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.
Crime and Punishment
The aim of this lesson is judge how effective the punishments were against the crimes committed in Norman times.
Students will also decide throughout the lesson if many of the crimes committed and punishments dispensed were continued or changed under the Normans .
Students begin the lesson with some context of Norman society and then introduced to the new punishments of the Forest Laws and the Murdrum Fine.
They analyse the punishments given by the Norman and then have to categorise the crimes committed from the descriptions given (such as treason, theft, poaching, forest laws and so on).
There are some key questions on the role the Church played in crime and punishment before the students can complete some extended writing practice with a markscheme given if required.
The plenary is a multiple choice quiz to consolidate the learning from the lesson.
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
Crime and Punishment
The aim of this lesson is to ascertain how attitudes towards punishment have changed in the 21st Century.
Students begin the lesson by deciding which punishments are new in the modern era (change) and which punishments have stayed the same (continuity).
They then analyse how successful new preventative measures are being promoted through schemes such as neighbourhood watch and community policing.
Students also investigate the different policing departments set up to tackle crime, such as Special Branch and the National Crime Agency.
There is a chance to debate the morality of the death penalty and whether it should be brought back or not, with arguments given for both sides.
The final focus is on the role of prisons in today’s society, never far away from the news headlines. A true or false quiz is also designed to challenge misconceptions and clarify current prison problems.
Ultimately there is some recall practice on previous thinking about punishments through the ages, before students can tackle some key assessment question practice, with help and a markscheme provided 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.
Crime and Punishment
The aim of this lesson is evaluate why the case of Derek Bentley can be classified as a miscarriage of justice.
Students begin the lesson with the background of Derek, his early life growing up and his troubles at school.
They are then given some source scholarship with tasks to complete. The details focus on the events of the night of 2nd November 1953, when Bentley was involved in the shooting of a policeman.
Students use this information to decide if it was right to sentence him to death, despite not firing the shots which killed Constable Sidney Miles.
Some key information of the case has been left out deliberately to then challenge the students to see if they wish to change their minds. (For example they are then told about his severe learning difficulties and metal age.)
Students also complete a diamond nine activity, rating in order of importance the impact and significance of the case.
The lesson ends with some differentiated questions around the subject of the death penalty and a heart, head, bin, bag plenary to consolidate their 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 ideal as an introduction to Crime and Punishment if you are teaching it at GCSE or if you wish to add an interesting unit of work to engage and challenge the students.
The resource can also be used as a stand alone lesson to question the morality of the death penalty, which links to Citizenship, PHSE and Religious Education topics.
Crime and Punishment
The aim of this lesson is evaluate why the case of Ruth Ellis can be classified as a miscarriage of justice.
Students begin the lesson with the background of Ruth Ellis, her childhood experiences and growing up in London.
They are then given some source scholarship to complete with some hinge questions posed to analyse the text.
The details of the killing of her boyfriend David Blakely are then given; students use this to decide if it was right to sentence her to death, which was the law at the time and if she was guilty beyond question of the crime.
Some select information of the case is left out deliberately to then challenge the students to see if they wish to change their minds. (For example they are told that the verdict was given after only a day and a half.)
Questions at the end are therefore raised about the fairness of the criminal justice system at the time, gender issues in sentencing, domestic abuse awareness and mental health considerations.
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 ideal if you are teaching Crime and Punishment at GCSE or if you wish to add an interesting unit of work to engage and challenge the students.
This lesson can also be used as a stand alone for subjects such as PHSE and Religious Education which question the morality of using the death penalty.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
I have produced this bundle of resources on the Nazi racial state and the impact of war 1933-45 to help A Level students gain a deeper understanding of Germany’s changing policies during the war years.
The enquiry question throughout these lessons will be evaluate the reasons why the Nazis committed mass murder and assess the impact of total war on Germany.
Students will learn about the development of anti-Semitic policies and the radicalisation of the state with its social Darwinism and race theories.
