Full lesson, designed for use with KS3 students to introduce them to the Industrial Revolution. The lesson begins with an explanation of the concept/definition of what is meant by ‘Industrial Revolution’. I try to use this opportunity to think about where they may have encountered the term ‘revolution’ before in History. Students then engage in a ‘spot the difference’ activity, circling differences between images of how a typical English town might look in 1750 vs 1900. This encourages them to begin acknowledging some of the major changes which happened to society during this period. They can then watch a short video to help consolidate their understanding of the term, which begins to explore some of the reasons Britain underwent such a revolution. Depending on the class, you may or may not wish for students to take notes during this. Finally, students will be given an information sheet, explaining three major causes of the Industrial Revolution: The British Empire, the Steam Engine, and the growth of Transport. Alongside this, they will have a worksheet on which they need to explain in their own words how each of these factors contributed to the revolution. Lesson includes a PowerPoint, an information sheet, video link and two worksheets. All can be edited to adjust lesson if desired.

Full lesson, designed for use with KS3 students to introduce them to some of the key inventions made in Britain during the period of the Industrial Revolution. The lesson introduces them to six key inventions: the Steam Engine, the Locomotive (steam trains), the Water Frame, Tarmac, the Bessemer Converter and the Seed Drill. It begins by prompting students to think about which of these they may have heard of before and to discuss in pairs what they think each one might do judging by the name of it. They will then be given a worksheet (included) which gives them a diagram of each invention, and a short sentence describing what each one does for them to try and match up. This should be followed by a quick discussion explaining why / how each invention was significant. Finally, students will be given an information sheet with a short summary of each invention’s history and how it was significant. They will use this information to ‘rank’ each invention by significance (in their own opinion), cutting and sticking a small image of each one onto their ranking sheet and writing a short explanation of their decision/thought process in the explanation box next to each diagram. Includes lesson PowerPoint, two task worksheets and an information sheet. All can be edited to adjust lesson if desired.

Full lesson, designed for use with KS3 students to explore the shift from cottage industry to the factory system, including why this change occurred, what the impact was, and how people responded. The lesson begins with an introduction to ‘cottage industry’, accompanied by a short video (video link in slide notes). This is followed by teacher input to explain why this changed to a factory system. Students will then complete a task evaluating whether or not the shift to the factory system had a positive or negative impact, by colour-coding a set of cards to show which impacts had a positive / negative impact on the workers and / or on industry. Students will then move into looking at the response to the new factory system, including the protests carried out by the ‘Luddites’. This includes a short video (link in slide notes) accompanied by some questions for students to answer as the video plays (I recommend playing the video twice through as it is only two minutes). Includes lesson PowerPoint, two task worksheets and an information sheet. All can be edited to adjust lesson if desired.

Lesson on the Bayeux tapestry, titled ‘What can the Bayeux Tapestry tell us about the Battle of Hastings’. Usually used with Year 7 but could be adapted for use with across any KS2 or KS3 class. Purchase includes worksheet and editable PowerPoint lesson. The lesson begins with a video (linked), which introduces students to the Bayeux Tapestry. This is followed by a ‘match-up’ worksheet, on which students should first order the events of the Battle of Hastings (left) chronologically using the numbers 1-7, then match each ‘stage’ of the battle to the image depicting that stage. Students’ final task then looks into the fact that the tapestry was supposedly ordered by Bishop Odo, William’s half-brother, and requires students to think about the reliability of sources. It is helpful at this point to discuss the concept of ‘reliability’ with students, and aid them with prompts to answer the questions on the final slide.

Introductory lesson for KS3 (I have used with both Year 7 and Year 8 in the past) explaining why Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church. Includes 3 main tasks, focusing on: Why people were beginning to dislike the Catholic Church Differences between Catholicism and Protestantism Why Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church. Downloadable resources include PowerPoint and Task Sheet. Plenty of opportunities for class discussions and a mix of different types of tasks which allow plenty of learning opportunity with little writing.

Topic checklist for the AQA GCSE History unit ‘Conflict and Tension: The inter-war years, 1918-1939’ Great for use as a contents / glossary at the beginning of an exercise book, or as a revision checklist for students to use to prepare for their exams

Topic checklist for the AQA GCSE History unit ‘America 1920-1973: Opportunity and Inequality’ Great for use as a contents / glossary at the beginning of an exercise book, or as a revision checklist for students to use to prepare for their exams

Worksheet outlining the ten key stages of Britain gaining control of India. Contains 10 images in order, then 10 descriptions for each image jumbled up that students can order using numbers 1-10. Can be used in conjunction with this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzDwz18ng7w&t=420s) if needed. Use as you wish, but I often carry this out as a group activity, describing what’s happening in each image then asking the class to try and find the text box that they think matches the description I have just given. Answer sheet also provided.

