“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. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “Was Maximilien Robespierre a hero or a villain?” The 25-slide PPT begins with a Starter Activity in which students are asked to look at four facts about Robespierre and to identify the one which is not true. 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 Robespierre). They work together to sift through 24 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 with simpler language for those who need a little more help or for whom English is an additional language. 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. I’d be so grateful if you can find time to add a positive review if you enjoyed this lesson. 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.

“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. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “The French Revolution in 8 Objects – Museum Lesson” This 40-slide PowerPoint begins with a Starter Activity in which the class is invited to guess the top 6 things a museum exhibition requires to be successful (this is done in the form of a Family Feud-style game). This leads to a discussion of the purposes of a good exhibition with a clear theme/concept and quality content displayed in an accessible manner. This introduces the lesson title and graduated aims (all will/most will/some will). The class is then invited to consider some key areas of the period, and an example of each is given (e.g, a coin for economic problems, a toy squishy brain for the Enlightenment, a tennis ball for the Tennis Court Oath etc.) The class then create their own exhibitions, ensuring they only select a maximum of 8 items and explain and analyse them as they relate to the period. This takes a couple of lessons. When they present, the class peer-assess using the criteria on the sheet (which link back to the Starter Activity). The lesson aims are revisited before the lesson concludes with a plenary in which students address the Key Question and discuss their thoughts on a range of artifacts (these are provided in one slide, but it works best if you use those that students came up with themselves in their own exhibitions). I designed this lesson for high-achieving high school students, and it works well to introduce a topic on the French Revolution or to conclude it. This lesson is written in UK English and requires students to have some research skills. I’d be so grateful if you can find time to add a positive review if you enjoyed this lesson. 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.

“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. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan The title of this lesson is “What was the most significant artefact in the push towards gender equality? Dragon’s Den Project.” This is a great project-based lesson designed to promote 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 Who Wants to be a Millionaire starter activity where students are asked to place four countries in the correct order in which women were granted the vote. There is some background knowledge to enable teacher exposition. 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 placed in groups and given a card with three different artefacts on with some background information (these range from Rosa Parks’ bus ticket to Malala’s bloodied uniform to Emily Davison’s Suffragette banner and many more). They need to choose one of their artefacts and explain in presentation form why they feel it is so significant. They can make models and sales pitches to accompany their explanations to the ‘dragons’ (get senior teachers to come in to act as these if they’re good sports). Students can use the internet, class texts, or library to help them research. The lesson concludes with a peer assessment class voting plenary on which they felt was the most important and why. This lesson has been designed for high school students. I’d be so grateful if you can find time to add a positive review if you enjoyed this lesson. 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.

“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. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “What have been the key turning points in the treatment of LGBTQ+ people over time?” 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 treatment of LGBTQ+ people over time. 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 periods (Ancient Times, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Enlightenment, 19th Century, early 20th Century, World War Two, and the Modern World.) The class are then take part in a 28 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. It is a lesson which is designed for older students and one which needs to be delivered sensitively. I hope your students get as much out of this lesson as mine always do. I’d be so grateful if you can find time to add a positive review if you enjoyed this lesson. 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.

“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. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “How much has Thanksgiving changed over time?” This 28-slide PowerPoint begins with three starter activities. Students are invited to do a Fist to Five, to write their existing knowledge on the board, and then to decide if three statements are true or false. Lesson aims and objectives are then introduced before a series of slides of background information to enable teacher exposition (about the first Thanksgiving, 1863, the ‘20s and ‘30s, and modern traditions since 1941.) Students then test their knowledge in a Whose Line is it Anyway activity. They are then introduced to the main activity, which is to create a timeline of Thanksgiving over time using the information they have learned. They then show off their work in a Gallery Walk and there is a slide in which the teacher cold calls three students to explain. In the first plenary students then come to the board to write down one way Thanksgiving has changed and one way it has stayed the same on the two trash cans on the screen. In the second plenary they vote with Thinking Thumbs on the lesson’s Key Question. Aims and objectives are revisited. There is a homework task also. This lesson was created with a desirable difficulty level for students in high school settings and is written in UK English. 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.

