“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “How have attitudes to people with disabilities changed over time?” This 73-slide PowerPoint begins with four starter activities. Students are invited to identify the famous people as well as their disability. They then come to the front and write down any other disabilities they can think of before taking part in three true or false questions. Lesson aims and objectives are then introduced before a series of slides of background information to enable teacher exposition (about Ancient Times, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Enlightenment, the Nineteenth Century, and the Twentieth Century). Students then test their knowledge in a Whose Line is it Anyway activity. They are then introduced to the main activity, which is to create a timeline using the information they have learned. They then show off their work in a Gallery Walk and there is a slide in which the teacher cold calls students to explain the major pivots in the history of people with a disability. In the first plenary students then come to the board to write down one way the treatment of individuals with a disability has changed in a positive way and one way in which it did not progress. In the second plenary they vote with Thinking Thumbs on the lesson’s Key Question. Aims and objectives are revisited. There is a homework task also. This lesson was created with a desirable difficulty level for students in high school settings and is written in UK English. I made it to use in Disability History Month (October in the US, November to December in the UK) but it can of course be used all year round. The hope is that by the end of the lesson students want to be part of the constructive side of the history of disability whilst developing an awareness of the many dreadful aspects of their timelines. I’d be so grateful if you can find time to add a positive review if you enjoyed this free lesson. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “What have been the key turning points in the treatment of LGBTQ+ people over time?” The lesson begins with an Odd One Out Starter Activity in which the class are invited to consider some truths and one mistruth about the treatment of LGBTQ+ people over time. The Key Question is then introduced along with aims and graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will). There are then slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition as well as a slide which features the key periods (Ancient Times, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Enlightenment, 19th Century, early 20th Century, World War Two, and the Modern World.) The class are then take part in a 28 piece gallery walk and divide the information into these categories on a mind map. The lesson objectives are revisited and the lesson concludes with a plenary activity in which they are invited to come to the board and add information to a ladder of importance. They then answer the Key Question by reviewing the evidence/knowledge acquired. It is a lesson which is designed for older students and one which needs to be delivered sensitively. I hope your students get as much out of this lesson as mine always do. I’d be so grateful if you can find time to add a positive review if you enjoyed this lesson. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan The title of this lesson is “What was the most significant artefact in the push towards gender equality? Dragon’s Den Project.” This is a great project-based lesson designed to promote the second-order concept of significance and includes graduated learning outcomes (all of you will/most of you will/some of you will). The lesson begins with a Who Wants to be a Millionaire starter activity where students are asked to place four countries in the correct order in which women were granted the vote. There is some background knowledge to enable teacher exposition. The class are then introduced to the idea of how historians decide what makes an event or discovery significant and they explore the acronym GREAT: G = ground-breaking, R = remembered, E = extent of importance to people at the time, A = affected the future, and T = turning point. For the main task students are placed in groups and given a card with three different artefacts on with some background information (these range from Rosa Parks’ bus ticket to Malala’s bloodied uniform to Emily Davison’s Suffragette banner and many more). They need to choose one of their artefacts and explain in presentation form why they feel it is so significant. They can make models and sales pitches to accompany their explanations to the ‘dragons’ (get senior teachers to come in to act as these if they’re good sports). Students can use the internet, class texts, or library to help them research. The lesson concludes with a peer assessment class voting plenary on which they felt was the most important and why. This lesson has been designed for high school students. I’d be so grateful if you can find time to add a positive review if you enjoyed this lesson. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “The French Revolution in 8 Objects – Museum Lesson” This 40-slide PowerPoint begins with a Starter Activity in which the class is invited to guess the top 6 things a museum exhibition requires to be successful (this is done in the form of a Family Feud-style game). This leads to a discussion of the purposes of a good exhibition with a clear theme/concept and quality content displayed in an accessible manner. This introduces the lesson title and graduated aims (all will/most will/some will). The class is then invited to consider some key areas of the period, and an example of each is given (e.g, a coin for economic problems, a toy squishy brain for the Enlightenment, a tennis ball for the Tennis Court Oath etc.) The class then create their own exhibitions, ensuring they only select a maximum of 8 items and explain and analyse them as they relate to the period. This takes a couple of lessons. When they present, the class peer-assess using the criteria on the sheet (which link back to the Starter Activity). The lesson aims are revisited before the lesson concludes with a plenary in which students address the Key Question and discuss their thoughts on a range of artifacts (these are provided in one slide, but it works best if you use those that students came up with themselves in their own exhibitions). I designed this lesson for high-achieving high school students, and it works well to introduce a topic on the French Revolution or to conclude it. This lesson is written in UK English and requires students to have some research skills. I’d be so grateful if you can find time to add a positive review if you enjoyed this lesson. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan Welcome to "Rousseau, Voltaire & Montesquieu – Blind Date”, where we delve into the thought that shaped the French Revolution. In this lesson, we embark on a journey through the philosophical influences that shaped the French Revolution, including the thoughts of Rousseau, Voltaire, and Montesquieu. The lesson begins with a Starter Activity, prompting students to engage in discussion with a friend about images which stemmed from these philosophies, using three-sentence prompts. As we progress, Graduated Aims guide the class: all will/most will/some will. Through teacher exposition, background information is provided on each. The main activity, introduced thereafter, takes the form of Blind Date style responses, where students, grouped in threes, prepare and share responses embodying one of the philosophers, inviting one class member to choose them. Example responses serve as inspiration. It’s a creative and fun way to develop real understanding on a complicated topic. A revisit to our objectives precedes the plenary, where students engage in a vote on the most compelling ‘date’. I’d be so grateful if you can find time to add a positive review if you enjoyed this lesson. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “What were the Three Estates of pre-revolutionary France?” The lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which students are asked to draw a triangle and to plot down important people in their own school or education, with the most senior at the top. Examples are given and this leads to an introduction of the Key Question along with lesson aims and graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will). After this there are slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition. The PPT then ask students to suggest Mr. Men and Little Miss characters which symbolize each aspect of the Estates system (they make choices such as Mr. Brave or Mr. Greedy for example) and examples are given although they are encouraged to find their own too. They then use this information to write a three page children’s book to explain the Three Estates using the list of key words provided. The lesson concludes with a fill in the blanks Have I Got News For You style plenary to test knowledge acquired in the lesson. I hope your students enjoy this lesson as much as mine always do. It has been created for high school students but could be adapted to work with slightly younger students too. I’d be so grateful if you can find time to add a positive review if you enjoyed this lesson. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “Was Maximilien Robespierre a hero or a villain?” The 25-slide PPT begins with a Starter Activity in which students are asked to look at four facts about Robespierre and to identify the one which is not true. The Key Question is then stated. Aims and lesson objectives are graduated (all will/most will/some will). There are slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition. Students are then placed in a pair and given one of two character cards (for and against Robespierre). They work together to sift through 24 evidence cards to decide if the evidence suggests he was a hero or a villain. A plain version is provided as well as a colour coded one with simpler language for those who need a little more help or for whom English is an additional language. Using this they then attempt the second part of the main activity which is to write a two-sided newspaper report. The lesson objectives are revisited. The lesson concludes with two plenaries. First, they are asked to come to the board and fill up an eight-petalled flower with compelling evidence. They then vote with their feet by standing to the side of the classroom they mostly agree with (i.e. he was a hero, or he was a villain). I hope your students get as much from this lesson as mine do. I’d be so grateful if you can find time to add a positive review if you enjoyed this lesson. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.

“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing resources on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This resource is titled “World Children’s Day – Assembly.” The 63-slide PowerPoint assembly begins with starter anagrams with explanations. Get four students to come to the front with a whiteboard and marker and make it a game. Each is a child who has changed the world such as Malala, Mozart, Ruby Bridges etc. A script is provided so students can read out key information about World Children’s Day. This is followed by a short video from UNICEF. There is then a teacher led interactive true or false quiz featuring 10 questions about the day. The assembly invites students to become active changers and features graduated criteria which are revisited at the end. The assembly concludes with a talk from Audrey Hepburn inviting them to share their thoughts (this can be with post it notes or using the Padlet website). It is a lesson which is designed for 11-18 year old students. I hope your students get as much out of this lesson as mine always do. Before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.