Ideal for remote home distance learning, sickness, self-isolation, school closure or revision – Brigham Young and Salt Lake City - GCSE American West This lesson works very well following on from another remote lesson I have posted on here titled ‘Why did the Mormons move West?’ The lesson introduces Brigham Young and explores why the Mormons moved to the Great Salt Lake and their experiences when they got there. It begins with a recap starter and some background information. The students are then required to analyse the problems the Mormons encountered and their solutions for the journey to the Salt Lake and establishing their settlement. Links are provided for a YouTube video and some online information to help them with this. The lesson ends with an exam question. This is a remote learning resource which can be emailed out or set on Google Classroom or similar platforms. I simply copy the information over into a Google Doc on Classroom so the students can then type their responses straight onto the sheet. All the information needed and links to videos are included to help them understand. Enjoy!

Ideal for remote home distance learning, sickness, self-isolation, school closure or revision – Homesteaders - GCSE American West This lesson introduces the Homesteaders. After some introductory information on the Homestead Act the students investigate different reasons why people decided to claim their 160 acres. The students then decide if these were ‘push or pull’ factors. Next is a section on life living in a sod house, with an accompanying video where the students gather facts and information. The lesson ends with the students investigating and explaining the problems with farming on the Plains. This is a remote learning resource which can be emailed out or set on Google Classroom or similar platforms. I simply copy the information over into a Google Doc on Classroom so the students can then type their responses straight onto the sheet. All the information needed and links to videos are included to help them understand. Enjoy!

Explores the events of the Battle of Hastings and evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. Includes a tweet starter, a documentary with a question sheet, a strengths/weaknesses activity and a 16 mark exam question. There is a link to the video in the slides but I recommend you purchase a copy from Amazon if you like the lesson just in case it disappears from the internet. I have my own copy and have been using this successfully for a long time. This lesson also works very well for KS3. Enjoy!

Ideal for remote home distance learning, sickness, self-isolation, school closure or revision – Why did the Mormons go West? - GCSE American West This lesson looks at why the Mormons moved west. Please note, it does not cover Salt Lake City as this is covered in the next lesson (which I have also posted on here) - Brigham Young and Salt Lake City. This lesson establishes how the Mormon religion began and then explores their journey from Kirtland, Ohio to Missouri and then to Illinois where they built their own city, Nauvoo. At each stage, the students analyse both problems and successes the Mormons had. The lesson ends with a narrative account question which they are then well prepared for because they have explored three chronological events which will fit nicely into a three paragraph narrative answer. As I mentioned, I always follow this lesson with Brigham Young and Salt Lake City. This is a remote learning resource which can be emailed out or set on Google Classroom or similar platforms. I simply copy the information over into a Google Doc on Classroom so the students can then type their responses straight onto the sheet. All the information needed and links to videos are included to help them understand. Enjoy!

Ideal for remote home distance learning, sickness, self-isolation, school closure or revision – The Gold Rush - GCSE American West This lesson covers how the Gold Rush began, what it was, the people who really got rich (i.e. the people selling goods and services to the miners, rather than the miners themselves), lawlessness in the mining towns and the Cholera epidemic which swept through the mining community. It contains some introductory information and then the main task consists of four video links, each with a series of questions to be answered by the students. The clips are produced by the Discovery Channel and are freely available on YouTube. This is a remote learning resource which can be emailed out or set on Google Classroom or similar platforms. I simply copy the information over into a Google Doc on Classroom so the students can then type their responses straight onto the sheet. All the information needed and links to videos are included to help them understand. Enjoy!

Explores crime and punishment in the Middle Ages. After defining a few key terms, the students watch a 3 min YouTube video and then describe some medieval torture techniques and punishments. The teacher then explains how the trials by ordeal worked. Next, there is a paired activity where the students use a worksheet to look at change and continuity from the early to later Middle Ages. The lesson ends with a wrtitten task to bring it all together. Enjoy!

This lesson explores what people think caused the Black Death. The lesson starts with a song for a bullet point starter. The students then look at a series of factors to categorise things believed at the time and what we think now (these can be displayed on the board and/or printed out). The students are then asked to try to explain why people believed these things and there’s a slide to give them some ideas after they have spent some time coming up with their own reasons. There are two written tasks to choose from (or both can be done). One is an ‘agony aunt’ task where they write a reply to a concerned peasant. The other is a more traditional exam question with some sentence starters to help out. The lesson ends with a fun game which always works well when I teach it. Enjoy!

