World War II The aim of this lesson is to understand how the Allies won the Battle of the Atlantic, a phrase coined by Winston Churchill during the war. Churchill himself felt this was one of the most serious threats facing the Allies and therefore during the lesson, students have to evaluate and explain how serious the threat was, before analysing the different ways the Allies subsequently reduced the threat of the U boats. Students learn why the Atlantic was so vital to Britain and how the U boat wolf packs impacted on supplies and rationing in Britain. There is various video footage to use from the BBC, as well as the boasts of Uncle Albert from Only Fools and Horses. A find and fix activity for the plenary checks student understanding of the lesson and allow them to discuss what they have learnt. 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 retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and 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 why it introduced rationing. The lesson begins by deciding which foods were rationed and why. Students will also have to work out which foods also became unavailable and the reasons for this. There has always been an assumption that as foods were rationed and restricted, people on the Home Front therefore struggled to make ends meet. Students are given information on all the goods rationed and compare this to the recommended weekly healthy intake per person today. As they will soon find out, rationing did not always mean everyone suffered as a result. Students will also be required to analyse the effectiveness of some posters at the time, encouraging people to grow their own food and well as a comprehension task and a challenging thinking quilt on clothes rationing. The plenary uses flashcards to question their understanding of the lesson. The lesson comes complete with embedded videos and a lesson plan on how to use the activities. 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 English Civil War The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the reign of Charles II who was determined to stamp his authority and bring back some sense of ‘normality’ to the country. Students will be given the context of his return with a Head and Tails activity and an excellent video, in which they will have to justify his cautious return. As well as reassessing how his brought back ‘partying’ to the country, some source scholarship requires students to summarise paragraphs and create images and headings to show and clarify understanding. Students will also have to put themselves in the shoes of Charles to sort out some of his problems in the restoration. A ‘talk like an expert’ activity for the plenary will show off their new found knowledge and skills from the lesson. 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 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 assess the personalities and characters of King Louis and Marie Antoinette and how these contributed to the French Revolution. Students are required to build up a picture of the French monarchy using some source scholarship and written accounts from the time. This will enable them to decide and explain the most important reasons why they became so unpopular with the French population. Furthermore, they will be required to chart a popularity rating for each of them and justify their choices, using some extended writing techniques. The plenary uses a summarising pyramid to evaluate and condense what they have learnt in the lesson. The lesson comes with retrieval practice activities, 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. The lesson is fully adaptable in PowerPoint format and can be changed to suit.

The French Revolution The aim of this lesson is to understand the significance of the Tennis Court Oath Students are introduced to some key words before they analyse what tipped the French people over the edge. This includes some interactive slides explaining the rise in prices particularly with bread. The main task is to complete some source scholarship on the Tennis Court Oath, as the events are broken down into sections, with some modelling of how to complete this task if required. There are some key questions on the Tennis Court Oath to summarise, followed by a significance activity, where the students rate each significance by colour coding a thermometer and then justifying their answers and the choices they have made. The lesson comes with retrieval practice activities, 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. The lesson is fully adaptable in PowerPoint format and can be changed to suit.

The Tudors The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the role the Black Tudors played in Tudor society. Students are given the context of the Tudor times, where they use some source scholarship and questioning to decide how and why Black Tudors came to Britain. Students then have to ascertain which roles and forms of employment they had using a dual coding activity to decipher them. There are video links included as well as a thinking quilt, which is designed to challenge concepts and judge the value and importance of their impact upon Tudor England. The main task is some research which requires students to analyse five Black Tudors in some differentiated Case Studies. The plenary concludes by checking what they have learnt in the lesson using an odd one out activity or by linking symbols and images used throughout the lesson. 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.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is assess the change and continuity in government between Henry VIII and his father before him. Students will analyse the workings of government in both Henry’s reigns and decide how much control their had, using a ‘control o’meter’. Students are also introduced to his ministers for the first time in a model answer from which they can complete some exam practice and allocate marks accordingly referring to a markscheme. This will also enable them to see how differently Henry VIII ruled the country in comparison to his father. The plenary using some animated flashcards which the students have to link to Henry and his ministers. 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.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is to assess the skills of Thomas Cromwell as Henry’s chief minister. Students are given the context to Cromwell’s rise to power, before they have to rate and justify the various talents he displayed, particularly in securing the divorce for Henry. They will also make comparisons with Cardinal Wolsey and judge their similarities and differences in office. A noughts and crosses game gets the students thinking and recalling knowledge at the end of the lesson. 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.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is to judge the significance and impact of the Pilgrimage of Grace. Students begin by studying the events of the Lincolnshire Rising and deciding the most important reasons for its causes. They are then required to analyse the motives of the key figure of Robert Aske and the significance of the subsequent Pilgrimage of Grace as well as its banner and its impact upon the north as well as the government of Henry VIII. Students will then be required to map out the resistance of three figures on Henry’s break with Rome and then question why there was in fact such little opposition to Henry at the time. There is an evaluative pyramid to complete for the plenary, before students tackle some exam question practice, with an accompanying planning sheet and markscheme 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.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the success of Northumberland’s rule in comparison to rule of the Duke of Somerset. Students focus from the start on Somerset’s legacy and the dilemmas now facing Northumberland, such as finance, foreign policy, religion and vagrancy. They then have to predict what Northumberland will do at home and abroad before being given the information to allow them to make a judgement of how successful he was. Finally the lesson analyses of the Treaty of Boulogne and Somerset’s foreign policy. There is some exam question practice to complete at the end, using sources , with help, prompts and a markscheme is 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.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is analyse the rise of the Duke of Northumberland to power. Students are given a timeline of Northumberland’s life and the significant events in his rule during Edward’s reign. They can also complete some source scholarship with views from various historians summarising his governorship. Students also complete a multi-choice quiz on the succession as Northumberland looked to install Lady Jane Gray on the throne and learn the consequences of his political naivety. Points are awarded to give a competitive edge and find out who has clear political acumen in the group. The plenary compares the Dukes of Somerset and Northumberland and what their major differences were. 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.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is to question whether Edward was fit to rule from the start. Students are given some context into previous child Kings of England and their problems as well as some analysis of his Chronicle, which show him to be somewhat cold and callous. Some excellent video links make reference to Edward’s early years and growing up. Students are also challenged to predict what Edward might have done if he had ruled on his own. There is some guided reading to complete with a focus on Edward’s attitude to kingship, his personality and character and main influences. The plenary tests their knowledge in a real or rubbish activity and which also aims to dispel some popular myths about Edward. 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.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is assess the success or failure of Somerset’s domestic and foreign policies. From the beginning students learn about the financial crisis left by Henry VIII and how the Scottish war (including a case study of the Battle of Pinkie) meant that Somerset merely exacerbated rather than solved it. They then have to rate how ‘disastrous’ his foreign policy was in Scotland. They will also evaluate the significance of the Western and Norfolk rebellions by examining their causes, events and Somerset’s response to both of them. Students will then be required to judge his leadership skills. The plenary uses the octagon to discuss the learning from the lesson. There is some exam practice to complete if required, together with a planning sheet, markscheme and prompts to help the students. 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.

