In this lesson students read background information on the fall of Singapore in the Second World War before completing an extremely detailed card sort activity (26 cards) to help them decide on the key reasons Yamashita’s Japanese army defeated that of Percival. The card sort itself is incredibly detailed and was drawn up during my time working and researching in Singapore and has been broken down into colour-coordinated factors (Percival’s mistakes, Japanese strengths, British high command decisions, technological shortcomings, and issues with British troops) to promote a structured and factor-led student approach. This activity helps students scaffold historical responses and prepares them well for extended written analysis in a follow up piece of work. It is one of my favourite lessons and I hope your students enjoy it just as much as mine do. If you have any questions please let me know. This lesson was designed for high achieving secondary aged students.

My IB students always do really well in their exams, especially on Paper 3 (Higher Level). One of the main reasons for this is the detailed and focused set of revision menus I give them to help them prepare for exam success. Now you can have them too. Of all of my resources these revision menus are my must-haves! I hope they can be of much use to your students as they are to mine. If you enjoyed this resource please leaf through my collection of other revision menus and resources. This pack focuses on Russia from c. 1953-1991 and includes revision content for the following topics: How successful was Khrushchev’s rule? Was the USSR stagnant under Brezhnev? Was Gorbachev the “gravedigger of Communism?” How successful was the rule of Boris Yeltsin, 1991-1999?

This lesson has clearly defined learning objectives and a starter activity which asks students to consider two very different historian’s perspectives on the reign of Alexander II. The 56-slide PowerPoint then provides very detailed information on the reforms Alexander put in place including the Emancipation Statute of 1861 before giving students a task of creating a mind map showing the positive and negative aspects of the reforms. There is a two part plenary - a fun DingBats exercise which goes over some of the key vocabulary - and a voting exercise based on the starter and main activity. This lesson is pitched at high-achieving post-16 students and has been created by a UK teacher so is in English rather than American English. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions and I hope this lesson helps you deliver this fascinating topic! Have a terrific day, Daniel

This lesson explores how reactionary Alexander III was. Lesson objectives are differentiated and very clear and there is an interesting starter activity (about the ‘hippo’ statue of Alexander in St. Petersburg). The 52 page PPT proceeds to discuss the various changes Alexander made to Russia (economy, society, politics and opposition, Russification) and the class then have a two part main task. One is to create a speech as a particular character, and the second is to plot this on a graph to show which groups were repressed, like Jews, Poles, Zemstvos etc and which were doing well like the black clergy and Pobodonostev etc. The lesson concludes with a plenary in the form of ‘Have I Got News For You’ where students test their knowledge retrieval of what they have learned. The lesson also comes with a set of ready-made student notes. I hope you enjoy this lesson as much as my students do. It has been designed for high achieving post-16 students and is written in English, not US- English. Please let me know if you have any questions and thanks so much for your interest in this lesson. Have a great day fellow teachers!! Daniel

This book features 12 high scoring IB essays for the Paper 3 topic: The USSR and post Soviet Russia 1924-2000 Teachers – this book is for you if you have high-performing students asking what a good one looks like (WAGOLL). Set an essay and staple the corresponding exemplar to your students’ effort for instant assessment for learning. Included are over 70 annotations by an experienced IB examiner offering tips and tricks to improve your students’ Paper 3 technique. Don’t just tell them what to do, show them. Students - this book features high-performance essays for popular IB examination questions from real past papers. It will teach you how to unpack popular Paper 3 IB questions and to write an introduction with a thesis statement which pivots your response perfectly, using the DCO technique. It will also give you ways in which to evaluate historians’ perspectives as well as schools of thought and teach you how to forensically dissect historical evidence. It will also introduce many of the world’s leading experts to you. You will learn how to effectively embed words such as martinet, kleptocracy, multivalent, panoply, dialectical, polity, nomenklatura, gerontocracy, encomium, casus belli, opprobrium, polemic, and quinquennial to make your essays stand out from the rest. You will also read about how to use topic sentences and how to challenge the very premise of a given question. It will also provide fun and creative ideas for IB projects. If you are a student achieving Level 6 but want to reach for the very top grade in IB History this book is for you. Parents - this book will help you support your child to think critically and to produce deluxe essays. Essays include: Analyse the reasons for Stalin’s emergence as Lenin’s successor by 1929. (May 2012) “Propaganda was not a major factor in Stalin’s maintenance of power between 1929 and 1953.” Discuss. (November 2020) To what extent did the cult of personality contribute to Stalin’s maintenance of power more than terror? (November 2011) “Stalin’s Five-Year Plans and the policy of collectivisation failed to improve the Soviet economy by 1941.” Discuss. (November 2017) What were the consequences of the Second World War for Russia? (May 1994) Analyse the successes and failures of Khrushchev’s domestic policies in the years 1955 to 1964. (November 2012) Evaluate the success of Khrushchev’s foreign policy. (May 2014) Examine the view that Brezhnev’s domestic policies had a very limited impact on the USSR. (November 2015) “Brezhnev’s foreign policy was successful in reducing Cold War tensions.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? (November 2019) Evaluate the impact of Gorbachev’s domestic policies on the USSR. (May 2021) To what extent were Gorbachev’s policies responsible for improved East-West relations between 1985 and 1991? (May 2019) Evaluate the impact of political and economic developments in post Soviet Russia between 1991 and 2000. (November 2020)

This book features 11 high scoring IB essays for the Paper 3 topic Imperial Russia, revolution, and the establishment of the USSR 1855-1924. Teachers – this book is for you if you have high-performing students asking what a good one looks like (WAGOLL). Set an essay and staple the corresponding exemplar to your students’ effort for instant assessment for learning. Included are over 70 annotations by an experienced IB examiner offering tips and tricks to improve your students’ Paper 3 technique. Don’t just tell them what to do, show them. Students - this book features high-performance essays for popular IB examination questions from real past papers. You’ll learn great essay mechanics and clever ways to dazzle the examiners. Learn how to apply Q SPEND, write an introduction using the DCO technique, and use fancy words like panegyric, quixotic, potentate and more to make your essays stand out from the rest. What is ‘snowballing’ and how is an essay like a Grand Prix? Look at real examples of how to evaluate perspectives effectively. Discover how topic sentences can help you and how anecdotal evidence can add colour to your response. Are you guilty of post hoc ergo propter hoc? How can you ensure you are more conceptual and when exactly should you challenge the premise of a question? If you are a student achieving Level 6 but want to reach for the very top grade in IB History this book is for you. Parents - this book will help you support your child to think critically and to produce deluxe essays. Essays include: To what extent do you agree that Alexander II was the Tsar Liberator? (May 2021) “Alexander III was a political reactionary, but an economic moderniser.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? (November 2013) How significant were the weaknesses of Russia by the end of the Nineteenth Century? (May 2008) Discuss the causes of the 1905 Revolution in Russia. (November 2018) How effectively did Nicholas II respond to the 1905 Revolution? (November 2005) Why did Russia lose the First World War? (May 2003) Discuss the reasons for the final crisis of autocracy in February/March 1917. (November 2019) How effectively did the Provisional Government rule Russia in 1917? (November 2017) Evaluate the reasons for the overthrow of the Provisional Government in October/November 1917. (May 2021) Why did the Reds win the Russian Civil War, 1918-21? (November 2001) “The Bolshevik state under Lenin between 1918 and 1924 was a ruthless dictatorship, caring little for the Russian people.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? (November 2008) Daniel Guiney is a highly experienced IB teacher, examiner and assessment author. He has led highly successful History departments in the UK as well as Singapore, Egypt, and China.

