The American West 1835-1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel This lesson aims to examine push and pull factors which contributed to the migration west. Students are introduced to the Oregon Trail and learn how the Government promoted its use by providing $30,000 for an expedition led by John Fremont to map it out and report how exciting and achievable it was to travel along it. An excellent accompanying video in contrast shows the realities however of travelling to the west. Students are given various scenarios which they have to decide are push and pull factors and for extra challenge decide if they are social, political or economic factors. There is some follow up exam question practice using the ‘consequences’ question worth 8 marks. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some retrieval practice is also included on spelling key words. It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

The American West 1835-1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel The aim of this lesson is to analyse some of the problems the early settlers faced moving west onto the Great Plains. Students have to work out the initial problems through various images and think through how they could solve these. They also have to decide how to deal with the swarms of locusts that descended on the Great Plain such as in 1874 when an estimated 120 billion grasshoppers devastated over 300,000 square kilometres of land. There is some GCSE exam question practice on the consequences question with some help given if required. The plenary requires students to use dice to pick and link key words together to create sentences. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some retrieval practice with talking heads is also included on the front slide. It comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The American West, c1835-c1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel The aim of this lesson is to explore the consequences of overstocking the open range and the subsequent move to small ranches after the Great Die up of 1886-87. Students are required to tackle some GCSE exam question practice from the start as they have to work out reasons why and the consequences for the changes to the cattle industry. They also analyse the impact on cowboys and reasons for a decline in their demand. Students are also challenged into deciding which policies went before or after 1887 and what constituted this new change in direction. The plenary requires them to demonstrate what they have learnt in the lesson using a summarising pyramid. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. It comes in Powerpoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

The American West 1835-1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel The aim of this lesson is to examine the consequences of the extermination of the buffalo and the effect on the Plains Indians way of life. Students analyse the reasons how the buffalo were exterminated and then discuss why this was possible, with some prompts to help them. They also have to answer some key questions on the impact of this extermination and are required to plan a debate taking on the role of a white settler or a Plains Indian. There is some follow up exam question practice using the ‘consequences’ question worth 8 marks, with help given if required. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some recall retrieval practice is also included using the Blockbusters game, complete with changing colours and music! It comes in Powerpoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

World War II The aim of this lesson is to question whether countries should accept refugees in times of war. The start of the lesson examines who refugees are and why they may have to leave their country of origin in times of war. A modern day example of Syrian Refugees coming to Britain is used. Students are then questioned about how the Governments of the World, including Britain, reacted to refugees with their worries and quotas put in place. A case study of the Kindertransport is used with the story of one such Jewish refugee. Students will decide how this refugee might have felt with examples using the text. There is also a statistical challenge and a true and false plenary quiz aimed at correcting some misconceptions. Finally some excellent video footage is used to accompany 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 the lesson is to question if it is right to help your enemy. Once the students decide what a collaborator is and the punishments involved, they have to make a judgement if they agree with collaborating in times of war or not. Their opinions are challenged throughout the lesson. They analyse the reasons for collaboration and complete a thinking quilt which challenges their literacy and evaluation skills. There are some brilliant sources to accompany the lesson, including visual images from the time as well as a case study of Chaim Rumkowski who helped the Nazis believing it was the key to Jewish survival in the ghettoes. The plenary is a retrieval practice activity deciding which is the odd one out. 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 assess how Channel islanders survived the war with the only occupation of British soil by German armed forces. Britain had taken the decision to leave the Channel islands undefended. Therefore students are questioned as to why this decision was taken and how they might feel being at the mercy of the German occupation. Use of a text and a thinking quilt will help students analyse the ways in which islanders survived, through rationing, acts of resistance and their treatment by the German soldiers garrisoned there. The Germans attempted to make it a model occupation with respect shown to the islanders, but with curfews and censorship, students have to evaluate if this was the case. Some excellent video footage will also explain the treatment of prisoners of war moved to the island to help build the Atlantic Wall defences and how they attempted to manage under appalling conditions. Some real life testimony from survivors is also given to allow students to evaluate fully the significance of the occupation and survival techniques developed to survive. A big thank you in my research for this lesson goes to Dan Snow and his podcast on the occupation as well as the book by Duncan Barrett, ‘When the Germans came’, as well as testimony from a family friend who is still a resident on Jersey. 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.

Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91 This lesson aims to re-evaluate the importance of Berlin in 1958 during the Cold War. Students recap on previous events of the Berlin Blockade and Airlift using some retrieval practice. They will also decide which statements fits the criteria of being on the West or East side of Berlin and therefore evaluate why they was a brain drain crisis for the Soviet Union. Students will also learn about the Berlin Ultimatum and with some GCSE question practice evaluate the consequences of this as well as the summits organised by both sides. The final task is to answer some differentiated questions focusing on the learning 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 this and subsequent lessons to show the progress of learning. The lessons in this bundle are therefore linked together to build up a picture of how diplomacy, propaganda and spying led two Superpowers with opposing political ideologies to create tensions, rivalries and distrust as well as subsequently forming mutual understanding and cooperation over the time period in question. The resource includes retrieval practice, suggested teaching strategies, differentiated material and GCSE question practice. It comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91 The aim of this lesson is to evaluate why the Superpowers attempted to improve relations in the 1970s and reduce their stockpiles of nuclear. Students will learn why the opportunity for détente presented itself, through source analysis and a challenge task. This will enable them to decide if the agreements made at the SALT 1 talks were either a positive move to world peace or had very little impact on it. They also have the opportunity to write an extended answer on the significance of these negotiations as well as practising a GCSE question. There are hints and prompts to help if required. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout this and subsequent lessons to show the progress of learning. The lessons in this bundle are therefore linked together to build up a picture of how diplomacy, propaganda and spying led two Superpowers with opposing political ideologies to create tensions, rivalries and distrust as well as subsequently forming mutual understanding and cooperation over the time period in question. The resource includes retrieval practice, suggested teaching strategies, differentiated material and GCSE question practice. It comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The French Revolution The aim of this lesson is to understand how and why Louis’s financial problems precipitated the storming of the Bastille and the French Revolution The lesson begins by questioning how our present government raises money through taxes, both directly and indirectly. This is then linked to how much debt Louis is in and how he can raise money to run the country (and pay for his extravagances). Moreover, students must prioritise what he should spend his money on and the reasons for this. Students are then given a number of options, from which they have to decide whether this is a good idea to raise money or not and what could be the consequences as a result. This is an evaluative task which will challenge their thinking outside the box, although answers are given or can be revealed to help if required. The true or false plenary will test their knowledge of what they have learnt and check understanding. 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 question who supported the French Revolution both internally and externally The lesson begins with the students giving their own opinions as to whether they would support the Revolution. They are then given the context with a literacy challenge, as to how attitudes at the time began to change with the September Massacres of 1793. No lesson is complete without James Gillray’s ‘Un petit Souper a La Parisienne’, which is analysed. Some help with prompts and guidance is given if required. A study of the British reaction is also scrutinised as students learn how opinion became divided with the published works of Edmund Burke and Thomas Paine. The main task is to analyse how different groups within France reacted; these include the Church (with a model answer given on how to complete the task), the Sans-culottes, nobles, Jacobins and Girondins and finally Counter-Revolutionaries. Students can feedback and present their findings to the class. The plenary required a talking heads activities and to distinguish which group would be attributed to the various comments and opinions used. 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. It is fully adaptable in PowerPoint format and can be changed to suit.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is to judge the threat Ireland posed to Henry and evaluate how much control he exerted over it in his reign. Students are reintroduced to Henry’s foreign policy aims and have to decide which one might be applied to Ireland. This will be revisited at the end of the lesson. They are also given information on Henry’s policies towards Ireland and by using a colour coding activity, assess how much in control he actually was. Students are also introduced to Poyning’s Law and the views of two renowned historians to help them justify their conclusions. The plenary revisits Henry’s aims and students have to justify which aim is his main priority with Ireland and why. There is also some extract exam question practice, complete with scaffolding and a generic markscheme if required. There is an enquiry question posed and revisited to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work. The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit. The lesson is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is for students to assess the significance of Brittany to Britain’s national security under Henry VII. Students use the information provided to also explore Henry’s relationship with France and judge if his foreign policy was a success with his political machinations with Charles VIII. There is also some exam practice to complete, using extracts to evaluate the aims of the lesson and judge Henry’s success in foreign relations with France. Help is also given to the students if required on how to structure an answer, using some scaffolding, helpful hints and a generic markscheme supplied. There is an enquiry question posed and revisited to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work. The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit. The lesson is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.