The aim of this lesson is to analyse why slaves escaped from their masters and evaluate the significance of Harriet Tubman. The lesson begins by asking why slaves ran away and how would they prepare for it. Some source scholarship focuses on an advert placed in 1838 to retrieve a runaway slave. Key questions on inference require students to analyse and read between the lines on why the owner was desperate to recapture the slave. The second part of the lesson examines the underground railroad and the roles of those who helped the escapees and relocate to the northern states. Harriet Tubman was instrumental in this and students undertake an extended written piece on her significance. Finally some famous escapes are highlighted and debated by the students as to which were the most daring, interesting, lucky and famous. 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.

This lesson is the sequel to the murder of Thomas Becket (Part 1). The students have to question if Henry II was really sorry for the murder of Becket or whether he used his public apology merely as a publicity stunt. The lesson begins by asking them how horse hair, a whip, bare feet and a shrine are connected to the lesson. As the story unravels, they learn what Henry II did as a penitence for the murder, and how he attempted to atone for his actions. They plot this on a graph which allows them to analyse and evaluate his real motives. They continue to 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 Differentiated tasks Suggested teaching strategies PowerPoint format, which can be changed to suit

World War I This lesson aims to analyse how the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the spark for World War 1 to start. Students will question how frightening the assassination was and the speed of European countries to mobilise for war. As video evidence is used to explain the events that led to the shooting in Sarajevo, an analogy is made to a bar brawl as students try to ascertain the causes of it and link these to the events which unfolded after 28th June, 1914. Students also have to complete a chronological exercise of the events as well as deciding the personalities of the main countries involved. The plenary is a catchphrase check (complete with music) on key words used in the lesson. 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 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.

World War I The aim of this lesson is to understand the importance of the Poppy on Armistice Day. The lesson is split into two parts. The first part of the lesson analyses the causes of the war ending in 1918. Using a causal spiders web (an idea taken from Emily Thomas), students link the ideas together by drawing lines and then justify their reasons to create a spider’s web. The second part of the lesson analyses the significance of the use of the Poppy with students giving their own reasons for this on the poppy leaves (a template is included). They then have to prioritise the most important reasons why the Government introduced Poppy Day with a diamond nine activity. Students also have the chance to evaluate John McCrae’s in Flanders poem with some ‘clever question stems’. This 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 Holocaust This lesson explores the significance of two shoes found at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Students begin to ask questions about them, relating to their state, gender, laces and condition to final decide what we know for sure about the owners. There are differentiated questions given for those who require extra help. Students are also given the testimony of Rudolf Hoss, the camp commandant of Auschwitz and have to decide which parts of it are the truth or not as the case may be. They are also given the chance to learn why badges were given out to certain inmates or why Primo Levi testified as to how he was able to endure and survive the brutality of Auschwitz until its end. Richard Dimbleby also gives his harrowing account of his first impressions of entering Bergen- Belsen extermination camp. A prioritisation exercise at the end will check recall, retention and understanding at the end of the lesson. 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. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson.

American Civil RIghts This lesson sets out to ask the question if Abraham Lincoln was the ‘Great Emancipator’ that history claims him to be. By analysing his statue at the Washington memorial and using video evidence as well as a brief summary of the 13th Amendment and the American Civil War, students are given evidence (which is differentiated according to ability) from which they question this belief. Their ideas are then presented on a Venn diagram and presented to their peers. A true or false quiz at the end will attempt to consolidate their learning as well as questioning how emancipated the slaves were after the amendment became law. 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.