Unique resources created by an experienced Secondary English and History teacher. These are academically rigorous resources that target children between 13 and 18 years of age.
Unique resources created by an experienced Secondary English and History teacher. These are academically rigorous resources that target children between 13 and 18 years of age.
A worksheet to be used while viewing the Bio pic ‘Long Walk to Freedom.’ It includes during viewing questions and post viewing questions about key people, key events, ideologies/beliefs/motives and some empathy-based questions. There is also a homework activity which requires students to do some further research about Mandela.
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa (1948-1994).
A PowerPoint presentation which continues on from the Historical Context lesson. It introduces students to various South African politicians from 1924 onwards beginning with James Hertzog. Ideologies / motives + political actions are outlined. Students take notes from the underlined information. Early laws like the ‘Immorality Act’ (1927) are explained. The Sauer Report (1948) is explained. There are some extracts from biographies and autobiographies about Nelson Mandela as well as the Cambridge Senior Modern History textbook. This is followed by laws and policies introduced by the National Party after the General Election up until 1957.
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa (1948-1994).
The PPT begins with a warm up to help students to retrieve prior knowledge. This is followed by Carlton university’s tips for analysing and evaluating primary sources. Students are then given a worksheet which contains the O-P-V-M chart with some elements removed which students will fill in as the lesson takes place. The PPT goes through each source type beginning with letters giving information about things to keep in mind regarding origin, purpose, value and limitations. There is a letter from Nelson to Winnie which we read and discussed the language choices. There was also one from Winnie to Nelson (1970). Following this information about Winnie Mandela from the South African History website was provided. The next source type was photographs. I utilised a range of photographs about Winnie Mandela. Following this, political cartoons. This was followed by an acronym called P.I.C.T.U.R.E which is handy for unpacking visual sources. There is information about techniques which cartoonists often use to convey meaning (including allusion, symbolism, irony). Then some cartoons from Zapiro and Len Sak were included for students to get an idea of different styles. The next source type was news media which covers newspapers, tv reports, radio reports and eye witness accounts. Following this, official government documents and other government records e.g. speeches and memorandas.
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa (1948-1994).
A word document (Cornell Notes template) which I explain to students before the lesson. I then deliver the lesson in a lecture style format where students choose what to write down.
A PPT which I use for my lecture-style lesson. It introduces students to the Dutch East India Company and their influence in Africa. Terms like Boer and Afrikaners are introduced. Information about the conflict between the British colonisers and the Boers is provided. This is followed by information about how the Boers attained self government. The use of language as propaganda is explored e.g. terms like ‘kaffir.’ The PPT ends with some checking for understanding questions.
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa (1948-1994).
A PPT which explains the lead up to the Sharpeville Massacre including the formation of the PAC. There are terms for the students to add to their glossary including separate development and bantustans. There are images from the massacre, a brief YouTube Video and information from written sources including the Hodder textbook, various newspaper articles. Students read these sources and have a table that they must complete where they list the source and describe the perspective evident in the source.
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa (1948-1994).
A PPT used to combine information from a range of sources about the aftermath and the formation of Umkhonto weSizwe. Information about international reaction to the images of the massacre is provided. The subsequent riots are explained. The government’s reactions including declaring a state of emergency and banning the ANC & PACs are explained. The reasons why ANC decided to adopt armed struggle as a strategy are explored using a range of source. After reading through and discussing these sources, there is an EA style synthesis activity for the students to complete.
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa (1948-1994).
A worksheet to go along with viewing the SBS Viceland tv series ‘Rise Up’ which had an episode about the anti-apartheid movement. The episode is also available on ClickView. The questions have been written to go in the order that the information is provided in the episode. A scanned copy of my handwritten answers is provided.
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa (1948-1994).
1) PowerPoint - This lesson focuses on teaching students about the context of World War One so that they have some frame of reference for approaching the poems written in this period. Afterwards, it explores how the perceptions of war in poetry changed during this period from patriotic beliefs in its valour to disillusionment as World War One saw a complete change in the way wars were fought and the attitudes towards them. This lesson opens with checking students prior knowledge of WW1. It then explains what the world was like during the 19th Century and the imperialist ideology. The beliefs of Europe’s’ Great Powers, the major causes of WW1, The assassination of Franz Ferdinand: A Shot that Changed the World, societal beliefs about war at the time, exploring propaganda posters from World War One, new technologies used in this war and the outcomes of the war. Things we will learn by the study of poetry from the First World War.
This booklet has been designed as part of a year 8 English unit of work on Parvana (a novel set in Afghanistan during the reign of the Taliban). It includes activities about characters, the setting and language features which students are to complete as they read the novel. There are also questions about the events/themes/character's perspectives et cetera for each chapter.
