Full lesson, designed for use with KS3 students to look into how working conditions improved during the Industrial Revolution. Begins with teacher input outlining how demand for raw materials impacted colonised areas across the world. This is followed by a colour-coding card task, identifying how the revolution impacted Britain vs. other countries in positive / negative ways. The PowerPoint then features a map of how the Industrial Revolution spread across the rest of the globe, and provides students with some information in order to construct a timeline of how this developed across the 18th and 19th centuries. Finally, the lesson then asks students to think about the world they live in today, and reflect on how things would not be the way they are had it not been for the Industrial Revolution. In their pairs, they should then try to think more broadly about the positive and negative long-term impacts of the revolution, and construct a list in their books. This can be followed by a class discussion, and rounded off with the final slide of the PowerPoint which reflects on whether we have reached the limit of industrialisation, or whether further progress is to come. Includes lesson PowerPoint, two task worksheets and an information sheet. All can be edited to adjust lesson if desired.

Full lesson, designed for use with KS3 students to look into how new forms of transport developed during the Industrial Revolution. Begins with a starter task, asking students to guess how long it would take to get from Manchester to London using various means of transport (modern day). Students are then asked to think about which method they would prefer to use and why. This starts them thinking about pros and cons of different types of transport (e.g., cost, speed etc…) This is then compared to how long this journey would take in the 1800s using the three main different forms of transport the lesson is focused on: roads, canal and railway. This is followed by teacher input, introducing them to what transport was like pre-revolution, and explaining how and why the road system developed during the 1800s. Students’ first task is then to complete a mini series of annotated diagrams to show how roads improved at different stages. They will then be given some information on the development of canals and railways, along with some maps to be shown on the board to display the extensive-ness of these networks in Britain. Students can then be asked to highlight ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ of each form of transport on their information sheet, to be discussed as a class afterwards. The final slide includes links to three BBC videos on each form of transport, to be used as necessary depending on time remaining. Includes lesson PowerPoint, two task worksheets and an information sheet. All can be edited to adjust lesson if desired.

Full lesson, designed for use with KS3 students to look into how living conditions improved during the Industrial Revolution. Begins by asking students to think about what they have learned so far which may be related to the decline in public health (e.g. pollution from factories, overcrowding etc) This is followed by a mini task, colour coding a set of cards to show the different reasons why public health conditions were so poor. There is then a video for students to watch on the work of Edwin Chadwick, alongside some questions which can be answered from the video. Finally, students can be given a reading and writing task, using an information sheet to learn about why the 1875 Public Health Act was introduced. Includes lesson PowerPoint, two task worksheets and an information sheet. All can be edited to adjust lesson if desired.

Full lesson, designed for use with KS3 students to look into how working conditions improved during the Industrial Revolution. Begins by looking at the New Lanark Mills, exploring how this area differed to other mills around the country, and its subsequent influence in other regions. This is accompanied with a colour-coding task, asking students to categorise improvements to ‘life’, ‘education’, and ‘work’ at New Lanark. This is followed by a living graph activity following the various 19th century acts passed to improve factory conditions. Finally, students are asked to complete a primary-source based task, reading through three of the reports produced by factory inspectors following the implementation of the 1833 Factory Act. Each source is accompanied by 2-3 questions to try and help students evaluate how effective the act actually was. Includes lesson PowerPoint, two task worksheets and an information sheet. All can be edited to adjust lesson if desired.

Full lesson, designed for use with KS3 students to introduce them to the Industrial Revolution. The lesson begins with an explanation of the concept/definition of what is meant by ‘Industrial Revolution’. I try to use this opportunity to think about where they may have encountered the term ‘revolution’ before in History. Students then engage in a ‘spot the difference’ activity, circling differences between images of how a typical English town might look in 1750 vs 1900. This encourages them to begin acknowledging some of the major changes which happened to society during this period. They can then watch a short video to help consolidate their understanding of the term, which begins to explore some of the reasons Britain underwent such a revolution. Depending on the class, you may or may not wish for students to take notes during this. Finally, students will be given an information sheet, explaining three major causes of the Industrial Revolution: The British Empire, the Steam Engine, and the growth of Transport. Alongside this, they will have a worksheet on which they need to explain in their own words how each of these factors contributed to the revolution. Lesson includes a PowerPoint, an information sheet, video link and two worksheets. All can be edited to adjust lesson if desired.

Full lesson, designed for use with KS3 students to look into working conditions in the factories and the workhouses during the Industrial Revolution. Begins by prompting students to think about what they may prioritise when choosing their future jobs e.g. high pay, good hours etc… This is then placed in contrast to the reality of what 18th-19th century workers experienced in their jobs. This is followed by a look at the lyrics of folk song ‘Poverty Poverty Knock’, which was written to show a first-hand perspective of conditions in the mills during this time period. Students are asked to find examples of lyrics which demonstrate the various unpleasant aspects of working life, then complete some analysis on the meanings of various lines of the song. There is then a short video (link in slide notes) outlining two of the main jobs done in the workhouse: breaking stone and picking oakum. This video is accompanied with some questions for students to answer. Includes lesson PowerPoint, two task worksheets and an information sheet. All can be edited to adjust lesson if desired.

Full lesson, designed for use with KS3 students to introduce them to some of the key inventions made in Britain during the period of the Industrial Revolution. The lesson introduces them to six key inventions: the Steam Engine, the Locomotive (steam trains), the Water Frame, Tarmac, the Bessemer Converter and the Seed Drill. It begins by prompting students to think about which of these they may have heard of before and to discuss in pairs what they think each one might do judging by the name of it. They will then be given a worksheet (included) which gives them a diagram of each invention, and a short sentence describing what each one does for them to try and match up. This should be followed by a quick discussion explaining why / how each invention was significant. Finally, students will be given an information sheet with a short summary of each invention’s history and how it was significant. They will use this information to ‘rank’ each invention by significance (in their own opinion), cutting and sticking a small image of each one onto their ranking sheet and writing a short explanation of their decision/thought process in the explanation box next to each diagram. Includes lesson PowerPoint, two task worksheets and an information sheet. All can be edited to adjust lesson if desired.

