The Suffragettes The aim of this lesson is to assess the impact of World War 1 on the Suffragette movement. The lesson analyses the changing perceptions as women took on the jobs the men left behind to fight on the Western Front in France. Students prioritise the most important roles women took as well as discovering through source analysis what they did. There are some excellent case studies of four women and what they did during the war, which provide a great insight into many of the roles women undertook and the resistance and prejudice they faced. The final part of the lesson looks at the main reasons why women gained the vote and judge if the impact of the war was the main and fundamental reason for this. 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.

The Tudors The aim of this lesson is to understand why Henry VIII is always judged to be larger than life. It focuses on four portraits of Henry VIII from the early years until his death. Students will aim to write a descriptive piece about Henry by using each other to write it. When they finish, they will have a masterful descriptive paragraph which has been co-constructed by a number of them (with help from a word list). This activity is great for differentiation and team work. The lesson also attempts to banish the perception that Henry was always a large person who ate a lot. This is shown through video evidence and a thinking quilt. The plenary gets the students to summarise Henry’s match statistics and what he ‘should’ be remembered for. 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.

World War II The aim of this lesson is to question Britain’s policy of appeasement in the 1930’s, but also defend the decision Chamberlain took. Students have to make up their own minds through a variety of learning tasks which include gathering evidence from video footage of the time, completing a card sort activity, creating causational chains and analysing sources from the time. Some higher order questions at the end are aimed at getting them to think and challenge the perceptions they have made about appeasement. This lesson is ideal as preparation for GCSE if you are embedding source skills or teaching the interwar years or WWII at Key stage 4. It 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 and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The Tudors The aim of this lesson is to discover why the Elizabethan Poor Law was introduced and to assess its impact on Elizabethan society and beyond. Students first of all have to analyse the causes of poverty and prioritise which has been the main reason for its increase whether that be the actions of local landowners and Henry VIII in his break with Rome or the debasement of the coinage. They are also required to write to the local landowner, using suggested key argument words, to express their sympathy for the poor which was in sort supply in the Elizabethan era. As well as source analysis, students learn the so called tricks of the trade for begging and how Tudor propaganda shaped these negative views of the poor. Students subsequently have to assess the details of the new Elizabethan Poor Law, the reasons for a change in attitude towards the poor and assess its significance and impact upon society as a whole. The final task is to talk like an historian and answer the questions in a quiz picking up points for the harder questions. 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.

AQA GCSE 9-1 Britain: Health and the People, c.1000 to present This lesson focuses on the power of the church over medieval society and medicine and why it became so involved in helping the sick. Students explore the different types of care on offer from the Christian Church in the Middle Ages and learn why care not cure was the priority. They are required to analyse sources, reconstruct sentences and complete a key word summary question sheet to challenge their understanding. They are finally asked to fill in an efficiency rating of the Church and then predict its potential (as with a house energy efficiency rating). 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 is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. It comes in Powerpoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

The British Empire The aim of this lesson is to discover who the Zulus were and how and why their fighting left a lasting legacy on the British Empire. Students will also find out why the British army, allegedly the best and most disciplined fighting force in the world at the time be defeated and humiliated at the Battle of Isandlwana? They will also analyse how within hours they were heroically defending their lives at Rourke’s Drift in one of the most unlikely ‘victories’ in British military history. Students evaluate both battles, creating headlines and writing articles, using argument words and second and third tier vocabulary. They finally appraise the events of 1879, concluding how both battles should be viewed overall in history and their legacy. The lesson comes with retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching and learning strategies, differentiated materials and is 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.

World War I The aim of this lesson is to question how much Britain valued its Empire soldiers in World War 1. This subject is very topical at present as historians such as David Olusoga are putting cultural diversity at the forefront of our British history curriculum. The starting point of the lesson is to analyse the story of Private Johnson Beharry, focusing on his background and the reasons why he was awarded a Victoria Cross, through source or video evidence. Students will then link his story to World War 1, where they will learn how more V.C.’s were awarded to Empire soldiers than anyone else and discover which parts of the Empire contributed to the war effort and why. There are case studies in the lesson focused on troops from the Punjab and the West Indies. The main task students face is to judge how valued Empire soldiers were at the time and if not, how and why they were viewed differently. Ultimately they will need to clarify why this varied widely according to country and race. They will also be required to write an extended answer using their own opinions, with argument words and scaffolding given if required. There is a plethora of video evidence to accompany this lesson, with brilliant clips from the BBC and other sources. Students will finally consolidate their learning by creating sentences from ‘fragments’ and a retrieval task. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The Industrial Revolution This lesson aims to describe and explain the conditions of Victorian prisons through the eyes of a young person awaiting trial. Students learn how a poor diet, pointless tasks and a payment system for every amenity meant a miserable existence for inmates. So why did things begin to improve? How did key prison reformers change attitudes and make the government of the day reform the prisons? These questions and more will explored through prose, quizzes, video links and knockout tournament competitions to see and judge how far the prison reforms went and how effective they were. 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 comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson and there are differentiated materials included.