This fully resourced lesson begins with two starter activities designed to introduce the topic. First students watch a short video clip about the first McDonalds in Pushkin Square and are asked to guess the price of a Big Mac in four countries in the early 1990s. Russia is by far the most expensive and this leads to a question of why. They then watch a second video clip which shows some of Yeltsin’s eccentricities and they are invited to offer three adjectives. Students then divide a page into four and there is detailed information for the teacher to run through describing economic successes/failures and political successes/failures. An overall crib sheet to summarise is provided also. The lesson concludes with two plenaries designed to test subject knowledge. A fun dingbats game focusing on some of the key words (shock therapy, Chicago school, depression etc) and a fill in the blanks Have I Got News for You style exercise. It is a PowerPoint with 75 slides. I hope your students get as much from mine from this resource. If you have any questions please ask away and I wish you a wonderful day. This resource is written in English and is pitched at high achieving IB / A Level students.

In this 21-page PPT students are introduced to the events of 1066 with a short video activity. Lesson objectives are clear and graduated and there is detailed information about the Tapestry which runs through some key moments, including in note form. The main activity asks students to sequences the events in order by matching the heads and tails of the sentences. It also includes extension questions for more able students. The lesson concludes by asking students to evaluate which level they achieved in the lesson objectives. I hope your students get as much from this lesson as mine do. It has been pitched to 11 year old students in mainstream settings.

This lesson is pitched at high achieving secondary aged students (16+) and is an interpretation based lesson on Khrushchev. The lesson begins with clear differentiated learning objectives and a starter activity which invites students to question why this Soviet leader was not buried in the Kremlin Wall as with the others (he is buried in Novedivichy Cemetery in the south-west of Moscow - well worth a visit!). From here students work through background info on his rise to power before attempting the main task, a 29-piece evidence sort (with some images to spruce it up). These need to be broken down into those factors related to domestic policy (five year plan, Virgin Lands programme, abolition of MTS etc) and also foreign policy (not least Berlin, Cuba, and Hungary). Students then divide these into sub sections to ascertain if each was a triumph or failure for Khrushchev’s leadership. This can be a paired or individual task but the content is extremely precise and detailed and includes some perspectives (Thatcher Vs Taubman). There is also a differentiation version for students who need a bit more structure (colour coded). This will mean students effectively create a large essay map to answer the Key Question which I personally like to set as a homework. The class concludes with a thoughtful plenary in which students are invited to come up with a fitting statement for the tomb of this Soviet leader as well as a class vote on the Key Question. I hope your students get as much out of this lesson as mine always do. I take real pleasure in providing resources to the awesome community of History teachers out there. If you have any questions please contact me.

One of the main reasons for my department’s exam success is the detailed and focused set of revision menus I give to my students to help them prepare. Now you can have them too. Of all of my resources these revision menus are my must-haves! I hope they can be of much use to your students as they are to mine. If you enjoyed this resource please leaf through my collection of other revision menus and resources. This pack focuses on Russia from 1855-1924 and includes revision content for the following topics: Does Alexander II deserve the title ‘Tsar Liberator’? √ How reactionary was the reign of Alexander III? √ How well did the Tsarist regime deal with the difficulties of ruling Russia c. 1900? √ What were the causes of the 1905 Revolution? √ How did the Tsar respond to the 1905 Revolution? √ Why did Russia do so badly in the First World War? √ Why was the Revolution of March 1917 successful? √ How effectively did the Provisional Government rule Russia in 1917? √ Why were the Bolsheviks able to seize power in November 1917? √ Why did the Bolsheviks win the Civil War? √ How did Lenin rule Russia? √