They will study how the events of the Anschluss, Kristallnacht and the invasion of Poland sparked a sea change in how the Nazi regime reacted towards undesirables as well as Jewish people.
Students will evaluate the effectiveness of propaganda in maintaining morale during the war years and the changing impact of war on German society such as the appointment of Albert Speer and the mobilisation of the German economy for armaments production.
They will also assess how effective opposition was to the Nazi regime and how different groups resisted the totalitarian state.
Finally students will analyse the origins of the ‘Final Solution’, the key figures involved and the role of the Einsatzgruppen and extermination camps in Poland. They will also decide who should take responsibility for the holocaust and why.
The lessons are as follows:
L1 Radicalising the State
L2 Undesirables
L3 Nazi policies towards the Jewish people, 1933-37
L4 Nazi policies towards the Jewish people, 1938-40
L5 Nazi policies towards the Jewish people, 1940-41
L6 Impact of war (free resource)
L7 Speer and the war economy
L8 The changing impact of war on German society
L9 Opposition
L10 The final solution
The lessons include the two types of exam question used, with examples of how to tackle them, using model answers, helpful hints and tips, structuring and scaffolding as well as markschemes. However, please refer to the AQA website for further assessment materials as they are subject to copyright.
The lessons are also differentiated and fully resourced and allow students to reach the very top marks.
If you have any questions about the lessons, please email me via my TES shop, or any other information about the course.
I would also welcome any reviews, which would be gratefully appreciated.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to assess the reasons behind the radicalisation of the Nazi state.
Students begin by noting the three main phases in the development of the Nazi regime.
They learn about social Darwinism and how this played a role in the formation of the Volksgemeinschaft.
There are some key questions posed about this and the policy of lebensraum.
A 3-2-1 plenary at the end will check and consolidate learning of the racial state.
There is some source exam question practice to finish, with help and tips and a detailed markscheme given if required.
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.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to assess the impact of war upon Nazi Germany.
The lessons begins by assessing the value of some sources, to be used in some exam practice at the end, which questions the effects of the war on civilian morale.
There is a missing word activity for the students to complete after studying how rationing was introduced in Germany and its repercussions.
There is also a grid sheet to complete as students evaluate the four phases of the war and how the use of propaganda affected civilian morale, particularly as the German people began to realise the war was not going to plan and would not end quickly.
An octagon plenary will check understanding and consolidate the learning at the end of the lesson.
The lesson is quite literacy heavy and may have to be delivered over two lessons.
There is some exam practice to be completed at the end, with a markscheme provided if required.
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
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to evaluate why opposition to the Nazis was limited and sporadic.
Students begin the lesson by giving reasons for opposition and how it might vary across different sections of German society.
A number of tasks are completed on different types of opposition to the Nazis, from youth groups, Churches, elites and the army.
For each opposition group there are key questions, source analysis, links to video footage and a requirement to discuss and debate.
The plenary exemplifies this discussion and debate with a talk like an expert task.
The lesson may be delivered over two lessons. There is some exam practice to be completed at the end with the challenge that opposition methods were too varied and fragmented to be effective against the Nazis. There is a markscheme provided if required.
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.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to evaluate to what extent were the elites, workers women and young people affected by war between 1939-45 in Germany.
The students analyse and evaluate the roles played by these different groups in turn during the war and assess how each group were impacted.
Key questions are asked throughout and students are required at the end to prioritise which group was the most affected and why.
The lesson may be delivered over two lessons. There is some exam practice to be completed at the end, with a focused markscheme provided if required.
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.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to assess whether the war in the East was the main reason for the implementation of the Final Solution.
This lesson can be delivered over two, with the breath and depth of information covered.
Students begin with a recap of some key dates in their implementation of anti-Semitic policies. The significance of the Wannsee Conference is explained, with a comprehension task and timeline guide to examine in the move towards the Final Solution.
