I am a History teacher in the North West, and head of Citizenship in my school. I have been teaching since 2007, in four secondary schools across the area. In between times, in 2012, I taught as a volunteer teacher in Ghana, with English, French and Maths classes (you can read about my adventures in my book, Teaching in the Sun, available on Amazon).
All of my resources have been extensively tried and tested. I hope that you, like me, are able to use them for good and outstanding lessons.
I am a History teacher in the North West, and head of Citizenship in my school. I have been teaching since 2007, in four secondary schools across the area. In between times, in 2012, I taught as a volunteer teacher in Ghana, with English, French and Maths classes (you can read about my adventures in my book, Teaching in the Sun, available on Amazon).
All of my resources have been extensively tried and tested. I hope that you, like me, are able to use them for good and outstanding lessons.
This is a resource for GCSE students. I use it on the AQA course, but it can doubtless be used on others.
Students arrange characters into chronological order, and explain the factors behind them - e.g. war etc.
This can be done as a role play, by cutting up the required number of cards and handing them out, and as a cut and stick / card sort.
Cards can be arranged on the table sheet if you like - blow it up to A3 - or by drawing the table into their book.
This can lead to debate and extended writing on the importance of individuals and factors.
There is a differentiated version of the card sort to give out to less able students.
This is a differentiated revision resource for the Health and the People module.
Students can make revision cards / lists / spider diagrams etc. from the notes given.
there is plenty of scope for debate such as key individuals, factors etc.
This is a lesson to explain the meanings of Communism and capitalism.
Students decide on the worksheet which of the statements apply to which ideology. Emphasise the different meaning of democracy to higher (and middle) ability students. This leads to a debate and analysis of which system is best, and why they caused problems in European relations. The sheets are differentiated for high, medium and lower abilities.
The powerpoint concentrates on the impact of Communism prior to WWII and can be used to gain a foothold into Hitler. It comes with a link to YouTube embedded which discusses the Spartacist rising in Munich in 1919 and can lead onto a module on Hitler which makes his hatred and German fear of communism more understandable.
The second powerpoint is more relevant if you are teaching a Cold War theme afterwards as it has a cartoon of Churchill and the Iron Curtain. Students can analyse the cartoon and explain its meaning, or why it is hostile to the USSR.
This is a preparation for a debate on whether the Treaty was too harsh or about right as punishment for Germany.
Split the class into half. One half looks at the positives, one the negatives. Give them 5 or so minutes to plan a debate. Swap sides briefly so that they can plan a counter argument.
The debate clan lead to an extended piece of writing.
Year 10 get well into it each year!
This is a diamond 9 card sort to categorise and prioritise the reasons that countries wanted colonies in C19th.
As an extension, you can challenge students to explain the more / less important reasons. There is also further pair of differentiated extensions to suit different abilities.
This can lead to a class discussion.
Categories could include, but not be limited to, economic military, political and other factors.
This is a resource for the new GCSE, although could also be used with KS3. Students put the events in Mary’s life into order. There are differentiate card sorts for core and lower ability students. Answers are on the powerpoint slides.
Students are invited to answer extension questions when they have finished the sorting excersize.
The Youtube link is a run through of Mary’s life, which could be shown either before or after the card sort activity.
This is for GCSE History. Students have three sheets which they can work through.
the powerpoint is slide with definitions of the impotent / undeserving / deserving poor
1. Laws against begging and why they failed - Students match the law to why it failed, and higher ability students can take note of whose reign each was passed in. More able students can answer two extension questions to compare the laws of Henry VIII to Elizabeth.
2. The Act for the Relief of the Poor – 1601 - Students match up which parts of the Poor Law fit to which people. Terms of the poor law are underneath - you may want to cut the sheet in half so that terms and the chart are not together. Refer to the PowerPoint if needed for this. There is an extension question underneath the chart for the more able.
3. Effectiveness of the Poor Law - students colour code or use as a card sort the strengths and weaknesses of the Poor Law. They can consider the biggest strength and greatest weakness, before making an overall judgement on the effectiveness of the Poor Law. The best responses will suggests that whilst the effect was limited, it was a significant step and certainly better than anything attempted before.
This is a resource primarily for GCSE History. Students look through the characters and then match up the descriptions to the relevant character.
Once finished, as extensions they can:
decide which of the characters have similar reasons for supporting the theatre.
decide who has the best reason
answer a question such as this: How does the rise of the theatre reflect the growing – but still small – power of the ordinary people in terms of shaping Tudor life?
This is a card sort / Diamond 9 for GCSE students. Students are invited to categories and prioritise the reasons that Medieval towns had very poor public health.
Students should answer the 2 questions underneath the card sort, and then more able students can attempt the extension questions.
This can lead to discussion / debate or an exam question on the reasons that towns were lacking in public health, or why it needed to improve.
This is a card sorting activity to help students revise the American West for the GCSE.
They are to arrange the 12 dates in chronological order, and then match the events to the dates. I have found that giving them a highlighter for drawing out the key information can be helpful.
