“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ 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 “Did the ‘Blitz Spirit’ really exist?” The lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which students are asked to identify which of five statements about the Blitz are not true. The Key Question is then stated. Aims and lesson objectives are graduated (all will/most will/some will). There are then 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). They work together to sift through 12 evidence cards to decide if the evidence suggests the ‘Blitz Spirit’ was real or a myth. A plain version is provided as well as a colour coded one with simpler language for those who need a little more help. Using this they then attempt the second part of the main activity which is to work together with their peer to write a two-sided newspaper report. The lesson objectives are then 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. it did or did not exist). I hope your students get as much from this lesson as mine 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.

“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 resource is titled “USA 1920s Revision Card Game” Teeming with precise and carefully selected evidence my students love playing this game to boost their subject knowledge. There are 71 cards (which work best when cut out and laminated) and they are colour-coordinated into categories: gangsters & prohibition, arts & culture, immigrants & African Americans, sports & entertainment, industry & economic boom. These cards include all the main figures you would expect such as Babe Ruth, Rudolf Valentino, and Al Capone but also some lesser known figures from the period such as the ‘IT’ girl Clara Bow, the Harlem Renaissance’s Countee Cullen, and Felix the Cat! On each card there is a key date/event for that person, two precise statistics, and a quotation. There is also a ‘bonus’ research question on each card to encourage students to delve into each character further. To play, students simply call out a category and the person with the highest number in that category ‘trumps’ the other, winning their card. The objective is to strip your opponent of their cards to win the game. This is a resource I am very proud of and which has received many accolades from students and staff alike and which will really boost your students’ subject knowledge of 1920s USA. This activity works really well as a stand-alone activity, revision tool, or starter/plenary to any lesson on 1920s USA. I hope you enjoy it as much as my students do! 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 resource is titled “Weimar & Nazi Germany Revision Card Game Activity.” Teeming with precise and carefully selected evidence my students love playing this game to boost subject knowledge. There are 132 cards (which work best when cut out and laminated) including figures such as the only Jewish representative of the 1936 German Olympic squad Helene (Meyer) and Hitler’s British wartime dog (Fuchsl), as well as more obvious characters such as Vienna-period Hitler, Goebbels, Himmler etc. On each card there is a key date/event for that person, two precise statistics, and a quotation. Students simply call out a category and the person with the highest card ‘trumps’ the other, winning their card. The objective is to strip your opponent of their cards to win the game. This is a resource I am very proud of and which has received many accolades from students and lesson observations alike. 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.

This product is titled “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne – 25 lessons covering the whole book.” This is a 126-page PowerPoint which includes 25 lessons on the excellent novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, by John Boyne. Based in Auschwitz, an unlikely friendship develops between Bruno, the son of the Commandant, and a Jewish prisoner, Shmuel. It is a journey of friendship and adversity which introduces students to the Holocaust and Nazi Germany. It is beautifully written and perfect reading material for high school English students. Each lesson I have put together includes a starter activity, comprehension questions, extension thinking activities, a main activity, and a lesson plenary. Everything is in one PowerPoint so its easy for you to follow and reading homework is set at the end of each lesson. Every lesson comes with clear aims and objectives too. Please note you do need to purchase a class set of the books (or a digital copy of the book) to accompany this set of English lessons. 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 “Boost student self-esteem.” This 1-slide PowerPoint is a calendar of 31 different positive comments/conversations you can have with a student who you have identified as someone who might need a boost to their self-esteem. Ticking them off each day for one calendar month ensures you don’t forget and really helps promote positive mental health in your Tutor Group. This resource was created for students in high school settings and is written in UK English. Every review you leave on TPT earns you credits to buy free resources, so I’d be so grateful if you can find time to add a positive review. 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.

This resource is titled “7 Great Ideas for World Book Week/Day.” 7 great ideas for promoting reading and literacy in secondary schools during World Book Week and World Book Day in April. I’ve made the Power Point so it can be reused in assembly or Form Time without too much tweaking although one of the activities (guess the teacher) needs personalizing. Have a great Book Week! Please note there are two Book Weeks (April and November). Whilst my school celebrate the April one the activities here lend themselves just as well to the November one! 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.