“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. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan The title of this lesson is “What was the most significant weapon of the First World War? Dragon’s Den Project.” This is a great project-based lesson designed to promote 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 starter activity where students are asked to identify which of the given weapons was invented during the First World War (the other three were very important, but invented previously). This leads on to a second activity in which they see how many inventions which were widely used in the First World War they can identify. 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 fighting, and T = turning point. For the main task students are placed in groups and given a card with three different weapons on with some background information. They need to choose one of their inventions and explain in presentation form why they feel it is so significant. They can make models and sales pitches to accompany their explanations to the ‘dragons’ (get senior teachers to come in to act as these if they’re good sports). Students can use the internet, class texts, or library to help them research. The lesson concludes with a peer assessment class voting plenary on which they felt was the most important weapon and why. This lesson has been designed for high school students. 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.

“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. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “How much has Halloween changed over time?” This 37-slide PowerPoint begins with three starter activities. Students are invited to do a Fist to Five, to write their existing knowledge on the board, and then to decide if three statements are true or false. Lesson aims and objectives are then introduced before a series of slides of background information to enable teacher exposition (about Ancient Celtic origins, the impact of Christianity from the 700s, and modern Halloween). Students then test their knowledge in a Whose Line is it Anyway activity. They are then introduced to the main activity, which is to create a spooky timeline of Halloween over time. They then show off their work in a Gallery Walk and there is a slide in which the teacher cold calls three students to explain the three periods studied. In the first plenary students then come to the board to write down one way Halloween has changed and one way it has stayed the same on the two trash cans on the screen. In the second plenary they vote with Thinking Thumbs on the lesson’s Key Question. Aims and objectives are revisited and I like to hand out Halloween candy at this point! There is a homework task also. This lesson was created with a desirable difficulty level for students in high school settings and is written in UK English. 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.

