Pirates, privateers and explorers are examined and linked to key factors on the course: economic resources, religion and individual role (gold, glory and God). Main activity links the development of piracy to colonisation and the experiences of African groups. Leads to answering exam question on significance, with teacher guidance. This is a very well differentiated cut and stick activity (you can choose which version suits your class). At a basic level, it helps to embed their chronological understanding of a course with a very long timeline, but higher ability students are challenged to develop their understanding of a complex web of causation by identifying how decisions and motivations on both sides led to colonisation. AIM: To analyse the motivations of explorers, privateers and pirates; To describe the short and long term impact of the voyages of discovery

Developed for AQA GCSE Migration unit. Students practice the source evaluation skills for exam questions while investigating the case studies of Roanoke and Jamestown. Aim: To examine early British colonies in North America and the impact they had on indigenous people.

A follow-up to lesson evaluating integration of black people in Tudor England. Students look at evidence of how well-integrated different groups of European migrants, including Huguenots and Walloons. They are challenged to re-write a Wikipedia entry on integration in Tudor period as a means of demonstrating their learning and final evaluation. Aim: to analyse evidence, to develop a substantiated hypothesis on integration of different groups in Tudor England

Draws on recent work by historians to challenge assumptions about the nature of Tudor society and culture. Students study primary sources (differentiated written and images), including the famous John Blanke and supporting and countering the idea of a well-integrated society, to make inferences about integration of black Tudors and test interpretations from different historians. Aim: to analyse evidence and evaluate how well integrated black people were in Tudor England Request! Quite a few people have now purchased this lesson and I would be enormously grateful if you could find the time to give me some feedback on it - did it work well for you? Are there any adaptations that you would suggest I make? If you can find the time to leave a short review, I’d really appreciate it! Many thanks indeed.

Students are asked to put themselves in the role of William the Conqueror and, working in groups, review his problems and a multiple choice range of options on how to solve them. They seek to gain points for being a “conqueror” vs. a “weak king” (in the mould of Edward the Confessor). Learning is then consolidated with a final activity evaluating change. Aim: to describe the ways in which William’s decisions changed England and begin to evaluate which had the biggest impact

An introductory lesson to a SoW on migration over time, which works as a stand-alone. Students are given a range of primary sources and asked to match to the correct migration. They create their own timeline (and can even record on map of the globe from where each group originated) and are asked to analyse different reasons for migration. Aims: to identify different groups who have moved to Britain, to be able to place these in CHRONOLOGICAL order, to begin to be able to explain why different people have moved to Britain An excellent lesson for connecting students’ personal heritage to their secondary school history. There are cross-curricular links to geography and it also introduces them to different periods in history and migratory groups.