World War II The aim of the lesson is to question whether the America was justified in dropping two atomic bombs of Japan in 1945. Students will give their initial thoughts and reasons why before evidence is presented before them. Various modern interpretations suggest that Japan was about to unconditionally surrender and therefore the use of the atomic bomb was unnecessary. Therefore students are given the context of the war in the Pacific with four scary facts - the Japanese refusal to surrender in battle, the treatment of prisoners of war, the role of Kamikaze pilots and the end of the war in Europe in April 1945. There are some fabulous video links and visual images to analyse. The final task requires students to categorise information into reasons why America decided to use its lethal weapons, including a show of power to Stalin and the Soviet Union. The plenary uses a true or false quiz to check recall and understanding. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning. The resource includes retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

World War II The aim of this lesson is to analyse the reasons behind Hitler’s invasion of Poland and to evaluate if his actions were justified. Within this lesson, students learn about Blitzkrieg, making comparisons with the static and attritional First World War and understanding how the German Army had learnt from their previous mistakes. Students have to also complete a thinking quilt to test their comprehension and literacy skills as it requires them to explain and justify these initial German successes in 1939 and 1940. The plenary finally asks the students to predict what is about to happen in the future through conjecture and formulation their opinions using the information from the lesson. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning. The resource includes retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

World War II The aim of this lesson is to understand how the British Government prepared for war and why it introduced rationing. The lesson begins by deciding which foods were rationed and why. Students will also have to work out which foods also became unavailable and the reasons for this. There has always been an assumption that as foods were rationed and restricted, people on the Home Front therefore struggled to make ends meet. Students are given information on all the goods rationed and compare this to the recommended weekly healthy intake per person today. As they will soon find out, rationing did not always mean everyone suffered as a result. Students will also be required to analyse the effectiveness of some posters at the time, encouraging people to grow their own food and well as a comprehension task and a challenging thinking quilt on clothes rationing. The plenary uses flashcards to question their understanding of the lesson. The lesson comes complete with embedded videos and a lesson plan on how to use the activities. It is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning. The resource includes retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The French Revolution The aim of this lesson is to assess the personalities and characters of King Louis and Marie Antoinette and how these contributed to the French Revolution. Students are required to build up a picture of the French monarchy using some source scholarship and written accounts from the time. This will enable them to decide and explain the most important reasons why they became so unpopular with the French population. Furthermore, they will be required to chart a popularity rating for each of them and justify their choices, using some extended writing techniques. The plenary uses a summarising pyramid to evaluate and condense what they have learnt in the lesson. The lesson comes with retrieval practice activities, differentiated materials, suggested teaching and learning strategies and is linked to the latest historical interpretations, video clips and debate. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end to show the progress of learning. The lesson is fully adaptable in PowerPoint format and can be changed to suit.

The French Revolution The aim of this lesson is to judge how terrible the Reign of Terror was in France. The lesson begins with an chronological recap task of the events of 1789. Students are introduced to Maximilien Robespierre and using the information provided have to explain the context and introduction of the Reign of Terror. The main task is to rate how terrible some of the events were in the years 1793-5, by colour coding a ‘terror o meter’. For each event and explain why they have made these decisions. Using these judgements, they will then complete a thinking quilt on whether they think the Terror was justified or not. The ‘Are you a robot?’ plenary gets them to make links with the images all connected to the learning of the lesson. The lesson comes with retrieval practice activities, differentiated materials, suggested teaching and learning strategies and is linked to the latest historical interpretations, video clips and debate. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end to show the progress of learning. The lesson is fully adaptable in PowerPoint format and can be changed to suit.

The Industrial Revolution This lesson aims to describe and explain the conditions of Victorian prisons through the eyes of a young person awaiting trial. Students learn how a poor diet, pointless tasks and a payment system for every amenity meant a miserable existence for inmates. So why did things begin to improve? How did key prison reformers change attitudes and make the government of the day reform the prisons? These questions and more will explored through prose, quizzes, video links and knockout tournament competitions to see and judge how far the prison reforms went and how effective they were. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end to show the progress of learning. The resource comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson and there are differentiated materials included.

