Unique resources created by an experienced Secondary English and History teacher. These are academically rigorous resources that target children between 13 and 18 years of age.
Unique resources created by an experienced Secondary English and History teacher. These are academically rigorous resources that target children between 13 and 18 years of age.
Two resources: A PowerPoint and Worksheet. The worksheet is designed to step students through the lesson. It includes copies of the sources on the PPT slide and questions for them to answer. It also includes space for them to copy their notes. 4 pages.
The PPT begins with an explanation of ‘The Lena Goldfields Massacre’ (4th April 1912) and its impacts. There is information about how WW1 gave the Tsar a temporary reprieve from discontent (due to initial rates of public support for the war). Information about Lenin’s view of the war and his wish for a social revolution is provided. Information about why the Russian army suffered so many defeats (ammunition supplies, internal organisation etc) are provided and used to explain how this war was so damaging for Nicholas II’s reputation. There is also information about Rasputin’s political and social impacts. This lesson ends with an informative YouTube video about The Russian October Revolution 1917.
Designed to meet the requirements of the senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019), this unit falls under the category of ‘Ideas in the Modern World.’
Part of a set of resources created for a senior Modern History class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The assessment to be completed in this unit is a ‘Independent Source Investigation’ where students must develop their own key research question, write a rationale, locate sources, analyse and evaluate those sources and write a critical summary of evidence.
This is a scaffolding booklet which takes students through the planning and writing phases of their assessment.
It begins with prompts to select an individual / group to focus on. It provides tips for writing a key inquiry question and an example for a different topic from the QCAA exemplar for IA2.
Then, to assist the students to write 3-5 sub questions, there is information about each historical concept (which they could choose to use as a frame for their questions). There is a template for reflecting on the worth of their key and sub questions.
After this students can create a tentative thesis statement / hypothesis. There is information to help students to do this. (Eventually this will be incorporated into their rationale section of their assessment).
There are a series of tables where students can store the information / sources they found. There is a column for analysis and a column for evaluation where students can make dot points to gather their ideas ready to be turned into a succinct response in their assessment.
This is followed by writing tips for the rationale and critical summary of evidence, referencing tips and a self-review checklist for students to use to check their work prior to submitting a draft.
There is also a peer review form for students to use to receive feedback from a ‘critical friend.’
Resources designed for the senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in The Scramble for Africa.
Context: My school runs this program in Alternative Sequence (yr 11 and 12s in together) due to the small size of the school. This lesson was delivered as a 2 hour block during the term 4 exam block to introduce the unit for the following year and to allow year 10s and 11s who would be studying the subject together to meet each other.
This resource includes:
1 x PowerPoint
1 x Worksheet (designed to step students through the lesson. It includes copies of the sources on the PPT slide and questions for them to answer.)
1 x Match the definitions activity (10 terms) + a glossary of other useful terms for the unit
The lesson includes:
• An assessment overview for the two-year program
• An overview of the 6 cognitions assessed in this subject (analyse, evaluate, synthesise, devise etc.)
• A couple of rounds of trivia (to see what students know)
• An overview of the Term 1 assessment (IA1)
• A brief history of colonialism
• Introduction to important terms – ideology, nationalism, expansionism, imperialism
• A viewing activity (with viewing questions for students to listen out for)
• A map showing European colonial claims in 1900
• Justifications for imperialism – survival of the fittest, social Darwinism, pseudoscientific theories like phrenology, the white man’s burden, political motives, economic motives, religious motives, personal motives,
• Introducing an acronym for analysing and evaluating sources: CAMPORUM
• Students are given two primary sources (soap advertisements) which they are to unpack. They must then write a TEEL paragraph discussing the ideologies evident in the sources. (This is used as a diagnostic activity. I collect them and mark them.).
Resources designed for the senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in The Scramble for Africa.
Context: My school runs this program in Alternative Sequence (yr 11 and 12s in together) due to the small size of the school. This lesson was delivered as a 2 hour block during the term 4 exam block to introduce the unit for the following year and to allow year 10s and 11s who would be studying the subject together to meet each other.
