World War II The aim of this lesson is to challenge the Government’s claim that during World War Two, a Blitz spirit of togetherness emerged across the country in defiance of the bombing of Britain’s cities. This lesson takes students on a journey through archive video footage, government announcements and source information to determine if there was indeed a Blitz Spirit during the war. Students are given details of what the Blitz entailed using some contextual evidence and a thinking quilt. They then have to analyse and evaluate a variety of sources and statistics before they conclude and justify which sources best suit the driving question of the lesson. The plenary is a take on the television programme, ‘Would I lie to you?’ and the idea is to again challenge assumptions. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end to show the progress of learning. The resource includes retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials. It comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The Suffragettes The lesson focuses on the main differences between the Suffragists and Suffragettes, but also looks at their similarities. Students are asked as to why women wanted the vote and how they were going to achieve it? Further into the lesson, students have to analyse the various methods used by both groups and have to question, prioritise and justify their effectiveness. Included is a thinking quilt which tests pupils’ understanding and links the key ideas, dates, people and definitions together. A differentiated plenary questions and checks their understanding of the lesson. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The Holocaust The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the reasons why Josef Mengele escaped justice. I have been inspired to write this lesson after reading an article by Gerald Posner who spent three decades trying to track him down. The story makes fascinating reading; but was Mengele a brilliant mastermind at escape and evasion tactics or was it pure incompetence on the part of the West German authorities and a lack of will from the Western governments to track and find him? Students are given the context to Josef Mengele, his background and a very brief description of the war crimes he committed at Auschwitz, without going into specific details. They complete a missing word activity, before analysing the fake passport he used to flee to South America. The main task is to judge how believable his escape story really is, with some red herrings thrown in for good measure to get the students really thinking. Some key differentiated questions, an extended writing piece, with some ‘believable’ words as well as a thinking quilt will give the students an accurate account of his double life. There is also an excellent link to video footage of a documentary by Gerald Posner himself. The resource comes in PDF and PowerPoint formats if there is a wish to adapt and change and is differentiated. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson.

The aim of the lesson is to analyse the power struggles between Edward II and his barons. Students begin by discovering the problems of Edward II, which they will rate in order of seriousness (and will find they were mostly brought on by himself!). They then complete an extended writing task with key literacy words given to help them. Students will learn about the central character of the story, a leading nobleman named Roger Mortimer and complete a missing word activity to find out why and how he escaped his imprisonment in the Tower of London. They then have to rate how much power the King had, in the struggles with this leading nobleman and his own wife, Isabella. Some hinge questions and a literacy task complete the lesson. They continue to plot the power struggle between the king, the church, the barons and the people on a graph. In a sequence of lessons they answer the question – who ruled in medieval England? This lesson includes: Fun, engaging and challenging tasks Printable worksheets Differentiated tasks Suggested teaching strategies PowerPoint format, which can be changed to suit

The aim of this lesson is for the students to assess how ‘great’ King Alfred was. Students are given the context to Alfred’s reign with his attempt to unite the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to fight back against the Vikings and their area known as Danelaw. There are quite a few key words used in this lesson, so students have to complete a heads and tails task. They are also required to complete a missing word activity as well as analysing his statue at Winchester. The main task will be judge and rate out of ten which of the sixteen statements make Alfred ‘great’ or not. An extended writing activity will allow them to make judgements and justify their decisions. There is also chance to complete a verbal boxing debate using some of the key ideas of his rule from the lesson. The plenary will check understanding with a truth or lie activity. This lesson is also excellent as an introduction to studying the Anglo-Saxons and Normans for GCSE. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

The aim of this lesson is to explore how historians find out about the past using historical sources. Students are firstly questioned about how we can find out about Castles or Roman artefacts for example with usually some interesting replies. They then have to study four historical sources with differentiated questioning to help decipher and discover their provenance. There is an extended writing task to complete with their new found knowledge, with help and prompts given if required. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is to judge how successful Mary’s economic policies were. At first glance, it would be easy for students to assume that Mary’s policies failed. Bad harvests, inflation, a sweating sickness ravaging the country and population growth characterised her reign. However, further investigation and analysis will reveal some successes and foundation stones laid for the future with the help of an able Lord Treasurer. A revaluation of the currency, a Militia Act, poor relief and the commissioning of six new ships for the navy were all to be welcomed by Elizabeth and her successors when she became Queen. The plenary is a colour coding exercise where students have to decide which key terms and Acts belonged to either Edward or Mary. The second part of the lesson focus on a mid Tudor crisis. Students can attempt some question practice with planning guidance and a markscheme provided if required. There is an enquiry question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work. The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit. The lesson is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.