There are some key multiple choice questions to answer as well as some map analysis of the concentration and extermination camps in Europe.
Case Studies on Auschwitz and Ceija’s Story give context to the horrific crimes committed by the Nazis in this period.
The final parts of the lesson focus on Jewish resistance (with a colour coding activity to complete) as well as a note on the death marches and questions over who bears responsibility for the holocaust.
The lesson is quite literacy heavy and may have to be delivered over two lessons. There is some exam practice to be completed at the end, with a focused markscheme provided if required.
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.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to assess the impact of Albert Speer in armaments production.
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 Speer and how he implemented reforms and efficiency to turn the 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.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the reasons behind the radicalisation of Nazi policies towards Jewish people in the years 1940-41.
The scene is set with the outbreak of war, the invasion of the Soviet Union and further restrictions placed on Jewish people in Germany.
Students follow a flow diagram of events with questions posed throughout. There is also a case study of the Warsaw Ghetto and its uprising.
They are then introduced to the Einsatzgruppen, what their key aims were and the possible actions they carried out in a true or false quiz. Further information, including whether the group were ‘ordinary men’ or ‘willing executioners’ is examined before students complete a quiz to check their understanding and consolidate their learning.
There is some exam practice to be completed at the end, with a focused markscheme provided if required.
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.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to assess the short and long term impacts of key events upon the Jewish community between 1938-40 such as the Anschluss, Kristallnacht, emigration and the invasion and Poland.
Students begin the lesson by analysing the events of the Anschluss and the impact upon the Jewish community living in Austria.
They are also required to match up a number of statements on the significance of decrees passed in Germany leading up to Kristallnacht and discuss why this event was pivotal for the Jewish people in Germany and Europe.
Further analysis of voluntary and forced emigration within Germany and the key figures of Heydrich and Eichmann will give the students an in-depth and rounded study of the period, together with details of the flawed Madagascar plan.
The lesson will culminate with a final assessment of the invasion of Poland will require them to prioritise the most important reasons for a change in policy towards the Jewish question in Europe.
There is a thinking hats plenary to finish with some exam question practice, complete with markscheme finishes the lesson.
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.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to assess the growing discrimination and persecution of Jewish people in Nazi Germany between 1933-7.
Students begin by evaluating some Nazi propaganda posters and a source from an eye witness account to gain an understanding of the changing Nazi policy towards Jewish people.
They will also learn about the different laws and measures introduced and how these impacted upon the Jewish community living in Germany. There is also a focus on the Nuremberg Laws and their impending impact.
I have also included who was classed as a Jewish person in Germany and how this applied through their ancestry, rather than heritage.
There is some exam practice to be completed at the end, with a focused markscheme provided if required.
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.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the reasons behind the systematic persecution of minority groups in German society.
Whilst the Nazis aimed to create a unified and homogeneous national community by promoting a sense of collective identity among “racially pure” Germans, students will find that this idea was based on the exclusion of those deemed “racially inferior” or politically undesirable.
Students are introduced to the theory of eugenics and the significance of this theory when applied to this persecution.
Students learn about the policies towards different minorities including Roma and Sinti peoples, disabled, homosexuals, religious groups and the Euthanasia programme set up in Berlin.
There are tasks to complete throughout including prioritisation exercises, key questions and source analysis.
The lesson is quite literacy heavy and may have to be delivered over two lessons.
There is some exam practice to be completed at the end, with a focused markscheme provided if required.
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 guide is aimed at students to help them study, revise and be prepared for the AQA Elizabethan Historic Environment question for 2025.
I have broken down the main details into manageable chunks using the 5 w’s of what, where, when, why and who ,
This guide has been revised from my 2018 version and focuses on the main concepts of location, function, structure, design, people connected to it, the culture, values and fashions of the time and how the site links to important events of the period.