This resource includes:
1 x PowerPoint
1 x worksheet
A collection of political cartoons from 2022 for students to analyse in a group work task
The PPT structures the lesson which is more skills based than the previous lesson. it begins by defining ‘sources’ and explaining the difference between primary and secondary sources. This is followed by some things students should keep in mind when evaluating sources.
2 rounds of trivia 20 Q’s per round (as a bonding activity). Round 1 2022 Events. Round 2 – Modern History.
There are some revision questions about terms like ideologies, paternalism, hegemonic.
Then the lesson turns to the major skill for the day: how to analyse and evaluate visual sources. A list of common visual sources is provided along with why each of those types can be useful to historians. There is a viewing activity so that students can Learn about how photographers can influence their viewers by how they frame the subjects in their photographs. There are some photos from the Scramble for Africa that students can discuss.
From here, we turned our attention to political cartoons. Students learned about common techniques used in political cartoons. They were taught the PICTURE acronym to help them unpack visual sources. I included images of common symbols used in the sources we will encounter e.g. Uncle Sam, Marianne, Britannia, the Statue of Liberty, Bear (Russia), Bald Eagle (USA), Lion (England), chains (oppression) etc. information was also provided about other techniques which they use including analogy, caricature, exaggeration, irony, juxtaposition, idioms.
Students then view a 3 minute video about the power of political cartoons (and answer 4 questions). They have a go at unpacking some political cartoons from the Age of Imperialism.
To conclude the lesson each group is given 2 contemporary political cartoons. They create posters where they annotate the features – techniques, people, events – before sharing their results with the group.
A PowerPoint presentation designed for use in a Grade 12 English class.
It includes:
• Instructions for reading activities including what important information to record about the characters,
• Historical context for Nineteen Eighty Four (when it was written, what the world was like post WW2 (during the Cold War), Orwell’s inspirations)
• Key political terms – communism, fascism, totalitarianism, dictatorship etc.,
• Historical figures – Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky
• Examples of propaganda and rewriting history used by Stalin
• Examples of propaganda and censorship in Nineteen Eighty Four
• Orwell’s reasons for writing the text – i.e. showcasing his concerns for the future
Resources designed for the new senior General English syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in this text.
Context: My school runs this program in Alternative Sequence (yr 11 and 12s in together) due to the small size of the school. The lesson begins with some teaching that both grades can do together before the year 12s are assigned some independent work and the year 11s are given some more focused teaching. Then the year 11’s do independent work while the year 12s share their answers and receive feedback.
This lesson includes:
1 x PowerPoint
1 x Source Booklet – containing 8 sources (a mixture of types) for analysis
1 x Handout containing a graphic organiser for analysing sources
1 x Handout explaining CAMPORUM acronym with tips for what to look for when analysing sources
The lesson begins with a discussion where students need to recall the 7 features of evidence we look for when analysing sources. This is followed by a definition of ‘analyse’ and a 9 step process for analysing. The C.A.M.P.O.R.U.M acronym is included which hits both the analysing and evaluating criteria. Students are shown the A standard criteria for analysing and they are unpacked. The year 12 students then begin independently analysing sources in the source booklet and filling in the handout (CAMPORUM tables).
The year 11’s then receive focused teaching about the difference between primary and secondary sources, things to keep in mind when discussing the source origins in a written analysis, how the origins of the source may impact its reliability and tips for evaluating the reliability of different source types. There is some information about historical context and why it is crucial to understand the creator’s motive when engaging with a source.
This is followed by an explanation of what the sources will look like in the exam (i.e. a context statement, an excerpt from a source and an APA reference). Following this, the gradual release method is used to engage with the first few sources in the booklet. (I have done the first one on the slides to show how to complete the table, we do the second one together, they do the third one in pairs and they do the fourth one independently). The sources in the booklet were chosen to deliver content at the same time as teaching the analysis skill.
The types of sources in the booklet: Information about Leopold II – King of Belgium, Information about the Belgian Congo, A photograph capturing the atrocities committed in the Congo Free State, An alternative viewpoint (Edward Morel), An online news article from 2020, a political cartoon depicting Leopold II at the Berlin Conference of 1884, an opinion piece published in 2021 & an extract from a history textbook.
Resources designed for the senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in The Scramble for Africa.
