AQA GCSE history lesson for The Power & The People thematic unit. In this lesson we look at how Oliver Cromwell should be remembered. We start with a simple retrieval practice quiz ‘. We discuss the Commonwealth briefly before the pupils complete a text analysis using highlighters on events immediately after Charles’ execution. We then have a look at the evidence for Cromwell being either a hero or a dictator. We look at the Diggers and the Levellers as challenges to the Commonwealth with the aid of a video clip. We then briefly look at the Commonwealth’s end and the Restoration before finally considering several portrayals of oliver Cromwell from 4 different sources. The pupils complete a task called ‘The Gallery of Cromwell’ where they dissect the different interpretations of Cromwell and the reasons for this. I hope that this saves you some valuable planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

GCSE Anglo Saxon and Norman England 1060-87 for the new specification 2016. This lesson looks at the four claimants to the throne. the pupils start with scenes from the Bayeux Tapestry which they then have to put in order. We then briefly look at the situation at the start of 1066 before considering the strengths and weaknesses of the four claimants. There is a brief video clip and the pupils then have time with a fact-file for each claimant. We finish the lesson by looking at an enquiry question “Who had the strongest claim the the throne”. The pupils have guidance on how to structure their answer. Hope this helps save you valuable planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE history lesson on the war at sea, the Germans use of U-boats and unrestricted U-boat warfare and America’s decision to enter the war. For the Conflict & Tension 1894-1918 unit. We start with a simple retrieval practice quiz. We then look at the U-boat threat in detail, firstly by looking at the design and function of the U-boats and then by watching a video clip where the pupils answer questions about how they were used. The pupils then consider how the British responded to the threat and what innovations were adopted. We then progress to look at the sinking of the Lusitania and the pupils complete a tensionometer to record the rising tensions between the USA and Germany. We look at a source “Destroy this Mad Brute” and the pupils answer questions. There are two plenary options to assess the impact or potential impact of America entering the war. Hope you find this useful and it saves you some planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE history lesson on the Hundred Days Offensive and the ending battles of WWI. We start with a simple ‘if this is the answer, what is the question?’ retrieval practice quiz. We then have a brief recap of the events of the failed Ludendorff Offensive and Germany’s precarious position. We then look at Foch’s plan for the offensive in a video clip and the pupils think about Germany’s preparedness for the offensive. We then follow events in a series of event slides. The pupils read the information on the board and record the German army’s level of control at that point on the Western Front. This could be done as a round the room or carousel activity. The pupils reflect on what the critical events were. We then use a source comparison question as consolidation and finish with the pupils writing a bio-poem to General Ludendorff. Hope you find this useful and it saves you some planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE history lesson on the Third Battle of Ypres & The Battle of Passchendaele for the Conflict & Tension 1894-1918 unit. We start with a simple retrieval practice timeline quiz. We start by looking at the position of Ypres on the Western Front and it’s tactical significance. We then look at the fighting that had taken place at Ypres since the start of the war. The pupils watch a video clip and answer some questions. We then complete a text analysis of the build up to the Third Battle of Ypres and Passchendaele. The pupils highlighting allied successes and failures. We then look at the events of the battle itself, the pupils anticipate problems and also answer questions on a summary strip of the events. We then watch some clips about the battle and look at some photo sources of Passchendaele to give a sense of the battle. The pupils then complete a battle summary sheet using the information gained so far. We then compare the Somme and Passchendaele in a hexagon Venn diagram looking for similarities and differences in military tactics, outcomes, individuals involved. We finish with a to what extent type plenary, where we look at the impact the weather had on Passchendaele. Hope you find this useful and it saves you some planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE history lesson on how the major European powers took to re-armament before WWI. We start by looking at the British Empire at the end of the 19th Century. The pupils then complete a hexagon task on Britain’s status and position before the war. The pupils gather information on: The empire, Britain’s problems, British society, economic power, ruling Britain and military power. There are some info slides for this and could be taught as a gallery activity, round robin or timed notes etc. We then look at what ‘splendid isolation’ meant in terms of foreign policy. The pupils then rank the threats to Britain’s isolated status and explain what the main threats to Britain was at that time. We then look at a source of the signing of the Entente Cordiale before completing an extentometer activity on the cause of Britain’s abandonment of isolationism. Hope you find this useful and it saves you some planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE history lesson on the Battle of The Somme for the Conflict & Tension 1894-1918 unit. We start with a simple retrieval practice quiz. We then introduce Douglas Haig and his warning to British Politicians of the need to accept more losses in order to defeat the Germans. We then look at Rawlinson and Haig’s plan for July 1st. The pupils summarise the stages of the plan and write any concerns they might have about the tactics used. We then have a text analysis of the events of the battle with the pupils highlighting the successes and failures of the allied troops. We then look at the criticism of General Haig for the losses and how the soldiers felt about the offensive. We then complete a battle summary sheet before tackling an exam question. We finish with an Ode to Douglas Haig if there is time. Hope you find this useful and it saves you some planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