The aim of this lesson is to analyse why slaves escaped from their masters and evaluate the significance of Harriet Tubman. The lesson begins by asking why slaves ran away and how would they prepare for it. Some source scholarship focuses on an advert placed in 1838 to retrieve a runaway slave. Key questions on inference require students to analyse and read between the lines on why the owner was desperate to recapture the slave. The second part of the lesson examines the underground railroad and the roles of those who helped the escapees and relocate to the northern states. Harriet Tubman was instrumental in this and students undertake an extended written piece on her significance. Finally some famous escapes are highlighted and debated by the students as to which were the most daring, interesting, lucky and famous. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

This lesson is the sequel to the murder of Thomas Becket (Part 1). The students have to question if Henry II was really sorry for the murder of Becket or whether he used his public apology merely as a publicity stunt. The lesson begins by asking them how horse hair, a whip, bare feet and a shrine are connected to the lesson. As the story unravels, they learn what Henry II did as a penitence for the murder, and how he attempted to atone for his actions. They plot this on a graph which allows them to analyse and evaluate his real motives. They continue to plot the power struggle between the king, the church, the barons and the people in a sequence of lessons. This lesson includes: Fun, engaging and challenging tasks Links to video footage Printable worksheets Differentiated tasks Suggested teaching strategies PowerPoint format, which can be changed to suit

World War I The aim of this lesson is to understand the importance of the Poppy on Armistice Day. The lesson is split into two parts. The first part of the lesson analyses the causes of the war ending in 1918. Using a causal spiders web (an idea taken from Emily Thomas), students link the ideas together by drawing lines and then justify their reasons to create a spider’s web. The second part of the lesson analyses the significance of the use of the Poppy with students giving their own reasons for this on the poppy leaves (a template is included). They then have to prioritise the most important reasons why the Government introduced Poppy Day with a diamond nine activity. Students also have the chance to evaluate John McCrae’s in Flanders poem with some ‘clever question stems’. This lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout the lesson and this unit of study to show the progress of learning. The resource includes retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The aim of this lesson is for students to analyse and evaluate the winning tactics used in by William in the Battle of Hastings Students commence by analysing the Bayeux Tapestry, sources of the battle and information on the leadership qualities of the two combatants. They then complete a differentiated task using a storyboard to map out the events of the battle before completing a summarising pyramid on William’s skills. There is also a chance to recreate the battle with suggestions of role play before the plenary requires some recall and retention skills. An optional homework suggestion is also provided. The resource is therefore differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

AQA GCSE 9-1 Elizabethan England, 1568-1603 The overarching aim of this and the subsequent lessons is to question and explore how Elizabeth asserted her authority and control in the second half of her reign. This lesson aims to explain how the Spanish planning of the Armada was flawed from the start. An analysis of the Commanders involved shows a plethora of mistakes made and how Philip decided to combine the plans of Santa Cruz and the Duke of Palma to placate the two and massage his ego as a superior naval commander. The deteriorating relationship between Philip and Elizabeth is analysed and compared to a pressure cooker – students have to decide which events manipulated Philip’s anger between simmering, boiling and exploding. A thinking quilt aims to challenge assumptions and evaluate the major weaknesses of these Spanish plans and their impact on overall victory. The final challenge is to sort out the bodged names and key words used in the lesson. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The Holocaust This lesson explores the significance of two shoes found at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Students begin to ask questions about them, relating to their state, gender, laces and condition to final decide what we know for sure about the owners. There are differentiated questions given for those who require extra help. Students are also given the testimony of Rudolf Hoss, the camp commandant of Auschwitz and have to decide which parts of it are the truth or not as the case may be. They are also given the chance to learn why badges were given out to certain inmates or why Primo Levi testified as to how he was able to endure and survive the brutality of Auschwitz until its end. Richard Dimbleby also gives his harrowing account of his first impressions of entering Bergen- Belsen extermination camp. A prioritisation exercise at the end will check recall, retention and understanding at the end of the lesson. The central enquiry of this and subsequent lessons in the bundle is to ask who was to blame for the holocaust? Students will map out their ideas each lesson (which can be plotted in different colours or dates to show the progress of their learning and centred around a lightbulb) and build up a picture of how difficult it is to blame a single individual or event for this catastrophe. The resource comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson.

American Civil RIghts This lesson sets out to ask the question if Abraham Lincoln was the ‘Great Emancipator’ that history claims him to be. By analysing his statue at the Washington memorial and using video evidence as well as a brief summary of the 13th Amendment and the American Civil War, students are given evidence (which is differentiated according to ability) from which they question this belief. Their ideas are then presented on a Venn diagram and presented to their peers. A true or false quiz at the end will attempt to consolidate their learning as well as questioning how emancipated the slaves were after the amendment became law. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, differentiated materials and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

