is to research one important woman and create a speech explaining their importance and impact to the class. They must include and analyse at least one source relating to them, and examples are provided. They are told to try to include 5 x people/places, 4 x dates/events, 3 x statistics, 2 x quotations, and 1 x opinion. The class peer assess using the template provided. The lesson concludes with a plenary in which they are invited to place a post-it note on a pentagon on the board – the more central they place their notes denotes how important they feel each groups’ person was. I hope your students get as much out of this important topic as mine always do. It has been designed for older high school students with good research skills but can be adapted to meet the needs of younger learners.

This lesson is titled “What really happened to the Princes in the Tower?” This lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which the class are invited to discuss four methods of execution which have become part of the mystery surrounding the Princes and are asked to explain which they feel is the grisliest. Most will choose the hot poker (!) and this leads to a discussion about why, if that was how the Princes died, anyone would want to kill them so brutally. There are then slides of background information to allow teacher exposition and the lesson title is introduced along with aims and graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will). The first main activity is a 20 piece card sort whereby students divide information into that which suggests the Princes’ uncle, Richard III, killed them, and evidence which suggests they may have escaped. From this they then complete the second main activity which is to create a 3-5 minute TV news report explaining what they feel happened using the evidence they have handled. The class then present these before the lesson plenary in which they are asked to stand up and walk to the side of the room they agree with in a class vote. I hope your students get as much from this History Mystery as mine do. This lesson was written for high achieving high school students and is written in UK English. Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson is titled “Why were the Tolpuddle Martyrs treated so badly?” This lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which students are invited to discuss what punishments they feel are appropriate for six given crimes. This then leads into the Key Question and the lesson aims are introduced along with graduated criteria (all will/most will/some will). There is then background information slides to allow for teacher exposition. After this, students are paired up and given a character card (Judge Williams/George Loveless). They then complete a Diamond 16 activity before creating a blog in the guise of their character. The lesson concludes with a Have I Got News Style fill in the gaps Plenary to check for understanding. Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson is titled “Who was the most important prison reformer?” The lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which students are invited to spot which of four statements about pre-reform prisons is untrue. This then leads into the lesson title which is introduced along with aims and graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will). There are then slides of background information to enable teacher exposition. Following this, students are placed in a group of four and given character cards about key prison reformers (Howard, Fry, Dickens, Bentham). They then need to eliminate one and create a TV chat show segment arguing which of them is the most important reformer (an example is given for them to act out for inspiration.) The lesson then concludes with a plenary activity in which the class come up to the board and place a post-it note on a four-pointed kite to signal their answer to the Key Question. This lesson was written for high achieving high school students and is written in UK English. Wishing you a terrific day.