Norman Conquest The aim of this lesson is to judge how powerful Doom Paintings were in Medieval Britain. Students will be posed questions to answer, such as why was the Church so important in medieval society and why did people find it so hard to ignore its messages of doom and gloom? Students will learn how Doom paintings were a powerful propaganda tool in the Church’s message over its illiterate masses. Students will examine various paintings and video footage to give an in-depth analysis of their messages. They will then be required to transport themselves into the medieval era and create an extended written piece to express the impact these Medieval Doom paintings were having on their way of life. There is a peer assessment activity to complete and success criteria to help them if required. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end using a rate ‘o’ meter to show the progress of learning. The resource comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson and there are differentiated materials included.

The Industrial Revolution This lesson aims to analyse the changing population demographic and the reasons why these changes were happening at the time. The lesson begins with a high tempo start revealing what’s behind the boxes and follows onto a true or false quiz using a clue mat. Each student is also given a character card and analyses how their person impacts upon the population changes happening. They have to explain these changes using various learning tasks, including an extended writing piece with help given if required Finally students have evaluate the various reactions people would have felt at the time and justify their decisions. 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 comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson and there are differentiated materials included.

Rise of the Dictators This lesson aims to challenge preconceptions and assumptions that Hitler was a monster from birth, determined to commit mass murder and genocide. Growing up with his parents, his schooling, his move to Vienna and his life as a soldier are scrutinised as students have many opportunities to make judgements which are ultimately challenged at the end. The lesson starts with finding out what the students know about Germany after World War 1 and which statements Hitler could have said or supported during his life. The lesson includes a lot of visual evidence (such as Hitler’s propaganda posters) and well as video evidence of his life as a young boy. There is a differentiated research activity in which there is a chance for students to conduct their own independent investigations before reporting their final conclusions to the class. This lesson would also be ideal for a non specialist or as preparation for GCSE if you are embedding source skills, teaching the interwar years or World War 2 at Key Stage 4. 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.

AQA GCSE 9-1 Britain: Health and the People, c1000 to present The aim of this lesson is to judge the contribution and impact Florence made to medicine. Did Florence Nightingale singly handedly improve hospitals or were improvements afoot before she went to the Crimea? This is the driving question students will have in mind as they evaluate the reputation of women, nurses and hospitals before the Crimean War. Students will also analyse the story of Florence Nightingale and decide which factors helped each part of her story – thus recognising and understanding how to link different factors to one individual. The lesson thus includes a GCSE practice question, a fabulous video link and literacy challenges throughout. 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 comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson and there are differentiated materials included.

Britain: Health and the People c1000 to present The aims of this lesson is threefold; for students to recognise the introduction of sulphonamides and how the first magic bullets were discovered, analyse the growth of the pharmaceutical industry and evaluate the difficulties of eradicating the new superbugs which are resistant to antibiotics and alternative medicines. The first task for students is to analyse the work of Ehrlich and Domagk in their quest to cure diseases such as syphilis, malaria and blood poisoning. Students then have to judge how significant their work was and justify this in a grid (from not a all, partially, moderately, substantially and significantly) The second task evaluates the work of the Pharmaceuticals such as Wellcome, KlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer, the positive work they do into researching new medicines but also looking at the negatives as well, such as the drug Thalidomide. The final part of the lesson requires students to analyse how and why there are diseases resistant to antibiotics using current research available from the NHS as well as reasons why people are turning in increasing numbers to alternative treatments and medicines such as acupuncture and homeopathy. 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 comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson and there are differentiated materials included.