There is a differentiated version, for lower ability students, with 6 key dates. The information is less detailed on these as well.
Powerpoint can be used to support learning, as it allows students to reflect on the reasons that the dates are significant for the Indians and the settlers. There are key concepts to jog students’ memory on the powerpoint.
More able students can reflect on these questions as an extension.
Which are the 2 most significant events in:
The settling of the Plains
The destruction of Indian culture?
This is a role play and chronology lesson for KS3, possibly KS4.
Students are assigned a country to play the part of. These are differentiated as resources, but also within each resource: weaker students read about Austria and Serbia, middling students can have Germany and Russia and more able students can have France and Britain. Students are shown the July Crisis unfolding on the powerpoint. They must decide what they would feel, advise or actually do on each of the 6 dates / events shown. There are many opportunities for class discussion through the exercise, as students can be asked what they feel so far, whether they have taken any actions or merely advised one action or other to their allies.
There is a seperate worksheet for students who would not react well to the role play aspect.
As an extension, (more able?) students can explain whether their country triggered war, willingly went to war or were dragged unwillingly to war.
The second activity is a chronology activity to decide what order events happened in as countries slid to war. Students look at 12 events and decide the order in which they happened. This can be done as a card sort or numbering activity. Answers can be shown later on the powerpoint. Students can also be asked whether Franz Ferdinand’s murder simply brought forward a war than was inevitable at some point.
This is a whole lesson for KS3.
There are linked youTube videos explaining how the Troubles began, and defining key terms.
For higher ability students, there is a link to a YouTube clip on gerrymandering. Part of it is useful.
Students are invited to match key terms up, and then have an extension to decide whether the IRA’s aim was a good one.
Students then are invited to complete a diamaond 9 ranking. Categories are marked on the powerpoint - historical/political/social/other factors. They have extensions to judge key causes, which can be given at teacher discretion, and to give their own thoughts on the Troubles’ beginnings.
This can easily lead to class debate.
This is a resource for GCSE 9-1 students. It gives a list of responses to the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918-9.
Students are invited to explain the effect of each of these measures.
This can take the form of why it was done, how effective it was, or who benefitted - in some cases.
therev is an exrtension activity at the bottom of teh sheet.
On page 2 is a list of useful words / phrases students can use - useful for loewer ability students.
This is a KS3 resource which could also be used as an introduction at KS4/5.
Students are invited to read through a series of events. they are to explain the feelings of the Russian population at each point. The story starts in 1905 and ends in 1945.
There is a differentiated version which students can use to make a storyboard. Students can use the final box, empty, to explain the feelings of Russian people at the end of the sequence of events. Order - A, E, B, G, C, F, D.
This is an activity for GCSE students.
They should arrange the events into chronological order - it can be done as a card sort, cut and stick or a numbering exercise.
As an extension they then have a series of questions to answer to explain and justify their thoughts on the Spanish Armada and the reasons that it was improitant for Elizxabethan England.
I have included an answer sheet with the events in chronological order.
A resource pack to support the teaching of the American West.
Activities included to suit the new GCSE requirements, with plenty of scope for differentiation by either task or outcome for more- or less able students.
This is a cut and stick or card sorting resource. Students can firstly arrange the problems for the Mormons which happened a) before or during the journey to the Great Salt Lake and b)on arrival at the Great Salt Lake. More able students can then arrange them in order of importance as an extension.
The second part of the activity is to match the solutions to the problems. Some have multiple solutions, others just one. More able students can decide on the most effective solution to the problems, and a discussion can be generated on the reasons for the Mormons' success, such as the leadership of Brigham Young, or dedication of the individual Mormons.
This can lead to a piece of extended writing on the Mormons' journey.
This is a card sorting resource for KS4 students. Students read examples of contemporary opinion concerning anaesthetics. They arrange them into the pros and cons of anaesthetics. They are then invited to prioritise the positives and negatives and explain a judgement of the most convincing.
More able students can decide which of the negatives concern unwillingness to change and medical/logical arguments; and which of the positives were taken from history or the contemporary day.
This can lead to a debate or piece of extended writing.
This is a resource for the teaching of local community. The powerpoint has within it a spider diagram task for students to complete, on who plays a role in looking after and protecting the local community.
The cut and stick resource allows students to match up the different people and groups within the community to their roles. Answers are given in the powerpoint and discussion can be worked in through the feedback of these answers.
As an extension, students can explain who is the most important part of the community, and how these people and groups are interdependent.
The living graph excersize can be done with the ‘6. Ways of helping community cards’ resource. there are 15 methods shown - but not all need to be used in as smaller class, and it can be printed on different colour paper, for a second line to be made - this can lead to stimulating debate as students explain why they have lined themselves up as they have.
This leads to a discussion on how ordinary people, and students themselves, can look after the community.
A resource pack to support the teaching of the communities and their importance.
Activities included to suit KS3 teaching, with plenty of scope for differentiation by either task or outcome for more- or less able students.