AQA GCSE history lesson for The Power & The People Thematic Unit. In this lesson we look at what King John had done to anger his barons. We start with a simple retrieval practice grid, already filled in for the Norman Conquest but editable. We look at what the expectations of John as a medieval king were, the pupils then make an explained list of the expectations of John. We then look at John’s actions, the pupils undertake a thermometer analysis to see which of John’s actions would have angered the barons the most. We then look at Matthew Paris’ painting of John and the pupils complete some questions around the painting and compare this to the painting of Henry II by the same artist. The pupils conclude by explaining which of John’s actions angered the barons the most and why in a post it exercise. I hope that this saves you some valuable planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE history lesson on how the Moroccan crises increased political tension amongst the political powers in Europe. We start with a quick retrieval practice quiz. We then look at the importance of Morocco to the various European powers. We look at two sources on the Kaiser’s trip to Tangiers and the pupils answer some questions on the sources. We then look at various happenings during the crises and the pupils complete a visual scale to show how much tension there is between Germany, France and Britain, then explain. Further on we look at the impacts of the crises and rank them in order of seriousness in the political sphere of Europe. We thank look at an exam style question on a narrative of the Moroccan Crises, the pupils have some prompts to help answer this. We finish with an ‘extentometer’ on the the level of humiliation felt by Germany after the crisis. Hope you find this useful and it saves you some planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE history lesson on the Third Battle of Ypres & The Battle of Passchendaele for the Conflict & Tension 1894-1918 unit. We start with a simple retrieval practice timeline quiz. We start by looking at the position of Ypres on the Western Front and it’s tactical significance. We then look at the fighting that had taken place at Ypres since the start of the war. The pupils watch a video clip and answer some questions. We then complete a text analysis of the build up to the Third Battle of Ypres and Passchendaele. The pupils highlighting allied successes and failures. We then look at the events of the battle itself, the pupils anticipate problems and also answer questions on a summary strip of the events. We then watch some clips about the battle and look at some photo sources of Passchendaele to give a sense of the battle. The pupils then complete a battle summary sheet using the information gained so far. We then compare the Somme and Passchendaele in a hexagon Venn diagram looking for similarities and differences in military tactics, outcomes, individuals involved. We finish with a to what extent type plenary, where we look at the impact the weather had on Passchendaele. Hope you find this useful and it saves you some planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE history lesson on how the major European powers took to re-armament before WWI. We start by looking at the British Empire at the end of the 19th Century. The pupils then complete a hexagon task on Britain’s status and position before the war. The pupils gather information on: The empire, Britain’s problems, British society, economic power, ruling Britain and military power. There are some info slides for this and could be taught as a gallery activity, round robin or timed notes etc. We then look at what ‘splendid isolation’ meant in terms of foreign policy. The pupils then rank the threats to Britain’s isolated status and explain what the main threats to Britain was at that time. We then look at a source of the signing of the Entente Cordiale before completing an extentometer activity on the cause of Britain’s abandonment of isolationism. Hope you find this useful and it saves you some planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

The third lesson in a Key stage 3 unit of work on the Welfare State, but could easily be adapted to Key Stage 4. We start with a simple retrieval practice starter where the pupils have to put the events in order, you just adapt to suit your previous learning. We then introduce the term antibiotic and what this means and why it might have been important in the war effort and elsewhere. We then look at the story of the discovery of penicillin. The pupils stick the outline road into their books at watch the information slides as the teacher scrolls through. They are fully illustrated with some amusing sound effects too. The pupils then watch a short video which discusses the science in more detail. We then look at an interpretation and the pupils complete a differentiated task answer the questions around the interpretation in 10mins. We then finish with a ‘to what extent do you agree’ type question where the pupils consider the significance of the discovery compared to other scientific discoveries. I hope that this proves useful and saves you some time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

This is a template for analysing geographical issues by examining what we should stop doing, what we should start doing and what we should continue to do. It works for most geographical issues though of course. I hope it proves useful. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

This is a collection of GCSE revision sheets, best printed A3 for the following units.:- Unit 1: Tectonic Hazards: Comparing the earthquakes in Chile and Nepal Hot Deserts: The Thar Desert Rainforests: Characteristics of Tropical Rainforests Unit 2: The Urban World: Lagos revision map Urban Change in the UK: London revision map The Changing UK Economy: Revision map

A variation of the popular learning journey idea, but with a river instead. Obviously you start from the top (source) though with this one! Hope that it proves to be useful. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

