The two objectives of this lessons are to emphasise the extreme dangers involved in the D-Day landings but also to introduce KS3 students to the new type of source utility questions at KS4 (focus on Edexcel “How useful is… for an enquiry into…” but can also work more generically for source evaluation in general). The starter is a WW2 prior knowledge quiz which reveals panels of a mystery image for students to guess. This quiz may need to be adapted depending upon students’ prior knowledge but the questions are quite standard causes/events of WW2. Students then use a fantastic 3 minute video to answer who, what, why, where when? questions about the event. To gain the necessary contextual knowledge to effectively evaluate the sources, they read a passage an highlight “Dangers faced by soldiers”. There is then an introduction to a source evaluation technique we call COP (content, own knowledge and provenance). Students evaluate the usefulness of a first-hand account of a landing on Omaha. They then write up their evaluation using a writing frame if required (SEN support). As an extension, students can try to apply the COP technique to a completely fresh photograph source. Alternatively, this extension activity makes a good homework. In the plenary, students hear some extracts from a high-level answer and have to idenify them as either content, own knowledge or provenance.

The lessons starts by testing the students’ prior knowledge of the plague from general knowledge or previous work on the Black Death. They then link the “Ring a Ring o’ Roses” nursery rhyme to the plague. After going through some key knowledge, students label a diagram of a plague doctor and consider which parts of his costume might actually have protected him. They then answer some comprehension questions on Samuel Pepy’s diary extracts to gain a sense of life at the time. The main activity is to create a public information poster to help citizens of London stay safe using only the knowledge available at the time. For the plenary, students consider how this poster would be different if they could have used modern-day knowledge.

IMPORTANT: Some of these activities refer to the textbook “Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History, Medicine through time, c1250-present” (editor Leonard A. and published by Pearson) ISBN 9781292127378 and will not be usable without a copy of this text. This Edexcel 9-1 GCSE unit covers around one lesson depending upon your class and their overall ability/work rate. Aims and Objectives: To learn about the fight against lung cancer in the twenty-first century; diagnosis, treatment and government action. The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying worksheets/resources. It also provides feedback and answers at intervals. Activities include paired and class discussion, individual research and note-taking and a card sort on government action with venn diagram.

This KS3 lesson asks students to evaluate the reasons for Elizabeth I’s successful reign. It will take two lessons to complete. The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying resources. Aims and Objectives: To know what type of person Elizabeth was- her personality and skills. To understand what problems she faced and how she tackled them. To assess how well she dealt with these problems. After a quick starter using the Armada portrait, students use a collection of sources to learn about Elizabeth’s personality. They then analyse why these aspects made her a successful monarch. We then focus on three key problems and her handling of each of them; Mary Queen of Scots, the Spanish and religion. There are three information sheets on each of these topics. Students complete a summary table explaining how she responded and how successful this was. An SEN cloze version is included (which I’ve also used if short of time- I’ve also divided the class into three and given each group one topic for the same reason). Students finally show their understanding of Elizabeth’s reign through writing a eulogy. This can be set as a homework task.

This KS3 unit of work should take at least two hours to complete (depending upon how long you allow your class to spend on the board game activity). The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying resources included. Aims and Objectives: To know how medieval people practised their faith and the key words that are linked to this. To understand why religion was so important to them. To understand medieval views on Heaven and Hell and apply this by creating a board game. Activities include key words/definitions matching, independent reading and summary note-taking, analysing a medieval wall painting, sorting actions into good deeds/sins and ranking these and creating a medieval religion snakes and ladders board game.

A lesson which looks at how people in the Middle Ages understood the Black Death. The starter activities clarify the facts about the Black Death, explaining how it really spread, the symptoms and its effects. PLEASE CHECK THE VIDEO IS APPROPRIATE FOR YOUR CLASS. My students loved seeing the re-enactment of the symptoms and tbh it’s really no worse than the state of myself by the end of term but please check that it’s not too graphic for your class. The activities will work without this video. My weaker classes complete the cloze exercise and then analyse the causes and cures. They then use a writing frame to produce a Black Death Diary ensuring that the information they include is true to medieval ideas. My stronger classes complete the cloze exercise and then use a collection of sources to work out the causes and cures for themselves, recording these in a table. They then wrote the diary without the writing frame

This KS3 lesson should take at least one hour to complete. The Power Point leads students through all activities with an accompanying student task booklet. Aims and Objectives: To know the key events of the Cuban Missile Crisis. To understand why it happened and with what consequences. To understand its significance in changing the course of history. Activities include a quick starter recap on communist dictatorships vs. capitalist democracies, followed by the necessary background information. Students label a political cartoon and then create a caption. They then analyse the advantages and disadvantages of the various options open to Kennedy. Using the time line of events, students create a tension chart to demonstrate the rise and fall of tensions. They then consider reactions to and effects of the crisis before a final plenary discussion on what can be learnt from this.

