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.
Perfect resources for a protest poetry unit. These poems show wars from a range of viewpoints. There are poems about World War 1 and 2, poems for use in ANZAC day ceremonies, one Vietnam war poem. The World War 1 poems include a link to an ABC national radio programme where celebrities have been recorded reading these poems.
This lesson was designed for a year 11 class who are required to present an election speech to be on a youth advisory committee for the federal government. This lesson goes through the main aspects required for the introduction, body, and conclusion. It defines thesis statement and gives an example. It includes examples of each part of the speech (given about legalising marijuana for medicinal purposes). It reviews the PEEEL paragraphing acronym and the importance of paraphrasing, summarising and quoting. It ends with some tips for political speeches and some suggested vocabulary.
1) An image of the STEP UP acronym (used for analysing poems)
2) A booklet of poems from the Industrial Revolution which could be used in English or History (source analysis).
A PowerPoint which includes a list of questions for students to ask themselves every time they analyse a poem. The poems to be explored show people’s feelings and emotions about war and the toll it takes on human lives. While some poems talk about bravery, patriotism and pride, this collection challenges this perspective. Both poems contest the notion of war showing it as a senseless waste of young lives. Students read one poem and there are set of writing activities and questions for them to respond to. They then listen to the song 'And the band played Waltzing Matilda' as they read along on their sheet (also provided). Afterwards, there are 11 activities for the children to complete.
A PowerPoint presentation which teaches students how to structure a paragraph using the PEEL acronym. This will be used by students when they write their reviews of the poems they will later read. The PPT includes the words to Kidnappers by Iris Clayton which explores some of the consequences of the stolen generation. Children are asked to write a PEEL paragraph in response to a set question. Depending on the ability level of the class this can be done independently or as a group with the teacher writing their suggestions on the board. This process is repeated for another two poems.
I have also provided a handout with the words for each poem and the questions (for students who need hard copies).
Additional resource: homework handout - a three level guide (designed to prompt higher order thinking about the topic).
Two PowerPoints:
Explaining the assessment task (Create an informative multimodal presentation that discusses how bias may be present in documentaries and written articles) and the criteria. Learning about the features of a multimodal to prepare you for this task and looking at an example introduction written by a past student. Some example quotes from Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine to use as an example (and practice analysing). Advice on where to find further quotes.
A PowerPoint for the following lesson teaching students how to analyse bias in media articles. Going through the 2 types of bias in texts (over exaggeration and under exaggeration). A quick practice of analysing bias in particular examples from Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine. Afterward the PPT looks at three articles about Chernobyl and students are encouraged to determine whether we believe their portrayal was: Balanced (correct), Bias through minor under-emphasis, Bias through extreme under-emphasis, Bias through over emphasis or Bias through extreme over emphasis. Prior to this, there is a brief explanation of what happened and some images and videos. It includes some questions for students to consider as they read the article. Finally, it includes copies of a PPT made by a past student for their multimodal for students to look at and draw inspiration from.
One Word Document (A task scaffold) which contains planning steps for the assignment and a suggested structure.
Other resources which can be given to students during in class drafting lessons or for homework.
Anyone who thinks that slavery went the way of the nineteenth century will be disabused of that belief when reading “Slave: My True Story” written by Mende Nazer, a Sudanese Nuba, along with Damien Lewis, a British journalist. This book gives a chilling overview of the modern slave trade from the perspective of one who was victimized by it. Human trafficking, unfortunately, is alive and well as a weapon of war in the late twentieth and twenty-first century.
This resource is a PowerPoint presentation designed for use in a 12 English Authority class in Queensland Australia. It introduces students to the concepts of cultural context and social situations and how both can influence the author. This lesson prepares students to answer the following question: What is the social impact of the text? i.e. is it recycling or reinforcing cultural assumptions?
Within this lesson students will learn about the Nuba people – cultural practices e.g. scarification, beads, wrestling, religious beliefs, dwellings, diet, languages & female genital mutilation. In addition to information, images and videos of some of these are provided. It also includes some information about save trading in Sudan.
At the end of the PowerPoint are some sample answers to the chapter questions for chapters 1-8.
