Cold War The aims of this lesson are to explain how weapons developed during and after World War 2. The new destructive power of the atomic bomb is shown in a great video link and students colour code a worksheet (differentiated) with challenge questions to describe and explain the development of the arms race. Facts and figures are also given which students have to interpret, as well as key word tasks and source analysis, with help given if required. The plenary is literally an arms ‘race’ complete with interactive dice and bombs as board pieces. The central enquiry of this and subsequent lessons is to ask why did civilians fear for their lives? 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 the key question) and build up a picture of how these and different countries in the world responded and acted in this new nuclear age. The resource comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change and is differentiated. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson.

AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45 The aim of this lesson is to analyse the appeal of Communism to German voters. The lesson begins with students evaluating the significance and inferences of a 1919 communist propaganda poster. Students will engage in differentiated questioning linked to statements about the tactics of the Communist KPD Party. The lesson will compare the support for Communism with the rapid rise of the Nazi Party, examining the reasons behind the disparity in their electoral success. Students will also assess and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of Communism, providing reasons for their evaluations. The plenary activity will be a hangman game using key terms from the lesson to reinforce learning. To conclude, students can complete some exam question practice, with structured support provided to help them effectively answer the question. An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work. The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs. It is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.

AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45 The aim of this lesson is evaluate the consequences of the collapse of the Grand Coalition for the Weimar Republic. Students begin the lesson with some differentiated questioning on the reasons for the collapse of the coalition and its immediate impact on Government as well as analysing the opposition to the Young Plan and the effects on law and order. They are also required to evaluate the impact of the decrees passed and the result of Bruning’s disastrous economic policies. The plenary Is an odd one out activity to consolidate the learning from the lesson. Some exam practice can be completed at the end, with help and structure given to answer the question if needed. There is a 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.

AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45 The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the impact the Great Depression had upon Germany. Students are given the context to the Wall Street Crash and then have to decide if Germany’s problems throughout were the sole consequence of the Wall Street Crash. They are given further details of the effects of the slump in Germany, from which they answer some differentiated questions. Various scenarios are also put forward, from the social, political and economic effects, to who suffered more - the young or the old and the rise of extremism. These can be debated and discussed in groups or individually. The plenary further challenges which particular groups suffered in the Depression and why. Some source exam practice can be completed, with help and structure given to answer the question if needed. There is a 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.

AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45 The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the consequences of Schleicher’s scheming. Students begin the lesson with a chronological quiz, recapping the events of the unit of work so far. They are then introduced to Hindenburg inner circle and how he was influenced by them in his decision making. Students also learn about Schleicher’s tactics to bring the Nazis under his control. They subsequently have to put themselves in Schleicher’s shoes and unpick his decision making. With Schleicher’s ultimate failure to govern effectively, students conclude by finalising the reasons why Hitler was to become Chancellor. Students can complete some exam question practice at the end of the lesson, with structured support provided to help them effectively answer the question. An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work. The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs. It is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.

AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45 The aim of this lesson is to analyse the appeal of Nazism to German voters. Students will start by examining the lean years of the Nazi Party and how Hitler reshaped his vision of Nazi ideology while in prison. They will also learn about the significance of the Bamberg Conference in 1926, which reasserted Hitler’s control over the Party. The second part of the lesson will focus on the broad support and appeal of Nazi ideology to the old elites, industrialists, and the Mittlestand. Hitler’s confidence in his success was evident when he ran for President in 1932, narrowly losing to Hindenburg. In this context, students will debate, discuss, and present feedback on seven key Nazi policy ideals, explaining why these policies had such widespread appeal. To conclude, students can complete some exam question practice, with structured support provided to help them effectively answer the question. An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work. The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs. It is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.

The English Civil War This lesson aims to question the character and personality of Oliver Cromwell. Students will decide if he set out to kill the King from the start and make himself a despot or did circumstances dictate that this was his only option? Moreover, with his puritanical ideas, did he make England and the Commonwealth a better place for it, or was it exclusive only to the minority? This will ultimately be down to students’ own judgement as they plot his actions on a grid and justify their own conclusions. Analysis of video evidence also helps to track his ideas and personality and gives the students ideas for writing his obituary and question why his burial place in Westminster Abbey bears the inscription 1658-1661. 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 suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Elizabethan England 1568-1603 This is a Summary Revision Guide tailored to the AQA GCSE 9-1 Elizabethan England 1568-1603 unit. It has also been revised to include the historic environment question for 2024 for the Americas and Drake’s Circumnavigation, with an emphasis on location, function and structure, people connected, design and important events connected to it. The resource is in booklet form and is ideal for the student who wants a quick recap before the exam as it sets out all the main details in bullet form. It is also extremely useful and cheap for printing and giving out when the students claim they have forgotten everything they have been taught! I have included both PDF and Word formats so the resource can be edited and changed to suit.

The aim of this test is to find out how much the students know about history. The results will give you a baseline from which you can build upon. Once they begin to study history, they will begin to show progress in all areas, particularly in the amount of detail required in answers. The test focuses on chronology, cause and consequence, change and continuity, historical enquiry, interpretation and significance. This is a particularly useful assessment for a history department and as a starting point and ideally for Year 7. Most students sadly will not have studied a lot of history at their primary schools (apart from the odd day to study the Victorians or World War 2) as literary, numeracy and SATS still dominate primary school curriculum planning. The resource comes in Word and PowerPoint formats which can be amended and changed to suit.

Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship This lesson focuses on the change in policy towards the treatment of the Jews by the Nazis. Students have to put events into chronological order and understand why the beginning of World War II changed everything. Students also learn about the Wannsee Conference and the experimental attempts by the Nazis to murder the Jews in Europe from shooting to mobile gas vans before deciding upon the use of Zyklon B crystals. Using numbers and figures they also discover the sheer scale of the atrocities involved in this genocide and what happened in the concentration camps. There are some excellent links to video evidence to accompany the lesson, which are suitable to show. 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.

Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship The aim of this lesson is to analyse Nazi policies towards women and then evaluate how effective they were at controlling them. The start of the lesson questions the qualities Hitler is looking for in women and then questions what makes the perfect Nazi woman using key words. Students then have some differentiated questions to complete, using text before evaluating how much certain women were controlled and explaining to what extent. A GCSE practice question focuses on ‘Which source is the most convincing?’, complete with simplified markscheme and notes on the slide for more guidance. The key words are then revisited in the plenary. 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.

Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship The aim of this lesson is to evaluate how effectively the Nazis controlled its Youth. The lesson is split into two parts and can be delivered over two lessons. The first part looks at the Hitler Youth, the activities organised for boys and girls and the purpose behind them. Students then have to analyse four pieces of evidence and evaluate how much they are being controlled. Some differentiated questioning and higher order thinking allows you to see how much they are making progress in the lesson. The second part focuses on education and what the young people are taught at school. Again the students are challenged and questioned on how effective this diet of propaganda was, with an emphasis that not all lessons were anti-Semitic. Various and excellent video footage is used to consolidate understanding. 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.

Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship This lesson analyses the reasons why Hitler executed the leaders of the SA. After a recap of the previous lesson, students start unpicking the events leading to the Night of the Long Knives. Students are put into Hitler’s shoes; who should he choose to lead him forward in his new Third Reich - the Brownshirts or the Army? The conclusions are never totally clear in favour of one or the other, making sure the students are challenged and have to think things through and justify their choices. The events are also explained through a text mapping grid which the students also have to decipher as well as video evidence. There is also a choice of two plenaries from Connect 4 to a talk like an historian quiz and some GCSE exam question practice to complete if required. 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 British Empire This lesson aims to question whether Britain was in India for the right reasons. The subject matter is the East India Company and a study of how it slowly took over the country of India taking with it a precious diamond and making a fortune out of its trade. There are some great video links used here from the BBC and Dan Snow which help bring reasoning and clarity. Students are asked if we should return the Koh-i-Noor diamond to India, the jewel in the British crown, after analysing some important evidence. Students are also given key words to help them with their arguments as to whether the diamond should be returned to India or not. The final activity focuses on the legacy of the East India Company and who benefitted from their rule before the company’s eventual collapse. The lesson comes with retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching and learning strategies and are linked to the latest historical interpretations, video clips and debate. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question of who benefitted from the Empire 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.

Why was the slave trade finally abolished in Britain and her Empire and why did it take so long to achieve? Why were arguments in the eighteenth century challenged so rigorously and overturned in the nineteenth? Which people inspired its abolition and who was against this? Students decide which arguments were being put forward to the plantation owners, racists, people who were ignorant and law makers to end the slave trade. They then prioritise the most important arguments in challenging these peoples’ staunch perceptions. The second part of the lesson is a case study of William Wilberforce. Through video, audio and source work, students build up a history of the great man and decide how and why he is significant (this is a differentiated task dependent upon ability). The final part of the lesson uses an interactive spinning wheel with key words used throughout the course, which the students have to define and explain their links to slavery. 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 English Civil War The aim of this lesson is to be able to distinguish between the two sides in the English Civil War. Students will be researching how they differed from their dress, their mannerisms, what they believed in and their goals. They will also be analysing some real life examples from people today who discuss which side they would prefer to be on and why. Students will be using various written sources and video evidence to find out which side they would support. Ultimately they will have to produce a propaganda leaflet encouraging people to join their campaign as a Royalist or Cavalier using persuasive literacy techniques and song lyrics. Exemplars and scaffolding is included if required. This is a fun lesson with a number of activities designed to get all students involved actively and to enjoy their learning. 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 suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is decide how much of a threat Lambert Simnel posed to Henry VII. Students are given the information about the role Simnel played and then have to categorise his rebellion into causes, consequences and events. They are also challenged to think and justify who would have likely joined the rebellion and why, using a number of given examples of disgruntled lords. Furthermore, they will be required to give a number of reasons for the lack of support for Simnel. There is some exam question practice, complete with scaffolding, key ideas 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.

The Industrial Revolution The aim of this aim is to assess why coal became known as ‘black gold’. Students learn how important coal was to the Industrial Revolution and how it was used in a number of areas. However the interesting facts focus on its extraction and yet again the dangers involved for all concerned, especially children. Students have to rate how effective the various measures put in place were to overcome some of the problems They also have to tackle some historical hexagonals to get them thinking and linking all the information together. A find and fix plenary should test their recall and knowledge from the lesson. 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.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is assess the threat Perkin Warbeck posed to Henry VII. Students are required to plot the causes, events and consequences of his rebellion(s) as well as discovering others such as those from De la pole, the Cornish and Yorkshire rebellions. They are also required to evaluate the biggest threat of all the rebellions to Henry, including Lamber Simnel, Lovell and Stafford rebellions studied previously. There is a key word literacy plenary to complete before students undertake some exam question extract practice, complete with scaffolding, planning ideas, the key information required as well as a generic markscheme. 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.

The Tudors The aim of this lesson to find out about the hidden messages in Elizabeth I’s portrait paintings. Students learn about how Elizabeth manipulated her portraits and added symbols, each of which had a hidden meaning. The introduction to the lesson looks at anachronisms and modern day symbols put into portraits to get the students thinking how pictures should not always be seen and taken at face value. Thus inference skills are high on the agenda in this lesson. Students are then given information about each of her paintings and have to analyse and evaluate their meanings and various symbolic codes. 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.