This is all in preparation for a creative writing assessment where students take what they have learned to create a written literary transformation (a short story from a marginalised character's perspective). Their short story has to focus on a moral issue within the novel.
I have referenced the other study guides I drew on when creating this resource.
This is a worksheet to the SBS series First Australians Episode 1: They have come to stay. This resource was made for use in an 11 Modern History classroom in Queensland, Australia. I have also included a scanned copy of my teacher answer sheet.
According to SBS, “First Australians chronicles the birth of contemporary Australia as never told before, from the perspective of its first people. First Australians explores what unfolds when the oldest living culture in the world is overrun by the world’s greatest empire.”
Episode 1 focuses on Sydney and New South Wales (1788–1824). It includes the first contact, friendships formed between powerful men such as Governor Arthur Phillip and the Aboriginal Bennelong. The smallpox epidemic. The bloodshed and conflicts which arose as settlers spread out across the land.
Part of a set of resources created for a year 7 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store - lrigb4. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons (with extra activities as a back up if the class is advanced). The focus text is ‘Black Snake: The Daring of Ned Kelly’ by Carole Wilkinson.
1) The lesson PowerPoint
Discuss that ‘One Stray Bullet’ is one of the passages that students can choose for their written literary transformation {imaginative recount / short story}. Read this excerpt and make predictions about what the various characters would have done after this event {aka the Fitzpatrick incident}. Discuss the use of foreshadowing in the title. Discussion questions about the various characters’ viewpoints follow. There are also some short response (comprehension / analysis) questions for students to respond to. The remainder of the slides sum up the rest of the events in Chapter 3. There are video clips to cater to visual learners.
2) Handout - ‘One Stray Bullet’ excerpt of Black Snake
3) Week two and three spelling words handout (24 words per week).
This lesson was designed for the second phase of the unit where students are preparing to write a persuasive text about Ned Kelly. This lesson focuses on reading the events in Chapter Four of Black Snake, responding to questions and considering whether Ned’s actions make him a hero or a villain (or a victim of circumstances). There is a video excerpt of the shootout at Stringybark Creek (from the Heath Ledger film). There is also a clip from the Victoria Police which is intended as a memorial for the policemen killed in action by the Kelly Gang members. It also includes information about the two letters Ned famously wrote expressing why he turned to a life of crime (The Cameron Letter and the Jerilderie Letter). It concludes with information about how the public opinion of Ned shifted from a negative one to a more positive one after the 1960s. The lesson tries to present all points of view so that students can make up their own minds about Ned Kelly and whether he deserves to be held up as an Aussie icon.
Handout - proofreading activity (an excerpt from the novel).
Part of a set of resources created for a year 7 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store - lrigb4. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons (with extra activities as a back up if the class is advanced). The focus text is ‘Black Snake: The Daring of Ned Kelly’ by Carole Wilkinson.
Part of a set of resources created for a year 7 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store - lrigb4. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons. The focus text is ‘Black Snake: The Daring of Ned Kelly’ by Carole Wilkinson.
1) A PowerPoint for a lesson designed for the introductory phase of a 7 English unit on Ned Kelly. It is designed to provide context (teach students what Australia was like during Ned Kelly’s lifetime). By the end of the lesson, students should be able to explain what you think life would have been like for early settlers (and add some key points to the ‘L’ section of their KWL chart). There are slides on: what men and women wore, the various social groups {convicts/ex convicts, free settlers, selectors, squatters, troopers & hawkers}, bushrangers, transportation, housing and housekeeping, common foods, lifestyle, the gold rush and tools/resources. The slides include descriptions and images. Subsequently, students glue in the character table (retrieval chart) and begin reading the ‘What if you were there’ section at the opening of Chapter 1 of Black Snake. They should be recording key details about the various characters they come across as they read. The students should also be developing novel-specific vocabulary – keeping a track of any slang words, idioms or other language features we notice as they read. There are 3 checking for understanding questions at the end.
2) Character Retrieval chart (handout)
A lesson PowerPoint. It begins with a proofreading activity (an excerpt from Chapter 4). Followed by a review of the events in Chapter 4 of Black Snake. It then includes activities based on the opening section of Chapter 5 (including answering comprehension questions.) Students will be successful if they can: Identify the motivation of the narrator at the beginning of chapter 5 and explain the narrator’s viewpoint. Students will review the term modality and consider whether the language used by the writer (narrator) is high / low modality. There is also a creative writing activity for students to complete (an imaginative recount based on an excerpt from this chapter).
A copy of the lesson plan
Chapter 5 handout - the activities contained in the PowerPoint for distributing to learners.
Part of a set of resources created for a year 7 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store - lrigb4. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons (with extra activities as a back up if the class is advanced). The focus text is ‘Black Snake: The Daring of Ned Kelly’ by Carole Wilkinson.
