The Suffragettes The aim of this lesson is to analyse previous perceptions of women and their role at home and in the family (the Angel on the House). Students scrutinise how women were treated in Victorian Britain with discrimination from society as well as the law and give their own analysis and judgements using sources from the time. They can do this through discussion or through an extended writing task, with help given if required. There are examples of how women were treated and a case study of a wife in an abusive marriage. The lesson includes written sources and video evidence. The plenary requires the students to show their new knowledge and comprehension of life for women at the time. 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, differentiated materials and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The Tudors The aim of this lesson is to understand why Henry VIII is always judged to be larger than life. It focuses on four portraits of Henry VIII from the early years until his death. Students will aim to write a descriptive piece about Henry by using each other to write it. When they finish, they will have a masterful descriptive paragraph which has been co-constructed by a number of them (with help from a word list). This activity is great for differentiation and team work. The lesson also attempts to banish the perception that Henry was always a large person who ate a lot. This is shown through video evidence and a thinking quilt. The plenary gets the students to summarise Henry’s match statistics and what he ‘should’ be remembered for. 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.

The English Civil War The aim of this lesson is for the students to decide whether Charles I was guilty or not guilty at his own trial of ‘subverting the fundamental laws and liberties of the nation and with maliciously making war on the parliament and people of England.’ The lesson starts by questioning the types of hat the judge should wear followed by a series of biased images depicting Charles at his trial, of which students have to analyse and explain why. Students then examine and evaluate information about Charles’s actions to come up with a guilty or not guilty verdict. If found guilty then they will have to sign his death warrant! There is some sentence scaffolding and argument words provided if help is required. 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, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

This lesson is split into two parts; the first part explains the triangular trade and the various goods and transactions that occurred in the slave trade. Students are required to find this out through documentary and video evidence before plotting it on a table. A mini plenary checks their understanding and uses a ‘what if’ question to challenge their thinking. The second part analyses the story of Olaudah Equiano and how his life was before and after he was captured. However the students are challenged to question his version of events and how there is conflicting evidence in his account. The final part of this lesson analyses how the slaves were captured by whom, prioritising which were the most common forms of capture and using sources of evidence to extract further information. 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.

The lesson introduced the concept of slavery and how it has been active throughout the centuries. Students have to categorise the reasons why the transatlantic slave trade was justified by many of our contemporaries and evaluate the most important reasons for their views through differentiated tasks. They also analyse a number of sources about slavery from the Ancient Egyptians through to the present day and reveal their findings in a summarisation pyramid. The lesson is linked to the latest historical interpretations, video clips and debate. 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 The overarching aim of this and the subsequent bundle of eleven lessons is to question and explore how Elizabeth tried to assert and establish her authority in the early years of her reign. The lessons are therefore linked together to build up a picture of her difficulties in trying to overcome this. This is the third lesson and attempts to clarify the problems Elizabeth faced as a ruler in her first ten years; from being a female to the succession, foreign policy, Ireland, taxation and religion. Students have to answer a variety of different questions from the start and engage in a thinking quilt to challenge them and link definitions to key words. Students are given a chance to review her biggest problems either in a knockout tournament or using structured questions. This will enable them to answer two of the exam question types; the ‘interpretation’ question and the ‘write an account’ question. Two plenaries focus on retrieval practice and what the students have learnt in the lesson. 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 includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The Holocaust This lesson directly tackles the overriding enquiry question throughout this sequence of lessons, namely who was to blame for the holocaust? They will continue to map out their ideas (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 lesson focuses on Police Battalion 101 who were ‘instructed’ by their Commander, Major Trapp to execute Jews in Poland and send many others to the extermination camps. Two historians have conducted extensive research in this area and either concluded they were willing executioners or just ordinary men, victims of an extraordinary situation. It is up to the students to make up their own minds by tracking one of the battalion’s first ‘actions’ against 1800 Polish Jews living in the village of Jozefow. There are accompanying worksheets and grids to colour code as well as excellent links to video footage and differentiated tasks to help students of all abilities. Other figures to blame in the lesson debate include Adolf Eichmann, the organiser of the transportation of the Jews as well as the German public, train drivers, Camp Commandants or foreign governments who failed to respond. Students have to prioritise their responsibility list in the plenary. The resource comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change and is differentiated. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson.