The British Empire The aim of the lesson is to assess the importance of apartheid in South Africa both politically and economically. The lesson begins by giving the context of South Africa being part of the British Empire and it move toward independence and the introduction of apartheid. Students have a quiz to complete as well as source scholarship on its introduction in 1948. They also evaluate the restrictions it imposed on the non white population of South Africa, where they are required to give their opinions on it as well as the significance at the time, overtime and nowadays. The lesson also focuses on the impact of the ANC and Nelson Mandela’s contribution to a modern South Africa and the part he played in ending apartheid. There are some excellent video links to his life and work as well as the Soweto uprising of 1976. The lesson concludes with a diamond nine activity to prioritise the main reasons why apartheid came to an end. The lesson comes with suggested teaching and learning strategies and are linked to the latest historical interpretations, video clips and debate. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end to show the progress of learning. The lesson is fully adaptable in PowerPoint format and can be changed to suit.

Britain: Health and the People c.1000-present These key individual flashcards aim to get the students thinking of key people and their significance in medicine. I always find students have revised thoroughly for exams, but do not push their grades into the higher brackets as they focus on content rather than the individual’s impact and importance, particularly over time. There are 36 individuals listed, Students can use them in class (I use them as starters and plenaries) or to take home and use for their own personal revision programme. I also display them in the classroom (enlarged) and use when teaching this unit of study. The resource comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is to question how effective the burning of heretics was in Mary’s reign to restore Catholicism. The lesson begins with some exam extract practice and then focuses on Cardinal Pole’s positive approach at first to gathering ‘the lost sheep’ back into the Catholic fold. Students learn the process of how a person was condemned to death in Marian England by burning at the stake and why the first executions encouraged large crowds to gather. Using some more ‘burning’ evidence, students have to evaluate how effective they were in Marian England, and be able to give both sides of the argument, including revisionist views from Dr Anna Whitelock. Students will finally have to analyse and decide where Protestantism and Catholicism was embedded around the country if at all and the significance of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. There is an enquiry question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work. The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit. The lesson is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is to question how far Mary was fit to run her government. The first task students have to complete is to predict what Mary with do to overcome some of her immediate problems. They will also determine whether having numerous councillors during her reign automatically meant an inefficient and faction-ridden government. Students will learn how Mary both cooperated and well as clashed with her Parliament and then evaluate how efficient her government actually was. There is an enquiry question posed at the start and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work. The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit. The lesson is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.

The aim of this lesson is to assess the impact and legacy of the Roman Empire upon Britain. Students begin by deciphering some key words and then analyse a map of Roman Britain. They are given some context to the Roman in Britain as well as the reasons why they left. The main task is to research what the Romans left behind in Britain when they left, from bathhouses, to villas, language, roads and towns. There are some excellent video links as well as some extended writing to complete if required. The plenary will check understanding with a multiple choice quiz. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is to challenge the view that Mary’s foreign policy was a disaster. Students are given the context to Europe at Mary’s accession to the throne and how she was brought into the Habsburg-Valois conflict as a result of her marriage to Philip II of Spain. There are some differentiated questions to answer using some extended comprehension, as well a discussion on the pros and cons of her foreign policy. This is a case study of the capture of Calais from a recent BBC magazine article which sets up an extract practice question to answer, complete with a detailed markscheme to help if required. The plenary challenges what students have learnt in the lesson and some assumptions made by historians. There is an enquiry question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work. The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit. The lesson is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.

The British Empire This lesson explores the rise and fall of Robert Clive of India. Should he be regarded as a hero or a villain of the worst kind? The first part of the lesson establishes his heroic reputation through video and source analysis. Students then sift through a variety of source information and plot a graph coming to their own conclusions and judgements. They also analyse the Battle of Plassey as an additional task and decide whether their judgement has been correct all the time. The plenary requires them to create a plaque for Clive of India to sum up his reputation according to the evidence. The lesson comes with suggested teaching and learning strategies and are linked to the latest historical interpretations, video clips and debate. The lesson is fully adaptable in PowerPoint format and can be changed to suit.

