The Tudors This lesson poses the question ‘How much of a threat did Mary, Queen of Scots pose to Elizabeth I?’ Students are taken through Mary’s life from becoming Queen of Scotland to the controversy of her husbands and her eventual house arrest in England. Through sources, visual and video evidence, students have conclude how much of a threat Mary posed to Elizabeth, after pleading their case through the eyes of Mary herself. There is some help to write an extended answer using key words which help mention cause and effect, to sequence events and to emphasise judgements. There is also analysis of the Babington Plot and a deciphering exercise to work out on how Mary was implicated. 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 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.

The Industrial Revolution This lesson aims to evaluate the problems within Industrial towns and the impact they had on the growing population during the Industrial Revolution. The lesson starts by analysing the source from Punch in 1852, 'A Court For King Cholera’, which is later annotated to help aid discussion. Various images, video evidence and headlines allow students to build up a picture, which they then have to explain to a friend in a letter - using scaffolding and a writing frame if required. Students also evaluate how and why the living conditions became like this and question if this was the case across the country as they are given further evidence from the wealthy in Victorian England, comparing the dwellings of the rich and poor. Students will therefore be able by the end of the lesson be able to give an effective and balanced answer to this lesson. 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.

Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship The aim of this lesson is to evaluate how effectively the Nazis controlled its Youth. The lesson is split into two parts and can be delivered over two lessons. The first part looks at the Hitler Youth, the activities organised for boys and girls and the purpose behind them. Students then have to analyse four pieces of evidence and evaluate how much they are being controlled. Some differentiated questioning and higher order thinking allows you to see how much they are making progress in the lesson. The second part focuses on education and what the young people are taught at school. Again the students are challenged and questioned on how effective this diet of propaganda was, with an emphasis that not all lessons were anti-Semitic. Various and excellent video footage is used to consolidate understanding. 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 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.

World War II The aim of this lesson is to understand why children were evacuated to the countryside. However, it also questions the success of evacuation through government propaganda, audio records of evacuees and from written sources of evidence. Students are led through the evacuation process, which on the surface looks amazingly planned and executed by the British Government. But, using primary evidence of the time, they realise how the Government failed to prioritise the needs of the children over the need to evacuate large numbers. Students will also learn how other vulnerable groups in society were also evacuated without due consideration of their needs. By the end of the lesson the students will evaluate the biggest problems faced by the children and learn some sad facts about the reality of war on the Home Front. 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 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 analyse Nazi policies towards women and then evaluate how effective they were at controlling them. The start of the lesson questions the qualities Hitler is looking for in women and then questions what makes the perfect Nazi woman using key words. Students then have some differentiated questions to complete, using text before evaluating how much certain women were controlled and explaining to what extent. A GCSE practice question focuses on ‘Which source is the most convincing?’, complete with simplified markscheme and notes on the slide for more guidance. The key words are then revisited in the plenary. 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 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.

The Tudors The aim of this lesson is for the students to understand the causes and prioritise the reasons for the failure of the Spanish Armada. As the students are posed with the question, ‘why did the Spanish eat rope?’, they make up an explosive cocktail to understand the main causes of the invasion. As the story unravels as to the failures of the Spanish invasion fleet, students have to analyse and prioritise which were the main reasons for English success, against Spanish superiority in numbers and firepower. The plenary requires students to evaluate the Blob bridge and explain which blob represents the best fit in this story, from an English sailor, the Spanish public right up to Queen Elizabeth and King Philip. The lesson is differentiated and includes video evidence as well as an interactive diagram plotting the route of the Armada. 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 Industrial Revolution The aim of this lesson is for students to analyse the changes that were happening in the Industrial Revolution and then to question if these changes made peoples’ lives better or worse. (Thus focusing on the historical skills of change and continuity and cause and consequence) The students are given a picture as they walk into the room which describes an invention that has been introduced during the Industrial Revolution. They then organise themselves into chronological order before discussing who it affected, why it would affect them and how it could transform the lives of people. They also have to decide in a Britain’s Got Talent Quiz which invention is the most important and would win the Golden Buzzer. Furthermore they analyse further changes which occurred, how they link together and for extra challenge decide how many of the changes refer to economic, social, demographic, political or technological changes. 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.

