This guide is aimed at students to help them study, revise and be prepared for the AQA Elizabethan Historic Environment question for 2025. I have broken down the main details into manageable chunks using the 5 w’s of what, where, when, why and who , This guide has been revised from my 2018 version and focuses on the main concepts of location, function, structure, design, people connected to it, the culture, values and fashions of the time and how the site links to important events of the period. I have also included all the key information needed such as Bess’s background and status, the latest in fashions and the designing of Hardwick Hall as well as its furnishings and garden layout. Please note that many of the pictures from the AQA guidance on Hardwick Hall are not included due to copyright. Please feel free to therefore adapt the guide and include them. Any reviews on this resource would be greatly appreciated

The aim of this lesson is to understand why building trenches led to a static war of attrition in the First World War. It focuses on some key questions: Why did they build trenches in World War I in the first place? Why were the trenches built in zig zags? Why were there lines of trenches behind the front ones and how did they use the barbed wire and sandbags? Through video footage and visual aids, students build up a picture of what a trench looked like, the equipment a soldier would have to carry to build them and the advantages and disadvantages of protecting themselves in a trench. Key knowledge Bingo for the plenary will test students understanding of the lesson. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question of ‘How frightening was the First World War?’ using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout the lesson and this unit of study 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 First World War ** The aim of this lesson is to question how successful Lord Kitchener’s recruitment drive was in 1914 and how ‘frightening’ it might be to sign up for the First World World War. The lesson shows students how the themes of heroism, patriotism, shame and anti-German feeling led to thousands of young men volunteering to join the army and enlist in World War I. Students are led through video footage, an extract from Private Peaceful and Government propaganda posters to analyse how these four key themes were utilised to recruit young men into the army. They also learn about the success in the recruitment of Pals Battalions from the Caribbean and India, to the Footballers Battalion of Walter Tull, as well from towns across the country. They will also learn about the horror and frightening consequences of this policy especially with what happened to the Accrington Pals in 1916. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout the lesson and this unit of study 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.

Cold War and the Olympics This lesson explores the link between the Cold War and sport. As with technology and space exploration, sport was an area where rival powers could prove or assert their dominance without going to war. Students compete a recall, retention and retrieval task on the previous Vietnam War lesson before undertaking a true or false quiz. They analyse and evaluate medal tally statistics from previous Olympics and make judgement about the anomalies in different years. They are given an account of the history of Olympic success and are challenged as to why it was so important to do well for your respective country. As with previous lessons they use the light bulb and key question to continue to annotate around as the fear of losing spurred both nations on to different extremes. No lesson on Cold War sports would be complete without refence to the Rocky film and the US propaganda machine is in full force as grit and determination to train is pitted against the use of drugs to cheat. Students can then determine which statement to agree with and use argument words to convince their peers. . The resource comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change and is differentiated. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson.

The English Civil War The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the devastating consequences that alleged witchcraft had on communities in Stuart England. Students will be posed questions such as: Why were the Stuarts so obsessed with witches and witchcraft? How and why did the Pendle witch trials cause so much historical notoriety and infamy? and How could you even recognise a witch and why should they be feared in the local community? These questions will be answered and explained in this lesson, which ultimately focuses on the Pendle witch trials and its results for English society as a whole, who soon lived in fear and terror for their lives. Activities include evidence collection, a true or false quiz, a literacy challenge as well as video analysis. 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.

AQA GCSE 9-1 Elizabethan England, 1568-1603 This lesson aims to explain how Elizabeth approached the sensitive subject of religion in a calm and pragmatic fashion. The first part of the lesson concentrates on the differences between Protestants and Catholics and why Elizabeth should take a different perspective on religion compared to her predecessors. The second part of the lesson describes and explains the Elizabethan Settlement using a text mapping activity before students answer a GCSE question on the significance of the Settlement in the context of her reign. The lesson is also linked to video footage from the film Elizabeth. 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. Any reviews will be greatly appreciated

The British Empire This lesson focuses on the upheaval of the lives of the indigenous peoples of Australia with the coming of the Europeans. The lesson starts by looking at their customs and traditions and how these were quickly attacked through the attitudes and settlements of the colonists. A ‘Horrible Histories’ version of events is also scrutinised and questioned on its accuracy. I have included some comprehension questions and source scholarship using an extract from the brilliant ‘Empireland’ by Sathnam Sanghera which explains the atrocities committed in Tasmania by the colonists. Paintings from Governor Davey of Van Diemen’s Land can also analysed so the students are able to prioritise the most significant changes the colonists made to Australia and the legacy of the British Empire. 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.

AQA GCSE Elizabethan England 1568-1603 The aim of this Revision Guide is to help students with their revision and preparation for the GCSE History exam. This is a summary of the AQA GCSE History Elizabethan England 1568-1603 unit. It has also been devised to include the historic environment question for 2025 on Hardwick Hall, with an emphasis on location, function and structure, people connected, design and important events connected to it. The resource is in booklet form and is ideal for the student who wants a quick recap before the exam as it sets out all the main details in bullet form. It is also extremely useful and cheap for printing and giving out when the students claim they have forgotten everything they have been taught! I have included both PDF and Word formats so the resource can be edited and changed to suit.

