Having taught History across KS3, 4 and 5 for seventeen years within state education, I have built up quite an extensive set of resources! I’ve spent several years working as a head of department and also spent a year working as a university subject tutor for Schools Direct. I’m currently out of the classroom and supporting my own children through their secondary experience and keeping relevant by becoming an Edexcel examination marker this summer. Planning for fun and hopefully your benefit.
Having taught History across KS3, 4 and 5 for seventeen years within state education, I have built up quite an extensive set of resources! I’ve spent several years working as a head of department and also spent a year working as a university subject tutor for Schools Direct. I’m currently out of the classroom and supporting my own children through their secondary experience and keeping relevant by becoming an Edexcel examination marker this summer. Planning for fun and hopefully your benefit.
IMPORTANT: Some of the activities refer 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.
This Edexcel 9-1 GCSE unit covers around 3-4 lessons depending upon your class and their overall ability/work rate.
Aims and Objectives:
To understand the reasons for the early unpopularity of the Republic, including the “stab in the back” theory and the key terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
To understand the challenges to the Republic from Left and Right: Spartacists, Freikorps, the Kapp Putsch.
To understand the challenges of 1923: hyperinflation; the reasons for, and effects of, the French occupation of the Ruhr.
The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying worksheets. These include a presentation on the context and terms of the Treaty of Versailles which asks students to consider why these angered the German people, a summary table of reasons why the treaty angered Germans and a 12 mark explanation question on this issue with advice and examples. There is also a homework which asks students to cross-reference a source with their own knowledge to prepare them for future work on interpretations. The Kapp Putsch is introduced through two sources and a problem solving starter. The concept of right and left-wing politics is explored before a summary table of the Spartacist and Kapp uprisings is completed. A card sort is used to explore the concept of hyperinflation and a video activity asks students to summarise causes, events and consequences of the occupation of the Ruhr. There is also another optional 12 mark question on this topic.
This Edexcel 9-1 GCSE unit covers around 2 lessons depending upon your class and their overall ability/work rate:
Aims and Objectives:
To understand the legacy of WW1. The abdication of the Kaiser, the armistice and revolution, 1918-19. The setting up of the Weimar Republic. The strengths and weaknesses of the new constitution.
The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying worksheets. These include an introduction to the Paper 3 question types, a timeline/overview starter activity giving context to the entire course, short video on the impact of WW1, an introduction to the inference question with a practice question and sample answer, a factual introduction to the foundation of the republic (matching questions to answers), and a card sort/analysis on the weaknesses and strengths of the Weimar constitution. There is a homework vocabulary sheet exercise.
This KS3 unit should take around two hours to complete. The Power Point leads students through all of the activities with support and all resources referred to are included.
Aims and Objectives:
To know the main events which led up to the outbreak of civil war in 1642.
To pick out the key reasons/causes and sort these into categories.
To explain your understanding of the causes in an essay using PEEL.
To reach a judgement on which causes were the most/least important.
Activities include a starter which links this unit to current civil wars and defines “civil war”, an analysis of Charles I’s personality using a portrait and facts determining how this contributed towards the conflict, searching for evidence to support the three key factors of money/religion/power in a written passage (SEN version of passage provided), an introduction and worked example of PEEL paragraphing, an assessment essay aalysing causes with a plan and SEN writing frame (mark scheme inlcuded).
This complete KS3 unit of study covers around 14 lessons depending upon how long you devote to the research task and how much of the work you set as homework. Every lesson includes a Power Point which leads students through the activities with support/answers and all resources referred to are included.
The unit works in a loosely chronological structure as follows:
Causes of WW1 and Schlieffen Plan
WW1 Propaganda and Recruitment
Trench Warfare (extended research unit with Trench Diary Assessment)
WW1 Christmas Truce
Field Marshal Haig and the Battle of the Somme (source study and assessment)
Why the Allies won
There are two key assessments with mark schemes included. There are also differentiated materials throughout including writing frames.
For more information please refer to individual lessons.
IMPORTANT: This Edexcel 9-1 History GCSE unit is structured around the textbook “Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History, Medicine through time, c1250-present” (editor Leonard A. and published by Pearson) ISBN 9781292127378. The lessons will not be usable without a class set of these textbooks. However, if you’re looking to change course and can’t face all the fresh planning then I can guarantee that this bundle covers the entire specification with all supporting resources and assessment opportunities throughout.
For a summary of activities etc. please see individual items. Every section of the specification is supported with a Power Point which leads students through all of the activities and includes feedback, answers and exam advice. Every worksheet and resource referred to is included in the bundle.
