The Tudors The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the consequences of Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries and who were the winners and losers. The start of the lesson gets the students to imagine walking into a monastery, with accompanying music to set the tone. They are given character cards (for both monks and nuns) and introduce themselves to each other to learn about their various roles. Students then have to analyse information, which is starting to make them scared of the changes that are happening all around them and subsequently decide what will happen to their character as a consequence of the dissolution. The plenary tests them in a six minute challenge of what they have learnt in the lesson and adds a competitive edge 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.

American Civil RIghts This lesson analyses and evaluates the part Rosa Parks played in the Civil Rights Movement. Modest to the end, her one action inspired a generation and she is still talked about with reverence in American society today. (NB - Oprah Winfrey’s Golden Globe speech on 7th January, 2018.) Students learn about Rosa Park’s background and events leading up to her refusal to move seats on a bus, brilliantly shown through some video footage as well as documentary evidence. The learning tasks and the accompanying resources are differentiated to suit all abilities as students reflect and evaluate her most important significance to American society today. Students also have the opportunity to use a bus to show in the windows the problems she faced (at the front and in the doorway) and what she achieved (in the back windows). 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 Holocaust The aims of this lesson are to explain how the extermination camps were liberated by horrified allied soldiers whose shock quickly turned to anger. Students are placed in the liberators shoes and have to decide how they would react, from cleaning up, to taking pictures and leaving things untouched to of course more violent extremes. There is some excellent video footage to accompany the lesson, but please again treat with caution and care. The second part of the lesson is a case study of Herta Bothe, a German camp guard who was convicted of war crimes by a British military tribunal. Students are given certain facts about her and have to decide if the sentence was justified or whether as in the previous lesson she was an unfortunate victim of circumstance and just an ordinary woman completing the job required of her. The central enquiry of this and subsequent lessons in the bundle is to ask who was to blame for the holocaust? Students will map out their ideas each lesson (which can be plotted in different colours or dates to show the progress of their learning and centred around a lightbulb) and build up a picture of how difficult it is to blame a single individual or event for this catastrophe. 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.

The British Empire The aim of this lesson is to discover who the Zulus were and how and why their fighting left a lasting legacy on the British Empire. Students will also find out why the British army, allegedly the best and most disciplined fighting force in the world at the time be defeated and humiliated at the Battle of Isandlwana? They will also analyse how within hours they were heroically defending their lives at Rourke’s Drift in one of the most unlikely ‘victories’ in British military history. Students evaluate both battles, creating headlines and writing articles, using argument words and second and third tier vocabulary. They finally appraise the events of 1879, concluding how both battles should be viewed overall in history and their legacy. The lesson comes with retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching and learning strategies, differentiated materials 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. The lesson is fully adaptable in PowerPoint format and can be changed to suit.

The Cold War The aim of this lesson is to explore the winds of change within the USSR as Perestroika and Glasnost are introduced with the appointment of Gorbachev as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. But despite all the achievements he made, was it all in vain and just how successful was he with the Soviet Union in his short six years in office? Students are required to emoji rate the problems facing Gorbachev in 1985 and then justify the most serious one using a pressure gauge. Furthermore they have to evaluate how successful his policies were and how they were received in the west as compared to back home. A thinking quilt at the end challenges their thinking as they have to group all they have learnt into categories and then explain the significance of each fact. The central enquiry of this and subsequent lessons is to ask why did civilians fear for their lives during the Cold War? Students will map out their ideas each lesson (which can be plotted in different colours or dates to show the progress of their learning and centred around the key question) and build up a picture of how these and different countries in the world responded and acted in this new nuclear age. The resource comes in PowerPoint formats if there is a wish to adapt and change and is differentiated. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson.

Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941-91 The aim of this lesson is to understand how the Soviet Union reacted to any deviation from Soviet policy and control in 1968-9. Students will learn how and why Dubcek introduced a series of reforms to give his people greater freedoms. Having analysed the reforms, students have to decide if they were social, political or economic and which problems were the greatest threat to the stability of Czechoslovakia in 1968. Students will also study Dubcek’s road map to peace and are asked some challenging questions using the information provided. The Soviet reaction is evaluated in a series of options for the students to choose and some differentiated source analysis. Finally, the impact of the Brezhnev doctrine is assessed for Czechoslovakia, relations between the satellite states, relations between the USA and the Soviet Union as well as the reputation of the USA internationally with their response to the crisis. 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.

