This lesson explores the issue of shell shock in the First World War through an investigation of the case of Private Harry Farr who was shot at dawn for cowardice. The lesson begins with an engaging starter activity linked to the viewing of two short you tube clips. The lesson then goes on to investigate the case of Private Harry Farr through the transcripts of the court martial trial that Harry Farr faced in October 1916. Students decide whether they believe Harry Farr was innocent or guilty of the charges faced and try to convince their classmates of their viewpoint by producing a courtroom speech either prosecuting of defending Harry. WARNING NOTE - The resource includes a short documentary YouTube clip in which the presenter (Ian Hislop) reads a transcript of some of the evidence presented in the court martial of Private Harry Farr. This includes a short section of no more than 10 seconds in which there is some swearing that occurred in the court martial evidence. Some teachers may feel that this is inappropriate for their students. However, the lesson can still be delivered successfully without this documentary clip should you wish to omit it.

This lesson looks at the impact big business, growing cities and mass migration had on the lives of the American people between 1877-1900. The lesson begins with an engaging starter that requires students to analyse a political cartoon on the ‘robber barons’ and their impact on the American people. Following this, students produce a creative A3 piece of display work which looks at the affects big business, cities and mass migration had on the American people. The lesson then considers a possible 10 mark GCSE style examination question and develops students ability to explain clearly.

This lesson looks at the changing lives of African Americans between 1877-1900. The lesson begins with an engaging picture starter looking at life for African Americans by 1877. Following this, students select and categorise information on the various influences upon African American lives to build up a picture of life for this group of people during the period 1877-1900. Exam skills are developed when students are then required to consider an 18 mark essay style exam question. Focus is made on the use of second order concepts and a WAGOLL exercise supports student implementation of these when completing fully explained paragraphs using the PEEL technique. A final discussion based exercise gets students to consider how far African American lives had improved in this period.

This lesson looks at the changing lives of Plains Indians between 1877-1900 following the Battle of Little Bighorn. The lesson begins with a choice of engaging starters that briefly revisit the build up and events of the Battle of Little Bighorn. Following this, students gather information on the various pressures and events which affect the lives of the Plains Indians following this battle. The lesson then goes on to require students to apply their knowledge to planning an answer to an 18 mark essay style exam question focusing on the causes of the destruction of the traditional culture of the Plains Indians.

This lesson is a case study of Warwick Castle which focuses on how and why this castle has changed over time. The lesson is aimed at KS3 students and begins with an engaging starter activity looking at some of the main features of attacking and defending castles. The lesson then involves a card sort activity looking at pictures, dates and text to build up a story of the castle’s development over time. Differentiated versions of this activity are included. A video clip and information gathering sheet helps students to build up more information before using this to produce an informative information leaflet for visitors to Warwick Castle.

This lesson looks at the development of castles from the earliest Motte and Bailey style castles to the sophisticated concentric castles of the 15th century. The lesson is aimed at students in KS3 and focuses on the main features of attacking and defending castles and how this influenced the development of castles over time. The lesson begins with an engaging starter which introduces the students to different types of castles. Students then acquire knowledge of how and why castles changed over time before moving onto the main task of the lesson. This is an active learning task which involves the students designing their own castle based on their understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of various castle features. The final task involves students debating the effectiveness of their castle designs to evaluate the success of their creations.

This lesson looks at the various problems facing William the Conqueror as King of England following his victory at the Battle of Hastings. The lesson is aimed at KS3 students in Year 7 or 8 and looks at the earliest, Motte & Bailey, style of castle that William and his barons built around England to control the country. The lesson looks at the main characteristics of this style of castle, the reasons why William needed to build such structures, the advantages and disadvantages of these castles, and ends with a consideration of possible improvements that will be needed to make future castles more effective. The lesson includes an engaging starter task, a link to a BBC Teach audio visual clip, and a creative written task which asks students to consider the feelings and reactions of the local population to the invading barons.

This lesson is the fifth in this series produced for The People’s Health unit of the OCR SHP GCSE. It covers the spread of the Black Death across Asia and Europe and its arrival in England in 1348. It goes on to cover the medieval beliefs and attempted cures for the plague, as well as the impact of the plague upon the country in general. The resource set includes a full lesson presentation with associated starter task, source sheet, activity sheet and associated information sheet. Please leave a review if you find this resources useful.