I am a History Teacher with a love for producing high quality and easily accessible history lessons, which I have accumulated and adapted for over 20 years of my teaching career. I appreciate just how time consuming teaching now is and the difficulty of constantly producing resources for an ever changing curriculum.
I am a History Teacher with a love for producing high quality and easily accessible history lessons, which I have accumulated and adapted for over 20 years of my teaching career. I appreciate just how time consuming teaching now is and the difficulty of constantly producing resources for an ever changing curriculum.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to understand the political vacuum left in Germany after the abdication of the Kaiser and the political consequences for Germany.
Students begin with a definition task using some key words and phrases linked to the Treaty.
They are then introduced to the political machinations of Ludendorff and the implications of the Peace Note.
A chronological and multiple choice task as well as a ‘Am I a robot?’ exercise allow students to grasp the consequences of the abdication of the Kaiser and analyse the political parties vying for ascendancy in the Republic.
Some exam question practice completes the lesson using sources, with a model answer given if required.
There is a enquiry question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work.
The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit.
The lesson is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.
Crime and Punishment
The aim of this lesson is to gauge how effective Roman punishments were against the crimes committed.
The vastness of the Roman Empire and lack of a police force meant that punishments for crime were severe. But were these punishments effective and was everyone in Roman society treated equally?
Students analyse the structure of Roman society and the significance of the Twelve Tables under Roman Law.
They then have to link the different crimes committed to various categories listed under Roman law and which punishments were given out for the various crimes.
There is some differentiated questioning to challenge students, with answers given to help.
A ‘what if’ plenary challenges thinking as well as some extended writing practice at the end of the lesson to consolidate learning.
There is an enquiry question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work.
The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit.
The lesson is differentiated, fully resourced and includes suggested teaching strategies.
This lesson is an introduction to the Bayeux Tapestry and aims to understand how much control William the Conqueror had over the population.
The lesson explains some key facts about the tapestry and its propaganda purposes for the Normans in England.
There is a crossword to fill in as well as some analysis of the tapestry itself.
A brilliant animated video of the tapestry brings it to life and students are questioned to how the Normans and Anglo-Saxons are portrayed.
Students are also challenged in a Bayeux Tapestry thinking quilt, which requires them to link key words and definitions together and explain their overall significance.
The lesson is interactive and gets students moving around the classroom. It is also ideal for non-specialists.
The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end using a rate ‘o’ meter to show the progress of learning.
The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies and notes on the slides for further information.
It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.
Crime and Punishment
The aim of this lesson is to judge to what extent have crimes changed in the 21st Century.
Students begin the lesson by deciding which crime are new in the modern era (change) and which crimes have stayed the same (continuity).
They then analyse some key details in various crimes in the modern era, from terrorism to smuggling, cybercrime, race crime and the use of Class A and B drugs.
There are tasks to complete including a true or false quiz and video links to help.
A mood board will hep consolidate the learning at the end of the lesson as well as some extended writing practice, with help and a suggested markscheme to use if required.
There is an enquiry question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work.
The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit.
The lesson is differentiated, fully resourced and includes suggested teaching strategies.
The Holocaust
The aims of this lesson are to explain how Jewish people rose in rebellion or resisted against Nazi atrocities during the Holocaust.
The first part of the lesson examines the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, using a thinking quilt to challenge ideas and ask key questions about the motivation and determination to succeed against overwhelming odds.
The second part of the lesson analyses resistance in the extermination camps in particular events in Sobibor, Treblinka and Auschwitz.
Students are then asked to justify the best and most effective ways to resist from passive to active resistance. Finally a find and fix activity checks understanding and the learning in the lesson.
The central enquiry of this and subsequent lessons in the bundle is to ask who was to blame for the Holocaust?
Students will map out their ideas each lesson (which can be plotted in different colours or dates to show the progress of their learning and centred around a lightbulb) and build up a picture of how difficult it is to blame a single individual or event for this catastrophe.
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.
The English Civil War
The aim of this lesson is to question if James I was the most ‘suitable’ candidate to succeed Elizabeth I as monarch of England, Scotland and Wales.