The Norman Conquest This lesson aims to question the qualities of William the Conqueror as the new leader of England. Students will learn and discover that to many of the English, he was a foreigner and a usurper, who spoke French and only favoured his friends. Therefore this lesson focuses on his policies towards those who opposed his rule and the ‘harrying of the north.’ Students have to analyse the threat level posed by many of these rebels (by colour coding thermometers next to each rebellion) as well as evaluating how much control he was able to exert over them, by making judgements using a control ‘o’ meter. There are accompanying worksheets and video links to reinforce the learning. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

This lesson aims to find out if the negative reputation of King John being nasty is a fair one. To do this, students begin by evaluating a number of historical interpretations from statues, Disney cartoons, portraits, a Horrible Histories interpretation as well using a number of sources of King John. These are then analysed and quested using a grid sheet to decide their final judgement if King John really was a ‘meanie’. The plenary uses a summarising pyramid to test and challenge their knowledge and understanding. Students will continue to plot the power struggle between the king, the church, the barons and the people in a sequence of lessons. This lesson includes: Fun, engaging and challenging tasks Links to video footage Printable worksheets Differentiated tasks Suggested teaching strategies PowerPoint format, which can be changed to suit

World War II The aim of this lesson is to question if it was really necessary for the Allies to bomb Dresden in World War II. Sir Arthur ‘Bomber’ Harris stands today as a controversial figure and therefore the lesson revolves around his reputation; did he bring an the end of the war with the bombing raids and save thousands of lives or the reverse? The lesson builds up a picture of why the bombing raids on Germany were stepped up, how the Government used propaganda posters to justify these and why Dresden was a ‘legitimate’ target. Differentiated tasks analyse the consequences of the bombing on Dresden and a mini plenary checks understanding. The ultimate task is for the students to decide if he was a war hero or a criminal, with prompts and help if required. The plenary challenges the students to link the key words to controversial themes developed throughout the lesson. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning. The resource includes retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

World War I The aim of this lesson is to question whether the Government was right to punish conscientious objectors during World War 1 and how frightening it was for individuals to refuse. This is a controversial subject and was extremely difficult to understand and address at the time. Therefore the lesson explains why many people in World 1 refused to fight, despite government propaganda and pressure from society for them to do so as they became targets of abuse. Luckily now there is a wealth of video and audio evidence in this lesson (linked to the BBC in particular) which deconstructs and challenges the old arguments of cowardice and shame as well as understanding individuals’ rights to uphold their beliefs and consciences. Students are given two case studies to analyse before engaging in a mini debate on the right or wrongs to conscientiously object to war. The plenary challenges them to decide if the given statements from the lesson are true or false. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning. The resource includes retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

This lesson is split into two parts; the first part explains the triangular trade and the various goods and transactions that occurred in the slave trade. Students are required to find this out through documentary and video evidence before plotting it on a table. A mini plenary checks their understanding and uses a ‘what if’ question to challenge their thinking. The second part analyses the story of Olaudah Equiano and how his life was before and after he was captured. However the students are challenged to question his version of events and how there is conflicting evidence in his account. The final part of this lesson analyses how the slaves were captured by whom, prioritising which were the most common forms of capture and using sources of evidence to extract further information. 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.

AQA GCSE 9-1 Elizabethan England, 1568-1603 The overarching aim of this and the subsequent bundle of eleven lessons is to question and explore how Elizabeth tried to assert and establish her authority in the early years of her reign. The lessons are therefore linked together to build up a picture of her difficulties in trying to overcome this. This second lesson on Elizabeth focuses on the workings of her government. Where did the real power lie in Elizabethan England? Students question who Elizabeth might want in her government and using a text mapping exercise find out who is who in the different establishments. The second part of the lesson examines a significance question and compares the inner workings of her government to today’s cabinet and the role of Parliament. Students have to write about the importance of the Royal Court using the information provided, which is also linked to a brilliant BBC video clip and with a model answer included. 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 Tudors The aim of this lesson is to challenge the assumption that Henry broke with Rome on account of his faith. This lesson explores this argument using a 2p coin, which brings the lesson some relevance with today. Students complete reading a script, or can opt for actors’ voices. They then have to complete a card sort activity, prioritising Henry’s reasons for his decision to become the Supreme Head of the Church. In their final task, they are required to write a letter to the Pope explaining in no uncertain terms their reasons for the break with Rome. There is an excellent writing frame to complete this task if required. They also have to justify their choices on a timeline, whether it was love or faith alone which had the final say in his religious decisions. 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.