This lesson was borne out of a necessity to explain and clarify the theatres of war in World War II after teaching this unit of study at Key Stage 3 to my classes. Having taught this unit last year without this lesson, I found students were getting confused as to where World War II was being fought on a global stage; whether it be fighting in Europe, in the Atlantic, North Africa or in the Far East. Therefore this lesson aims to simplify the geographical locations covered. Using a world map, they have to plot which countries were involved and who they were fighting for, be it for the Allies or the Axis powers. This map will also appear throughout this unit of study to pinpoint where in the world the lesson is focused on. Students will also analyse and study famous photographs of World War II and try to explain why they are significant, such as Hitler at the Trocadero in France, the image of St. Pauls in London during the Blitz or the Soviet flag being waved on top of the Reichstag. Students are also required to plot a timeline of events using information provided and subsequently noting whether each event was a success or failure for each side. The subsequent plenary tests students’ general knowledge about the war in an ‘odd one out’ activity. This 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.

Suffragettes Why were so many people in the Nineteenth Century prepared to die for universal suffrage? How had the Industrial Revolution created so many divisions and changes in society where towns such as Manchester, Sheffield and Birmingham had no MP’s and thus went unrepresented in Parliament? Could Parliament see the injustice of denying the vote to working class men and industrialists who were making Britain the workshop of the world? Thus the story starts with why having a vote is so important today and who had the vote in the Nineteenth Century. Students are given a slip at the beginning of the lesson only to realise many of them don’t have a vote much to their annoyance. The final part of the lesson is to analyse the events of the Peterloo Massacre (named after the battle of Waterloo) and why the magistrates of Manchester were so scared at giving people the vote. However the battlelines were drawn and so setting the seeds for the Suffragette movement at the turn of the century. 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 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.

The Middle Passage and its horrendous journey for the slaves is shown in this lesson through video, audio and source based evidence. Students analyse how the slaves were treated and the conditions they endured. They then have to catalogue these conditions in a grid before trying to persuade a film director, who is making a film on slavery, that he is being misled about the journey. The advise the director is being given is from a slave ship owner, Captain Thomas Tobin. Some differentiated key questions check their understanding through the lesson. Students finally have to prioritise the worst conditions the slaves faced and justify their choices in an extension activity. 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 examine and assess factory conditions during the Industrial Revolution. The poor conditions and punishments are explored through the eyes of a pauper apprentice, whose story tells us the harsh discipline, rules and punishments for factory workers. Students have a chance to complete a diary entry and evaluate if life was bad for everyone including using causation equations in the plenary. The lesson alludes to factory owners like Robert Owen who built quality houses, schools, shops with cheap goods and parks for his workers (although factory reform and reformers is dealt with in another 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.

The Industrial Revolution The aim of this aim is to assess why coal became known as ‘black gold’. Students learn how important coal was to the Industrial Revolution and how it was used in a number of areas. However the interesting facts focus on its extraction and yet again the dangers involved for all concerned, especially children. Students have to rate how effective the various measures put in place were to overcome some of the problems They also have to tackle some historical hexagonals to get them thinking and linking all the information together. A find and fix plenary should test their recall and knowledge from the 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.

The British Empire This lesson aims to question whether Britain was in India for the right reasons. The subject matter is the East India Company and a study of how it slowly took over the country of India taking with it a precious diamond and making a fortune out of its trade. There are some great video links used here from the BBC and Dan Snow which help bring reasoning and clarity. Students are asked if we should return the Koh-i-Noor diamond to India, the jewel in the British crown, after analysing some important evidence. Students are also given key words to help them with their arguments as to whether the diamond should be returned to India or not. The final activity focuses on the legacy of the East India Company and who benefitted from their rule before the company’s eventual collapse. The lesson comes with retrieval practice activities, 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 of who benefitted from the Empire 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.

Historic Environment Question for 2024 This nine page Revision Guide is aimed at students to help study, organise, revise and be prepared for the AQA GCSE 9-1 Elizabethan England 1568-1603 Historic Environment question for 2024. I have included 6 possible questions for GCSE exam practice on the themes I believe stand out in the literature provided. Within the guide itself, I have broken down the main details of the Americas and Drake’s circumnavigation into manageable chunks. This guide focuses on the main concepts prescribed by AQA. For example it examines the location of the New World and its growing importance for Drake and his fellow navigators, the function and structure of seafaring as new navigational techniques and ship design allowed more exploration. It will also analyse the people connected to Drake’s circumnavigation including Sir John Hawkins and Diego as well as giving information on Drake and the different interpretations of him at the time. Furthermore the culture, values and fashions connected with Drake’s circumnavigation are examined as untold riches such as feathers, pearls, jewels and gold became essential accessories for the fashionistas of Elizabethan England. Finally important events are linked to Drake’s voyages from his initial slave excursions to his revenge attacks on Spanish shipping and his circumnavigation, as well focusing on the detailed maps and illustrations in his diaries and journals of new lands he discovered. All the information and more included is advised by AQA through their Paper 2: Shaping the nation resource pack guidance. I have also gained a brilliant insight into the Americas and Drake’s circumnavigation from renowned historians such as Ben Johnson, Miranda Kaufman and the superb Professor Jowett, as well as numerous other sources, including the fabulous BBC History Today magazine and podcasts. The resource comes in PDF and Word formats if you wish to adapt and change. Any reviews on this resource which would be much appreciated.

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.

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.

The aim of this lesson is to understand why children were evacuated to the countryside in the Second World War. 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 during World War II 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.