This KS3 lesson should take one hours to complete. The Power Point leads the students through all of the activities with accompanying resources included. Aims and Objectives: To know the key events after the death of King Edward the Confessor, leading up to the Battle of Hastings. To consider which side was in the strongest position at the start of the Battle of Hastings. To predict what may happen at the Battle of Hastings in light of these prior events. Activities include a recap of the claimants to the throne where students quickly match the facts to the claimant. After a quick bit of context on what Harold actually did after Edward’s death, students work in pairs to discuss Harold’s options and their advantages/disadvantages using the information provided. Students then create a storyboard of the key events using the information sheet and then retell these events using only their storyboard. Finally, students analyse the advantages and disadvantages of both Harold and William pre-Battle of Hastings using what they have learnt this lesson.

Activities to develop the students’ understanding of conditions in industrial towns through source inference and analysis (cause and effect). Students then demonstrate their understanding through creating their own advisory poster to help people stay safe in a Victorian city.

Two lessons which firstly consider why the US took the decision to drop the A-bomb and then whether they should have done it. The first lesson introduces Hiroshima and Nagasaki by considering a series of mystery images. Students then learn the key facts using sources and video footage. They then complete a source-based activity analysing possible reasons for dropping the bomb. There are three versions of this activity including a more detailed G&T version and an SEN colour-coding version. The second lesson evaluates whether the USA should have dropped the bomb by considering a range of arguments both for and against. This leads into a final hot-seating activity whereby a panel of representatives from the US government defend their actions against the critical journalists.

IMPORTANT: Some of these worksheets refer to the textbook “Edexcel GCSE (9-1 History, Medicine through time, c1250-present” (editor Leonard A. and published by Pearson) ISBN 9781292127378 and will not be usable without a copy of this text. This Edexcel 9-1 GCSE unit covers at least one lesson, depending upon your class and their overall ability/work rate. Aims and Objectives: To understand the extent of change in care and treatment: the Public Health Act 1875. The Power Point leads students through all of the activities with accompanying worksheets and activities. These include a short video/recall starter giving an overview of changes, comprehension questions, card sorts and class discussion on impact.

IMPORTANT: Some of these activities refer to the textbook “Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History, Medicine through time, c1250-present” (editor Leonard A. and published by Pearson) ISBN 9781292127378 and will not be usable without a copy of this text. This Edexcel 9-1 GCSE unit covers around one lesson depending upon your class and their overall ability/work rate. Aims and Objectives: To learn about the advances in understanding the causes of illness and disease: the influence of genetic and lifestyle factors on health. The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying worksheets. It also provides feedback/answers at intervals. Activities include paired discussions, analysing the cause of change and individual note taking. I’ve kept the format and activities quite simple as the topic of DNA is so complicated and my class got quite unnecessarily caught up in trying to understand what DNA was (they do not need to understand the science for this course, only the history/development of medicine).

IMPORTANT: Some of these worksheets refer to the textbook “Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History, Medicine through time, c1250-present” (editor Leonard A. and published by Pearson) ISBN 9781292127378 and will not be usable without a copy of this text. This Edexcel 9-1 Renaissance medicine case study covers at least one lesson and perhaps longer depending upon the ability and work-rate of your class. Aims and Objectives: To understand William Harvey and the discovery of the circulation of the blood. The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying worksheets and activities. Students create notes which develop their understanding of Harvey’s discoveries and also analyse the impact of these upon medicine. The lesson ends with a short written verdict on the importance of Harvey.

Students develop their understanding of both Martin Luther King and Malcolm X’s contributions towards US Civil Rights. They weigh these against their failings and limitations to reach a verdict on who achieved the most. The final activity asks students to create a persuasive piece of writing in support of one of the leaders. There are two versions of each text- a simpler version and a more developed/advanced. There is also a table available to support weaker students. Persuasive writing is modeled as part of the Power Point.

This KS3 unit of work should take around 3 lessons to complete. The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying resources included. Aims and Objectives: To know the key facts about Oliver Cromwell- who he was and what he did. To use sources critically to learn more about opinions on Oliver Cromwell. To use our evidence to reach a balanced judgement on whether he was a hero or a villain. Activities include a starter which uses the Monty Python Oliver Cromwell song to recall key facts. Students are then unknowingly issued with a set of either positive or negative sources to create a quick thought-shower and feedback before exploring the reasons why their ideas about Cromwell are so different. We then colour-code Cromwell’s actions into “hero” and “villain” before analysing a range of sources to consider whether they show him in a positive or negative light and how far we trust them. Students then complete an assessed piece of writing, using these sources and their knowledge to answer the key question “Oliver Cromwell: Hero or Villain?”. A writing frame is including, along with a mark scheme which assesses their knowledge/understanding, use of sources and judgement.