Rise of Dictators The aim of this lesson is for students to assess and judge the character and legacy of Stalin. The lesson begins by discovering what the students already know about Russia today or about Stalin. They will also analyse some video footage, complete a true or false quiz and then use this information to prioritise some significant facts about his early life. The main task will involve students evaluating how evil Stalin was, by giving him a rating out of 10 for a number of his policies during his rule of the Soviet Union. This can be followed up by an extended writing exercise, using prompts and key literacy words to help. A connect 4 interactive plenary activity will consolidate the learning of the lesson of Stalin’s life and his dictatorship of the Soviet Union. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout this and lessons to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, differentiated materials and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The British Empire The aim of this lesson is to discover how tough it was to colonise the New World for British settlers and why America fought for its independence from Britain. The lesson begins with the Pilgrim Fathers and students discuss the reasons why they and many families began to settle in the New World. Further analysis requires students to judge how tough it was to set up in America and the impact they made on the local communities they came into contact with. Having made their judgements, students can engage in an extended writing task with key words and a writing frame to use if required. The second part the lesson analyses the reasons why the colonists became so angry with Britain and claiming no taxation without representation. Students are then required to give reasons as to why a war ensued and the significance of George Washington of the Declaration of Independence. A true or false plenary focuses on the legacy of Britain’s Empire in America and its links to today. 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.

The French Revolution The aim of this lesson to be judge how much Britain had to fear from Napoleon. The first learning task for the students is to analyse a map of Europe in 1810, when Napoleon was considered at the height of his power, and work out which European countries were ruled over by France. There is some source scholarship on Napoleon’s army to give some context on why it was so successful. The main task is to decide how much Britain had to fear from Napoleon. Students have to emoji rate each part of Napoleon’s power, from battles, to his rule in France and his attempted invasion of Britain, before his defeat at the Battle of Trafalgar and subsequent imposition of his continental system. Students can give their overall judgements in a written task, with key words and a writing frame to help if required. As Napoleon’s power declined and therefore his fear factor, students are required to finalise his demise deciphering a dual coding task. The plenary requires them to choose the correct answers, which focus on Napoleon’s health problems and ultimate reasons for his failure and final exile to St Helena. The lesson comes with 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. It 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 how Protestant the country had become by 1547. Students are required to estimate from the start which percentage they think the country had changed its religion, before they study the evidence and give their final evaluations and conclusions. The evidence ranges from the Reformation Parliament, the Ten and Six Articles, Royal Injunctions, changes in doctrine, the influence of his wives as well as humanism. The plenary focuses on a describe, explain, list, correct and erase activity. There is some exam practice to also complete, together with a planning sheet, some focused help and a markscheme supplied. 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 evaluate the role Henry VIII played in Europe and if he did indeed play third fiddle throughout. Students begin the lesson by recapping Henry VII’s foreign policy and are also introduced to the new players in Europe in their respective countries. They are given numerous facts and scenarios where Wolsey and Henry attempt to assert their authority and political craft in Europe, from which students decide how effective and far reaching their policies were. They will be required to justify their decisions at the end and ultimately decide if they were major players in Europe or just pawns of France and Spain and the Holy Roman Emperor. The plenary analyses an extract, from which students use their newly acquired knowledge to test its judgement. There is some exam practice to complete with writing frame and 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 and includes suggested teaching strategies.

Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91 This lesson aims to assess Reagan’s new approach to the Soviet Union and the reasons for a Second Cold War. Students learn about the precarious nature of the life span of some of the Soviet leaders as well Reagan’s background before he became President. They then have to emoji rate and judge his Presidency as to how tough a stance he takes using a number of statements. There are also some statement options to judge correctly as well as a differentiated questioning task. Some GCSE question practice on the importance of Reagan’s Presidency can be completed at the end of the lesson, with help given using a scaffold and a student friendly 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 material and GCSE question practice. It comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Conflict and Tension 1918-1939 This lesson analyses the reasons for Hitler and Stalin signing the Nazi Soviet Pact and how and why Britain and France were rebuffed by Stalin. Students have the chance to understand the background to their decision and how Stalin had finally had enough of the Allies foreign policy aims towards Hitler. They do this through using some differentiated resources, including video footage, some higher order questioning as well as evaluating some key sources from the time. Towards the end of the lesson, students are required to recognise the short and long term consequences of the pact and have the chance to answer a 16 mark GCSE practice question, with some help if required. The plenary focuses on a literacy task using the key words used in the lesson. 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 GCSE 9-1 Britain: Health and the People, c1000 to present The aim of this lesson is threefold; to understand the beliefs and treatments of the Black Death, to recognise why these had a detrimental affect on medicine and to understand the similarities between the Black Death of the 14th Century and the Plague of the 17th Century. This lesson can be delivered over two, owing to the content and challenge. There are numerous learning tasks for students to complete, from tabling the symptoms of the disease, using sources to map out the beliefs and treatments at the time, a thinking quilt, as well as plotting similarities on a skeleton hand and tackling two GCSE practice questions. A find and fix task at the end checks understanding and challenges student thinking. 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.

The aim of this lesson is for the students to assess how ‘great’ King Alfred was. Students are given the context to Alfred’s reign with his attempt to unite the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to fight back against the Vikings and their area known as Danelaw. There are quite a few key words used in this lesson, so students have to complete a heads and tails task. They are also required to complete a missing word activity as well as analysing his statue at Winchester. The main task will be judge and rate out of ten which of the sixteen statements make Alfred ‘great’ or not. An extended writing activity will allow them to make judgements and justify their decisions. There is also chance to complete a verbal boxing debate using some of the key ideas of his rule from the lesson. The plenary will check understanding with a truth or lie activity. This lesson is also excellent as an introduction to studying the Anglo-Saxons and Normans for GCSE. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship The aim of this lesson is to analyse Nazi policies towards women and then evaluate how effective they were at controlling them. The start of the lesson questions the qualities Hitler is looking for in women and then questions what makes the perfect Nazi woman using key words. Students then have some differentiated questions to complete, using text before evaluating how much certain women were controlled and explaining to what extent. A GCSE practice question focuses on ‘Which source is the most convincing?’, complete with simplified markscheme and notes on the slide for more guidance. The key words are then revisited in the plenary. 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.

World War I This lesson aims to analyse how the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the spark for World War 1 to start. Students will question how frightening the assassination was and the speed of European countries to mobilise for war. As video evidence is used to explain the events that led to the shooting in Sarajevo, an analogy is made to a bar brawl as students try to ascertain the causes of it and link these to the events which unfolded after 28th June, 1914. Students also have to complete a chronological exercise of the events as well as deciding the personalities of the main countries involved. The plenary is a catchphrase check (complete with music) on key words used in 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 retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The Tudors The aim of this lesson is to assess if Henry broke with Rome for love. Henry VIII is on the TV show ‘Take me out’ with Paddy McGuiness. He is looking for love and has some questions for some eligible ladies. The students of course have to interview the ladies first (as Paddy always does) and then feedback to the class. Henry, complete with speaking voice, discusses his options and the reasons for his choices. At the same time he explains the consequences of his actions as the students fill in a grid. This is a fun, engaging lesson, but with the serious and challenging concept of the break with Rome at the fore. At the end of the lesson, students have to write an extended paragraph using key words to explaining the reasons for Henry becoming the Supreme Head of the Church. 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.

The Suffragettes The aim of this lesson is to evaluate how far women in Britain have gained equal rights. From the Representation of the People’s Act in 1918, to the 1928 Act giving all women the right to vote at 21, has this meant women are now on an equal footing to men? Unfortunately as the given adverts (both on tv and posters) suggest, there is still a long way to go. Laws have been introduced since the war to give women more freedoms and rights; students have to decide if these changes have affected their home life, their personal life or their work life or do they interlink all together? However, whilst some brilliant BBC footage show the changes women have undergone, students analyse recent figures which show the gender pay gap and the differences between part and full time work to prove the gap is still clearly significant and falls short of equality. Their final task is to therefore answer the main aim of the lesson and decide how far women have gained equal rights in Britain, with a focus on the extent of change. 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.