The French Revolution The aim of this lesson is to investigate if Napoleon was a hero or villain. Students are introduced to Napoleon and make some initial judgements with reference to his upbringing and his early life. The main task is to analyse some giebn evidence which is focused on his career, personal life, his reforms in France and how he became Emperor of France. They are required to complete their analysis with some extended writing, complete with key words and a writing frame if required. The plenary questions whether we should regard him as a legend with links to people in the modern era. 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.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is to assess and judge the strength of the economy under Henry VIII. Students begin by recapping Henry VII and the measures he undertook to deal with a changing economy. This is then compared to Henry VIII as the students have to test the judgement made by John Guy who said England was ‘economically healthier, more expansive and more optimistic at any time since the Roman occupation’. Students are also required to give an efficient rating on Henry VIII’s policy on the economy and explain if he could have been more efficient (as with a household energy rating). The plenary asks students to expand their explanations, which is a brilliant idea taken from @MrFitzHistory There is some exam practice to complete with a supplied writing frame and markscheme to use if required. 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 and includes suggested teaching strategies.

Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91 The lesson aims to explore the significance of the formation of NATO and the Warsaw Pact Students are given the context of why each organisation was formed and then have to analyse each flag and explain the important of each symbol using prompts to guide them. Furthermore students will need to discover how far Stalin is telling the truth about the Warsaw Pact in a true or false quiz. There is a GCSE practice question on importance to complete with help if required and a model answer given. Finally, students complete a checkpoint retrieval activity and challenge tasks to finish and reinforce the learning of the lesson. 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.

Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship This lesson explores how the Nazis suppressed opposition in Germany through terror, propaganda and coordination. Most student answers on the police state tend to focus on terror and violence, so hopefully this lesson which re-evaluate their thinking to take into account the ideas of indoctrination and persuasion. Students analyse the types of propaganda used as well as control in all spheres of life before having to explain there was little opposition as asked at the beginning of the lesson. They will also judge how effective the different forms of control are such as concentration camps, the Gestapo, the law courts as well as the use of block wardens. By the end of the lesson, the students are given a GCSE practice question to analyse and mark, with guidance on how to achieve the higher marks with a model answer. 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 Norman Conquest This lesson aims to question the qualities of William the Conqueror as the new leader of England. Students will learn and discover that to many of the English, he was a foreigner and a usurper, who spoke French and only favoured his friends. Therefore this lesson focuses on his policies towards those who opposed his rule and the ‘harrying of the north.’ Students have to analyse the threat level posed by many of these rebels (by colour coding thermometers next to each rebellion) as well as evaluating how much control he was able to exert over them, by making judgements using a control ‘o’ meter. There are accompanying worksheets and video links to reinforce the learning. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

The Industrial Revolution This lesson aims to examine and assess factory conditions during the Industrial Revolution. The poor conditions and punishments are explored through the eyes of a pauper apprentice, whose story tells us the harsh discipline, rules and punishments for factory workers. Students have a chance to complete a diary entry and evaluate if life was bad for everyone including using causation equations in the plenary. The lesson alludes to factory owners like Robert Owen who built quality houses, schools, shops with cheap goods and parks for his workers (although factory reform and reformers is dealt with in another lesson). 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.

The Industrial Revolution The aim for writing this lesson is to challenge the traditional view that Jack the Ripper targeted prostitutes or sex workers in Victorian London. Whilst much has been written about the Jack the Ripper and how clever he was to avoid detection, very little has been written about the lives of his victims. Therefore with this in mind, students will learn how difficult it was for Victorian women to lead comfortable lives as marriage, children, work, alcoholism, the workhouse and poverty took its toll on them. Students begin the lesson with an overview by learning what is known about Jack the Ripper, who he killed and how the police had little evidence or clues to go on. There is a video link and a true or false activity to complete this. They will then have to use a number of images to decide how hard life was for Victorian women and the pressures they were under. A differentiated missing word activity can be completed to piece together many of these problems, based on the lives of the five women murdered. A case study of Annie Chapman, the Ripper’s second victim, will centre around her privileged life before alcoholism took over, forcing her to separate from her husband and children as she moved from a village near Windsor Castle to the doss houses of Whitechapel. Here, students have to colour code the main factors and problems which affected her life. An extended writing task can then be completed, with a writing structure and key words given to help if required. The plenary poses some differentiated questions from the learning completed in the lesson. 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. A big thank you goes to Hallie Rubenhold, whose fabulous book ‘The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women killed by Jack the Ripper’ inspired me to write this lesson.