IMPORTANT: This Edexcel 9-1 History GCSE unit is structured around the textbook "Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History, The American West, c1835-c1895 (editor Leonard A. and published by Pearson) ISBN 9781292127309. The lessons will not be usable without a class set of these textbooks. However, if you’re looking to change course and can’t face all the fresh planning then I can guarantee that this bundle covers the entire specification with all supporting resources and assessment opportunities throughout.
For a summary of activities etc. please see individual items. Every section of the specification is supported with a Power Point which leads students through all of the activities and includes feedback/answers. Every worksheet and resource referred to is included in the bundle.
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: 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 4 lessons depending upon your class and their overall ability/work rate.
Aims and Objectives:
Specification area: Conflict and tension in the American West, 1876-1895
To understand the extent of solutions to problems of law and order: sheriffs and marshals. The significance of Billy the Kid, OK Corral (1881), Wyatt Earp.
To understand the range wars, including the Johnson County War of 1892.
To understand the conflict with the Plains Indians: the Battle of the Little Big Horn, 1876 and its impact; the Wounded Knee Massacre, 1890.
The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying resources. It also provides feedback/answers at intervals. Activities include group discussion on the causes of lawlessness analysis of Billy the Kid and Wyatt Earp using summary written material, card sort on the Johnson County War, video Q&A on the Battle of Little Bighorn, timeline analysis of the battle, Wounded Knee Massacre storyboard and Facebook posts exercise on reaction.
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 4+ lessons depending upon your class and their overall ability/work rate.
Aims and Objectives:
Specification area: Changes in farming, the cattle industry and settlement, 1876-95.
To understand the changes in farming: the impact of new technology and new farming methods.
To understand the changes in the cattle industry, including the impact of the winter of 1886-7. The significance of changes in the nature of ranching: the end of the open range.
To understand the continued growth of settlement: the Exoduster movement and Kansas (1879), the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1893.
The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying resources. It also provides feedback and answers at intervals. Activities include card sorts, group presentations/sales pitches on new methods of farming, an 8 mark explanation exam question on consequences of the winter of 1886-7, analysing/categorising information into positives and negatives, a letter from an Exoduster, narrative recall of the land rush and event ordering.
IMPORTANT: Some 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 4 lessons depending upon your class and their overall ability/work rate.
Aims and Objectives:
Specification area: Changes in the way of life of the Plains Indians, 1862-76
To understand the impact of railroads, the cattle industry and gold prospecting on the Plains Indians.
To understand the impact of US government policy towards the Plains Indians, including the continued use of reservations. President Grant’s ‘Peace Policy’, 1868.
To understand the conflict with the Plains Indians: Little Crow’s War (1862), and the Sand Creek Massacre (1864), the significance of Red Cloud’s War (1866-68) and the Fort Laramie Treaty (1868).
The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying resources. It also provides feedback at intervals. Activities include a card sort on the impact of changes upon Plains Indians’ lives, paired/group discussions on options open to Plains Indians, analysis of Grant’s “Peace Policy” (positive and negative), chronological event ordering, a summary/revision table on the Plains Wars, an 8 mark narrative account exam question on the Indian Wars with support.
IMPORTANT: Some 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 3-4 lessons depending upon your class and their overall ability/work rate.
Aims and Objectives:
Specification area: Ranching and the cattle industry, 1862-76
To understand the cattle industry and factors in its growth, including the roles of Iliff, McCoy and Goodnight, the significance of Abilene and the increasing use of the railroad network.
To understand the impact of changes in ranching on the work of the cowboy.
To understand the rivalry between ranchers and homesteaders.
The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying resources. It also provides feedback and answers at intervals. Activities include key words, timeline analysis/colour-coding, independent note taking, a narrativ account 8 mark exam question, video Q&A, letter from a cowboy describing his first spring round-up, an explain 2 consequences (of ranching on the Plains) exam question.
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 development of settlement in the West, 1862-76
To understand the significance of the Civil War and post war reconstruction, including the impact of the Homestead Act 1862, the Pacific Railroad Act 1862, and the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad, 1869.
To understand the attempts at solutions to problems faced by homesteaders: the use of new methods and new technology; the impact of the Timber Culture Act 1873 and the spread of the railroad network.
The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying resources. It also provides feedback/answers at intervals. Activities include analysis of achievements v. limitations, comprehension questions, exam consequence explanation question, inference work, a business analysis activity on the building of the transcontinental railroad, a promotional poster homework task, independent research and note-taking, charting and analysis of rise and fall in crime levels.
