I have put together a few ideas I have had on retrieval practise, which is helping my students discuss and debate more than ever before. Many thanks to @mrfitzhist for the inspiration to make them. They come in PDF and Powerpoint format so you can change and adapt if needed. If you like these resources, please follow me on twitter for more ideas @pilgrim_17

Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship The focus of the lesson is to analyse the problems Hitler faced in January 1933 on becoming Chancellor. Students need to know and understand the background to Hitler becoming Chancellor in January 1933, which can be quite challenging given the complex political machinations involving the President, Papen and Von Schleicher. Students are given the context of Hitler’s rise to power, before using a revision thinking quilt to match key questions to specific key words and terms. There are also some excellent video links to bbc bitesize Students are thus prepared to tackle the GCSE exam practice question at the end. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The English Civil War This lesson aims to explore the problems Charles brought upon himself to cause the English Civil War. Students are given information which they have to analyse and decide how and why there were opposing views from Parliament and the King on how to run the country. The use of contemporary accounts and propaganda posters will challenge the more able as well. Students justify who in their opinion is to blame for the Civil War and demonstrate their learning at the end of the lesson using factor and function symbols. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Cold War and the Olympics This lesson explores the link between the Cold War and sport. As with technology and space exploration, sport was an area where rival powers could prove or assert their dominance without going to war. Students compete a recall, retention and retrieval task on the previous Vietnam War lesson before undertaking a true or false quiz. They analyse and evaluate medal tally statistics from previous Olympics and make judgement about the anomalies in different years. They are given an account of the history of Olympic success and are challenged as to why it was so important to do well for your respective country. As with previous lessons they use the light bulb and key question to continue to annotate around as the fear of losing spurred both nations on to different extremes. No lesson on Cold War sports would be complete without refence to the Rocky film and the US propaganda machine is in full force as grit and determination to train is pitted against the use of drugs to cheat. Students can then determine which statement to agree with and use argument words to convince their peers. . The resource comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change and is differentiated. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson.

AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45 The aim of this lesson is to assess the political and economic impact of the Ruhr invasion upon Germany. Students begin by recapping Germany’s inability to pay reparations and its request to suspend payments to stabilise their currency. They also learn in more depth how they were required to pay and how a bad situation was made worse by the Allies. Students also have to answer a series of questions and predict how Germany reacted to the occupation by French and Belgian troops. A chronological task completes the lesson together with some source exam question practice. Some help is given if required together with a generic markscheme. There is a enquiry question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work. The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit. The lesson is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.

AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45 The aim of this lesson is to assess the reasons why Hindenburg felt confident enough to appoint Hitler as his Chancellor. Students are given the context, the details of Hitler first cabinet and the key people within it. They are questioned as to the pitfalls Hitler might face and the obstacles thrown up by the constitution. A gap filling exercise and some source analysis will help to consolidate the learning from the lesson. The 3-2-1 plenary will ascertain the learning from the lesson An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work. The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs. It is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.

AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45 The aim of this lesson is to question to what extent the Nazis created a totalitarian state. Students begin by learning Hitler’s ideal of a totalitarian state and how he dealt with the existing political parties. They will also discover how laws passed centrally dissolved the independence and power of the state assemblies. There are some key questions to answer about the revamp of the civil service and the impact of the death of Hindenburg for the German state. The plenary is an old favourite using the octagon and checking the learning from the lesson. An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work. The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs. It is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.

AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45 The aim of this lesson is to assess the impact of war upon Nazi Germany. The lessons begins by assessing the value of some sources, to be used in some exam practice at the end, which questions the effects of the war on civilian morale. There is a missing word activity for the students to complete after studying how rationing was introduced in Germany and its repercussions. There is also a grid sheet to complete as students evaluate the four phases of the war and how the use of propaganda affected civilian morale, particularly as the German people began to realise the war was not going to plan and would not end quickly. An octagon plenary will check understanding and consolidate the learning at the end of the lesson. The lesson is quite literacy heavy and may have to be delivered over two lessons. There is some exam practice to be completed at the end, with a markscheme provided if required. An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work. The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs. It is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies

American Civil Rights I have always been fascinated by the contribution Martin Luther King made to the Civil Rights Movement and his leadership which was inspired by Gandhi to promote non-violent struggle. This lesson focuses on five main events in his life, from his speeches and letters, to his marches and boycotts. Students are given information about each of them and they have to evaluate their significance and make a judgement in numerical form. Students then conclude their findings and present them to the class. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, differentiated materials and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The Industrial Revolution The aim of this lesson is to introduce the new breed of Factory Owner in the Industrial Revolution What made Richard Arkwright such a success and how far did he change social and economic fabric of Britain forever? Students learn how he built up his business and the steps he took became a millionaire and questions how people at the time felt about this. Activities include completing a thinking quilt and a worksheet on the steps to his success with an explanation as to why, analysing video evidence as well as studying and evaluating text before making a conclusion at the end. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end to show the progress of learning. The resource comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson and there are differentiated materials included.

Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91 The aim of this lesson is to analyse the new spirit of co-operation between the Superpowers but understand the context as to why this collaborative approach ultimately failed. Students begin by examining the three baskets of agreement in the Helsinki Accords of 1975 and have to explain what was achieved by both sides, with argument words to help in a written activity. Furthermore they evaluate the failings of the SALT 2 talks and have to decide why the American Senate did not ratify this treaty. The plenary concludes with a find and fix activity. There is some GCSE practice on the narrative account question with some hints and prompts to help. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout this and subsequent lessons to show the progress of learning. The lessons in this bundle are therefore linked together to build up a picture of how diplomacy, propaganda and spying led two Superpowers with opposing political ideologies to create tensions, rivalries and distrust as well as subsequently forming mutual understanding and cooperation over the time period in question. The resource includes retrieval practice, suggested teaching strategies, differentiated material and GCSE question practice. It comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Middle Ages This lesson aims to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of attacking Rochester Castle and understand why it was built in such a strategic position. It also explores the reasons why the Castle was seized by some disaffected knights in 1215 and why King John was so keen to recapture it. Students have to evaluate the most effective ways of attacking and defending a Castle and learn how difficult medieval siege warfare was. The second aim of the lesson is to examine how and why it was captured in the first place, as students continue to analyse the power struggle between the barons and the King. There is a brilliant video link to the siege which the students follow and answer questions on. Finally they plot the power struggle between the king, the church, the barons and the people in a sequence of lessons. This lesson includes: Fun, engaging and challenging tasks Links to video footage Printable worksheets Suggested teaching strategies PowerPoint format, which can be changed to suit

Cold War This first lesson aims to set the scene of Europe from 1945 with the defeat of Germany. The first part of the lesson investigates Hitler’s death, as the students break down and summarise some text into headings before writing a narrative account of the events. The second part investigates the aims of the Big Three and what they agreed should happen to Germany and Berlin at the end of the War. Students scrutinise and decide what each of the leaders (Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill) might have said at Tehran and Yalta and complete a suspicions grid to be able to explain and justify these growing tensions. The central theme throughout this and the proceeding ten lessons is to ask why civilians feared for their lives? In a new era after World War 2, suspicions and rivalries arose between the two new superpowers, the USA and the USSR. Each lesson explores these growing tensions and ultimately questions why people thought a nuclear war was imminent. The resource comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change and is differentiated. I have also included suggested teaching strategies and worksheets to deliver the lesson.

Crime and Punishment The aim of this lesson is to introduce students to the concepts of crime and punishment in Britain today. They begin with a definition of crime and punishment and then have to decide the punishments to fit the eight crimes listed. There are some key questions to discuss as well as some infamous crime and punishment case studies to analyse and evaluate. Students will finish the lesson with some extended writing to complete and consolidate with a summary of their learning. There is an enquiry question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work. The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit. The lesson is differentiated, fully resourced and includes suggested teaching strategies.

