“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “How justified was Nat Turner’s Revolt?” The lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which students are invited to spot which of four statements about Turner’s Revolt is untrue. This then leads into the lesson title which is introduced along with aims and graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will). There are then slides of background information to enable teacher exposition. Following this, students are placed in a group of three and given character cards about (one who sees it as justified and one who sees it as unjustified. One is the host). They then need to create a TV chat show segment arguing the Key Question (an example is given for them to act out for inspiration.) The lesson then concludes with a plenary activity in which the students stand up and vote with their feet to explain how justified they feel Turner’s Revolt was. This lesson was written for high achieving high school students and is written in UK English. Before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan The title of this lesson is “What was the most significant weapon of the First World War? Dragon’s Den Project.” This is a great project-based lesson designed to promote the second-order concept of significance and includes graduated learning outcomes (all of you will/most of you will/some of you will). The lesson begins with a starter activity where students are asked to identify which of the given weapons was invented during the First World War (the other three were very important, but invented previously). This leads on to a second activity in which they see how many inventions which were widely used in the First World War they can identify. From this the class are then introduced to the idea of how historians decide what makes an event or discovery significant and they explore the acronym GREAT: G = ground-breaking, R = remembered, E = extent of importance to people at the time, A = affected the fighting, and T = turning point. For the main task students are placed in groups and given a card with three different weapons on with some background information. They need to choose one of their inventions and explain in presentation form why they feel it is so significant. They can make models and sales pitches to accompany their explanations to the ‘dragons’ (get senior teachers to come in to act as these if they’re good sports). Students can use the internet, class texts, or library to help them research. The lesson concludes with a peer assessment class voting plenary on which they felt was the most important weapon and why. This lesson has been designed for high school students. Before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan Welcome to "Rousseau, Voltaire & Montesquieu – Blind Date”, where we delve into the thought that shaped the French Revolution. In this lesson, we embark on a journey through the philosophical influences that shaped the French Revolution, including the thoughts of Rousseau, Voltaire, and Montesquieu. The lesson begins with a Starter Activity, prompting students to engage in discussion with a friend about images which stemmed from these philosophies, using three-sentence prompts. As we progress, Graduated Aims guide the class: all will/most will/some will. Through teacher exposition, background information is provided on each. The main activity, introduced thereafter, takes the form of Blind Date style responses, where students, grouped in threes, prepare and share responses embodying one of the philosophers, inviting one class member to choose them. Example responses serve as inspiration. It’s a creative and fun way to develop real understanding on a complicated topic. A revisit to our objectives precedes the plenary, where students engage in a vote on the most compelling ‘date’. I’d be so grateful if you can find time to add a positive review if you enjoyed this lesson. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “Was Maximilien Robespierre a hero or a villain?” The 25-slide PPT begins with a Starter Activity in which students are asked to look at four facts about Robespierre and to identify the one which is not true. The Key Question is then stated. Aims and lesson objectives are graduated (all will/most will/some will). There are slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition. Students are then placed in a pair and given one of two character cards (for and against Robespierre). They work together to sift through 24 evidence cards to decide if the evidence suggests he was a hero or a villain. A plain version is provided as well as a colour coded one with simpler language for those who need a little more help or for whom English is an additional language. Using this they then attempt the second part of the main activity which is to write a two-sided newspaper report. The lesson objectives are revisited. The lesson concludes with two plenaries. First, they are asked to come to the board and fill up an eight-petalled flower with compelling evidence. They then vote with their feet by standing to the side of the classroom they mostly agree with (i.e. he was a hero, or he was a villain). I hope your students get as much from this lesson as mine do. I’d be so grateful if you can find time to add a positive review if you enjoyed this lesson. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “What were the Three Estates of pre-revolutionary France?” The lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which students are asked to draw a triangle and to plot down important people in their own school or education, with the most senior at the top. Examples are given and this leads to an introduction of the Key Question along with lesson aims and graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will). After this there are slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition. The PPT then ask students to suggest Mr. Men and Little Miss characters which symbolize each aspect of the Estates system (they make choices such as Mr. Brave or Mr. Greedy for example) and examples are given although they are encouraged to find their own too. They then use this information to write a three page children’s book to explain the Three Estates using the list of key words provided. The lesson concludes with a fill in the blanks Have I Got News For You style plenary to test knowledge acquired in the lesson. I hope your students enjoy this lesson as much as mine always do. It has been created for high school students but could be adapted to work with slightly younger students too. I’d be so grateful if you can find time to add a positive review if you enjoyed this lesson. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “How much has Halloween changed over time?” This 37-slide PowerPoint begins with three starter activities. Students are invited to do a Fist to Five, to write their existing knowledge on the board, and then to decide if three statements are true or false. Lesson aims and objectives are then introduced before a series of slides of background information to enable teacher exposition (about Ancient Celtic origins, the impact of Christianity from the 700s, and modern Halloween). Students then test their knowledge in a Whose Line is it Anyway activity. They are then introduced to the main activity, which is to create a spooky timeline of Halloween over time. They then show off their work in a Gallery Walk and there is a slide in which the teacher cold calls three students to explain the three periods studied. In the first plenary students then come to the board to write down one way Halloween has changed and one way it has stayed the same on the two trash cans on the screen. In the second plenary they vote with Thinking Thumbs on the lesson’s Key Question. Aims and objectives are revisited and I like to hand out Halloween candy at this point! There is a homework task also. This lesson was created with a desirable difficulty level for students in high school settings and is written in UK English. Before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “How much has Thanksgiving changed over time?” This 28-slide PowerPoint begins with three starter activities. Students are invited to do a Fist to Five, to write their existing knowledge on the board, and then to decide if three statements are true or false. Lesson aims and objectives are then introduced before a series of slides of background information to enable teacher exposition (about the first Thanksgiving, 1863, the ‘20s and ‘30s, and modern traditions since 1941.) Students then test their knowledge in a Whose Line is it Anyway activity. They are then introduced to the main activity, which is to create a timeline of Thanksgiving over time using the information they have learned. They then show off their work in a Gallery Walk and there is a slide in which the teacher cold calls three students to explain. In the first plenary students then come to the board to write down one way Thanksgiving has changed and one way it has stayed the same on the two trash cans on the screen. In the second plenary they vote with Thinking Thumbs on the lesson’s Key Question. Aims and objectives are revisited. There is a homework task also. This lesson was created with a desirable difficulty level for students in high school settings and is written in UK English. Before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “How much has Christmas changed over time?” This 28-slide PowerPoint begins with three starter activities. Students are invited to do a Fist to Five, to write their existing knowledge on the board, and then to decide if three statements are true or false. Lesson aims and objectives are then introduced before a series of slides of background information to enable teacher exposition (about Ancient roots, the birth of Jesus, Emperor Constantine, the Middle Ages, Puritans, Victorian Christmas, and the modern era.) Students then test their knowledge in a Whose Line is it Anyway activity. They are then introduced to the main activity, which is to create a timeline of Christmas over time using the information they have learned. They then show off their work in a Gallery Walk and there is a slide in which the teacher cold calls students to explain. In the first plenary students then come to the board to write down one way Christmas has changed and one way it has stayed the same on the two trash cans on the screen. In the second plenary they vote with Thinking Thumbs on the lesson’s Key Question. Aims and objectives are revisited. There is a homework task also. This lesson was created with a desirable difficulty level for students in high school settings and is written in UK English. Before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day (and a Happy Christmas!)

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “What was the role of the Pharaoh?” The lesson begins with a true or false starter activity to introduce the topic. The Key Question is then introduced along with aims and graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will). There are then 5 slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition. The class then begin their main task in which they play Snakes & Ladders. As they do so they make mind maps on the political, cultural, religious, military, and economic duties of a Pharaoh (they are color-coded). There is then a fill in the gaps activity to test knowledge learned. They are then prepared for the written task. Aims and objectives are revisited. The lesson concludes with a plenary in which students come to the board and write answers on the speech bubble diagram. I hope your students get as much out of this lesson as mine always do. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “What as the social structure of Ancient Egypt?” The lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which students are asked to draw a triangle and to plot down important people in their own school or education, with the most senior at the top. Examples are given and this leads to an introduction of the Key Question along with lesson aims and graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will). After this there are 6 slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition. The PPT then ask students to suggest Mr. Men and Little Miss characters which symbolize each aspect of the Egyptian social hierarchy (they make choices such as Mr. Brave or Mr. Greedy for example) and examples are given although they are encouraged to find their own too. They then use this information to write a six-page children’s book to explain the Ancient Egyptian social structure using the list of key words provided. The lesson concludes with a fill in the blanks pyramid plenary to test knowledge acquired in the lesson. I hope your students enjoy this lesson as much as mine always do. It has been created for high school students but could be adapted to work with slightly younger students too. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “What can we learn from hieroglyphics?” The lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which students are asked to match up some simple shape hieroglyphics with their modern English translations. This leads to an introduction of the Key Question along with lesson aims and graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will). After this there are 6 slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition. Students are then given a hieroglyphic alphabet along with one of 19 statements about Ancient Egypt, which are differentiated by length. These are issued to students, and they are asked to privately translate their statement, before sharing them with peers to translate (twice or three times depending on time). Lesson objectives are revisited, and the lesson concludes with a trash cans plenary in which students add information learned through hieroglyphics about 5 factors of Ancient Egyptian civilisation. This lesson was created for high school students but works with slightly younger students too. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “Why is the Great Wall of China so important?” This 38-slide PowerPoint presentation begins with a Starter Activity where students answer true or false statements about the Great Wall. Following this, an introduction to the Great Wall is provided, alongside graduated lesson aims (all will/most will/some will). The slides delve into 8 different ways in which the Great Wall has proven significant (defence, literature, etc.) to allow for teacher exposition. The main activity gets students to craft a Lonely Planet-style travel book explaining the Wall’s importance, with suggested areas to include and ideas for supporting and illustrating the guide. Finally, the lesson aims are revisited, culminating in a plenary where students fill in eight petals on a flower to answer the Key Question: Why is the Great Wall so important? This lesson, tailored for Key Stage 3 high school students, was crafted during my tenure teaching History in China and is adaptable for younger audiences. It is composed in UK English. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “What was life like in Mansa Musa’s Mali?” In this lesson’s starter activity students are asked to answer a series of true of false questions to challenge assumptions on what Africa was like before the transatlantic slave trade. Students are then provided with background information (6 slides) about Mansa Mula’s Mali and are given a list of key events. The main activity is that students are asked to use this information to create an Instagram style storyboard to narrow this down to the key events of his reign (3 examples are given). They are then cold called to explain their creations and take part in a thinking thumbs activity to answer the Key Question. The lesson concludes with a Have I Got News For You style plenary to test knowledge learned. I hope your students enjoy this lesson as much as mine. This lesson is pitched at high school students but could work with slightly younger children too. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “What can we learn from Tutankhamun’s tomb? Pop-up Lesson” This lesson begins with a starter activity in which students pick out the one untruth from five statements about the Boy King. The PPT then explains the title of the lesson and aims and objectives are graduated into all will/most will/some will. There are then 6 slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition. Following this the class are told they will begin their main task which is to create a pop up and to annotate it with artifacts and their meanings (14 examples are provided). The class peer assess in the plenary using the template provided. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “How did Ancient Egyptian burial practices change across time?” The lesson begins with a starter activity in which four famous representation of mummies have been covered up and students need to pair up the movie mummy with the correct image. This introduces the significance of Boris Karloff’s 1932 movie which changed our perception of mummies. There are then graduated aims and objectives (all will/most will/some will) followed by 7 slides of detailed background information to enable teacher exposition. The main task is then introduced, and students create play-doh mummies to illustrate the changes over time (examples are provided). There is then a guided written task. Aims and objectives are revisited and the plenary invites students to glue in and annotate a photograph of their mummies. I hope your students enjoy this lesson as much as mine do. I created it whilst working in Cairo so it holds a special place in my heart! Before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “What made a good Second World War propaganda poster?” The lesson begins with a starter activity in students identify a series of blurred modern advertising logos. This introduces the significance of propaganda and there is a short background of the word. There are then graduated aims and objectives (all will/most will/some will) followed by slides of detailed background information to enable teacher exposition. The main task is then introduced, and students create their own propaganda posters using the common devices listed (examples are provided). It is a great lesson to team up with your art department and hire out the art room or paint! Aims and objectives are revisited and the plenary invites students to peer assess their work against the agreed criteria. I hope your students enjoy this lesson as much as mine do. Before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “What can we learn from Ancient Egyptian art?” This lesson begins with a What’s Behind the Squares Starter Activity which reveals the death mask of Tutankhamun. The PPT then explains the title of the lesson and aims and objectives are graduated into all will/most will/some will. There are then slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition. Following this the class are told they will begin their main task which is to create a piece of art inspired by Ancient Egypt. They must include the techniques and devices discussed. The class peer assess in the plenary using the template provided. This is a great lesson for some collaboration with your art department and my students love it when I take them to the art room for this activity. Before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “Why was the River Nile so important to Ancient Egypt?” The lesson begins with a game of Deal or No Deal? where students have to guess three statistics related to the Nile. The Key Question is then introduced along with aims and graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will). There are then 6 slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition. The class are then take part in a dartboard diagram activity where they place 12 reasons more centrally depending on how important they feel they are (from 3 factors – cultural, political, and economic). They then write a letter explaining the Key Question (3 examples are provided). Aims and objectives are revisited and the lesson concludes with a plenary in which students place 16 Post-It notes into either a true or false trash can to test knowledge gained in the lesson. I hope your students get as much out of this lesson as mine always do. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “How did the role of women in Ancient Egypt change?” The lesson begins with a game of Truth or Dare? Which introduces students to some notions which might challenge existing assumptions. The Key Question is then introduced along with aims and graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will). There are then 3 slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition. The class then take part in a differentiated 32-piece card sort (4 factors). They are then prepared for the written task. Aims and objectives are revisited and the lesson concludes with a plenary in which students place information learned into one of 4 trash cans to test knowledge gained in the lesson. I hope your students get as much out of this lesson as mine always do. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “How similar and how different was life for Ancient Egyptian children compared to today??” The lesson begins with a starter activity where students are given a prompt and asked to explain what is happening (children harvesting, swimming in the Nile etc). They are then asked to give a modern day equivalent and to discuss the follow up question. The Key Question is then introduced along with aims and graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will). There are then 5 slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition. The class then begin their main task in which they read through 38 speech bubbles and add them to either an image of an Ancient or modern child, before making connections to explain how similar and how different (examples are provided). They are then prepared for the written task. Aims and objectives are revisited and the lesson concludes with a plenary in which students place information learned into one of 2 trash cans to test knowledge gained in the lesson. I hope your students get as much out of this lesson as mine always do. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.