Part of the Norman Conquest SOW. In this lesson we consider why Historians need to be careful about the reliability of sources. After some thinking exercises on the reliability of information and how people can have different views of the same events we look at a number of sources that document the death of Harold at Hastings and complete an activity of how reliable these sources are. We finish the lesson with a writing task which has a structure strip to support the pupils recording a good written response to the question “Explain, using evidence, what the most likely cause of Death was for Harold Godwinson at Hastings”. Included in the lesson is True or False retrieval starter thinking exercises around reliability and perception Source reliability task with information sheet and worksheet Video clips to support the source task. Fully supported written task using structure strip. Hope this helps. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

The first lesson in a Key stage 3 unit of work on the Welfare State. The lesson introduces the conditions that the poor had to endure in the early 1900’s through the use of video clips and sources. The pupils complete a text analysis that summarises the political situation in regards to public health. We then look at the Liberal Reforms that were introduced by the Liberal Government in 1906 and then successive governments. The pupils complete an information hunt and complete a hexagon task in which they explain how the reforms help tackle poverty poor health. I hope that this proves useful and saves you some time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

GCSE Anglo Saxon and Norman England 1060-87 for the new specification 2016. In this lesson we look at the events of early 1066 before moving on to th eBattle of Fulford. The objective of the lesson is to determine to what extent luck, strength/skill and tactics played a part in the outcome of the battle. We start with a quick retrieval quiz from last lesson. We then look at the early events of 1066 and the pupils look at an extract from Marc Morris’ book regarding the problem William had providing for his delayed army. We then consider the movements of the various contenders and plot this information on a map. The pupils then look at the Battle of Fulford. Using information from 3 stages of the battle, the pupils annotate a map of the battlefield to show the events of the battle. We finish with a piece of extended writing on to what extent luck, strength/skill and tactics played in the outcome of the battle. the pupils have some guidance on how to structure their answer. Hope this saves you some valuable planning time! https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

A Key Stage 3 lesson on how Motte and Bailey castles changed into stone castles as part of the Norman Conquest SOW. The pupils will explore the weaknesses of Motte and Bailey castles before investigating the first stone castles, how and why they were built, their advantages and disadvantages. The lesson include the following:- Questioning starter Video clips Differentiated source task Worksheet on castle features Plenary All worksheets included at the end for photocopying. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

