This lesson focuses on China under Deng Xiaoping. Focusing on the economic changes Kaifang Gaige (Opening up and Reform), the Tiananmen Square Massacre (6/4) and finishes with a look at modern China. It is useful as a stand-alone lesson on China, as part of a greater Cold War scheme of work, or in conjunction with my other China lessons (where this forms the third part). This lesson can be taught in one or spread over two. Lesson begins with the students making predictions about how and why Shenzhen grew so much. Students then recap/get background information on the Cultural Revolution. Students will then investigate a quote by Deng Xiaoping and make a hypothesis on how he will run China. The policies of Opening Up and Reform are then discussed, with links to the USSR, and then the effects are analysed, numeracy task. Students then learn about the democracy movement, including the Tiananmen Square Massacre and its aftermath. Finally students look at modern China and understand the economic and soft-power China possesses today. Some key words and phrases from the lesson: Cultural Revolution, Chairman Mao, Deng Xiaoping, economic, development, Opening Up, Reform, Kaifang, Gaige, Glasnost, Perestroika, Tiananmen Square Massacre, democracy, GDP, Huawei, Tiktok This is a fully resourced lesson including a PowerPoint as well as documents for printing, including an extension exercise if needed.

The aim of the lesson is for the students to judge how much Chairman Mao Zedong changed China. It is useful as a stand-alone lesson on China, as part of a greater Cold War scheme of work, or in conjunction with my other China lessons (where this forms the first part). Lesson begins with a source analysis of the carving up of China. Then students’ knowledge of China is discussed with a Round Robin activity. Students will then learn about the background of Communism in China, with the Century of Humiliation (including colonisation, the Opium Wars and China in WWII) being analysed. The main task is looking at the problems the ‘New China’ faced and how Chairman Mao and the Chinese Communist Party set about fixing them. This looks at economic growth in the First and Second Five Year Plans, analyses GDP growth and military threats to China, including the Korean War and US involvement in Vietnam. The lesson concludes with an extended writing activity with the students writing about the changes they have seen under the leadership of the CCP in a letter; allowing students to make their own assumptions and judgements on the class content. Some key words and phrases from the lesson: Century of Humiliation Opium War Ideology Economy Five Year Plan GDP Korean War Vietnam War This is a fully resourced lesson including a PowerPoint as well as documents for printing.

In this pick-up-and-go lesson, your students will learn about how Dr Martin Luther King Jr. led the Civil Rights movement to enormous victories over inequality in the USA. The lesson begins with the students tackling a philosophical question. Students then share what knowledge they already have on Rosa Parks and MLK Students will then look at the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955) and evaluate the role Parks and MLK played in it. Students will then complete an investigation into the March on Washington (1963) Knowledge is checked with a ‘true or false’ game Knowledge is consolidated with students completing a word cloud My students love this lesson, and I hope that yours will, too!

This lesson works perfectly to introduce chronology with Year 7 and sets the students up for the rest of their History adventure be it 3, 5 or 7! This is a full lesson and comes with my students’ seal of approval. Introduction: Start with a game, get the students straight into thinking and talking about history Literacy: Directly teach the key words, with a visual example Historiography: Introduce the students to timelines, with them guessing what happened at the two yers Main task: Students are given a series of events (from across the KS3 and 4 curriculum), they then work together to put them in chronological order. Explanation: Full screen pictures for each event, with year and the name of the event for students to self-check their timeline. Time for teacher insight into each event and to ask class for their ideas. Historiography: Students then draw their own timeline - can add the pictures with each event. (Grid with pictures of events is included in the PowerPoint) Wonder: Students then write about which of these events they most want to learn about and why. Useful exercise for finding out what your students want to learn! I always enjoy delivering this lesson, and I hope you will, too!