This lesson investigates whether the Black Death was a disaster for everyone. The students start by completing speech bubbles for some peasants in a medieval village (printable version on the last slide) to demonstrate what they know already. They then score the Black Death from 0 for a complete disaster to 10 for a blessing, explaining why. They then create a table in their books for positives andf negatives. There is a link to a YouTube video to give them a few things to add to the table. There is then a carousel activity to add more to the table. This is easily tweaked if you do not want to deliver it in this way but I stick the images around the classroom and get them to move around, discuss and add to their tables. I have added a brief explanation in the notes of the carousel slideshow just in case you are not sure what point I’m trying to make with each image. The students then bring it all together with a written task and then finally return to the scoring activity to see if their opinions have changed. Enjoy!

This lesson looks at castles built by William after his victory at Hastings. It works well for GCSE or KS3. The lesson includes labelling the features of a Motte and Bailey castle, considering the effect of these castles on the local population and a task where the students explore how to attack these castles and the features of their defence. Enjoy!

This lesson explores rebellions from Edwin and Morcar, Edgar Atheling, Hereward the Wake and the Revolt of the Earls. I usually find it takes me two lessons to get through this as there is a lot there. The lesson has links to several videos which help in their research. The students are asked to consider the causes, events and consequences of each rebellion. There is also an exam question at the end and an example answer which the students are asked to evaluate. Please note - The Pearson textbook - Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88 is used to add extra information in this lesson. If you use a different textbook, you will need to alter the page numbers on the slides accordingly. Thanks, enjoy!

This lessons explores the battles at Gate Fulford and Stamford Bridge in the run up to Hastings. It includes a key word starter, two BBC Teach videos (links in the slides) with some questions and then a mind map activity. Feel free to adapt to suit your particular groups - I usually do this over two lessons and spend a lot more time on each individual battle. No textbooks are needed for this lesson. Enjoy!

Exploring the four claimants to the throne in 1066. This lesson is a fun activity where students get to act out the roles of the four claimants and complete a worksheet to use in the written task at the end. Suitable for both GCSE and KS3. Feel free to adapt accordingly. I have used copyright-free images as I am selling it on TES but these can also be changed if you have the correct permissions. Enjoy - my students did!

Explores the highs and lows of the life of Bishop Odo. The lesson includes a picture starter, a storyboard task and an exam question. Please note - The Pearson textbook - Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88 is used to add extra information in this lesson. If you use a different textbook, you will need to alter the page numbers on the slides accordingly. Thanks, enjoy!

An engaging lesson exploring England in 1060, before the Norman invasion. This works well at the beginning of a unit of study on the Normans. The lesson includes a start/end true or false quiz, a source investigation and a written task. All of the resources are included and no text book is needed for this lesson. It works weel at GCSE or KS3 - feel free to adapt accordingly. Enjoy!

Explores how land ownership changed under the Normans. I created a Tenant in Chief game for this lesson in an attempt to lively up a pretty dry topic! You will need some dice for the game, everything else is included in the lesson. The lesson includes a starter, the game, a report and then an exam question. Enjoy!

A full lesson exploring the spread of the Black Death. The lesson includes some background information and then a chronology task. The next activity is a fun task where the students take their chronologically ordered cards and stick them onto an A3 map to show the spread (this links in nicely with Geography as they find all of the places involved). They then bring all of this together in a written task at the end. My students always enjoy this lesson, I’m sure yours will too!

This lesson explores the changes to the church after the Norman invasion, looking at the differences between Stigand and Lanfranc. It includes a starter, a video, a Venn diagram task and a written task. It works well for GCSE and KS3. Please note - The Pearson textbook - Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88 is used to add extra information in this lesson. If you use a different textbook, you will need to alter the page numbers on the slides accordingly. Thanks, enjoy!

A lesson exploring why the Earls submitted to William after he won at Hastings. The lesson includes a multiple choice starter, a categorisation task and an exam question. The resources needing to be printed are included at the end of the slideshow and I’ve arranged them so that you can teach this lesson by only printing 11 sheets of A4 in total for a class of 33 (we all get told to keep the printing costs down!) Enjoy!

Created for GCSE but also works for KS3. This lesson explores the Harrying of the North 1069-1070. It includes a starter based on a scene from the Bayeux Tapestry, a resarch task including a video and a source sheet and a written task in the form of a newspaper article either from the Saxon or Norman point of view to incorporate an understanding of bias. I always find this a fascinating bit of history to teach. Enjoy!

Explores how Saxon England was ruled before the Norman invasion, including the king, the Witan, eardoms and the church. Includes a starter, a lengthier research task and an exam question. Please note - The Pearson textbook - Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88 is used in this lesson. If you use a different textbook, you will need to alter the page numbers on the slides accordingly. Thanks, enjoy!