Conflict and Tension 1918-1939 The aim of this lesson is to make sure students are able to remember the finer points of the Treaty of Versailles By the end of the lesson they should be able to give an accurate, detailed knowledge and understanding of which parts of the Treaty the Germans hated the most and why Using a podcast, video evidence and different revision techniques in the classroom such as using a chatterbox, students using this lesson will have the tools required to answer a GCSE practice question making substantiated judgements. Furthermore they are given a student friendly markscheme which they can use to peer assess their work. This lesson has a variety of learning strategies to enable a fun, engaging and challenging 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, some retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Conflict and Tension 1918-1939 The aims of this lesson are to understand how far the leaders at the Versailles Conference were willing to compromise. The lesson is quite topical and uses current political events to discuss conciliation and compromise. The Armistice set out the blueprint which France expected to follow. However despite the differences of the Allied Powers, the pressure to make a decision quickly made the leaders compromise. As a result, students analyse how the map of Europe was to change. They are led to question which countries were formed and how and why rushing this was may not have been a good idea . Finally a summary of some of Wilson’s 14 points are evaluated; students have to decide who would have had the most objection to each point and justify their reasons. 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, some retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Conflict and Tension 1918-1939 This is an introductory lesson to the course. The lesson begins with an outline of the course and the topics studied, as well as the four types of GCSE questions this unit will ask. There is also a student tracking sheet included simplifying the assessment objectives, the GCSE questions and assessments completed. Students analyse the aims of the Peacemakers based on the outcomes of the war as well as their geographical positions, which will explain their different views and expected outcomes. Students will also learn what the Big Three of the USA, Britain and France wanted, using maps and video evidence before creating a speech using suggested key words and sentence starters outlining their proposals. Finally they are given scenarios from the Big Three and have to decide who would approve or disapprove of the views given. 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.

The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is to ascertain how smoothly Elizabeth consolidated her power on her succession to the throne. Students use source and documentary evidence to argue how Elizabeth used her coronation so effectively and think how Cecil might advise the Queen from the outset. There is a true and false activity as well as some source scholarship to consolidate the learning in the lesson. Students also have to think why a proposed marriage to Philip II of Spain might have its merits. There is an enquiry question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work. The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit. The lesson is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.

This key word literacy display has been designed to be used on classroom walls (or on display boards outside) when introducing a new History topic to the students. It is an easy resource to print and will hopefully save an incredible amount of time and effort when incorporating literacy into a new or existing scheme of work. The slides can also be laminated and used as mobiles hanging from the ceiling or used as part of an informative display. The slides cover the following words and their definitions: The slides cover the following words and their definitions: Anglo-Saxons, allegiance, authority, cause, chainmail, change, Christianity, conqueror, consequence, continuity, defence, economic, features, feigned retreat, Fyrd, hierarchy, Housecarl, invasion, knights, landscape, medieval, Normans, oath, pagan, political, rebellion, religion, siege, society, victorious. The slides come in PowerPoint format so they are easy to change and adapt.

This key word literacy display has been designed to be used on classroom walls (or on display boards outside) when introducing a new History topic to the students. It is an easy resource to print and will hopefully save an incredible amount of time and effort when incorporating literacy into a new or existing scheme of work. The slides can also be laminated and used as mobiles hanging from the ceiling or used as part of an informative display. The slides cover the following words and their definitions: A Church, charter, commemorate, compare, crusade, Domesday Book, Doom painting, evidence, feudalism, function, government, Harrying of the North, historical source, infer, interpretation, laws, martyr, medieval, Motte and Bailey Castle, parish, parliament, penitence, pilgrimage, reign, siege, significant, sin, surrender, The Church, tithe. The slides come in PowerPoint format so they are easy to change and adapt.

The American West, c1835-c1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel This lesson aims to assess the importance of Wyatt Earp and the continuing problems of law and order in the West. It follows on from the previous lesson on Billy the Kid. Students learn why Wyatt Earp was employed in Tombstone and then have to emoji rate each part of his story to judge how wicked he ‘possibly’ was. They have to give reasons for each of their judgements before they give an overall assessment on his life. There is an excellent link to a documentary on Earp and well as a clip from the film Tombstone to reinforce the learning. There is some follow up exam question practice using the ‘consequences’ question worth 8 marks, with help given if needed. The plenary is a literacy challenge which requires definitions of key words. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some retrieval practice is also included from the beginning to think of the similarities and differences between Billy the Kid and Wyatt Earp. It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.