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.
Conflict and Tension 1918-1939
How was the League affected by the Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression which followed?
This lesson aims to explore how the League’s weaknesses came to the fore as countries such as Germany and Italy looked to dictators like Hitler and Mussolini to solve their problems.
Students use a cause and consequences exercise and then analyse Stresemann’s policies to build up a picture of why the League lost favour in the 1930’s.
There is also a chance to complete a GCSE source question which focuses on provenance.
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.
Conflict and Tension 1918-1939
This is the final lesson in exploring the causes of World War II.
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 a GCSE 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.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to assess the problems Stresemann faced as Chancellor.
Students are given the context to the state of Germany by the end of 1923 and the background to Stresemann’s arrival to lead the Grand Coalition.
They are given four pressing problems facing Stresemann and have to prioritise what he should tackle first. A series of question will also challenge their thinking on his decisions, with answers given when required.
Students will also learn the roles of Hjalmar Schact and Charles Dawes and their significance in stabilising Germany.
Finally some exam practice focuses them on how Germany recovered and how the loans from America were put to good use.
The plenary is an old favourite of head, heart, bin and bag.
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.
Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship
This lesson aims to evaluate how successful Hitler was in consolidating his power after becoming Chancellor.
As Hitler contrived to win more votes, a succession of events throughout 1933 and 1934 helped him achieve this.
Students therefore have to rate how much power in their opinion he gained from each event (such as the use of Article 48 and the Enabling Act), colour coding the power indicators after each.
Then they plot these events on a living graph, thus mapping out this process, also having to decide the legality or illegality of these events.
Alternatively they are given a timeline in which they analyse each event and decide the positives and negatives of each of them and whether these contributed to an increase or decrease in his power.
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.
This key word literacy display has been designed to be used on classroom walls (or on display boards outside) when introducing a new History topic to the students.
It is an easy resource to print and will hopefully save an incredible amount of time and effort when incorporating literacy into a new or existing scheme of work. The slides can also be laminated and used as mobiles hanging from the ceiling or used as part of an informative display.
The slides cover the following words and their definitions:
abolition, American Civil War, auction, slave, branding, captive, emancipate, flux, Guinea coast, Harriet Tubman, Indentured servants, lynching, manumission, Middle Passage, plantation, profit, repatriation, resistance, shackles, sharecropper, slave colony, tight pack, Triangular trade, Thomas Clarkson, trans-Atlantic, underground railroad, William Wilberforce.
The slides come in PowerPoint format so they are easy to change and adapt.
This key word literacy display has been designed to be used on classroom walls (or on display boards outside) when introducing a new History topic to the students.
It is an easy resource to print and will hopefully save an incredible amount of time and effort when incorporating literacy into a new or existing scheme of work. The slides can also be laminated and used as mobiles hanging from the ceiling or used as part of an informative display.
The slides cover the following words and their definitions:
Cavalier. Commonwealth, confess, controversial, civil war, defence, ducking stool, Divine Right, evidence, interregnum, Matthew Hopkins, negotiate, New Model Army, Oliver Cromwell, Puritan, Republic, resonant, Restoration, Roundhead, Rump Parliament, scaffold, scold, ship money, Stuarts, treason, trial, tyrant, witch.
The slides come in PowerPoint format so they are easy to change and adapt.
This key word literacy display has been designed to be used on classroom walls (or on display boards outside) when introducing a new History topic to the students.
It is an easy resource to print and will hopefully save an incredible amount of time and effort when incorporating literacy into a new or existing scheme of work.
The slides can also be laminated and used as mobiles hanging from the ceiling or used as part of an informative display.
The slides cover the following words and their definitions:
Agent Orange, Arms Race, Bay of Pigs, Berlin Airlift, Berlin Wall, Cold War, communism, containment, Cuba, Cuban Missile Crisis, East and West Germany, exclusion zone, Fidel Castro, ideology, iron curtain, Marshall Plan, McCarthyism, NATO, Nikita Khrushchev, President Kennedy, red scare, soviet bloc, Soviet Union, Superpower, trade embargo, Truman Doctrine, U2, Warsaw Pact, zones of occupation
The slides come in PowerPoint format so they are easy to change and adapt.
The aim of this lesson is to assess the validity of four claimants to the English throne in 1066.
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.
This lesson is the sequel to the murder of Thomas Becket (Part 1).
The students have to question if Henry II was really sorry for the murder of Becket or whether he used his public apology merely as a publicity stunt.
The lesson begins by asking them how horse hair, a whip, bare feet and a shrine are connected to the lesson.
As the story unravels, they learn what Henry II did as a penitence for the murder, and how he attempted to atone for his actions.
They plot this on a graph which allows them to analyse and evaluate his real motives.
They continue to plot the power struggle between the king, the church, the barons and the people in a sequence of lessons.
This lesson includes:
Fun, engaging and challenging tasks
Links to video footage
Printable worksheets
Differentiated tasks
Suggested teaching strategies
PowerPoint format, which can be changed to suit
Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship
This lesson aims to evaluate the effects the Wall Street Crash had on Germany.