The lesson begins with the death of Elizabeth and the suggestion of the enormity of the task that lays ahead for the new monarch, with the transition from Tudor to Stuart rule.
James I puts down his own marker quite forcibly from the start in a letter to her chief advisor, Robert Cecil.
Students have to sift through the evidence provided to make up their own minds.
They are then required to report back to Cecil with their findings with scaffolding and key words provided if required.
The plenary uses the blob playground for students to make links to James and his ‘characteristics’.
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 Britain: Health and the People, c1000 to present
The aim of this lesson is to judge the contribution and impact Florence Nightingale made to medicine.
Did Florence Nightingale singly handedly improve hospitals and nursing or were improvements afoot before she went to help in the Crimean War?
This is the driving question students will have in mind as they evaluate the reputation of women, nurses and hospitals before the Crimean War.
Students will also analyse the story of Florence Nightingale and decide which factors helped each part of her story – thus recognising and understanding how to link different factors to one individual.
The lesson thus includes a GCSE practice question, a fabulous video link and literacy challenges throughout.
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.
**AQA GCSE 9-1 Elizabethan England, 1568-1603 **
This lesson is an introduction to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
It starts by finding out what the students already know using a true or false quiz, source material, video evidence and using some portraits of Elizabeth.
The emphasis is also on the precarious nature of her early life which has a major impact on how she rules when she becomes Queen.
The second part of the lesson uses differentiated resources and requires the students to plot, explain and prioritise her early problems on a tree (using the trunk, branches and leaves).
The third part focuses on a typical GCSE question on the usefulness of a source giving tips and notes on how to answer this question.
The lesson also gives a brief introduction to the course and includes a tracking sheet which the students stick in their books detailing the assessment objectives of the course and the four main question types.
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.
AQA GCSE 9-1 Elizabethan England, 1568-1603
This second lesson on Elizabeth focuses on the workings of her government. Where did the real power lie in Elizabethan England?
Students question who Elizabeth might want in her government and using a text mapping exercise find out who is who in the different establishments.
The second part of the lesson examines a significance question and compares the inner workings of her government to today’s cabinet and the role of Parliament.
Students have to write about the importance of the Royal Court using the information provided, which is also linked to a brilliant BBC video clip and with a model answer included.
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.
AQA GCSE Conflict and Tension 1918-1939
This is the final lesson in exploring the causes of the Second World War (WWII).
As Hitler invades Poland, students reflect upon the main reasons why Europe descended into war.
Students are required to colour code the main causes of World War II by linking them to five main categories.
They also have a chance to demonstrate their understanding by providing evidence and qualifying their judgements.
The final part of the lesson is geared towards preparing them for an assessment by analysing and tackling typical GCSE questions with help given if required.
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, some retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
Edexcel GCSE Weimar and Nazi Germany 1918-1939
The aim of this Revision Guide is to help students prepare for and revise for their GCSE History exam.
This resource (in booklet form sets out the Edexcel GCSE Modern Depth Study, Weimar and Nazi Germany 1918-1939 in two sides of A4.
This is ideal for the student who wants a quick recap before the exam as it includes all the main details in bullet form.
It is also great for quickly printing and giving out for revision lessons, especially when the students claim they cannot remember anything they have been taught!
This resource can be also used for homework and interleaving or for quickly recapping topics.
This resource can also be easily emailed to parents to help students with their revision studies at home or put on the school’s digital platform.
I have included both PDF and Word formats if there is a need to change or adapt.
AQA GCE 2O A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to assess the impact of Albert Speer in armaments production in the Nazi war economy.
The lesson begins with a recap of the policies previously mentioned of Hjalmar Schacht and Goering in his Four Year Plan. Students will assess how much of an impact their policies had preparing Germany for war and if the German economy was on the verge of collapse before from 1942.
Students will learn about the background of Albert Speer and how he implemented reforms and efficiency to turn the Nazi economy around with his appointment as Armaments Minister and War production.
There is some source analysis to complete together with a true or false quiz at the end of the lesson.