This lesson begins with an introduction to some perspectives about Gorbachev and then the class are invited to take part in a ‘what would you do?’ starter activity. They are given 12 scenarios (ranging from the war in Afghanistan through to economic stagnation through to Chernobyl and so on) and have to decide on one of three possible options. When they have completed all twelve issues/scenarios they are given a score for each answer which explains what kind of a leader they are. After this the class move on to the meat of the lesson which is a forty-eight piece card sort (including some images). The class need the information into those relating to foreign policy, perestroika (political and economic), glasnost, foreign policy, and nationalities issues. They glue these to a large piece of paper and label on successes/failures and causes/consequences. There are two versions of this card sort included so as to differentiate (one is colour coded already and has some key prompts emboldened). Once complete it leads to a good discussion of why Gorbachev acted the way he did and what the impact of his policies was. The lesson concludes by referring back to earlier perspectives and applying the knowledge acquired to see if the class agree or disagree with these before reviewing Gorbachev’s own conclusions on his rule. I have pitched this lesson towards high achieving post-16 students. Please let me know if you have any questions and I hope your students gain as much from this lesson as mine do.

A very detailed set of notes with questions based on these which will cover the persecution of groups during the Holocaust in Nazi Germany. This lesson also comes with an appropriate starter and plenary activity to ensure students understand this very important period of history. If you have any questions please let me know. Thank you.

Students are given one of the 26 different character cards ranging from Kaiser Wilhelm to Gavrilo Princip to lesser known players such as Leopold Lojka. Once students have got to know their character they then get into teams of fellow countrymen and attempt to find evidence to answer the question as to why the war began. There are 31 pieces of evidence for them to sift through, all greatly detailed and colour-coded for differentiation. This is one of the lessons I’m proudest of and it always leads to powerful debate (such as from those students pictured - they have placed the evidence around their tabards!) and empowers students with extremely high levels of subject knowledge from which to begin extended written responses to one of the biggest questions in History. I hope you enjoy it as much as my students do.

This lesson begins with a starter activity in which five factors are laid out on a pentagon for students to consider. These include the Wall Street Crash, Hitler’s personal appeal, propaganda, opponent’s mistakes, and fear of Communism. The class are then told they will revisit this in the plenary. The 19-slide PPT then talks through teacher expo on each of the factors. The class then attempt a 30-piece hexagonal card sort activity. This is colour-co-ordinated for purposes of differentiation. More able students will draw links between factors. The lesson concludes with a plenary in which they are invited to vote on the most significant factor. I hope your students get as much out of this lesson as I know mine do.

This activity works really well as a starter to introduce the topic or indeed as a plenary to test student knowledge and understanding. Its very simple. Just print out and laminate the cards and place them upside down. Students have to choose any two and read them aloud. Once they spot a colour-coordinated pair (a question and an answer) they score one point. My students really love the simple activity and it really boosts their precision in historical subject knowledge. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

This works really well as a quick starter or plenary activity. Students complete a questionnaire about Roman inventions and how recently they have used them. From this they achieve a score (out of 66) and are asked to stand up when their score bracket is read aloud. A fun way to introduce the concept of why the Romans are so significant.

This lesson is a bit niche! But its great. If you teach the history of the Philippines this is my first lesson in a local history unit. The class are introduced to five inquiry units they will study and begin the lesson with an odd one out starter activity. The lesson aims and objectives are clearly laid out and graduated (all will, most will, some will) and there are slides explaining some of the terrific things about the island nation. Students are then invited to create a title page using this info and there own knowledge/research. The lesson concludes with a game of Last Historian Standing in which they are tested on some of the information that they have gone over during the main phase of the lesson. I hope your students enjoy this activity as much as mine do.

This is a simple but effective way to spruce up any History display. Key terms and words. Just print and stick on your displays. Et voila! Have a wonderful day.

This is a great little starter activity when teaching castle design. Students divide themselves into three teams - research, design, and construction. Then using only scotch tape, scissors, and a tablet/computer or textbook, they need to design their own castle using the labels provided. Works especially well when accompanied by Mission Impossible music! I hope you enjoy using this resource as my students do. And if you like this free resource why not check out my shop for more goodies?

Very simple but spices up source analysis skills. Students create their die from the template and throw - when the die lands they have to ask the person next to them the question which is face up. This is a featured resource on the T.E.S scaffolding for History teachers website. Have a wonderful day.