Worksheet containing information and questions on the Domesday Book. Simple reading comprehension task. I personally use as homework.

Knowledge organiser for section 1 of the AQA GCSE History unit ‘Britain: Health and the People, c1000-present day’ on Medieval medicine. Download includes PDF knowledge organiser and editable PPT slide Full pack of Britain: Health and the People knowledge organisers available on profile.

Knowledge organiser for section 2 of the AQA GCSE History unit ‘Britain: Health and the People, c1000-present day’ on Renaissance medicine. Download includes PDF knowledge organiser and editable PPT slide Full pack of Britain: Health and the People knowledge organisers available on profile.

Knowledge organiser for section 3 of the AQA GCSE History unit ‘Britain: Health and the People, c1000-present day’ on Industrial Medicine. Download includes PDF knowledge organiser and editable PPT slide Full pack of Britain: Health and the People knowledge organisers available on profile.

Knowledge organiser for section 4 of the AQA GCSE History unit ‘Britain: Health and the People, c1000-present day’ on Modern medicine. Download includes PDF knowledge organiser and editable PPT slide Full pack of Britain: Health and the People knowledge organisers available on profile.

KS3 History lesson on the development of castles in the Medieval period. Contains lesson PowerPoint, two activity worksheets, and worksheet answers. The lesson begins on the first slide of the PowerPoint with an introductory discussion of why William the Conqueror began building castles. This helps students begin thinking about what sort of features a castle might need in order to fulfil these purposes. The next slide of the PowerPoint then introduces students to the concept of ‘Motte-and-Bailey’ castles, introducing them to the different components of that type of castle, and providing a couple of ‘prompt’ questions about why certain decisions may have been made about the way they were constructed. This is followed by the first activity worksheet, which asks them to annotate the diagram of a motte-and-bailey castle using the key words and descriptions provided. Answers to this are then on the following PowerPoint slide. The PowerPoint then continues to go through the stone-keep and concentric castles, with modern-day examples provided. The final activity is a simple gap-fill exercises, which asks students to recall the knowledge they have acquired through discussion from the PowerPoint. The activity sheet contains a short paragraph on each type of castle with approximately 6/7 key words missing from each. Missing words are listed at the bottom of the sheet. There is an additional optional sheet on the second page of the word doc for the second activity for SEN/low-ability students, which divides the list of missing words into paragraphs to help them narrow them down.

Knowledge organiser for section 3 of the AQA GCSE History unit ‘America 1920-1973: Opportunity and Inequality’ on Post-War America. Download includes PDF knowledge organiser and editable PPT slide. Full pack of America 1920-1973 knowledge organisers available on profile.

Knowledge organiser for section 2 of the AQA GCSE History unit ‘America 1920-1973: Opportunity and Inequality’ on the Great Depression of the 1930s. Download includes PDF knowledge organiser and editable PPT slide. Full pack of America 1920-1973 knowledge organisers available on profile.

Knowledge organiser for section 2 of the AQA GCSE History unit ‘Conflict and Tension: The inter-war years, 1918-1939’ on the League of Nations. Download includes PDF knowledge organiser and editable PPT slide. Full pack of Conflict and Tension knowledge organisers available on profile.

Knowledge organiser for section 1 of the AQA GCSE History unit ‘America 1920-1973: Opportunity and Inequality’ on the 1920s economic boom. Download includes PDF knowledge organiser and editable PPT slide Full pack of America 1920-1973 knowledge organisers available on profile.

Knowledge organiser for section 1 of the AQA GCSE History unit ‘Conflict and Tension: The inter-war years, 1918-1939’ on the Treaty of Versailles. Download includes PDF knowledge organiser and editable PPT slide. Full pack of Conflict and Tension knowledge organisers available on profile.

Knowledge organiser for section 3 of the AQA GCSE History unit ‘Conflict and Tension: The inter-war years, 1918-1939’ on the causes of World War Two. Download includes PDF knowledge organiser and editable PPT slide. Full pack of Conflict and Tension knowledge organisers available on profile.