This lesson includes:
1 x list of source types for warm up evaluation activity (can be laminated with a magnet on the back for sorting activity)
1 x PowerPoint
1 x Source Booklet
1 x Independent Work Booklet with various activities designed to help students practice the evaluation skill
Context: My school runs this program in Alternative Sequence (yr 11 and 12s in together) due to the small size of the school. The lesson begins with some teaching that both grades can do together before the year 12s are assigned some independent work and the year 11s are given some more focused teaching. Then the year 11’s do independent work while the year 12s share their answers and receive feedback.
The lesson begins with a warm up activity where students have to place types of sources on a grid in terms of how reliable and useful they typically are. Next students have to brainstorm some synonyms and antonyms for ‘reliable’ and ‘useful.’ Following this, year 12s are given a booklet which has evaluation activities (starting at simple activities and building up to those styled like the short response questions in the Term 4 exam). They begin completing these while the year 11’s get a more teacher centred lesson. In this portion of the lesson we begin with defining ‘evaluate’ before zooming in on the evaluation criteria we use in modern history – reliability and usefulness. There is information about what reliability is and that there are levels of reliability. There are tips for how to write a judgement of reliability and some things to look for when determining reliability. There is a list of reasons why a source may be deemed unreliable. There is an example reliability statement which has been colour coded to show how the writer has included various features of evidence in their evaluation.
Following this, the gradual release method is used to engage with the first few sources in the booklet. (I explain the first activity, we engage with Source 1 and then complete the question together – with me modelling my thinking process via think alouds. Students then do Source 2 as a pair and Source 3 on their own). This is followed by explicit teaching on how to determine the usefulness of a source. There is also information about the importance of corroboration (including a video from the History Skills website). This is followed by some sentence starters which can be used when corroborating. This is followed by completing activities from the booklet (first as a we do, then students do one in a pair, then they do one on their own). Following this, the year 11’s continue doing the booklet independently while I go through the answers with the year 12s.
Types of sources: a novel, a Wikipedia article, an Encyclopedia Britannica article, a pamphlet written by Mark Twain (from the perspective of King Leopold), a book written by Arthur Conan Doyle about the Congo, a textbook, a range of political cartoons (4), and a book entitled The Fortunes of Africa.
A PowerPoint designed to last for two lessons. In lesson 1, students learn about a key event (The Berlin Conference) and get to engage with a couple of sources about this event. There is a series of slides which explain how Africa was divvied up to nations including Britain, France, Germany, Belgium and Italy. This is followed by some information on the effects on the people of Africa. The remainder of this lesson is a researching task where students pick a figure from The British Empire to research and create a PPT / Canva poster / Handmade Poster about which they will present to the class in the next lesson.
In lesson 2, after students have presented their posters, there is information about each of the following figures (including photos/artworks and videos): Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, David Livingstone (missionary and explorer), Henry Moreton Stanley (explorer), Cecil Rhodes & E.D. MOREL (Edmund Dene Morel).
Resources designed for the senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in The Scramble for Africa.
A ppt which includes workbook expectations, notetaking expectations, behaviour expectations and an assessment outline. This is followed by some context information about the drive to imperialism. The early imperialism era (15th Century) is explained. Students take notes about the economic theory of mercantilism and are introduced to terms like ‘mother country’, ‘colony’ and ‘raw materials.’ Information about early imperialist powers (Portuguese, Spanish, French, British and Ottomans) is summarised. Then there is an explanation of the period when imperialism went out of fashion (the first half of the 19th Century). Some of the obstacles are explained – yellow fever, malaria, sleeping sickness and the nagana disease. An explanation of how the economic theory of ‘free trade’ (Adam Smith’s laissez-faire theory) spelled the death of mercantilism. Why imperialistic activity re-emerged with dramatic suddenness in 1870. The reasons for the renewed ‘drive for empire’ are explained.
Resources designed for the senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in The Scramble for Africa.
A PowerPoint for a skills focused Modern History lesson focusing on Summarising. It begins with a settling activity (writing definitions of key historical concepts into glossary - empathy, cause & effect, historiography). This is followed by an explanation of paraphrasing, summarising and quoting. I have provided an example of each using the transcript of President Roosevelt’s declaration of war post Pearl Harbor. I have explained some things that you see in sources that students may not be familiar with [sic] and ellipses (…). Subsequently I provided sources about Imperialism for students to summarise to practice the skill. There is a worksheet which contains the sources and room for the students to write their summaries. There is also a TEEEL paragraph writing activity for the final source.
