I'm a Head of History in a mixed comprehensive. My specialism is Early Modern Europe. Here you'll find resources for KS3-5, templates to help run a department, and even some PSHE resources from my time as Head of PSHE in 2015.
When I'm not inspiring future historians you'll find me knitting, reading a good book, playing with my children or indulging in 'Prosecco Friday'.
I'm a Head of History in a mixed comprehensive. My specialism is Early Modern Europe. Here you'll find resources for KS3-5, templates to help run a department, and even some PSHE resources from my time as Head of PSHE in 2015.
When I'm not inspiring future historians you'll find me knitting, reading a good book, playing with my children or indulging in 'Prosecco Friday'.
Preparing to teach Paper 3 this summer?
Here is a paper overview which contains:
Page 1 an overview of the paper and the question types.
Page 2 the timeline of dates supplied by Edexcel.
Preparing for GCSE the reigns of King Richard I and King John I?
Here’s a great overview for your students.
Page 1 contains an overview of the content with space to log target grades and assessment grades.
Page 2 has a timeline, taken from the Edexcel information, to help students learn dates for this depth study.
Preparing to start GCSE Medicine this September? Help your students make a focused start with this two page overview sheet. Perfect for students to reference throughout the course.
Page 1 covers what the topic of medicine is about and what the exam questions will ask students to do. There is space to add target grades, aspirational grades, and the results from assessments.
Page 2 includes a timeline from the course, as provided by Edexcel in their course information. The dates are colour coded; a technique I use to help my students have a sense of chronology.
Over the past 5 years I have been a Form Tutor to the same group which was hugely rewarding. I have added some of the resources I made and used:
Locker organisation sheet.
Homework planner sheet.
Start of the Year PowerPoint.
Reflections.
CSE presentation.
Diversity assembly.
Halloween worksheet.
Need a new display for September?
Here is a Hazards display, it warns students of the dangers they face in History written work. Add a boarder of warning tape, and an amber flashing light for extra drama and interest.
Make reading for History fun! Set a reading challenge; this one is set every Summer Break to encourage new Year 6 students to continue their regular reading, and to motivate older students to read.
My Story books were selected for this competition, loosely linked to our KS3 curriculum. Although we accepted reviews on any history related book read. We awarded actual medals in their Year assembly and proudly displayed their reviews in the History corridor.
This test aims to assess Year 7 on their conceptual skills in essay writing, on their source skills, and their knowledge recall.
Section A includes key terms, and factual questions.
Section B focuses on source skills. Students need to select quotes and make supported inferences.
**Section C ** provides students with the opportunity to show their PEEL writing skills. This question focuses on the inventions and discoveries of the Ancient Arabians.
This reading list has been compiled from the Edexcel course information and resources collected for the coursework unit.
This list includes:
Paper 1: Religion and State in Early Modern Europe.
Paper 2: Luther and the German Reformation.
Paper 3: Civil Rights and Race Relations in the USA, 1850-2009.
Coursework: The origins of the First World War
This reading list has been compiled from the Edexcel course information.
The papers included are:
Paper 1: Medicine Through Time and the Western Front.
Paper 2: The American West and The Reigns of King Richard I and King John I.
Paper 3: The USA, 1945–75: conflict at and abroad.
Here’s my updated KS3 reading list.
The list is now organised by era rather than year group as it was before. I feel this will make it easier for you to edit it to suit your needs. This reading list has been successful in promoting wider reading, and in teaching independent learning skills. There are so many wonderful historical fictions books, history magazines, and academic books out there but I hope I have created a base for you to add all the books and articles you discover.
To get you started my suggested reading list includes:
lots of My Story books for historical fiction. I found my students enjoyed them and they became a catalyst to read other books or to complete independent research.
Magazine articles.
Academic books. These are included to stretch and challenge students.
YA novels.
A few websites.
A film.
To support my A Level students, Edexcel, I created a key word sheet to help students embed analysis in their essays. This sheet supports succinct analysis.
Over the years I have developed lots of sheets and displays to help students develop their writing skills. I have found teaching PEEL with a washingline concept the most effective. Here I have bundled together my PEEL phrase sheet and a visual washingline sheet.
This tracker follows the same layout of my KS3 tracker to help with continuity into KS4. Especially as you have spent hours training your students on how to record and respond to feedback, it means they can hit the ground running at GCSE.
This tracker includes:
A main focus on their target and aspirational target. Great to help students remember what their target it.
A space to record historical knowledge after knowledge tests.
A graph to track their progress towards their target after each school report.
A Year 10 and Year 11 space to record exam question practice. Setting a target for the next exam practice.
A very simple and basic sheet to be used if you are having a guest visit your lesson or there are learning walks taking place. You can give a very brief outline of what’s happening that lesson and identify different group of students.
Help your GCSE and A Level students develop their independent learning skills using this questionnaire and teacher review sheet.
The questionnaire encourages students, half-termly, to reflect on their approach to their learning. It prompts students to think about the skills they need to develop and their attitude towards their learning. To encourage meaningful conversations between teacher and student on independence there is a teacher review sheet, allowing you to record how independent the student is from your perspective.
Ever wondered what your students think of their History lessons?
If yes, then this pack is for you. It is crammed with questionnaires for KS3-KS5 that ask specific agree/disagree questions followed by open ended questions.
As a Head of Department these questionnaires are a fantastic tool to review the mood of students and the impact our schemes of work are having.
As a classroom teacher they help with self reflection on good practice and allow for an open, class dialogue on the quality of learning and teaching taking place.