Dan’s History Highway is a store which shares my love of History, inspires critical thinking, and helps your students connect to the past. That’s why I set it up. The title of this lesson is “What are the historical foundations of the Ukraine-Russia War?” This lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which students are invited to play a game of Play Your Cards Right to test chronological understanding of four of the key events in Russo-Ukraine relations. The title is then introduced along with graduated criteria (all will/most will/some will). There then follows slides of teacher exposition and students are given a template (a newspaper template with headings which match the points discussed) on which to jot down key names, dates, people, places, events, quotations, and statistics. When they have achieved this, they then write up their own newspaper (you can give them the editable PPT template or just print it off). A completed example is given, and students are brought back to the criteria to show progress made. There is then a Whose Line Is It Anyway? plenary for students to recap the knowledge of key vocabulary covered. I hope your students get as much out of this lesson as mine always do. Please note it is exposition heavy and was written for high achieving high school students and is written in UK English. 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 “Was Robert E. Lee a hero or a villain?” The lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which students are asked to look at the names of four schools and identify the odd one out (which is the one named after Lee, because it was renamed due to its association with the Confederacy.) This introduces the class to the idea that Lee is a controversial figure from the past. 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 Lee). 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 with simpler language 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. 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 “Why did the Union Forces win the US Civil War?” The lesson begins with a Starter Activity which gets students thinking about the topics (they are asked to identify which of a series of statements is not true). 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 five different factors which influenced the outcome of the Civil War (industry, military leaders, politics, population, and resources). From here students work in pairs to 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. 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 are the historical foundations of the Palestine Israel conflict?” This lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which students are invited to play a game of Play Your Cards Right to test chronological understanding of four of the key events in the history of this long conflict. The title is then introduced along with graduated criteria (all will/most will/some will). There then follows slides of teacher exposition and students are given a template (a newspaper template with headings which match the points discussed) on which to jot down key names, dates, people, places, events, quotations, and statistics. When they have achieved this, they then write up their own newspaper (you can give them the editable PPT template or just print it off). A completed example is given, and students are brought back to the criteria to show progress made. There is then a Whose Line Is It Anyway? plenary for students to recap the knowledge of key vocabulary covered. I hope your students get as much out of this lesson as mine always do. Please note it is exposition heavy and was written for high achieving high school students and is written in UK English. 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 “Did the ‘Blitz Spirit’ really exist?” The lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which students are asked to identify which of five statements about the Blitz are not true. The Key Question is then stated. Aims and lesson objectives are graduated (all will/most will/some will). There are then 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). They work together to sift through 12 evidence cards to decide if the evidence suggests the ‘Blitz Spirit’ was real or a myth. A plain version is provided as well as a colour coded one with simpler language for those who need a little more help. Using this they then attempt the second part of the main activity which is to work together with their peer to write a two-sided newspaper report. The lesson objectives are then 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. it did or did not exist). I hope your students get as much from this lesson as mine do. 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 happened to the defeated powers in the other post-WWI Peace Treaties?” The lesson begins with a Starter Activity which is a series of anagrams to introduce the students to the four defeated nations which will be studied. 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 four fact files on the Treaties of St. Germain, Trianon, Sevres, and Lausanne (each of which includes information about military, territory, economy, and social impacts). 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 inform the others in their ‘jigsaw’ in the form of a speech, PPT, model, or any other way they feel is appropriate. They are also asked to produce a handout. Versailles is always taught very well but these other treaties less so, and so this is a great addition to any History teacher’s toolbox. 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 trash bin plenary in which students are asked to add post it notes to the correct bin. I hope your students enjoy it as much as mine always do. It is pitched toward high achieving post-16 high school students and the lesson requires them to have some research skills. Please note this lesson does not cover the Treaty of Versailles. 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 “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.

This product is titled “Transition Day – Editable PowerPoint.” I created this resource when asked to lead our school’s transition for Grade 6 students moving to Year 7. It is a PowerPoint which can be edited to suit your own school and includes advice based on common student questions (uniform, transport, lessons, friendships etc). It also includes ideas such as the layout of the day and a Treasure Hunt quiz (both need to be adapted to suit your own school). I hope you find this resource as much use as our Year 6 parents and students did. It does need to be personalised but provides a good route through planning the day and ideas of what to discuss with parents and students. Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson is titled “What can we learn about Mughal India from its architecture? A journey to the Taj Mahal.” The lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which students close their eyes whilst the teacher reads a short story, after which students are asked to sketch what they have heard. The Key Question is then introduced along with lesson aims and graduated lesson objectives (all will/most will/some will). There is then a series of slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition before the main task is introduced. Students create a visual, written or other model and explain these to the group. The lesson concludes with a plenary activity in which they are invited to come to the board and add a post-it note to explain what can be learned from the Taj Mahal in terms of three factors. I hope your students get as much from this lesson as mine always do. It has been written for independent-minded high school students. Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson is titled “Why did Babur win the Battle of Panipat?” 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 gave rise to the Mughal Empire. 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 (leadership, technology, strategy, and alliances). The class are then given a 15 piece card sort and divide the information into these 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 lesson as mine always do. Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson is titled “Did Akbar the Great deserve his nickname?” The lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which students are asked to place identify which of four statements is not true. 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 Akbar). They work together to sift through 12 evidence cards to decide if the evidence suggests he was or was not deserving of the epithet ‘the Great’. A plain version is provided as well as a color 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 work together 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 or was not deserving of his nickname Akbar the Great). I hope your students get as much from this lesson as mine do. 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 “Why did the Mughal Empire collapse?” 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 groups of six and given a one slide fact file on either regional fragmentation, external invasions, European powers, internal problems, weak succession, or economic decline. 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.