Resources designed for the senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in Imperialism / The Scramble for Africa.
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019).
This lesson includes:
1 x PowerPoint
1 x Booklet containing sources and activities which help students to practice synthesising and forming historical arguments based on information from sources
Context:
My school runs this program in Alternative Sequence (yr 11 and 12s in together) due to the small size of the school.
The sequence of this lesson:
This lesson followed on from a lesson about evaluating sources. It begins with a match the definitions activity to see what students remember.
This is followed by a warm up where students are shown 6 example exam questions and they have to explain what they believe the question is asking them to do.
Following this, the learning intentions and success criteria are unpacked before turning our attention to the core skill for the lesson: synthesis. It begins by defining this term and looking at some words which may appear in a question which would hint that you are being asked to synthesise. This is followed by a 6 step process that students can use when synthesising. This is followed by an example student response to IA1 (essay under exam conditions) taken from the QCAA’s 2021 Modern History Subject Report. After reading this exemplar the class discusses the merits of this work.
Following this, the year 12s begin working through the synthesising work booklet (about The Boer War) while I take the year 11’s through some more explicit teaching. It begins with what questions to ask yourself when interrogating sources. This is followed by tips of how to introduce the authors of sources (as this helps the reader know how credible the points are). There are tips for how to talk about two sources simultaneously. We then unpack how synthesising is assessed in the QLD Modern History criteria (guide to making judgements).
The importance of creating a sophisticated historical argument is emphasised. This is followed by an example historical argument for a different topic. This is followed by instruction on how to create a purposeful topic sentence for each body paragraph. Next information about what should be featured in supporting sentences and the final linking sentence is provided. Then year 11’s begin working on the independent work booklet while I go through the answers with the year 12s. Students complete any unfinished portions of the booklet for homework.
A lesson designed for a flipped classroom approach. The content of the Word Document was put onto the class One Note with sources attached so that students could work through the lesson independently at their own pace. (Ideal for leaving as a cover or during school closures).
**The resource includes: **
A warm up where students receive the definitions for a range of historical concepts, they have to use their prior knowledge to label them.
An article from the New York Times (about the Cultural Revolution). There is a retrieval chart for them to fill in and some questions to answer.
Some questions for students to answer as they engage with the 2015 Cambridge textbook (see below).**
Please note: your school will need access to the following textbook in order to complete one of the activities - Sowdon, T. (2015). Analysing the Chinese Revolution. [2nd e.d.]. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The end of term assessment for this unit was an Independent Source Investigation.
The content would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in the China (1931-1976). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources.
A PowerPoint used to teach students about the Great Leap Forward. It includes notes from textbooks and online sources, viewing activities (propaganda posters, images and videos from YouTube) & different historian’s interpretations of this plan. The homework task is for students to research the ‘Four Pests Campaign’ and create a poster to display on our learning wall.
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The end of term assessment for this unit was an Independent Source Investigation.
The content would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in the China (1931-1976). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources.
A lesson designed for a flipped classroom approach. The content of the Word Document was put onto the class One Note with sources attached so that students could work through the lesson independently at their own pace. (Ideal for leaving as a cover or during school closures).
The resource includes:
The word document referred to above
A warm up where students receive the definitions for a range of Features of Evidence (used when analysing). They have to use their prior knowledge to match the definitions to the correct term.
A word document version of the History Skills explanation of Explicit vs Implicit meaning (in case the website link goes dead)
Questions for students to answer as they read chapter 14 of the 2015 Cambridge Textbook (see note below)
An explanation of the COMA acronym which can be used to interrogate visual sources and communicate your findings
Please note: your school will need access to the following textbook in order to complete one of the activities - Sowdon, T. (2015). Analysing the Chinese Revolution. [2nd e.d.]. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The end of term assessment for this unit was an Independent Source Investigation.
The content would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in the China (1931-1976). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources.