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 Tudors This lesson aims to find out the real reason for the sinking of Henry’s flagship, the Mary Rose. The lesson starts with Henry crying (literally) and students have to decode a message to find out why. Students are then given four options as to why it sank, from which they give their initial opinions. Further analysis of video footage and written evidence will allow them to form their own judgements to be able to complete an extended writing task. This lesson uses Henry as a talking head, discussing how it was impossible to sink it in the first place, due to his genius and finally responding to the students’ evidence in a witty plenary. This lesson is engaging and fun and gives a different perspective of looking at Tudor seafaring and what was aboard the ships of the time. 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 English Civil War The aim of this lesson is for the students to decide whether Charles I was guilty or not guilty at his own trial of ‘subverting the fundamental laws and liberties of the nation and with maliciously making war on the parliament and people of England.’ The lesson starts by questioning the types of hat the judge should wear followed by a series of biased images depicting Charles at his trial, of which students have to analyse and explain why. Students then examine and evaluate information about Charles’s actions to come up with a guilty or not guilty verdict. If found guilty then they will have to sign his death warrant! There is some sentence scaffolding and argument words provided if help is required. 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, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

American Civil RIghts This lesson aims to question the impact the KKK had on America in the 1900’s. It starts by looking at some of the actions of the KKK and the fear and intimidation black Americans felt at the time. Students have to analyse a variety of evidence about the group before having to answer some differentiated questions, including voicing their judgements on its impact over time in the Twentieth Century There is also a link to the KKK today and what they are still trying to represent and promote. Students can also refer to this to build upon their conclusions as to the impact they had on American society. The plenary requires students to fix and fix statements using their knowledge gained in 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, differentiated materials and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

American Civil RIghts The aim of this lesson is to show a different approach to achieving Civil Rights pursued by Malcolm X. The start of the lesson asks why Malcolm Little changed his name and makes a link to the film by Spike Lee. It follows his early life chronologically and some higher order thinking questions are posed. The lesson then looks at his later life and beliefs and analyses some of his views and most famous quotations in a fun and engaging way. Students have to finally decide the most important aspects of his legacy and prioritise them, as well as deciding the fundamental differences of his beliefs and approach compared to Martin Luther King. 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.

American Civil Rights This lesson starts with the Bob Dylan song ‘The death of Emmett Till’. The question is posed as to why Emmett’s mother had an open top casket at his funeral? Students are given sources to piece together the story before they find out what happened to him (the story is differentiated according to ability). Embedded video footage of his short life from the time reinforces their learning. Students then have a choice of answering some differentiated questions or completing an extended piece of writing. The plenary questions the impact of his death upon the Civil Rights Movement and help is given on how students can justify their reasons. 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 to find out about the hidden messages in Elizabeth I’s portrait paintings. Students learn about how Elizabeth manipulated her portraits and added symbols, each of which had a hidden meaning. The introduction to the lesson looks at anachronisms and modern day symbols put into portraits to get the students thinking how pictures should not always be seen and taken at face value. Thus inference skills are high on the agenda in this lesson. Students are then given information about each of her paintings and have to analyse and evaluate their meanings and various symbolic codes. 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 evaluate the consequences of Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries and who were the winners and losers. The start of the lesson gets the students to imagine walking into a monastery, with accompanying music to set the tone. They are given character cards (for both monks and nuns) and introduce themselves to each other to learn about their various roles. Students then have to analyse information, which is starting to make them scared of the changes that are happening all around them and subsequently decide what will happen to their character as a consequence of the dissolution. The plenary tests them in a six minute challenge of what they have learnt in the lesson and adds a competitive edge at the end. 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.

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