World War I The aim of this lesson is to assess the reasons why air power became an increasingly important part of warfare in the First World War. As each side became more aware of the potential of reconnaissance, observation and bombing raids, they quickly built and developed their planes. However the sudden need to shoot down these aircraft quickly gave rise to dog fights and flying aces. Therefore the enquiry question of how frightening was the First World War’ is quite apt here. Students have decide how the planes were used using photographic evidence and then categorise information under the following headings: reconnaissance, fighting, bombing cities or attacking trenches. Much of the excellent video footage uses links to the documentaries posted by Dan Snow on the BBC. The first half of the lesson concludes by questioning the early effectiveness of air power. The second part of the lesson analyses the fighting prowess of a flying ace from Kent, Jimmy McCudden. Having scrutinised his life and achievements, students have to judge how frightening his daring exploits were before deciding if he deserves more recognition for his gallantry other than an inscription on a gravestone and on a war memorial. They can also create their create their own war memorial or obituary of his life. This lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout the lesson and this unit of study to show the progress of learning. The resource includes retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

World War II The aim of this lesson is to question whether Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union was doomed from the start. The invasion is a fascinating piece of history to study. Why, when one of the greatest ever military commanders Napoleon failed, did Hitler think he could succeed? Students are posed this question and using a causal spider diagram link the reasons why invading the Soviet Union could create many problems and challenges to the Nazis. The confidence of Hitler and his Generals can be seen when analysing sources about the Nazi-Soviet Pact which clearly show Hitler believed he held the upper hand. However no study of the invasion would be complete without looking at the Battle of Stalingrad and using video footage to show the plight of all those involved. There is a choice of two differentiated tasks; in both students decide the most important reasons for the failure and final defeat of the Wehrmacht as they categorise the reasons for this. A literacy plenary asks the students to define some of the key words used in the lesson. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning. The resource includes retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The Tudors The aim of this lesson is for the students to help Elizabeth with some tough choices on marriage. Who should she choose to marry if at all? Why was there so much pressure upon her to marry in the first place? Students prioritise the reasons for marriage on a grid before they analyse the potential suitors in Europe, complete with their availability and faults (on paper of course). They then have to decide who is the best of a bad lot and justify their decisions. Some excellent video evidence is included. The plenary focuses on a dinner date; students decide who Elizabeth would like to sit near to the most and who would be placed at the far end of the table. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

This lesson focuses on the factors which allowed William to win the Battle of Hastings. The aim of this lesson is for the students to recognise how the factors link together (embedding GCSE skills) and how William could just have easily lost the battle. The students have to first decide who might have said or did what in the battle before completing a card sort activity with various statements which they order into the different categories. The learning tasks culminate in writing a narrative account of the events which is differentiated and key skills and prompts advise on how best to answer this. The plenary checks understanding with a true and false quiz. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

The Norman Conquest This lesson is an introduction to the Bayeux Tapestry and follows the enquiry question of the previous lessons which seek to understand how much control William the Conqueror had over the population. The lesson explains some key facts about the tapestry and its propaganda purposes for the Normans. There is a crossword to fill in as well as some analysis of the tapestry itself. A brilliant animated video of the tapestry brings it to life and students are questioned to how the Normans and Saxons are portrayed. Students are also challenged in a Bayeux Tapestry thinking quilt, which requires them to link key words and definitions together and explain their overall significance. The lesson is interactive and gets students moving around the classroom. It is also ideal for non-specialists. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end using a rate ‘o’ meter to show the progress of learning. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies and notes on the slides for further information. It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

The American West 1835-1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel This lesson explores the role of the Chief in Plains Indian society, with his different qualities, role and duties to perform. Students learn as each tribe could have many chiefs, this led to confusion and distrust amongst the US Government Officials who struggled to come to terms with their customs and traditions. Famous Chiefs such as Sitting Bull are analysed as well as the role of a council. Students will also evaluate the role of warrior brotherhoods and women in Plains Indian society. Students are also questioned on how the Plains Indians way of life might change if the US Government struggled to develop relationship with them due to the tribes having many Chiefs. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some key word retrieval practice is also included. It comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The Norman Conquest The aims of this lesson are to understand what the crusades were about, the significance of Jerusalem and the Holy Land and why medieval Europe answered the call of the Pope to fight there. There is some context given to the Holy Land at the start of the lesson, with some analysis of the Holy sites in Jerusalem and their significance as well as a map showing the journey of the crusaders. Students are given a character card at the start of the lesson and discover the reasons why they abd others embarked on a ‘religious’ crusade. They will plot what happens to their character throughout the lesson and learn the final consequences of their chosen actions. There are a number of differentiated learning tasks to complete, including analysis of sources and text as well as video footage, questions and plenaries to complete. This is an engaging, challenging and interactive lesson which requires students to think independently and justify their choices as well as considering the morality, the significance and impact of all five crusades of Medieval Europe. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end using a rate ‘o’ meter to show the progress of learning. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.