The exam practice will allow students to evaluate the successes of Speer’s policies as well as questioning deep rooted divisions and problems within the economy, which were unreconcilable and ultimately led to its collapse with the defeat of Nazi Germany.
The lesson is quite literacy heavy and may have to be delivered over two lessons.
An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work.
The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs.
It is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.
**The First World War **
The aim of this lesson is to question the psychological effects of fighting on the Western Front in the First World War.
This lesson centres around the case of Private Harry Farr who was shot for ‘misbehaving before the enemy in such a manner as to show cowardice.’
Students re-enact his court martial using the witness statements before his sentencing and ultimately decide if his sentence was justified…
The start of the lesson requires them to define a coward and more importantly question what shellshock is, which the Government at the time and the public refused to recognise.
Students will analyse why so many soldiers refused to fight in World War 1 and preferred to desert instead fully aware of the consequences of their actions.
The students will use visual and source evidence and apply higher order thinking skills at the end of the lesson in an extended piece of writing.
The plenary questions students’ beliefs on cowardice and challenges their original assumptions at the beginning of 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 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 much Britain valued its Empire soldiers in the First World War.
This subject is very topical at present as historians such as David Olusoga are putting cultural diversity at the forefront of our British history curriculum.
The starting point of the lesson is to analyse the story of Private Johnson Beharry, focusing on his background and the reasons why he was awarded a Victoria Cross, through source or video evidence.
Students will then link his story to World War I, where they will learn how more V.C.’s were awarded to British Empire soldiers than anyone else and discover which parts of the Empire contributed to the war effort and why.
There are case studies in the lesson focused on troops from the Punjab and the West Indies.
The main task students face is to judge how valued British Empire soldiers were at the time and if not, how and why they were viewed differently. Ultimately they will need to clarify why this varied widely according to country and race.
They will also be required to write an extended answer using their own opinions, with argument words and scaffolding given if required.
There is a plethora of video evidence to accompany this lesson, with brilliant clips from the BBC and other sources.
Students will finally consolidate their learning by creating sentences from
‘fragments’ and a retrieval task on the First World War.
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.
These lessons are designed to meet the needs of the Key Stage 3 National Curriculum and cover the development of the Church, state and society in Medieval Britain 1066-1509; the struggle between Church and crown, Magna Carta and the emergence of Parliament.
This bundle addresses key historical skills from the outset: What made a successful Medieval Monarch? Why did King Henry II want more power over the Church and why was he forced to publicly say sorry? What were the differences and similarities between the reigns of King Richard and his brother King John? What were the causes and consequences of King John signing the Magna Carta? What was significant about the Peasants’ Revolt or Edward II’s promotion of his favourites? Did Richard III really murder the Princes in the Tower?
These skills are addressed in each of the lessons and allow students to be able to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends and be able to create their own structured accounts and written narratives.
Moreover this bundle allows students to understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims on the reputations of King Richard and King John in the Middle Ages.
The lessons are broken down into the following:
L1 Medieval Monarchs introduction
L2 The murder of Thomas Becket
L3 Was King Henry II really sorry?
L4 King Richard the Lionheart
L5 King John
L6 The Magna Carta
L7 The siege of Rochester Castle (free resource)
L8 The Peasants Revolt
L9 King Edward II
L10 Genghis Khan
L11 The Princes in the Tower (Bonus lesson)
These lessons are designed to be fun, challenging, interactive and engaging.
The lessons are enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start and revisited at the end to show the progression in learning and who held the power in Medieval England.
All the lessons are differentiated and come with suggested teaching and learning strategies and link to the latest interpretations from the BBC and other sources.
The resources come in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
The aims of this bundle are to investigate the causes of the French Revolution, how it changed the lives of French people and its consequences for Europe and the Wider World with the rise of Napoleon and the Napoleonic Wars.
I have also created and used these lessons to challenge and engage students and to show how much fun learning about this part of European history really is.
By studying this unit, pupils will be able to make connections, draw contrasts, and analyse trends within this period of history by using an enquiry based question throughout all the lessons.