The significance of the use of atomic bombs during World War II, The contestability surrounding the use of atomic bombs during World War II, The causes and effects of the use of atomic bombs during World War II. The Beginning of the Nuclear Age, why the atomic bomb was developed, how it was tested, why America decided to use it against Japan, why this decision was contested by some scientists, it looks at the discrimination towards victims of the bombing (and how they came to be known as the hibakusha) and President Truman's justification for what he did.
This PPT includes extracts from a documentary which recreates the bombing of Hiroshima (using reenactments) and explains the science behind the bomb. It includes images of the destruction to buildings, medical side effects (e.g. cataracts, scarring, radiation, birth defects etc.) It also includes drawings made by survivors depicting the black rain, bodies in the water etc.
Part of a set of resources created for a year 7 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store - lrigb4. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons (with extra activities as a back up if the class is advanced). The focus text is ‘Black Snake: The Daring of Ned Kelly’ by Carole Wilkinson.
PowerPoint 1 ‘Taking a closer look at One Stray Bullet’ - **
Reviewing what happened in the opening of chapter 3 ‘One Stray Bullet.’ This short piece of fiction told from the perspective of Ned’s sister Kate is one of the passages that students can choose for their written literary transformation {imaginative recount / short story}. The focus of this lesson is exploring characterisation (one of the creative writing techniques the author has used effectively in this extract) in order to prepare learners to develop their characters adequately within a small word limit. It includes a highlighting activity (colour coding the action/dialogue/actions/descriptions of the various characters in the passage.) The lesson also provides further historical context into the Fitzpatrick incident. It also includes scaffolding for if they were to re-write the opening of this narrative from the antagonists (Constable
Fitzpatrick’s) perspective. There are 8 sentence starters to aid students to begin writing a practice narrative from Fitzpatrick’s perspective. There is a proofreading checklist for students to use after they have written their orientation. This passage can be used to gauge the students current writing abilities.
PowerPoint 2 - Developing setting
Assessment expectations – what language features students need to use to get a C, B & A. Reviewing key parts of speech that students need to know and use in their short story assessment (adjectives, adverbs, verbs & abstract nouns). Learning how to establish setting in a narrative. Top writing tips with example sentences. The importance of showing not telling. The importance of avoiding cliches. Planning to write a story from Mrs Kelly’s perspective (based on the events in One Stray Bullet). The lesson concludes with a creative writing activity where students write their own description of The Kelly House imagining that they are Ned’s mother.
A PowerPoint designed to introduce students to their new topic: Russia. It begins with a popular culture text that some students may be familiar with (Fox’s animated Anastasia movie). This is used as a launching pad to introduce the last Tsar of Russia and his family. This is followed by a short clip about Anastasia and her fate (with questions for students to answer). This is followed by information about our IA2 assessment. Then the focus of the lesson begins with an introduction to the historical context of Russia (prior to the revolution). Students have to add key terms to their glossary (autocratic & tsars). Information about autocratic rule is included and the idea of ‘Divine Right’ is explained. There is a diagram of the feudal system to help students understand how society was structured. Students are introduced to terms including bourgeoise, proletariat and intelligentsia. This is followed by a brief bio of Nicholas II, his wife and the Tsaravivh Alexei. This is followed by a viewing activity about another key figure: Rasputin (and some viewing questions). The lesson ends with a look at Boney M’s song about Rasputin’s death. A reference list is also provided.
Designed to meet the requirements of the senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019), this unit falls under the category of ‘Ideas in the Modern World.’
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in colonialism and Australia’s Frontier Wars (1788-1930s).
A PowerPoint which begins with a review of primary and secondary sources (with examples). This is followed by an explanation of the cognitive verb ‘analyse’ and a process for analysing. I have provided a list of questions which can be used for analysing visual/written sources and some for analysing artefacts. I have used the C.O.M.A acronym for analysing visuals and provided a list of questions you can ask at each stage (with examples from the Frontier Wars). An opportunity to practice this skill is provided (I do / we do depending of ability of your class). There are also tips for comparing two images. The lesson concludes with a TEEL/PEEL paragraph writing activity.
A handout explaining the C.O.M.A acronym and other methods you can use for analysing visuals
Updated PPT and Worksheet used for a more interactive (collaborative learning) focused class room.
I pride myself on the quality of the materials I produce, I don’t charge high prices because I don’t agree with paying £10 for a wordsearch. If you need to check before you buy, have a look at some of the free resources in my shop for a sample of the quality and depth.
Three resources for a year 8 history unit.
1) A PowerPoint (with videos) explaining feudalism.
2) A scan from a textbook showing a castle set up
3) a typed excerpt from a textbook explaining feudalism