I have also included all the key information needed such as Bess’s background and status, the latest in fashions and the designing of Hardwick Hall as well as its furnishings and garden layout.
Please note that many of the pictures from the AQA guidance on Hardwick Hall are not included due to copyright. Please feel free to therefore adapt the guide and include them.
Any reviews on this resource would be greatly appreciated
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to decide to what extent the Nazis achieved their aims towards women in Nazi Germany.
Students are forewarned about how views today cannot be applied back then and therefore Nazi policies towards women, as misogynistic as they were, would not necessarily have been rejected but welcomed by women.
Some source analysis using images and text begin the lesson, as students gauge what Nazi policies were towards women in 1930’s Germany.
They are questioned on policies to raise the birth rate as well as the organisational apparatus established to do this.
There is a case study of Gertrude Sholtz-Klink before students evaluate the successes or failing of these Nazi policies.
The plenary uses talking heads to decide who would have said what and why at the time.
There is some exam practice to finish focusing on the aims of the lesson, complete with a markscheme and help if needed.
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.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
Nazi Dictatorship 1933-39
I have produced this bundle of resources on the beginnings of the Nazi Dictatorship 1933-39 to help A Level students gain a deeper understanding of Germany’s past and the establishment of a Dictatorship.
The enquiry question throughout these lessons will be evaluate how much of a totalitarian state Germany became under the Nazis.
Students will learn about the impact of the Night of the Long Knives and the significance Hindenburg’s death had on Hitler’s consolidation of power.
They will also explore the mechanisms and apparatus Hitler installed to provoke fear and ensure compliance among the population, including the roles of the Gestapo and SS.
Students will assess the effectiveness of Nazi propaganda in controlling public perception and opinion., the economic policies of the Four Year Plan and autarky and the impact upon workers of the DAF, Strength Through Joy and Beauty of Labour programmes.
Finally students will analyse the efficacy of social policies on the young and women and decide how successfully the Churches were brought into line and replaced with the Nazis version of Christianity.
The resources provided include detailed lesson plans, case studies, source documents for analysis, chronological tasks and exam practice questions with comprehensive mark schemes.
The lessons are as follows:
L1 One Party State (Free resource)
L2 The Night of the Long Knives
L3 The Terror State
L4 Early Opposition
L5 Propaganda
L6 Economic Policy
L7 Youth Groups
L8 Women
L9 Workers
L10 The Churches
The lessons include the two types of exam question used, with examples of how to tackle them, using model answers, helpful hints and tips, structuring and scaffolding as well as markschemes. However, please refer to the AQA website for further assessment materials as they are subject to copyright.
The lessons are also differentiated and fully resourced and allow students to reach the very top marks.
If you have any questions about the lessons, please email me via my TES shop, or any other information about the course.
I would also welcome any reviews, which would be gratefully appreciated.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to question to what extent the Nazis created a totalitarian state.
Students begin by learning Hitler’s ideal of a totalitarian state and how he dealt with the existing political parties.
They will also discover how laws passed centrally dissolved the independence and power of the state assemblies.
There are some key questions to answer about the revamp of the civil service and the impact of the death of Hindenburg for the German state.
The plenary is an old favourite using the octagon and checking the learning from the lesson.
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.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to question whether the Nazi economic miracle between 1933-9 was merely a propaganda myth.
The exam practice question is introduced from the start and revisited throughout to check judgement and understanding.
Students are introduced to the economic policies of Hjalmar Schacht and how he managed to stimulate the economy through for example building homes and autobahns, mefo bills and tax concessions.
Students soon discover how Hitler’s meddling and appointment of Hermann Goering to the Four Year Plan, spelt disaster for the economy. Through a variety of tasks including a true or false quiz, a positive or negative challenge and plotting on a graph, they soon build up a picture of what the reality was for the economy despite the contrary messages from propaganda.
The plenary requires them to describe, explain, list,correct or erase the learning from the lesson.
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.