World War I The aim of this lesson is to question how successful Lord Kitchener’s recruitment drive was in 1914 and how ‘frightening’ it might be to sign up. The lesson shows students how the themes of heroism, patriotism, shame and anti-German feeling led to thousands of young men volunteering to join the army. Students are led through video footage, an extract from Private Peaceful and Government posters to analyse how these four key themes were utilised. They also learn about the success in the recruitment of Pals Battalions from the Caribbean and India, to the Footballers Battalion of Walter Tull, as well from towns across the country. They will also learn about the horror and frightening consequences of this policy especially with what happened to the Accrington Pals in 1916. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout the lesson and this unit of study 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 aim of this lesson is to analyse life in a slave plantation. What was a typical day like? How hard was the work? Was it made easier by the invention of the cotton gin? How did they relax if at all in the evening and what were their living quarters like? Learning tasks include comparing a day in their school life with the day of a plantation slave and recognising the hardships endured. Students also have to use a number of sources, which are differentiated according to ability and challenge a statement which suggests a slave’s life wasn’t really that bad. The plenary asks them to use four letters and come up with as many associated words as they can from their learning. The lesson comes with a retrieval practice activity, suggested teaching and learning strategies and is linked to the latest historical interpretations, video clips and debate. The lesson is fully adaptable in PowerPoint format and can be changed to suit.

AQA GCSE 9-1 Elizabethan England, 1568-1603 The overarching aim of this and the subsequent bundle of lessons is to question and explore how Elizabeth tried to assert and establish her authority in the early years of her reign. The lessons are therefore linked together to build up a picture of her difficulties in trying to overcome this. This fourth lesson looks at the significance of marriage for Elizabeth and the subsequent problems it caused her throughout her reign. There are retrieval practice activities to start the lesson including an odd one out task and ‘splatting’ the board to choose the correct answers. Students are introduced to the criteria for why Elizabeth should marry and then check the criteria against the possible suitors, thus coming to a conclusion about the best candidate. There is also a GCSE practice question to answer. There are sentence starters provided for differentiation and the lesson comes complete with fun activities and video footage. 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.

World War II The aim of this lesson is to understand how the British Government prepared for war and if they were successful in doing so. The lesson begins by analysing a source and making inferences about the precautions to be taken in times of war. Furthermore students will also have to decide the Government’s priorities by making judgements as to whether they are low or high, from ideas such as rationing to aid raids or war work to conscription. They will then complete some research focusing on four areas: warning people of air attacks, the Homeguard, the use of gas masks and the blackout. Students will plot what the government did or didn’t do on a grid and then after analysing and processing the evidence, justify their conclusions using a colour coding evaluation table as well as completing an extended written task. The plenary requires students to answer differentiated questions to check their understanding. It 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 American West 1835-1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel This lesson aims to examine the role of the two leaders of the Mormons; Joseph Smith and Brigham Young and the story of the Mormon migration West to Salt Lake City. Students learn the teachings of the Mormons and how isolationist the movement became in the face of so much hostility and persecution. Students have a choice of tasks using key questions or a story board to plot the life of Young and then annotate some text to analyse the leadership qualities of Brigham Young. They also complete a prioritisation activity as well as a planning thinking quilt of Brigham Young to ascertain his successful migration west. There is some GCSE exam question practice on the ‘importance’ question, with help if required and a noughts and crosses quiz at the end to reinforce the learning of the lesson. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some retrieval practice is also included. The resource comes in PowerPoint format is there is a wish to adapt or change.