This lesson explores different branches of socialism, focusing on revolutionary socialism in depth. The lesson begins with a recap on the views of Marx, Engels and Luxemburg, moving into a comparison of revolutionary socialist ideas. Students then explore the similarities and differences between revolutionary socialist ideas before application to a 9-mark assessed response on the role of the state with a peer or self assessed plenary.

This lesson explores the 5 key socialist thinkers. Beginning with a recap of revolutionary and evolutionary socialism, the lesson moves to a carousel of evidence gathering on the key thinkers, with a recap summarising their core beliefs. Students then present on one thinker, assessing their views on human nature, society, the state and the economy, while all students complete the date capture table. The lesson culminates in a trio plenary, allowing key terminology and knowledge recall across the socialism topic.

This lesson explores how conservatism emerged as a political philosophy. The lesson begins with an extract exploration on why conservatism is a ‘controversial’ ideology, leading to a video note taking exercise, introducing the key principles of conservatism. Students then explore the views of Hobbes and Burke, leading to a contrast of similarities and differences of conservative thinkers. Finallly, students explore similarities and differences between liberalism, socialism and conservatism.

This lesson explores modern socialism. The lesson begins with a debate on the core principles of socialism across the class, with debate prompters. Students then use a worksheet to explain what tensions exist within socialism, before a guided reading sheet explores socialist views today. A recap plenary of ‘who said what’ allows students to recap the views of the key thinkers.

This lesson explores how conservative thinkers view human nature. The lesson begins with an exploration of Thomas Hobbe’s views, leading to a video introducing the key thinkers views. Students then make notes on the different aspects of human nature under conservatism, leading to a summary of the similarities and differences between that of liberal and socialist views.

This lesson focuses on conservative views on society. The lesson begins with an extract practice, focusing on inference and provenance, leading to a table assessing the strengths and weakness of conservative view of society. Students then compare the similarities and differences of liberal/socialist views of society to conservatism, leading to a model paragraph for a 9-mark explain question.

This lesson explores the features of ‘traditional conservatism’. The lesson starts with an extract analysis, asking students to explore what traditional conservatism looks like today. Students then complete a data capture sheet carousel, exploring the evolution of traditional conservatism. Students then explore the similarities and differences within traditional conservatism itself, leading to a key terminology/individual trio plenary.

This lesson explores the views of the state within conservatism. The lesson begins with a starter creating an hypothesis for what conservative views of the state would be using key terminology, moving on to an exploration of views using the information state. Students then contrast similarities and differences of the New Right perspective, leading to a 9-mark exam practice on how conservative thinkers view authority.

This lesson focuses on the changing nature of conservatism with the New Right perspective. The lesson starts with a video that introduces the origins of New Right conservatism, leading to an extract analysis of what New Right conservatism looks like today. Students then explore the key reasons why New Right conservatism emerged, ranking them in order, moving on to using the textbook to create a spider diagram on the key features of New Right conservatism (Political Ideas, 2nd edition Hodder, pp. 114-117). Finally students compare and contrast two extracts exploring the differences between traditional and New Right conservatism in the plenary.