Edexcel Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91 The lesson aims to explore the development of nuclear weapons and their significance in the Cold War. Students will first learn the devastating effects of a nuclear fallout before examining why they were developed by the USA and how the Superpower rivalry spurred the Soviet Union on to develop weapons of her own in a comprehension exercise. Students will also complete a fill in the gaps exercise of how nuclear weapons were meant to act as a deterrent to a nuclear war. There is also some excellent Pathé news footage of the tests conducted at the time, from which students use inference to evaluate the real propaganda behind the headlines given. There is some GCSE question practice to complete at the end with help and prompts given if required. The final task is to complete a road map as students attempt to answer questions correctly to reach the safety of a nuclear bomb shelter. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout this and subsequent lessons to show the progress of learning. The lessons in this bundle are therefore linked together to build up a picture of how diplomacy, propaganda and spying led two Superpowers with opposing political ideologies to create tensions, rivalries and distrust as well as subsequently forming mutual understanding and cooperation over the time period in question. The resource includes retrieval practice, suggested teaching strategies, differentiated material and GCSE question practice. It comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Edexcel Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91 The aim of this lesson is to understand and discover how Stalin retaliated and reacted to the formation of the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Aid. Students are given the key information about the setting up of Cominform (to counter the Truman Doctrine) and Comecon (to counter Marshall Aid). Students will then have to evaluate how much help and support Stalin gave to Eastern Europe. They will complete this using an evaluation grid by colour coding the decisions made from not at all to significantly or extremely. This will enable them to complete a choice of two GCSE practice question, will help given if required including a student friendly markscheme. This resource also includes differentiated questions using Blooms taxonomy at the beginning as well as in the plenary to check understanding. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout this and subsequent lessons to show the progress of learning. The lessons in this bundle are therefore linked together to build up a picture of how diplomacy, propaganda and spying led two Superpowers with opposing political ideologies to create tensions, rivalries and distrust as well as subsequently forming mutual understanding and cooperation over the time period in question. The resource includes retrieval practice, suggested teaching strategies, differentiated materials and GCSE exam practice and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

This lesson was borne out of a necessity to explain and clarify the theatres of war in World War II after teaching this unit of study at Key Stage 3 to my classes. Having taught this unit last year without this lesson, I found students were getting confused as to where World War II was being fought on a global stage; whether it be fighting in Europe, in the Atlantic, North Africa or in the Far East. Therefore this lesson aims to simplify the geographical locations covered. Using a world map, they have to plot which countries were involved and who they were fighting for, be it for the Allies or the Axis powers. This map will also appear throughout this unit of study to pinpoint where in the world the lesson is focused on. Students will also analyse and study famous photographs of World War II and try to explain why they are significant, such as Hitler at the Trocadero in France, the image of St. Pauls in London during the Blitz or the Soviet flag being waved on top of the Reichstag. Students are also required to plot a timeline of events using information provided and subsequently noting whether each event was a success or failure for each side. The subsequent plenary tests students’ general knowledge about the war in an ‘odd one out’ activity. This lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning. The resource includes retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The French Revolution The aim of this lesson is to investigate how rotten Robespierre was. At first, students have to decide and discuss makes a good leader, with suggested answers given They are given some context of the Revolution before they are introduced to Robespierre. The main task of the lesson is to decide whether he was an outstanding leader and a ‘champion of democracy’ or rotten to the core and a ‘depraved monster.’ Students will work through the evidence, which is differentiated, before completing this an extended piece of writing with argument words and a writing frame to help if required. An odd one out plenary to finish aims to challenge what they have learnt in the lesson. The lesson comes with differentiated materials, suggested teaching and learning strategies and is linked to the latest historical interpretations, video clips and debate. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end to show the progress of learning. It is fully adaptable in PowerPoint format and can be changed to suit.

The French Revolution The aim of this lesson is to examine the significance of the French Revolution today. Students are given information on seven ways it still has a lasting legacy; Bastille Day, the Declaration of the Rights of Man, Politics, the tricolour, Paris, the National Anthem, the Code Napoleon and the Legion of Honour. Students have to decide the most important part of this legacy in their opinion and explain why. There are some excellent video links to the BBC and Youtube as well as a virtual tour of the Eiffel Tower. The lesson comes with differentiated materials, suggested teaching and learning strategies and is linked to the latest historical interpretations, video clips and debate. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end to show the progress of learning. It is fully adaptable in PowerPoint format and can be changed to suit.

Suffragettes Why were so many people in the Nineteenth Century prepared to die for universal suffrage? How had the Industrial Revolution created so many divisions and changes in society where towns such as Manchester, Sheffield and Birmingham had no MP’s and thus went unrepresented in Parliament? Could Parliament see the injustice of denying the vote to working class men and industrialists who were making Britain the workshop of the world? Thus the story starts with why having a vote is so important today and who had the vote in the Nineteenth Century. Students are given a slip at the beginning of the lesson only to realise many of them don’t have a vote much to their annoyance. The final part of the lesson is to analyse the events of the Peterloo Massacre (named after the battle of Waterloo) and why the magistrates of Manchester were so scared at giving people the vote. However the battlelines were drawn and so setting the seeds for the Suffragette movement at the turn of the century. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, differentiated materials and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.