GCSE Anglo Saxon and Norman England 1060-87 for the new specification 2016. In this lesson we look at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. The objective of the lesson is to determine to what extent luck, strength/skill and tactics played a part in the outcome of the battle. We start with a quick retrieval quiz from last lesson. We then look at the events of the battle itself by completing a worksheet and the pupils consider each stage of the battle and answer questions on the event and whether there was any skill/strength, luck or tactics involved at that point. The pupils use the information from the worksheet to create a mind map using factor hexagons. We then pull all the strands together and finish with a piece of extended writing on to what extent luck, strength/skill and tactics played in the outcome of the battle. The pupils have some guidance on how to structure their answer. Hope this saves you some valuable planning time! https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE history lesson for The Power & The People Thematic Unit. In this lesson we look at the events after the Battle of Lewes, leading up to the Battle of Evesham and Simon de Montfort’s death. The starter is a simple put the events in chronological order activity. We begin the lesson by looking at the events of the Battle of Lewes and how Edward’s escape led to a waning of support for de Montfort. The pupils will write a paragraph using evidence from the board about the barons misgivings with de Montfort. We then look at the Battle of Evesham and the significance of THe Provisions of Oxford. The pupils complete a survey on the significance and write a response using a writing frame. We then compare the Provisions of Oxford with Magna Carta for similarities and differences. We final finish with a bio poem on Simon de Montfort. I hope that this saves you some valuable planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE history lesson for The Power & The People thematic unit. In this lesson we look at the events after the Pilgrimage of Grace, the continued dissolution of the monasteries and the significance of the rebellion. We start with a game of an instagram style starter with a source on the signing of Magna Carta. We have a quick recap on the previous lessons content where the pupils have to put the events on order leading up to Askes execution. Following this we look at the events of the dissolution form 1536-40. The pupils use a worksheet to answer questions regarding the events. We then consdier the significance of the rebellion through using a ‘wheel of life’. There is a video clip to help with this. We then tackle an 8 mark source question, or a significance question or both! There is some guidance for the pupils on how to tackle the question too. I hope that this saves you some valuable planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE history lesson for The Power & The People Thematic Unit. In this lesson we look at what King John had done to anger his barons. We start with a simple retrieval practice grid, already filled in for the Norman Conquest but editable. We look at what the expectations of John as a medieval king were, the pupils then make an explained list of the expectations of John. We then look at John’s actions, the pupils undertake a thermometer analysis to see which of John’s actions would have angered the barons the most. We then look at Matthew Paris’ painting of John and the pupils complete some questions around the painting and compare this to the painting of Henry II by the same artist. The pupils conclude by explaining which of John’s actions angered the barons the most and why in a post it exercise. I hope that this saves you some valuable planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE history lesson on what the Schlieffen Plan was and the reasoning behind it as well as Plan 17. We start with an instagram retrieval practice starter, before a reminder of what Germany’s problem of a war on two fronts meant. We then introduce General Count Alfred Von Schlieffen. The pupils create a quick profile on this key person. We then look at a video clip which the pupils then use to create an annotated map of the plan. We then look at the details of the plan. The pupils look for potential problems with it as well as answering some questions. We then look at Schlieffen’s successor Moltke and his alterations to the plan before the pupils complete an extentometer question on whether Schlieffen’s plan represented the most sensible solution to the problem of a war on two fronts. Hope you find this useful and it saves you some planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE history lesson on how the Moroccan crises increased political tension amongst the political powers in Europe. We start with a quick retrieval practice quiz. We then look at the importance of Morocco to the various European powers. We look at two sources on the Kaiser’s trip to Tangiers and the pupils answer some questions on the sources. We then look at various happenings during the crises and the pupils complete a visual scale to show how much tension there is between Germany, France and Britain, then explain. Further on we look at the impacts of the crises and rank them in order of seriousness in the political sphere of Europe. We thank look at an exam style question on a narrative of the Moroccan Crises, the pupils have some prompts to help answer this. We finish with an ‘extentometer’ on the the level of humiliation felt by Germany after the crisis. Hope you find this useful and it saves you some planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE history lesson on how the major European powers took to re-armament before WWI. We start with a quick retrieval practice quiz putting the events into chronological order. We than look at the tension between the alliances how this lead them to increase production of arms and military plans. The pupils annotate a map of Europe in different colour pens to show how each major power was preparing their armed forces and military plans for conflict. We then turn to the naval race and the pupils look at several sources to explore how Britain and Germany entered into a naval race, why this happened and what the outcome was. we finish with a bio-poem to kaiser Wilhelm. The idea is for the pupils to show the Kaiser’s military and imperial ambitions for Germany. Hope you find this useful and it saves you some planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE history lesson on how the ‘race to the sea’ developed on the western front which led to trench warfare and events on the Eastern Front in 1914. We start with a quick multiple choice retrieval practice quiz. We then look at the the developing situation on the Western Front after the Battle of the Marne. The pupils undertake a text analysis on the ‘race to the sea’ and answer some questions. We then take a look at the Eastern Front, the pupils have an events strip and answer questions and summarise each event. We then look at the major powers of the war and what kind of start they have had to the war by the end of 1914 by completing a table on their successes and failures on both fronts. We finish with an ‘extentometer’ on the reasons why stalemate developed on the Western Front. Hope you find this useful and it saves you some planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

Third lesson on the Norman Conquest. This 1 hour lesson looks at the events of the Battle of Fuford and then we look at the Battle of Stamford bridge and try to work out the main reasons for Harold Godwinson’s victory and Hardrada’s loss. All the lessons and resources are provided as are the video clips. Included is Bayeux tapestry question starter Video crib sheet for the Battle of Fulford Activity on the events of Stamford Bridge Video clip on Stamford Bridge Writing evalaution activity. Hope this helps. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer