To support you in assessing your history students key skills, we have gathered together a helpful selection of skill-based resources perfect for developing historians. Whether you're looking for full lessons that explore what history is and why it is important to learn about it, or activities and assessment resources which cover a range of key historical skills including chronology, evidence and interpretation, we have you covered.
History skills resources
Develop and assess key historical skills with your secondary history students using this hand-picked selection of skills and investigation lessons, activities and baseline assessments
![History books on shelves for History skills with secondary students](https://assets.tes.com/content-attachments/s3fs-public/styles/news_article_ml_x2/public/media/image/2020-08/iStock-693934370.jpg?h=39b07655&itok=BWuYnB3J)
History skills lessons and activities
![Stone Age Artefacts and Sources of Evidence (Lesson for KS2)](https://d1e4pidl3fu268.cloudfront.net/3a34ce3c-2d6a-4c92-99e9-282261f9bc2c/stoneageevidencelesson.crop_696x523_2,0.preview.png)
Stone Age Artefacts and Sources of Evidence (Lesson for KS2)
A full lesson for KS2 exploring the types of historical evidence that tell us about the Stone Age. The resource includes a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and pupil resource sheets. **What kind of sources tell us about the Stone Age?** This lesson addresses the question of how we can know about a ...
History Skills - Questioning Primary Sources
A PPT presentation that helps students understand the potential flaws in primary / eyewitness evidence. Web links and suggested activities included. You may also be interested in the free teaching materials on Bias What is Bias? https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12574124 Phil@ic...
Bias, Fact and Opinion - History Skills
This lesson has been created for KS3 history students and covers the key historical skills of bias, fact and opinion. The purpose of the lesson is to get students to identify and understand bias, fact and opinion and how it can be applied and affect our understanding of history. This resource has be...
Chronology (What is history? (KS3))
Pupils explore the concept of chronology and how it supports historical learning, they are also introduced to the concept of a turning point and identify turning points in their own lives/across history. Includes a chronological order game of significant events from history. WALT: define chronologi...
Year 7 History Transition timeline work
This is a timeline activity designed for use by year 6/ year 7 students. The aim is for them to develop a basic, chronological understanding of major British historical events from the Stone Age up to the Stuart era.
Ice Mummy Interpretation Skills Lesson (What is history? (KS3))
This lesson follows a pupil led investigation in which they discover what has happened to the ice mummies - this lesson builds upon this knowledge and develops skills of working with interpretations prior to baseline assessment - this lesson is part of a series of lessons that build upon use of sour...
History skills in practice
Skills in History - The Tollund Man
KS3 History resources: 50 mins-1 hour PP, worksheets, well differentiated. These resources have been designed to be engaging, detailed and easy to follow. All resources are editable (so easy to adapt for your classes) and are designed to last between fifty minutes and one hour each. \*\*\*SALE\*\*...
Mystery of the princes in the tower
A well presented lesson on the Mystery of the Princes in the tower created for KS3 history students on Microsoft Powerpoint **A little about the lesson** Using primary and secondary source evidence, students work in pairs to investigate the mystery of the 2 princes in the tower using sources to d...
History Baseline Test
The aim of this test is to find out how much the students know about history. The results will give you a baseline from which you can build upon. Once they begin to study history, they will begin to show progress in all areas, particularly in the amount of detail required in answers. The test focu...
Investigating the death of Thomas Becket
Investigate the trouble between Thomas Becket and Henry II through evidence in the form of witness statements into the death. Groups can look at the possible statements given by individuals about the rift. Each one gives clues, but when all clues are put together they create a full picture. Use alo...
Jack the Ripper Investigation Lesson
This lesson is based around the five canonical Jack the Ripper murders in 1888. Students will learn about the context of the East End of London in 1888 and then use evidence collected by the police at the time to analyse the suspects. By the end of the lesson, students should be able to infer who th...
History Detective - The Mystery of Easter Island
The History Mystery series is a very good hisroy skills builder and great for the teaching of ... - Critical thinking. - Historical inquiry. - Understand that historical understanding is always evolving. - Personal bias . are students prepared to let go of their first hypothesis ? - Corrobor...