Germany 1890-1945:Democracy and Dictatorship This lesson focuses on two key questions - how were the Ruhr crisis and hyperinflation so closely linked together and how did they create both economic and political problems for the Weimar Republic between 1919 and 1923? The lesson is split into two parts; the first focusing on why the French decided to invade the Ruhr region of Germany and secondly the consequences for them and for Germany when they did. Students have to answer key questions on the invasion and analyse sources which infer French brutality. A literacy task to follow challenges students’ understanding of the key words used. The second part of the lesson explains the causes and consequences of hyperinflation with a focus on the winners and well as the losers. Some GCSE question practice at the end gives a student friendly markscheme to peer and self assess. There is a plethora of video footage and primary sources to analyse throughout the lesson as well as simplified and chronological explanations. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship The aim of this lesson is to study of the fascinating Weimar culture that Germany experienced in the 1920s and evaluate how it changed Germany society with its links to modern society today. Art, film, architecture, music and cabaret, theatre and fashion radically changed in Germany and led to the Golden Age which Stresemann had laid the delicate foundations for. Students analyse these changes through artwork, sources and music of the time as well as a thinking quilt which focuses on key words and terms used in the lesson. B y the end, they have to judge how these changes have impacted upon Germany society and explain why these changes have left a lasting legacy on culture and society today. The final part of the lesson is to answer a GCSE practice question on how Weimar culture impacted upon lives in Germany in the 1920s. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Civil Rights in America The aim of this lesson is to assess how far Jesse Owens inspired the Civil Rights Movement. Students begin by analysing his early childhood and how his athletic talents was spotted at a young age. Students will also assess how Jesse coped in the segregated south with the Jim Crow Laws and judge how far this impacted upon his athletics career. There is a chronological exercise to complete, together with video footage of the Berlin Olympics and some differentiated questioning on his medals, achievements and legacy… A true or false quiz at the end will attempt to question how Jesse Owens was received back in the USA after the Berlin Olympics and how far his life changed. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship The aim of this lesson is to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Nazi economy. I have always found this topic very dry; therefore I have tried to make it more accessible, more challenging as well as more relevant. Students are taken on a journey of success, from video footage of the time to Goebbels propaganda, a fall in unemployment as well as the ‘Strength Through Joy’ scheme. However further analysis, especially with aims of the Four Year Plan, shows the enormous cracks appearing in Nazi economic policy. A further look at the Home Front also proves how desperate Germans had become. Students will complete their own chart and scrutinise the evidence to come up with their own conclusions before deciding if the Nazis truly brought economic success. The GCSE question at the end focuses on which groups were more affected with Nazi economic policies and a self and peer assessment task is included to help the students mark their answers. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

**Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship ** The aim of this lesson is to examine the role of the Churches in Nazi Germany and to decide how much control Hitler exerted over them. The lesson starts by studying Christianity in Germany and explains why there was a conflict of interest with the State. Nazi policies to both the Catholic and Protestant Churches are analysed as students have to interpret the threats they both posed to Hitler. Furthermore students have to distinguish the differences between the Christian Churches and the new Nazi Reich Church. There are some excellent links to video footage which explain why there was such a lack of opposition and a united front from the Churches, despite such fortitude and resolve from Cardinal Galen and Martin Niemoller. A thinking quilt poses some enquiry and GCSE questions, which students have to answer by linking specific key words to them. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the significance of the Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht. The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 and Kristallnacht in 1938 are two significant events which can sometimes be overlooked when students write about Nazi policies towards the Jews in Germany, as they tend focus on the events after 1939 only. What were the Nuremberg Laws, why were they introduced and in which order did policies towards the Jews change after these laws were introduced? Moreover, was Kristallnacht a spontaneous or well planned atrocity led by the Nazis? Students are given evidence from which to make an informed decision which they must justify. A car number plate activity further assesses their understanding before the students plan an examination question for some GCSE exam practice. There are some great video links to help the learning as well. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.