In this engaging lesson, children develop an understanding of Anglo-Saxons daily life, in particular: farming, jobs and village life, settlements and buildings and food. The learning is guided by a clear and colourful PowerPoint presentation, which guides students through the following step-by-step journey: -Knowledge recall - gauging what children already know about the Anglo-Saxon era (answers are provided); -Understanding that the scale of time between the Anglo-Saxon period and the modern day, helping to contextualise the how comparatively simple and harsh life was in the time of the Anglo-Saxons; -Interpreting and analysing four sources (provided) in order to gain a deeper understanding of each of the key areas of Anglo-Saxon daily life; -Completing their own extended research to find out more about one of the key areas of daily life; -Composing a creative piece in which they put themselves in the shoes of an Anglo-Saxon villager; -Comparing Anglo-Saxon daily life with other eras; -Self-reflecting on the extent to which they feel they have met the learning objective. Included is the comprehensive PowerPoint presentation (20 slides), the four sources for the source analysis activity, and the template upon which to record their findings. In the past, I have used this lesson with children in upper KS2 (years 5 and 6) - the key learning is aligned with curriculum expectations for history. All images are licensed for commercial use.

This clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for children learning about Malala Yousafzai. It is particularly useful for those learning about activism in PSHE, significant people in History, or as part of a ‘Heroes’ topic. It contains comprehensive sections entitled: Overview; Times in Her Life; Important Vocabulary; Malala Yousafzai Timeline; Answers to the Important Questions; Top Ten Facts. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use.

This engaging, comprehensive lesson aims to improve students’ understanding of Wilfred Owen’s WWI power and conflict poem ‘Exposure’ with particular focus upon the language, structure, and subject matter used within the poem. By the end of the lesson, students demonstrate their knowledge of the text analytically, through assured, appropriate, and sustained interpretations. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: Considering the meanings of the word ‘exposure’ and inferring what this may suggest about the meaning of the poem; Securing contextual understanding of the conditions and weather faced by WWI soldiers; Reading and interpreting the poem, using a provided line-by-line analysis, and interactive group activities; Developing their understanding through inferring and analysing key language and structural choices; Analysing how the themes of suffering and misery are conveyed through Owen’s language and structure choices; Self/ Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and substantial; (including hyperlinks to informative and videos) Copy of poem (freely available online); Deeper thinking worksheet; Analysis template with success criteria for creating well-structured responses; Comprehensive lesson plan. All resources are provided as word documents (for easy editing) and PDF documents (to ensure consistency of formatting between computers). There are also opportunities for group learning, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. This was originally taught to middle-ability year 10 and 11 groups, but can easily be differentiated for groups of different ages and abilities. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

In this engaging lesson, children develop an understanding of the religions and beliefs that were predominant throughout the time of the Anglo-Saxons. In particular, they learn about Pagan Gods and Goddesses, beliefs with regards to ceremony and the afterlife, and the Christian conversion catalysed by St. Augustine. The learning is guided by a clear and colourful PowerPoint presentation, which guides students through the following step-by-step journey: -Knowledge recall - gauging what children already know about the Anglo-Saxon era (answers are provided); -Understanding the key ideas of Paganism and how this replaced Christianity as the dominant belief system after the Anglo-Saxons settled; -Learning about some of the Anglo-Saxon gods and goddesses (through a short video, which is hyperlinked into the presentation) and using a template to research their chosen God/ Goddess in more depth; -Discovering Pagan beliefs about death, ceremony and the afterlife (again, through a short video about Sutton Hoo) and demonstrating their understanding through comprehension questions; -Learning about St. Augustine and how he began the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity; -Producing a persuasive piece of writing, imagining that they are St. Augustine and they are convincing Ethelbert to become Christian. -Self-reflecting on the extent to which they feel they have met the learning objective. Included is the comprehensive PowerPoint presentation (21 slides) and the research template for the Pagan Gods and Goddesses activity. In the past, I have used this lesson with children in upper KS2 (years 5 and 6) - the key learning is aligned with curriculum expectations for history. All images are licensed for commercial use.

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising knowledge of The Inter-War Years. It contains comprehensive sections on: -Overview; -Major Events - The Treaty of Versailles, March on Rome Coup, The Wall Street Crash, Hitler Becomes Chancellor, The Spanish Civil War; -Timeline of Major Events; -Key People - Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, Herbert Hoover, General Franco, Amelia Earhart; -Reasons for Economic Hardships; -Reasons Behind the Rise of Dictators. Key subject vocabulary is also provided for easy reference. The resource is designed to be printed onto either A4 or A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). It can be used for a wide range of year groups, but was originally designed to support study at KS3.