IMPORTANT: Many of these activities refer to the textbook “Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History, The American West, c1835-c1895” (editor Leonard A. and published by Pearson) ISBN 9781292127309 ad will not be usable without a copy of this text. This Edexcel 9-1 GCSE unit covers around 3-4 lessons depending upon your class and their overall ability/work rate. Aims and Objectives: Specification area: The destruction of the Plains Indians’ way of life, 1876-95 To understand the hunting and extermination of the buffalo. To understand the Plains Indians’ life on the reservation. To understand the significance of changing government attitudes to the Plains Indians, including the Dawes Act 1887 and the closure of the Indian Frontier. The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying resources. It also provides feedback/answers at intervals. Activities include inference work, time line creation, summary note-taking, diary extract of a Plains Indian child in a government boarding school, analysis of success v. failure of Dawes Act, Section A explanation 16 mark question with advice.

IMPORTANT: Some of these worksheets refer to the textbook “Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History, Medicine through time, c1250-present” (editor Leonard A. and published by Pearson) ISBN 9781292127378 and will not be usable without a copy of this text. The first two lessons of Edexcel 9-1, Medicine Through Time (although in reality this work will take longer than two lessons to do thoroughly). Aims and Objectives: To understand the supernatural and religious explanations of the cause of disease. To understand the rational explanations: the Theory of the Four Humours and the miasma theory; the continuing influence in England of Hippocrates and Galen. The Power Point leads students though all activities with accompanying worksheets. It also provides feedback/answers at intervals. A 12 mark explanation question is introduced and set with a writing frame provided.

This KS3 unit of work should take around four lessons to complete. It includes the assessment for the unit on the Tudors. The Power Point leads students through all of the activities with accompanying resources. Aims and Objectives: To learn some facts about Henry VIII and decide whether these make him a good or a bad king. To consider why we have different opinions about Henry VIII and how our sources aren’t completely reliable. To use (critically) a range of different types of sources to reach a reliable judgement on the key question. The first lesson introduces the idea of source reliability by drawing inferences from the Holbein portrait and then considering two source samples- one which supports and another which contradicts the painting. Students are asked to consider why they are different. We then study the six wives of Henry, completing a cut and stick activity (wife to fate) and begin to make our notes on whether he was a good or bad king. The second lesson covers the break with Rome and then a card sort, adding further information to our good v. bad table. The extension activity asks students to use a range of resources to add to their notes. I used our class textbooks but also informatioin that I took from BBC schools. This is also a good homework task at this stage as it can be completd using the Internet. The third lesson is where there students prepare for the assessment using a collection of eight sources. An SEN version of the source sheets is also included. The fourth lesson is the assessment write-up. The students are asked to use both the sources and their own knowledge to present a balanced argument before reaching a final judgement. A mark scheme is included.

IMPORTANT: One of the activities refers to the textbook "Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History: Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918-1939 (editor Leonard A. and published by Pearson) ISBN 9781292127347 and will not be usable without a copy of this text or one which explains the roles and functions of the various institutions of the Nazi police state. This Edexcel 9-1 GCSE unit covers around 2-3 lessons depending upon your class and their overall ability/work rate. Aims and Objectives: To understand the role of the Gestapo, the SS, the SD and concentration camps. To understand the Nazi control of the legal system, judges and law courts. To understand the Nazi policies towards the Catholic and Protestant Churches, including the Reich Church and the Concordat. The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying resources. Activities include a video starter on who controlled Germany and how, a research table on the role/function of each institution, source analysis on the ways in which they justified their activities, a 12 mark exam explanation question with advice, paired discussion on methods for ensjuring fair sentencing, thought-shower on Nazi control of the legal system, problem-solving starter using a range of symbols and images to compare Nazi and Christian values, analysing a written passage on the church looking for evidence of co-operation and oppression and a final summary revision diagram. The Power Point also contains answers and fedback at intervals.

IMPORTANT: Many of these activities refer to the textbook “Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History, The American West, c1835-c1895” (editor Leonard A. and published by Pearson) ISBN 9781292127309 and will not be usable without a copy of this text. This Edexcel 9-1 GCSE unit covers around 3 lessons depending upon your class and their overall ability/work rate. Aims and Objectives: Specification area: The early settlement of the West, c.1835-1862 To understand the Plains Indian’s social and tribal structures, ways of life and means of survival on the Plains. To understand the Plains Indian’s beliefs about land and nature and attitudes towards war and property. The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying resources. It also provides feedback/answers at intervals and advice on exam approach. Activities include independent note-taking, card sorting, group discussion, timelines and a narrative account question “Write a narrative account analysing the ways in which the US government policy towards the Plains Indians developed in the period 1835-51.”