A PowerPoint used during the assessment phase of the unit. It begins by explaining what a rationale is and then provides a suggested structure (based on the QCAA exemplar). I have then colour coded and annotated the rationale from the QCAA exemplar to demonstrate the language features and key content. As a key component of the rationale is a tentative thesis statement (aka hypothesis), the PPT then shows how to write a tentative hypothesis and provides some good and bad ones for students to consider. Finally, the students have time to write their first draft of the rationale.
There is also a word document with sentence starters and a handout with 3 example rationales for students to annotate.
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The end of term assessment for this unit was an Independent Source Investigation.
The content would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in the China (1931-1976). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources.
A PowerPoint used during the assessment phase of the unit. It reviews the requirements for the CSOE (IA2). The lesson will help students to learn the purpose, structure and language of a Critical Summary. There are a few examples for students to read (in the hope that they identify good phrasing which they could use as sentence starters for their own). Three suggested structures are provided (taken from the History Skills Website). Afterwards, students have time to map out their ideas for their CSOE and begin writing.
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The end of term assessment for this unit was an Independent Source Investigation.
The content would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in the China (1931-1976). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources.
A lesson designed for a flipped classroom approach. The content of the Word Document was put onto the class One Note with sources attached so that students could work through the lesson independently at their own pace. (Ideal for leaving as a cover or during school closures).
This lesson begins with an exploration of music which became popular during the cultural revolution. (Inquiry based learning approach). There is also information about which kinds of music were censored at this time. This is followed by a viewing activity and information about how Mao instigated the Cultural Revolution. A list of key events (up to Mao’s death) is provided. This is followed by information about the end of the revolution and its lasting significance. The document concludes with some checking for understanding questions.
The resource includes:
The word document referred to above (which includes key terms to add to the glossary and instructions for all activities in the lesson)
A word document version of the webpage MAO-ERA. CHINESE REVOLUTIONARY MUSIC on ‘factsanddetails.com’ (in case the link disappears)
Information about some revolutionary songs (for teacher reference)
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The end of term assessment for this unit was an Independent Source Investigation.
The content would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in the China (1931-1976). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources.
In this lesson students will watch the 52-minute documentary entitled ‘Inside Mao’s China’ on YouTube. This worksheet includes a summary of this 2016 documentary and 18 questions for students to answer as they watch.
Afterwards there are some activities designed to hone students’ skills. Firstly, they are given a source (quotations from Mao) and students must evaluate its usefulness and justify their answer. (There are hints in the document). Secondly, they are given 2 propaganda posters which they need to thoroughly analyse. Students must complete a table using the PICTURE acronym (explained in document).
Finally, they are given two photographs which they must complete a CAMPORUM table for (this is a combination of analysing and evaluating).
A homework activity is included (students must create an infographic to demonstrate their learning. (A document explaining infographics is provided for student reference.)
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The end of term assessment for this unit was an Independent Source Investigation.
The content would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in the China (1931-1976). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources.
A lesson designed for a flipped classroom approach. The content of the Word Document was put onto the class One Note with sources attached so that students could work through the lesson independently at their own pace. (Ideal for leaving as a cover or during school closures).
The resource includes:
The word document referred to above which includes a link to a video looking back on the cultural revolution (made for the 50 year anniversary) and 3 viewing questions. Information about the historical concept of empathy (what it means and how this differs from sympathy.) Looking at a type of source where this skill can be applied: autobiographies. Information about the difference between a biography and an autobiography are provided. A series of extracts from 2 autobiographies are provided. Students are to read both and then choose one to complete a CAMPORUM table about.
Typed extracts from two memoirs which students will engage with in the lesson (Mao’s Last Dancer and Wild Swans)
A table explaining CAMPORUM with hints of what students should look be looking for when analysing and evaluating the source
**Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The end of term assessment for this unit was an Independent Source Investigation.
The content would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in the China (1931-1976). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources. **
A PowerPoint designed for the assessment handout lesson. It begins with a warm up (Treasure Hunt) where students are given their task sheet and the QCAA exemplar. (There are a list of questions they have to respond to.) Following this, information from the task sheet is shown (i.e. context, task, conditions, checkpoints). I also have a marking summary (how many points they get for each skill). We then look at the ISMG (Instrument Specific Marking Guide) and unpack what each of these mean – using elaborations from the QCAA’s subject reports. Examples of good key and sub questions are included to demonstrate devising and conducting.