This engaging and informative lesson helps students to understand the key features of the social and historical context of Anne Frank’s Diary, through learning about The Holocaust and Nazi-occupied Europe in the 1940s. Furthermore, students learn to identify and analyse features of context within specific sections of Anne Frank’s Diary - making appropriate links between text and context. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: -Understanding the key features of the Holocaust through watching and comprehending an informative (and age-appropriate) video; - Reading and understanding extracts from the opening section of Anne Frank’s Diary; - Linking their understanding of social and historical context to what they read in the text; - Analysing how the horrors of the Holocaust are evident through Anne’s account of her family’s experiences; - Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; - Linking Text to Context Worksheet (and answer sheet); - Selected extracts - The Diary of Anne Frank; - Link to an engaging and informative video (you will need internet access to view); - Essay Template - Comprehensive lesson plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with a mixed-ability year 8 class, however colleagues have used them for between years 5 and 9 with minimal adaptations. Please note that internet access/ use of research mechanisms is required for the introduction task. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This engaging, comprehensive lesson aims to improve students’ understanding of Jane Weir’s contemporary war poem ‘Poppies’ with particular focus upon the symbolism, language, and structure used within the poem. By the end of the lesson, students demonstrate their knowledge of the text analytically, through assured, appropriate, and sustained interpretations. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Defining what symbols are, and considering some popular examples (including poppies); - Securing contextual understanding of both the use of poppies, and Jane Weir the poet; - Reading and interpreting the poem, using a provided line-by-line analysis, and interactive group activities; - Developing their understanding through inferring and analysing key language and structural choices; - Analysing how the themes of loss and remembrance are conveyed through Weir's use of symbolism; - Peer assessing each other's learning attempts. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and substantial; (including hyperlinks to informative and engaging videos) - Copy of poem; - Deeper thinking worksheet (and teacher answer sheet); - Analysis template with success criteria for creating well-structured responses; - Comprehensive lesson plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. This was originally taught to middle-ability year 9/10 groups, but can easily be differentiated for groups of different ages and abilities. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This engaging and detailed lesson aims to improve students’ understanding of the social and historical context of Mary Shelley’s gothic horror novel: Frankenstein. The lesson places a particular focus upon the developments in health, science, and technology at the time the text was written and set, the locations visited by the author, and the life of Mary Shelley. By the end of the lesson, students demonstrate their ability to link their understanding of context to specific sections of the text. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Considering how life has changed between the end of the 18th Century and the present day; - Researching key information about health, scientific understanding, and major events in the late 1700s; - Understanding the features of locations in the novel, and interpreting what they may symbolise; - Developing their understanding of the author: Mary Shelley, and considering the key events in her life that influenced her writing of Frankenstein; - Linking knowledge of time, place, and author, and relating these to specific areas of the text; - Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and substantial; (including an animated Frankenstein’s monster to guide them through the lesson, and links to helpful websites); - Comparison between 1700s and the present day worksheet (and a teacher answer sheet); - Card sorting activity based on locations in the novel; - Mary Shelley worksheet (and a teacher answer sheet); - Analysis template with success criteria for creating well-structured responses; - Comprehensive lesson plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. This was originally taught to middle-ability year 9/10 groups, but can easily be differentiated for groups of different ages and abilities. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation. NOTE: One of the tasks requires access to researching materials, e.g. internet or library access.

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in exam revision, comprehension tasks, or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of students towards meeting the KS4 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework - this makes the tasks suitable for all examining bodies. Students have found these resources extremely engaging, and for teachers there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that students gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: - ‘Context: The Great Depression’ - to aid students with ‘Drawing on knowledge of the purpose, audience and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs, to inform evaluation;’ - ‘Steinbeck’s Description’ - to aid students with ‘Analysing a writer’s choice of vocabulary, form, grammatical and structural features, and evaluating their effectiveness and impact;’ - ‘Curley’s Wife’ - to aid students with ‘Seeking evidence in the text to support a point of view, including justifying inferences with evidence;’ - ‘Editing the Text’ - to aid students with ‘Making an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these.’ Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 30 pages in length!) I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).

This engaging and detailed lesson enables students to gain a deep understanding of the Greek Myth ‘Perseus and Medusa.’ In doing so, students learn to interpret and infer the key elements of plot in texts, comment upon the key themes and plot ideas running through a text, and empathise with the first-person perspective of a character. The lesson follows a clear, logical, bite-size learning journey, which guides students towards differentiated learning objectives. Over the course of this journey, they become able to: - Define the key term ‘bravery’ and understand its position as a theme within the plot; - Read the story ‘Perseus and Medusa’ and interpret the key meanings; - Identify, explain, and analyse the key plot elements and themes in ‘Perseus and Medusa;’ - Storyboard the main plot features in the text; - Engage deeply with the text by inferring the thoughts and feelings of the main character; - Peer assess each other’s learning attempts. This resource pack includes: - A visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint presentation; - Paper copies and online links to the extract needed for the lesson; - Plot and Themes worksheet; - Storyboard template; - A detailed lesson plan, complete with what the teacher and students should aim to achieve at each stage of the lesson. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the PowerPoint.

In this engaging and purposeful lesson, children develop an understanding of who Christopher Columbus was and the impact that he had on the world: In particular, they: -Learn who Christopher Columbus was and what he is known for; -Explain how Columbus’ voyages have impacted the world today; -Evaluate the actions and behaviour of Christopher Columbus. The learning is guided by a clear and colourful PowerPoint presentation, which guides students through the following step-by-step journey: -Knowledge recall of basic history skills, key terms, and the meaning of exploration; -Watching an engaging video (hyperlinked) to gain a base understanding of his life, voyages and achievements; -Answer comprehension questions demonstrating what they have learnt from the video; -Exploring quotations from Columbus’ own account of his voyages, to discover how he mistreated native people in the lands that he explored; -Evaluating Columbus’ impact on the world; -Self-reflecting on the extent to which they feel they have met the learning objective. Included is the comprehensive PowerPoint presentation (18 slides), which contains all of the information needed to teach the lesson. Also included are the quotations for the development task - in both Word and PDF format. In the past, I have used this lesson with children in lower KS2 (years 3 and 4) - the key learning is aligned with curriculum expectations for history. All images are licensed for commercial use.