The French Revolution The aim of this lesson is to understand the social position and place of the three classes or Estates in French society. Students are given information about all three Estates from which they have to categorise their privileges and duties, which they can present in a diagram or in written form. There is some source analysis as well as a brilliant video clip which highlights the class gap between the second and third Estates. They will also be required to explain how each Estate feels with their position in society and which taxes had to be paid as duties. The plenary gives numerous fictitious people from which the students have to identify the Estate they belong to and whether or not they would support the King. The lesson comes with retrieval practice activities, differentiated materials, suggested teaching and learning strategies 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.

The French Revolution The aim of this lesson is to understand how and why Louis’s financial problems precipitated the storming of the Bastille and the French Revolution The lesson begins by questioning how our present government raises money through taxes, both directly and indirectly. This is then linked to how much debt Louis is in and how he can raise money to run the country (and pay for his extravagances). Moreover, students must prioritise what he should spend his money on and the reasons for this. Students are then given a number of options, from which they have to decide whether this is a good idea to raise money or not and what could be the consequences as a result. This is an evaluative task which will challenge their thinking outside the box, although answers are given or can be revealed to help if required. The true or false plenary will test their knowledge of what they have learnt and check understanding. The lesson comes with retrieval practice activities, differentiated materials, suggested teaching and learning strategies 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.

The French Revolution The aim of this lesson is to assess whether Louis deserved to be executed Firstly, students have to put a number of events in chronological order leading up to the execution. This can be done wither as a verbal or card sort activity. They are also given a narrative account of Louis XVI’s last day, from which they have to compose a number of tweets, imagining how he might have felt at the time. There is some further source analysis and video links to help them with their learning. The main task is to turn the classroom into a mini courtroom. Students are given information either defending King Louis XVI or opposing him. They will then make choices and decide whether to defend or send him to the guillotine. There is a writing frame to accompany this task with argument words to help if required. The final task is to decide what happened to Louis’ body and why this was done. A find and fix plenary will consolidate their learning from the lesson, with answers provided. The lesson comes with retrieval practice activities, differentiated materials, suggested teaching and learning strategies 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 introduce the A Level course to students. Students are given an overview of the course content, as well as the requirements for the exam questions. The lesson recaps on previous knowledge of the Tudors before introducing Henry VII and questioning which will be his main priorities on becoming King in 1485. Students are also introduced to the Tudor timeline and begin to conceptualise how the Tudors and Henry VII came to power and how legitimate and secure his hold on the crown was. There is also an introduction to Tudor society to set the scene for the course and students learn how society, agriculture, industry, the Church were organised. 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.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is to assess the reasons behind the fragility of the crown during the Fifteenth Century. Students begin by using some source scholarship to analyse the weaknesses of the reign of Henry VI and the beginning of the Wars of the Roses between the Lancastrians and Yorkists. They also have to decide whether it was the weaknesses of Henry VI, the nobles or lack of support for the monarchy which caused the Wars of the Roses. The final task requires the students to fix a number of inaccurate statements and correct them from their learning during 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 and includes suggested teaching strategies.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is analyse how Henry ruled the country through his government and to make comparisons to how the country is ruled today. Students are given information on Henry’s government, including his relationship with Parliament and the controversial Council Learned and his use of Justices of the Peace. To check their understanding, students undertake a quiz with 150 points up for grabs to give it a competitive edge! A final odd one out activity uses some retrieval practice 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 and includes suggested teaching strategies and retrieval practice activities.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is for students to assess the significance of Brittany to Britain’s national security under Henry VII. Students use the information provided to also explore Henry’s relationship with France and judge if his foreign policy was a success with his political machinations with Charles VIII. There is also some exam practice to complete, using extracts to evaluate the aims of the lesson and judge Henry’s success in foreign relations with France. Help is also given to the students if required on how to structure an answer, using some scaffolding, helpful hints and a generic markscheme supplied. There is an enquiry question posed and revisited 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.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the significance of the economy to Henry VII. Students will focus on both trade, exploration, agriculture and industry and give Henry an efficiency rating at the end as they judge how well he used them to establish his control. They begin by analysing how agriculture was being affected by a population increase and the growing use of enclosures. Students also assess how important industry was during the Tudor period and how exploration and trade increased with new technologies and pioneering individuals. They also analyse how trade agreements and Henry’s need to raise revenue impacted upon the economy as a whole. Some exam question practice can then be completed, together with a writing frame, some help and hints given and a markscheme if required. There is an enquiry question posed and revisited 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.

Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91 This lesson focuses on the Conferences at Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam and aims to evaluate their impact on East-West relations. Students are required to decide who said what in a retrieval practice activity at first, before analysing the Conferences and evaluating what was agreed, bearing in mind a change of leadership in Britain and America between Tehran and Potsdam had a considerable influence on the outcomes for each. The plenary sums up their knowledge through numbers. Finally some GCSE question practice gives the students some strong and average model answers which they have to distinguish between and be able to explain why referring to the exam board markscheme. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout this and subsequent lessons to show the progress of learning. The lessons in this bundle are therefore linked together to build up a picture of how diplomacy, propaganda and spying led two Superpowers with opposing political ideologies to create tensions, rivalries and distrust as well as subsequently forming mutual understanding and cooperation over the time period in question. The resource includes retrieval practice, suggested teaching strategies, differentiated materials and GCSE question practice. It also comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The aim of this lesson is to analyse and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the Norman and Anglo-Saxon armies in 1066. There are differentiated questions and worksheets for the students to answer before they make their conclusions as to whose army was the best using some argument words to base their decisions upon. The worksheets include information and visual images to aid the students and are easy to print off for individual or group work. A guess who plenary tests their recall knowledge from the lesson. The resource is therefore differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

The American West, c1835-c1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel This lesson focuses on the impact of Pacific Railroad Act of 1842. Students analyse maps and original advertisements to evaluate how effective the railroad companies were in encouraging people to move west and the difficulties involved in building a railroad in the first place. They focus on the effects of the American Civil War and judge the economic impact of the railroad in terms of travel, immigration, the rise of towns, farming as well as the growth of the cattle industry. They also have to determine the negative impacts the railroad had on the Plains Indians and the Buffalo. There is some GCSE exam practice on the ‘consequences’ question, with help given if required. The plenary requires thinking around the popular head, heart, bin and bag activity. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some key word retrieval practice is also included using a spider diagram. It comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The American West, c1835-c1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel The aim of this lesson is to understand the rise of the cattle industry and the impact it had on the American West. Students are given a Texan Cattle Industry Thinking Quilt which introduces them to new concepts and key words. They are introduced to Joseph McCoy and have to decipher a number of statements relating to him which have specific errors in them to correct. They analyse various texts and video links on the Goodnight-Loving Trail as well as the rise of John Iliff and have to work out relating statistics as well as key questions which aim to challenge assumptions and beliefs. There is some GCSE exam practice on the ‘consequences’ question, with help given if required. The plenary is a talking heads activity. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some retrieval practice on source recall is also included. It comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The American West, c1835-c1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel The aim of this lesson is to analyse the large scale mass migration of black Americans to Kansas in 1879. Students are introduced to a picture called ‘American Progress’, painted in 1872 and have to decide how and why it promotes the inhuman treatment of native Americans. They also have to answer the following key questions: Where does the word Exoduster come from? Who was Benjamin Singleton and why was there a mass migration of black Americans to Kansas in 1879? Furthermore they have to pick part and decipher the causes and consequences of this mass migration to Kansas and why black Americans received a positive as well as a negative reaction from white Americans living there. The plenary uses boxing gloves to spark a number of discussions amongst the students and what they have understood in this and previous lessons. There is some follow up exam question practice using the ‘consequences ’ question worth 8 marks, with help given if needed. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some recall retrieval practice is also included which involves splatting bubbles. It comes in Powerpoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

The American West, c1835-c1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel The aim of this lesson is to explore the consequences of overstocking the open range and the subsequent move to small ranches after the Great Die up of 1886-87. Students are required to tackle some GCSE exam question practice from the start as they have to work out reasons why and the consequences for the changes to the cattle industry. They also analyse the impact on cowboys and reasons for a decline in their demand. Students are also challenged into deciding which policies went before or after 1887 and what constituted this new change in direction. The plenary requires them to demonstrate what they have learnt in the lesson using a summarising pyramid. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. It comes in Powerpoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