Students will learn and understand key historical skills throughout such as the change and continuity of the Government of France in the Eighteenth Century, the causes and consequences of the execution of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette and the similarities and differences of absolute monarchs such as Louis XVI of France, and Frederick the Great of Prussia in comparison to George III of Britain.
They will also learn about the significance of the Tennis Court Oath, the Storming of the Bastille, the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte as well as different interpretations of Marie Antoinette and Maximilien Robespierre.
Finally they will create relevant, structured and evidentially supported accounts in response to claims that the Terror was justified, Britain had every reason to fear Napoleon or that Louis XVI deserved to be executed.
The lessons are as follows:
L1 Introduction to the French Revolution
L2 The French Monarchy
L3 The Three Estates
L4 Louis XVI financial problems
L5 Tennis Court Oath
L6 Storming of the Bastille
L7 Execution of King Louis XVI
L8 The reign of Terror
L9 Maximilien Robespierre (free resource)
L10 Support for the French Revolution
L11 Napoleon Bonaparte
L12 Napoleonic Wars
L13 Legacy of the French Revolution (free resource)
All the lessons come with retrieval practice activities, differentiated materials, suggested teaching and learning strategies and are linked to the latest historical interpretations, video clips and debate.
The lessons are enquiry based with a key question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end to show the progress of learning.
They are fully adaptable in PowerPoint format and can be changed to suit.
I would highly recommend assessing students at the tend of this unit of study, using GCSE style questions from your chosen exam board.
If you have any questions about this unit, please do not hesitate to contact me via my shop for further information.
The British Empire
This lesson aims to find out whether we should be proud or ashamed of gaining an Empire and how the indigenous peoples we conquered ‘benefitted’ under British rule.
This lesson will best be delivered over 2 lessons . The opening slides give some context to the debate and define what an Empire is and which countries Britain owned by 1900.
Through video and source analysis, the students have to explain their choice of being proud or ashamed or both and as the lesson progresses justify whether they are sticking to their decisions.
Analysis focuses on Victorian propaganda, the recent views of British Prime Ministers as well as how museums refuse to engage about how they have obtained their imperial artefacts.
The second part of the lesson examines a number of countries acquired by Britain and focuses on the ‘benefits of Empire’. Students then make their final decisions at the end before drawing conclusions on the legacy of the British Empire.
A homework task is to design an Empire plate (photographic examples given) to celebrate Empire day from 1902.
The lesson comes with 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 A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603
The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the reasons why Wolsey fell from grace.
Students begin by analysing evidence that suggests Wolsey was England’s second king, complete with his domestic and foreign policies.
They then have to make up their minds and decide which key event(s) led to his downfall in an mini extended writing task, with argument words to help them construct their answers.
The plenary uses a flashcard with judgements made on Wolsey from which they are required to agree or challenge.
Students have the chance to undertake some exam question practice, complete with writing frame and markscheme if required.
There is an enquiry question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work.
The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit.
The lesson is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.
The aim of this lesson is to assess the validity of four claimants to the English throne in 1066 before the Battles of Hastings.
It also includes a script for those students who prefer a more kinaesthetic approach to this topic.
Each contender is introduced and students have to assess who has the best claim to the English throne, which on the face of it is a difficult choice, which each having a strong argument and motive.
This can also be completed by colour coding thermometers and rating them out of ten before making a substantiated conclusion.
There are differentiated questions to ask the students once this task has been completed.
The plenary asks them to think outside the box and link pictures to the issues and contentions raised.
The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies.
It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.
The aim of this lesson is for students to analyse and evaluate the winning tactics used in by William the Conqueror in the Battle of Hastings.
Students begin by analysing the Bayeux Tapestry, the battle itself and information on the leadership qualities of the two combatants.
They then complete a differentiated task using a storyboard to map out the events of the battle before completing a summarising pyramid on William the Conqueror’s skills.
There is also a chance to recreate the Battle of Hastings with suggestions of role play before the plenary requires some recall and retention skills.
An optional homework suggestion is also provided.
The resource is therefore differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies.
It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.