The focus from the start is to make sure students understand and recognise the differences between this event and hyperinflation, which they too often mistake as the same.
Students learn how the events unfolded in America and the impact these events had on peoples’ lives in Germany using video, visuals and a written account of someone who experienced the full effects in Germany.
There is a GCSE exam practice question to complete with students boxing up their answers using the sources provided.
A find and fix plenary will assess student understanding and test whether they have a grasp of the effects upon Germany.
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 GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the consequences of Schleicher’s scheming.
Students begin the lesson with a chronological quiz, recapping the events of the unit of work so far.
They are then introduced to Hindenburg inner circle and how he was influenced by them in his decision making. Students also learn about Schleicher’s tactics to bring the Nazis under his control. They subsequently have to put themselves in Schleicher’s shoes and unpick his decision making.
With Schleicher’s ultimate failure to govern effectively, students conclude by finalising the reasons why Hitler was to become Chancellor.
Students can complete some exam question practice at the end of the lesson, with structured support provided to help them effectively answer the question.
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.
This resource (in booklet form) sets out the OCR Medicine unit, The people’s health, c.1250 to the present day 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 also be used for interleaving and homework.
This resource is editable and can be changed to suit. If you like this resource, please check out my Summary Revision Guide for Conflict and Cooperation at : https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/ocr-gcse-9-1-conflict-and-cooperation-1918-1939-summary-revision-guide-11769163
This resource (in booklet form) sets out the WJEC GCSE Germany in Transition 1919-39 course 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 that has been taught!
The resource can also be used for interleaving and homework tasks.
I have included both PDF and Word formats if there is a need to change or adapt.
Conflict and Tension 1918-1945
This 28 page revision guide is tailored to the above AQA specification for GCSE 9-1. It is broken down into 3 main sections: Peace Keeping, the League of Nations and the Road to war.
This revision guide includes practice exam questions and gives examples on how to answer each. This revision guide will enable all learners to achieve the higher grades with clear guidance on how to achieve them. The questions target the four main questions in the exam from source analysis, chronology, cause and consequence, significance and evaluation.
The information is also broken down into an easy to use format to aid the students. The Guide can be used for revision, interleaving, home learning as well as class teaching. For home learning, each student taking GCSE History in my school has a copy assigned to them on the google drive and it is used frequently when using google classroom assignments, such as homework and revision for assessments.
This Guide has been designed to be engaging, detailed and easy to follow and can be edited and changed to suit, It comes in both Word and PDF format.
Any reviews on this resource would be much appreciated. Please email me for a free copy of any of my resources worth £3.00 if you do.
The Tudors: England 1485-1603
The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the success of the religious settlement.
Students begin by analysing the various intricacies of the Settlement, from the Royal Injunctions, the 39 Articles to the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity.
Using this information, they then have to decide which historian’s viewpoint appears the more accurate on the settlement and explain why.
Moreover students have to discover which parts of the settlement are from Elizabeth’s own personal beliefs and which parts did she have to compromise on.
There is some exam practice to complete if required with help and prompts given.
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.
This bundle follows the Key Stage 3 National Curriculum - the development of Church, state and society in Britain 1509-1745 including the Elizabethan religious settlement and conflict with Catholics (including Scotland, Spain and Ireland).
The aims of this bundle are to know and understand how peoples’ lives were shaped by Elizabeth, how she dealt with the threats to her rule and how her legacy lives on today as one of our greatest ever Queens.
Students will learn and understand key historical skills. These include historical concepts such as continuity and change with a focus on the Elizabethan Poor Law, the causes and consequences of the Elizabethan Settlement, similarities and differences in her portraits and the significance of the defeat of the Armada as well as exploration and the theatre.
The 11 lessons are broken down into the following:
L1 The young Elizabeth
L2 The Elizabethan Settlement (free resource)
L3 Elizabeth and her favourites (free resource)
L4 Elizabeth and the problem of marriage
L5 Elizabeth and her portraits
L6 How did Elizabeth deal with Mary, Queen of Scots?
L7 Famous explorers (Drake, Hawkins and Raleigh)
L8 The Spanish Armada
L9 Elizabeth, poverty and the Poor Law
L10 Elizabethan Theatre and the Globe
Each lesson comes with suggested teaching and learning strategies and are linked to the latest historical interpretations and debate from the BBC and other sources.
The lessons are fully adaptable in PowerPoint format and can be changed to suit. I have included a couple of free lessons to give an idea of what is being offered.
Although this bundle is aimed at Key Stage 3, it is ideal if you are studying Elizabeth I for GCSE as it covers the main themes, concepts and skills required for the new specifications.
This bundle follows the Key Stage 3 National Curriculum - challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day with a focus on the Second World War and the wartime leadership of Winston Churchill.
The aims of this bundle are to know and understand how people’s lives in Britain were affected by World War 2 under the guidance of Winston Churchill.
I have created, readapted and used these lessons to challenge and engage students, but also to show how much fun learning about this part of history really is.
Students will learn and understand key historical skills throughout such as continuity and change in the role and use of propaganda in World War II, the causes and consequences of the policy of appeasement, breaking the Enigma Code or the evacuation of children, the similarities and differences of life on the Home Front, the significance of Winston Churchill and interpretations about whether there really was a Blitz spirit.