Three resources used in a 9 Theology unit on social justice and the work of laypeople.
1) a PowerPoint introducing students to Inquiry Based Learning. It includes the two big questions of the unit (aka fertile questions). Students to complete a KWL chart before learning to develop sub questions to answer the two big questions. It then talks students through a process that they can use to begin finding answers to these questions. It includes an explanation of BOOLEAN search practices which can be used when researching online to produce more relevant results.
2) A list of prayers required to be taught throughout the year (grade 9)
3) A table which explains the various steps of TELSTAR (the structure used for this Inquiry unit)
6 resources utilised in a 12 English Authority unit in Queensland Australia.
1) A PowerPoint taking students through the history of Sudan. It begins by introducing students to key terms including: coup, constitution, fundamentalist, Islam, junta and secession. These terms are integral to understanding the events in Slave as the author's life was influenced by the political events occurring in society at the time. After a brief overview of the early history, it delves into the civil war (1980s-1990s). Lastly it looks at contemporary politics (since 2002).
2) A handout of the notes about the history of Sudan (which were taken from the Oxford dictionary of contemporary world history). This can be given to students who struggle to summarise or used for purposes of revision.
3) Further research about Slave and the Nuba culture.
4) A handout to be given to students at the beginning of the term explaining the purpose of the unit and outlining what the two items of assessment are.
5) A diagram which shows the various influences on the author as she wrote her autobiography.
A PowerPoint which I think History teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review. Constructive criticism is also appreciated.
PowerPoint: World War Two in Europe
• homework (mini research task)
• Nazification of Germany
• What role did President Hindenburg play in Hitler’s rise to power?
• A few videos (viewing activities)
• View a timeline of the road to WW2 (1933-1939)
• Learn how to analyse a political cartoon (by the British cartoonist David Low appeared in the Evening Standard newspaper in July 1936.)
• Kristallnacht – ‘night of the broken glass’
o Source analysis: A Letter by a Firefighter – Kristallnacht Germany 1938
• World War II in Europe
o Holocaust begins
o Ghettos including viewing primary footage in A Film Unfinished (2010)
o Concentration & Extermination Camps
o Change of Tactics: Einsatzgruppen
o The ‘Final Solution’ + Wannsee Conference
o SS Tactics: Dehumanisation
o Dr. Josef Mengele + Medical Experiments
o The Gas Chambers + images
o Processing the bodies
o Was the Final Solution successful? Holocaust Statistics By Country
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).
This resource is a PowerPoint used to teach students about imperialist ideologies which existed during the Australian frontier wars. It includes definitions of race and racism, an explanation of individual vs institutional racism and five levels of racism. It includes a recap of Captain Cook and the fallacy of Terra Nullius. Subsequently it explores the following theories: survival of the fittest / social darwinism, The Great Chain of Being and Phrenology. There is a video clip explaining why phrenology has since been debunked. At the end of the lesson there are a series of comprehension questions which students can answer in verbal / written form.
A homework sheet explaining a research task + paragraph writing activity (about Hornet Bank Massacre) used to diagnose student ability levels.
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.
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 for a skills focused Modern History lesson focusing on Summarising. It begins with a settling activity (writing definitions of key historical concepts into glossary - empathy, cause & effect, historiography). This is followed by an explanation of paraphrasing, summarising and quoting. I have provided an example of each using the transcript of President Rooseelt’s declaration of war post Pearl Harbor. I have explained some things that you see in sources that students may not be familiar with [sic] and ellipses (…). Subsequently I provided sources about the Frontier War for students to summarise to practice the skill. Finally, I address referencing and how to in text reference within an exam. I show them an example exam response to help them see in text referencing in action.
A homework sheet with three sources from the Frontier Wars for students to summarise (one of them is a visual source).
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.
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for Humanities students in other states and countries with an interest in colonialism and Australia’s Frontier Wars (1788-1930s).
