The lesson focuses on the arrival of the Black Death in England, exploring its historical significance and impact. The lesson comprises a variety of activities designed to promote critical thinking and historical analysis. The lesson begins with a do-now activity that gets students to consider the significance of fleas in relation to the Black Death. Students will then watch a video that provides an overview of the symptoms of the Black Death, as well as the different types of plague. A comprehension sheet accompanies the video to reinforce understanding and ensure students grasp the complexities of the disease. To gain a broader understanding of the Black Death’s spread, students will use an information sheet to track the disease’s progression from its origins in Asia to its arrival and impact across Europe. This activity helps students visualize the trajectory and consequences of the disease as it reached England. Next, students will engage in a ripple diagram activity, filling in the diagram using the information they have gathered. The lesson continues with an analysis of two sources that shed light on the impact of the Black Death in England. Through source evaluation, students will develop their critical thinking skills and enhance their understanding of the historical context and consequences of the epidemic. Stretch and challenge tasks are included in the PowerPoint presentation. These tasks provide opportunities for further exploration and deeper engagement with the topic. The lesson ends with an activity that invites students to propose potential strategies for preventing the spread of the Black Death. This exercise encourages students to think critically and reflect on historical circumstances, stimulating discussions about the importance of public health measures and the potential implications for society.

This lesson focuses on the key events of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, and the reasons for its failure. It is part of a series of KS3 lessons that I have created about the tensions between Catholics and Protestants in the 17th century. The lesson focuses on the key events of the Gunpowder Plot, and identifying the reasons for the failure of the plot. The lesson ends by asking the students to write a narrative account which explains why the plot failed. The lesson starts with a quick starter which gets the students to think about the consequences of the Gunpowder Plot. I use the picture source of Guy Fawkes’s signature before and after the rack - and then a BBC video link to tell the story of Fawkes’s torture. Then, the PPT has background information about the preparation of the plot, and the monteagle letter for a teacher discussion about this. I have included part of the Monteagle letter, and the students can read this to make inferences about the letter - and hypothesise what will happen next in the story. The students then read the “whole story” of the plot to think about “how close did the plotters come to killing the king?”. They use this to fill out a table which has some basic key events of the story - they have to add specific factual detail to flesh out the story. This will be used later for their narrative account. The final activity is an extended piece of writing. It gets students to write a narrative account which explains “Why the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 failed”. They use their research to write this. I have included a grid of phrases (linking phrases, process phrases) to help them to structure their historical writing.

This lesson focuses on the Aims of the Gunpowder Plot as part of a series of KS3 lessons that I use about the tensions between Catholics and Protestants in the 17th century. The lesson focuses on the reason why James I became the King of England in 1603, and about the reasons why people were planning to kill the king. The PPT includes answers to make teacher/self/peer assessment much easier. The lesson starts with a quick starter which gets the students to think about the traditions of bonfire night. Then, the PPT has some background information about bonfire night for a teacher discussion about this. Then, the students are introduced, using the PPT, about the succession of James I. Next, the students are asked to explain how James I succeeded Elizabeth I. This activity bridges the topics of the Tudors and the Stuarts nicely. On the following slide, there are points that the students could use in their work - I do this as a peer assessment activity. Then, there is a fun challenge which gets the students to try and summarise their writing in exactly 50 words. Trickier than it sounds! The students then read through the information sheet about “What sort of King would James be?”. I have enlarged the margins on the information in case you want to use this as a guided reading activity. Then the students use this information to complete the biographies on the key individuals who were connected to the Gunpowder Plot. The students will then complete a chronological sorting activity about the events leading up to the Gunpowder Plot, with the answers on the next slide. The plenary gets the students to write a film trailer for the Gunpowder Plot, using their knowledge from today’s learning. I have included a link to a youtube video which is a “HOW TO write a movie trailer” it is fun, but it will also prompt the students on what to do in the plenary. The next lesson is about the events of the Gunpowder Plot and the reasons for the failure of the Plot.