The lessons are as follows:
L1 Adolf Hitler
L2 Causes of World War II
L3 Appeasement
L4 Winston Churchill
L5 The Home Front - preparations
L6 The Home Front - propaganda
L7 The Home Front - rationing
L8 The Home Front - women (free lesson)
L9 Evacuation of children
L10 The Blitz
L11 The Enigma Code
L12 Prisoners of war (free lesson)
L13 Occupation of the Channel Islands
This bundle includes retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials.
All lessons come in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
I have also included two free lessons in the bundle to give an idea of what is being offered.
I would also strongly recommend you assess students on this unit of study based on GCSE style questions from your chosen exam board.
**The development of the Plains, American West c.1862-c1876. **
This bundle is the second part in a series of lessons I have created for Edexcel GCSE 9-1 The American West, c.1835-c1895
Students will be assessed on their knowledge and understanding of the early development on the Plains with the passing of the Homestead Act of 1862 through to the second Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868.
They will focus on the advantages with the coming of the Pacific Railroad but how this accentuated the problems of settlement and the growth of the towns.
Students will learn about the life of cowboys and what was involved on the long drive and life on the ranch. They will recognise the significance of key people such as Joseph McCoy, Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving and John Iliff and how they changed the cattle industry.
They will study the conflicts which arose between ranchers and homesteaders as well as between the US Government and the Plains Indians such as Little Crow’s War and Red Cloud’s War.
Lessons will target consequence such as the US government policy of moving the Plains Indians to reservations where they could be ‘protected’ and the changes to their way of life.
Furthermore I have dispensed with individual learning objectives for each lesson to focus throughout on a specific enquiry based question which addresses the knowledge and skills required for the GCSE questions and shows progression in learning required during this course.
Moreover it allows the students to critically think for themselves to decide who was benefitting from this rapid change to America as well as how and why.
For assessment purposes each lesson is accompanied by one of the three key exam questions with help and exam tips if needed. These can be completed in the lesson or for homework or used for interleaving.
The lessons are as follows:
L12 The Homestead Act
L13 The Pacific Railroad Act
L14 Problems of Homesteading (free resource)
L15 Growth of the Cattle Industry
L16 Life of Cowboys
L17 Rivalry between Ranchers and Homesteaders
L18 Impact of Settlement o n the Plains Indians(free resource)
L19 Little Crow’s War and the Sand Creek Massacre
L20 Red Cloud’s War
The lessons are all differentiated and are tailored to enable the students to achieve the highest grades. Each lesson also contains some retrieval practice.
The lessons come in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
I have created these set of resources for the History GCSE 9-1 Edexcel Historic Environment for the British sector of the Western Front, 1914-1918.
The central question throughout these seven lessons is to find out how medicine developed throughout the conflict of World War 1. They are closely linked together and address all the content required for this unit.
Pupils will learn about the injuries, treatment and life in the trenches for the soldiers. Key ideas include:
The historical context of medicine in the early twentieth century and the move to aseptic surgery
The trench system and its construction and organisation
The context of the British sector including Northern France and Flanders
The problems with communications and infrastructure due to the nature of the terrain
The nature of wounds received and the conditions requiring medical treatment
The work of organisations such as RAMC and FANY
The significance of the Western Front for experiments in surgery and new techniques used.
The lessons are broken down into the following:
L1: Introduction and the trench system
L2: Flanders and Northern France
L3: Move to aseptic surgery (free lesson)
L4: Deadly weapons and injuries
L5: Trench warfare and the problems of transport
L6: Helping and treating the wounded
L7: GCSE exam question practice
Each lesson comes with suggested teaching and learning strategies and are linked to the latest historical interpretations and ideas used by current history teachers on twitter.
The lessons are fully adaptable in PowerPoint and can be changed to suit. I have included a free lesson to give an idea of what is being offered.
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 Norman Conquest.
This bundle addresses key historical skills from the outset. Using history enquiry and evidence, student will find out who William the Conqueror was and how did he establish and maintain his rule in England. What were the causes and consequences of Castle building throughout the British Isles? What were the similarities and differences between the role of the Church, monks and nuns and Doom Paintings? What was significant about the Black Death and its effect on the population of Britain and Europe and how dangerous and unhygienic were Medieval towns?
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.
The lessons are broken down into the following:
L1 William the Conqueror
L2 Castles (+attacking a Castle game)
L3 The Domesday Book
L4 The Feudal system
L5 The Church (free resource)
L6 Doom Paintings
L7 The Role of monks and nuns (free resource)
L8 Medieval Towns
L9 The Black Death
L10 Crime and Punishment
L11 The Bayeux Tapestry’
L12 The Crusades
(+ Key Word History Display)
These lessons are designed to be fun, challenging, interactive and engaging.
I would strongly recommend the students undertake an assessment at the end of this unit, using GCSE exam style questions from your own chosen exam board.
All the lessons are differentiated and come with suggested teaching and learning strategies and link to the latest interpretations of the conquest from the BBC and other sources.
All the resources come in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