This free lesson was designed to help prepare students for their short response exam. It begins with a list of ‘features of evidence’ that students need to refer to when analysing sources. It includes some feedback based on common errors found in the practice exam. It provides a list of tricky vocabulary which was taken directly from the exam sources so that students can familiarise themselves with the definitions for homework. This is followed by a YouTube video about the 9 best studying tips. This is followed by a review of the historical concepts of perspective and empathy. There is a Frontier War scenario told from two perspectives for the students to read and respond two. This transitions to looking at perspectives in poems about historical events using Charge of the Light Brigade as an example (as the tactical errors at Battle Mountain have been compared to this poem).
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)
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for Humanities students in other states and countries with an interest in colonialism and Australia’s Frontier Wars (1788-1930s).
The PowerPoint begins with some tips for the upcoming practice examination. Just like the real exam, the students are provided with the sources a week before (although in this exam I let them have all the sources rather than half). Afterwards, students were to brainstorm everything they could remember about the Queensland Frontier Wars. Talk through some things they may have recalled (linking to prior knowledge / lessons). Explain when and how European presence in QLD began (Moreton Bay district). Students are to copy key notes from the page. Read some primary sources and focus on the language choices within them. This is followed by a couple of secondary sources which showcase different historian’s perspectives. There are some questions for students to answer. Afterwards, I briefly introduced some massacres which occurred in QLD. This was followed by a focus on Inquiry questions and how a historical inquiry works (ready for term 2).
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.
This resource includes:
A copy of the task sheet for the unit that includes the instrument-specific marking guide (showing the criteria that students work will be marked against). The task is a historical essay based on research.
A handout of sentence starters which are grouped based on what skill the student needs to do e.g. introduce the essay, showing historians viewpoints, defining key terms / concepts, quoting, talking about visual sources, explaining concepts / ideas / quotes / evidence, analysing sources, evaluating the reliability of sources, evaluating the usefulness of sources and explaining how one source corroborates another. It also includes a list of words that students can use instead of ‘said’ when quoting from a source and a list of conjunctions (linking words). NB: These sentence starters are not one size fits all. These are intended to help students; however, they will need to think about how these will fit in with the purpose of what they are trying to say. These will be useful for any historical essay regardless of topic.
NB: Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The content would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in the Vietnamese Independence Movement (1945-1975). The other resources are also available in my store - lrigb4. The end of term assessment for this unit was an essay.
Two resources for teaching year 8 history:
1) A scaffolded activity teaching students to research castles (What was a castle’s purpose in medieval times?) and complete a PEEL paragraph to communicate their answers.
2) An example PEEL paragraph responding to the question How did castles during medieval times change?
A concept which can be used to understand Macbeth. It is connected to the idea of the ‘divine right of kings’ and the class structures of the time (feudalism). The PowerPoint includes a definition of this concept and visual representations. Students then apply this to the play and have to draw their own chain of being. It looks at characters who maintain / disrupt this chain and how they do so. It also looks at the imagery and techniques used to show a disruption to the chain of being.
3 Resources:
1) Report Writing PowerPoint explaining the assessment task: (They had to create a written informative report that analyses how language, communication and technology influence our personal lives and has changed society.) The PowerPoint explains what a report is, goes through planning steps, how to search more effectively using a BOOLEAN search and a structure for the report.
2) A word doc template for students to fill their report into.
3) An example PowerPoint looking at the evolution of the Radio
A free resource which I think History teachers will find helpful.
I created this booklet to assess 10 history students conducting a historical inquiry into World War Two (they had a choice of four topics). This was delivered in a school where each student had a laptop so was designed to be completed electronically however, more room to write could be added if you want to use it as a hard copy booklet.
If you use it, and like it, please come and give me a positive star rating / review . Constructive criticism is also appreciated.
This booklet contains:
• four suggested topics with sub points that the students must address
• a graphic organiser (table) for students to write their research questions in
• a place for students to reflect on their questions and justify any modifications they make during the research process
• tips for locating sources and a graphic organiser where students can organise their research
• checking for understanding questions which prompt students to consider what they will include in their second assessment (essay)
• a place for them to evaluate their sources using the RESEARCH acronym
• a paragraph writing scaffold (for students who are not confident to begin writing on their own)
• tips for how to reference different types of sources