Full lesson, designed for use with KS3 students to explore the shift from cottage industry to the factory system, including why this change occurred, what the impact was, and how people responded. The lesson begins with an introduction to ‘cottage industry’, accompanied by a short video (video link in slide notes). This is followed by teacher input to explain why this changed to a factory system. Students will then complete a task evaluating whether or not the shift to the factory system had a positive or negative impact, by colour-coding a set of cards to show which impacts had a positive / negative impact on the workers and / or on industry. Students will then move into looking at the response to the new factory system, including the protests carried out by the ‘Luddites’. This includes a short video (link in slide notes) accompanied by some questions for students to answer as the video plays (I recommend playing the video twice through as it is only two minutes). Includes lesson PowerPoint, two task worksheets and an information sheet. All can be edited to adjust lesson if desired.

Lesson on the Bayeux tapestry, titled ‘What can the Bayeux Tapestry tell us about the Battle of Hastings’. Usually used with Year 7 but could be adapted for use with across any KS2 or KS3 class. Purchase includes worksheet and editable PowerPoint lesson. The lesson begins with a video (linked), which introduces students to the Bayeux Tapestry. This is followed by a ‘match-up’ worksheet, on which students should first order the events of the Battle of Hastings (left) chronologically using the numbers 1-7, then match each ‘stage’ of the battle to the image depicting that stage. Students’ final task then looks into the fact that the tapestry was supposedly ordered by Bishop Odo, William’s half-brother, and requires students to think about the reliability of sources. It is helpful at this point to discuss the concept of ‘reliability’ with students, and aid them with prompts to answer the questions on the final slide.

Introductory lesson for KS3 (I have used with both Year 7 and Year 8 in the past) explaining why Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church. Includes 3 main tasks, focusing on: Why people were beginning to dislike the Catholic Church Differences between Catholicism and Protestantism Why Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church. Downloadable resources include PowerPoint and Task Sheet. Plenty of opportunities for class discussions and a mix of different types of tasks which allow plenty of learning opportunity with little writing.

Topic checklist for the AQA GCSE History unit ‘Conflict and Tension: The inter-war years, 1918-1939’ Great for use as a contents / glossary at the beginning of an exercise book, or as a revision checklist for students to use to prepare for their exams

Topic checklist for the AQA GCSE History unit ‘America 1920-1973: Opportunity and Inequality’ Great for use as a contents / glossary at the beginning of an exercise book, or as a revision checklist for students to use to prepare for their exams

Worksheet outlining the ten key stages of Britain gaining control of India. Contains 10 images in order, then 10 descriptions for each image jumbled up that students can order using numbers 1-10. Can be used in conjunction with this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzDwz18ng7w&t=420s) if needed. Use as you wish, but I often carry this out as a group activity, describing what’s happening in each image then asking the class to try and find the text box that they think matches the description I have just given. Answer sheet also provided.

Knowledge organiser for section 1 of the AQA GCSE History unit ‘Britain: Health and the People, c1000-present day’ on Medieval medicine. Download includes PDF knowledge organiser and editable PPT slide Full pack of Britain: Health and the People knowledge organisers available on profile.

Worksheet containing information and questions on the Domesday Book. Simple reading comprehension task. I personally use as homework.

Knowledge organiser for section 2 of the AQA GCSE History unit ‘Britain: Health and the People, c1000-present day’ on Renaissance medicine. Download includes PDF knowledge organiser and editable PPT slide Full pack of Britain: Health and the People knowledge organisers available on profile.

Knowledge organiser for section 3 of the AQA GCSE History unit ‘Britain: Health and the People, c1000-present day’ on Industrial Medicine. Download includes PDF knowledge organiser and editable PPT slide Full pack of Britain: Health and the People knowledge organisers available on profile.

Knowledge organiser for section 4 of the AQA GCSE History unit ‘Britain: Health and the People, c1000-present day’ on Modern medicine. Download includes PDF knowledge organiser and editable PPT slide Full pack of Britain: Health and the People knowledge organisers available on profile.

KS3 History lesson on the development of castles in the Medieval period. Contains lesson PowerPoint, two activity worksheets, and worksheet answers. The lesson begins on the first slide of the PowerPoint with an introductory discussion of why William the Conqueror began building castles. This helps students begin thinking about what sort of features a castle might need in order to fulfil these purposes. The next slide of the PowerPoint then introduces students to the concept of ‘Motte-and-Bailey’ castles, introducing them to the different components of that type of castle, and providing a couple of ‘prompt’ questions about why certain decisions may have been made about the way they were constructed. This is followed by the first activity worksheet, which asks them to annotate the diagram of a motte-and-bailey castle using the key words and descriptions provided. Answers to this are then on the following PowerPoint slide. The PowerPoint then continues to go through the stone-keep and concentric castles, with modern-day examples provided. The final activity is a simple gap-fill exercises, which asks students to recall the knowledge they have acquired through discussion from the PowerPoint. The activity sheet contains a short paragraph on each type of castle with approximately 6/7 key words missing from each. Missing words are listed at the bottom of the sheet. There is an additional optional sheet on the second page of the word doc for the second activity for SEN/low-ability students, which divides the list of missing words into paragraphs to help them narrow them down.