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: Conflict and tension, c.1835-62.
To understand the reasons for tension between settlers and Plains Indians, and the significance of the Fort Laramie Treaty (1851).
To understand the problem of lawlessness in the West and what was done to tackle it.
The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying resources. It also provides feedback/answers at intervals. Activities include sorting and prioritisation of information, an 8 mark exam question on consequence explanation, a card sort, independent note-taking, group discussion, a short video, a 16 mark explanation question and an end of unit quiz.
IMPORTANT: Some 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 3-4 lessons depending upon your class and their overall ability/work rate.
Aims and Objectives:
Specification area: Migration and early settlement:
To understand the factors encouraging migration, including economic conditions, the Oregon Trail from 1836, the concept of Manifest Destiny, and the Gold Rush of 1849.
To understand the process and problems of migration, including the experiences of the Donner Party and the Mormon migration, 1846-7.
To understand the development and problems of white settlement farming.
The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying resources. It also provides feedback at intervals. Activities include the colour-coding of pull and push factors causing migration and prioritisation of factors, a comparison/analysis of the failure of the Donner Party and success of the Mormon migration, an explanation of consequences exam question “Explain two consequences of the setting up of the Oregon Trail (1836)” and a letter writing task explaining the difficulties of migration (which could be set as a home work).
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.”
IMPORTANT: These lessons are based upon 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 fully usable without a class set of this text.
This bundle covers the entire specification EXCLUDING the Western Front (I’m unable to include more than 20 items, so will put this as a separate bundle). There is a Power Point for every lesson which leads students though all activities and all worksheets and resources referred to are included. Please view some individual lessons in shop to get a feel for the amount of resources included.
This KS3 unit of work should take approximately nine lessons depending upon your classes overall ability, work rate and how many activities you decide to set as homework. All activities are explained in the Power Points and all necessary resources are included. Please see individual lessons for a detailed breakdown of activities. The unit focuses on religious change which leads students nicely onto the Stuarts and the English civil war. After the initial overview lesson, I focus on individual monarchs, covering the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. The main assessment for this unit is the source study on whether Henry was a good or bad king.
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 lesson covers the reigns of Edward and Mary. The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying resources. Having spent a long time studying Henry and later Elizabeth, I’m afraid these two monarchs have been condensed into one lesson (sorry Edward and Mary). We focus of the religious problems as this is so integral to the students’ understanding of Elizabeth’s problems and indeed later on, the Stuarts and the English civil war.
Aims and Objectives:
To know and understand the main changes that Edward and Elizabeth made to the church in England.
To reach a judgement on their actions- did Mary deserve to be known as “Bloody Mary”?
To empathise with people living in England at this time and how these changes must have made them feel.
The lesson starts with a whole class recap on Catholic and Protestant beliefs. All students have to get involved with their C and P cards. We then read a series of statements about Edward’s actions deciding which are true and false (based on the fact that he was Protestant). Mary is introduced with the Horrible Histories song. If you have the DVD then you can see the video in full but You Tube currently only has this clip with lyrics alone due to copyright. Students rank the cards on Mary’s actions from best to worst.They finally show their understanding by writing a letter using the framework provided from either a Catholic or Protestant perspective, explaining the religious changes implemented by Henry, Edward and Mary.
This KS3 unit should take around two lessons to complete. The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying resources.
Aims and Objectives:
To know why the Stuarts and King James I were so obsessed with witchcraft.
To know how witches were spotted and tested.
To decide how fair these trials were.
To balance our view of the Stuarts by considering their scientific advances.
The first lesson starts with a mystery image of the trial of Mary Sutton by water. We then examine King James’ theories surrounding witchcraft and consider how the Stuarts’ obsession also linked in with the religious tensions of the time. Students read the passage on the famous Pendle Witch Trial and answer the comprehension questions. There are a lot of individuals involved in this event, so I generally work through it with them. They link King James’ witch spotting techniques to complete a grid determining how many of these criteria are met by each of the suspects. Students then make their on verdict using their grids which will tend to by “guilty”. However, when questioned, most students are already questioning thee methods and feel they were not guilty.
The second lesson introduces Matthew Hopkins and the idea of witchfinding. The Horrible Histories witchfinder advert brilliantly demonstrates how ludicrous this process was. The students then complete a piece of writing whereby they go back in time and defend those who were accused of witchcraft using modern-day understanding. We end the unit by balancing out the Stuarts’ superstition with some work on their scientific advances. This worksheet can also be set as a homework.