Key Stage 3 History lesson on The Reformation, but could easily be adapted to suit other key stages. The lesson focuses on Martin Luther and how he played a key role in starting The Reformation. There are several activities included and all worksheets and video clips are in the resource. The lesson includes: Instagram starter. Video quiz sheet on Martin Luther’s life and beliefs. Consolidation activity “Who would have said what?” Differences in types of church labeling task Extended writing task Emoji’s plenary. Hope this proves useful. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

A starter activity that makes the pupils think about words in context by firstly working out which word goes where, but then they must use the words verbally in another sentence within the context of the subject. Hope it proves useful https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

A Key Stage 3 History lesson on corruption in the Catholic Church as part of a Tudor’s SOW. The lesson includes: The pupils will explore the evidence for corruption in the Catholic Church from Thomas Cromwell’s investigation then finish with a writing task with a structured writing frame to guide them. Starter. Video interpretation. Source interpretation on Cromwell’s investigation. Writing task. Scrabble plenary. All resources are provided. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

GCSE Anglo Saxon and Norman England 1060-87 for the new specification 2016. In this lesson we look at the events of early 1066 before moving on to th eBattle of Fulford. The objective of the lesson is to determine to what extent luck, strength/skill and tactics played a part in the outcome of the battle. We start with a quick retrieval quiz from last lesson. We then look at the early events of 1066 and the pupils look at an extract from Marc Morris’ book regarding the problem William had providing for his delayed army. We then consider the movements of the various contenders and plot this information on a map. The pupils then look at the Battle of Fulford. Using information from 3 stages of the battle, the pupils annotate a map of the battlefield to show the events of the battle. We finish with a piece of extended writing on to what extent luck, strength/skill and tactics played in the outcome of the battle. the pupils have some guidance on how to structure their answer. Hope this saves you some valuable planning time! https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

GCSE Anglo Saxon and Norman England 1060-87 for the new specification 2016. This lesson looks at the four claimants to the throne. the pupils start with scenes from the Bayeux Tapestry which they then have to put in order. We then briefly look at the situation at the start of 1066 before considering the strengths and weaknesses of the four claimants. There is a brief video clip and the pupils then have time with a fact-file for each claimant. We finish the lesson by looking at an enquiry question “Who had the strongest claim the the throne”. The pupils have guidance on how to structure their answer. Hope this helps save you valuable planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

A Key Stage 3 lesson on how Motte and Bailey castles changed into stone castles as part of the Norman Conquest SOW. The pupils will explore the weaknesses of Motte and Bailey castles before investigating the first stone castles, how and why they were built, their advantages and disadvantages. The lesson include the following:- Questioning starter Video clips Differentiated source task Worksheet on castle features Plenary All worksheets included at the end for photocopying. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

Template for the rating sliders worksheet. Can be used for a variety of subjects and tasks. Fully editable. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

Another quick retrieval practice slide based on field sketches. This one is High Force Waterfall on the River Tees. Hope it proves useful. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

Revision task for geographical/historical issues. The sails are factors that contribute to progress, the anchors are factors that hinder progress in tackling the issue. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

AQA GCSE history lesson on the war at sea, the Germans use of U-boats and unrestricted U-boat warfare and America’s decision to enter the war. For the Conflict & Tension 1894-1918 unit. We start with a simple retrieval practice quiz. We then look at the U-boat threat in detail, firstly by looking at the design and function of the U-boats and then by watching a video clip where the pupils answer questions about how they were used. The pupils then consider how the British responded to the threat and what innovations were adopted. We then progress to look at the sinking of the Lusitania and the pupils complete a tensionometer to record the rising tensions between the USA and Germany. We look at a source “Destroy this Mad Brute” and the pupils answer questions. There are two plenary options to assess the impact or potential impact of America entering the war. Hope you find this useful and it saves you some planning time. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

A Key Stage 3 one hour lesson, but can easily be stretched to a double or two singles. This is an alternative way of teaching this subject and the pupils just love it. The presentation includes the scripts, characters and sound effects for amusement. There is a variety of roles for pupils of different reading abilities and confidence. The pupils can fill in a worksheet as the play progresses. There is also a feedback summary activity for pupils to choose to answer an question on an aspect of the story. The lesson is a lot of fun and could even be done as a play or assembly. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/markthegeographer

This is the template I use to get the pupils to predict what a physical landform might look like in the future. Please feel free to adapt and use!