The American West 1835-1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel The aim of this lesson is to examine the consequences of the extermination of the buffalo and the effect on the Plains Indians way of life. Students analyse the reasons how the buffalo were exterminated and then discuss why this was possible, with some prompts to help them. They also have to answer some key questions on the impact of this extermination and are required to plan a debate taking on the role of a white settler or a Plains Indian. There is some follow up exam question practice using the ‘consequences’ question worth 8 marks, with help given if required. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some recall retrieval practice is also included using the Blockbusters game, complete with changing colours and music! It comes in Powerpoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

World War II The aim of the lesson is to question if it is right to help your enemy. Once the students decide what a collaborator is and the punishments involved, they have to make a judgement if they agree with collaborating in times of war or not. Their opinions are challenged throughout the lesson. They analyse the reasons for collaboration and complete a thinking quilt which challenges their literacy and evaluation skills. There are some brilliant sources to accompany the lesson, including visual images from the time as well as a case study of Chaim Rumkowski who helped the Nazis believing it was the key to Jewish survival in the ghettoes. The plenary is a retrieval practice activity deciding which is the odd one out. 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 retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The American West 1835-1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel The aim of this lesson is to understand the significance of the Johnson County War and the consequences of the range wars between Homesteaders and Cattle Barons. Students are given the context of the range wars, before they have to predict what might happen as they are given 12 key scenarios ranging from the growth of the WSGA, the killing of Ella Watson and Jim Averill and the beginning and end of the Johnson County war. The plenary is a horse race team game where a series of questions are asked. Correct answers allow their horses to progress around the course. There is some follow up exam question practice using the ‘consequences’ question worth 8 marks with help given if required. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some recall retrieval practice is also included using a talking heads activity. It comes in Powerpoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

World War II The aim of this lesson is to assess how Channel islanders survived the war with the only occupation of British soil by German armed forces. Britain had taken the decision to leave the Channel islands undefended. Therefore students are questioned as to why this decision was taken and how they might feel being at the mercy of the German occupation. Use of a text and a thinking quilt will help students analyse the ways in which islanders survived, through rationing, acts of resistance and their treatment by the German soldiers garrisoned there. The Germans attempted to make it a model occupation with respect shown to the islanders, but with curfews and censorship, students have to evaluate if this was the case. Some excellent video footage will also explain the treatment of prisoners of war moved to the island to help build the Atlantic Wall defences and how they attempted to manage under appalling conditions. Some real life testimony from survivors is also given to allow students to evaluate fully the significance of the occupation and survival techniques developed to survive. A big thank you in my research for this lesson goes to Dan Snow and his podcast on the occupation as well as the book by Duncan Barrett, ‘When the Germans came’, as well as testimony from a family friend who is still a resident on Jersey. It 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 retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91 This lesson aims to define what the Cold War was about, the differences between Communism and Capitalism and how after 1945, both the Soviet Union and America went from allies to enemies. Students use a map and video footage to define what the Cold War was all about, with a writing frame supplied if required. Students also learn about the different political spectrums in the world at the time and use this knowledge to categorise them in a colour coding activity. They also had to analyse evidence of how mutual suspicions grew which they plot on a suspicion o’meter and justify their choices. The plenary uses a mood board to distinguish between the various ‘moods’ of leaders and soldiers from the time. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout this and subsequent lessons to show the progress of learning. The lessons in this bundle are therefore linked together to build up a picture of how diplomacy, propaganda and spying led two Superpowers with opposing political ideologies to create tensions, rivalries and distrust as well as subsequently forming mutual understanding and cooperation over the time period in question. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91 This lesson focuses on the Satellite States created by the Soviet Union. Students will be encouraged to question how far these states were willing participants in communism and happy to be part of a Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. There is some source analysis as well as differentiated questioning to help them unpick the events which followed the fall of Berlin in 1945. Furthermore they will evaluate how each eastern country fell into line with the Soviet Union and plot if it was through intimidation and threats and how much they resisted this control. The plenary asks the students to think outside the box and link particular events to key images. The final part of the lesson is some GCSE question practice on the ‘narrative account’ with some help given and a markscheme if required. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout this and subsequent lessons to show the progress of learning. The lessons in this bundle are therefore linked together to build up a picture of how diplomacy, propaganda and spying led two Superpowers with opposing political ideologies to create tensions, rivalries and distrust as well as subsequently forming mutual understanding and cooperation over the time period in question. The resource includes retrieval practice, suggested teaching strategies, differentiated materials and GCSE question practice. It also comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.