I am a History Teacher with a love for producing high quality and easily accessible history lessons, which I have accumulated and adapted for over 20 years of my teaching career. I appreciate just how time consuming teaching now is and the difficulty of constantly producing resources for an ever changing curriculum.
I am a History Teacher with a love for producing high quality and easily accessible history lessons, which I have accumulated and adapted for over 20 years of my teaching career. I appreciate just how time consuming teaching now is and the difficulty of constantly producing resources for an ever changing curriculum.
This key word literacy display has been designed to be used on classroom walls (or on display boards outside) when introducing a new History topic to the students.
It is an easy resource to print and will hopefully save an incredible amount of time and effort when incorporating literacy into a new or existing scheme of work. The slides can also be laminated and used as mobiles hanging from the ceiling or used as part of an informative display.
The slides cover the following words and their definitions:
Cavalier. Commonwealth, confess, controversial, civil war, defence, ducking stool, Divine Right, evidence, interregnum, Matthew Hopkins, negotiate, New Model Army, Oliver Cromwell, Puritan, Republic, resonant, Restoration, Roundhead, Rump Parliament, scaffold, scold, ship money, Stuarts, treason, trial, tyrant, witch.
The slides come in PowerPoint format so they are easy to change and adapt.
This key word literacy display has been designed to be used on classroom walls (or on display boards outside) when introducing a new History topic to the students.
It is an easy resource to print and will hopefully save an incredible amount of time and effort when incorporating literacy into a new or existing scheme of work. The slides can also be laminated and used as mobiles hanging from the ceiling or used as part of an informative display.
The slides cover the following words and their definitions:
Alliance, armistice, arms, barbaric, bellicose, conscientious objector, cowardice, desertion, escalate, imperialism, inevitable, Jerry, Kaiser, militarism, munitions, nationalism, naval, propaganda, stalemate, trench foot, tommy, shellshock, shrapnel, trenches, Triple Alliance, Triple Entente, Victoria cross, warfare.
The slides come in PowerPoint format so they are easy to change and adapt.
AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45
The aim of this lesson is to assess the impact of Albert Speer in armaments production.
The lesson begins with a recap of the policies previously mentioned of Hjalmar Schacht and Goering in his Four Year Plan. Students will assess how much of an impact their policies had preparing Germany for war and if the German economy was on the verge of collapse before from 1942.
Students will learn about the background of Speer and how he implemented reforms and efficiency to turn the economy around with his appointment as Armaments Minister and War production.
There is some source analysis to complete together with a true or false quiz at the end of the lesson.
The exam practice will allow students to evaluate the successes of Speer’s policies as well as questioning deep rooted divisions and problems within the economy, which were unreconcilable and ultimately led to its collapse with the defeat of Nazi Germany.
The lesson is quite literacy heavy and may have to be delivered over two lessons.
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.
Crime and Punishment
The aim of this lesson is assess the effectiveness of Tudor and Stuart punishments against the crimes committed in this era.
Students have to plot the different crimes in this era from vagrancy, treason, heresy and witchcraft and how the punishments took on a brutality to an attempt to deter the crimes.
There are key questions asked throughout the lesson and some source analysis of the gunpowder plotters, with prompts and help given if required.
An odd one out plenary to finish will consolidate the learning from 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, fully resourced and includes suggested teaching strategies.
With revision in full swing, I have started to make these revision workbooks, which my Year 11 students love (as an alternative to death by Powerpoint).
We pick certain sections each lesson to revise and come up with model answers and discuss the best way to tackle each question, considering exam time constraints.
I print out the sheets in A5, which the students stick in their books and use to colour code
They answer the questions next to or underneath the sheets.
They can also be used for homework or interleaving.
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
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.
World War I
The aim of this lesson is to question whether the Government was right to punish conscientious objectors during World War 1 and how frightening it was for individuals to refuse.
This is a controversial subject and was extremely difficult to understand and address at the time.
Therefore the lesson explains why many people in World 1 refused to fight, despite government propaganda and pressure from society for them to do so as they became targets of abuse.
Luckily now there is a wealth of video and audio evidence in this lesson (linked to the BBC in particular) which deconstructs and challenges the old arguments of cowardice and shame as well as understanding individuals’ rights to uphold their beliefs and consciences.
Students are given two case studies to analyse before engaging in a mini debate on the right or wrongs to conscientiously object to war.
The plenary challenges them to decide if the given statements from the lesson are true or false.
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.
This lesson links to my previous one on the causes of the Great Fire of London.
In this lesson, students have to decide how lucky London was to have the fire in the first place.
They are introduced to conflicting arguments before they are given a plethora of evidence from which they will be able decide and make judgements on how to break the news to the current Mayor of London.
They are subsequently given argument words to help them construct a persuasive letter.
For extra challenge students have to decide if London was lucky or not in the short and long term and break down the evidence into political, social, economic or religious reasons.
This is a fun, entertaining as well as a challenging lesson and would also suit a non specialist.
The lesson is aimed at key stage 3, but can be delivered at key stage 2 also.
The lesson comes with retrieval practice activities, 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.
Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship
This lesson focuses on Weltpolitik and the dangers for the Kaiser faced with increasing industrialisation in the country and his pursuit of creating an Empire abroad so that ‘Germany could have its place in the sun’.
Included in the lesson are a number of sources and charts, links to videos and information for the students to analyse and evaluate to decide the strength of Germany under the Kaiser and its weakenesses/
Some GCSE exam question practice is included with help given to answer them if required.
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.
Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship
This lesson introduces students to Stresemann and his policies.
The starter is interactive as each student has a character card and will introduce themselves to each other to find out their worries and concerns with Germany between 1918-1923.
At the end of the lesson the students will judge if Stresemann has made their lives better or not and justify their reasons.
Was he a brilliant statesman who solved Germany’s problems or did he just paper over the cracks?
There are a variety of learning tasks for the students to complete which include a quiz where the students pick up points for the correct answers, source analysis, colour coding activities on Stresemann’s economic and political policies as well as a GCSE exam practice question, with help given if required.
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.
Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship
This lesson looks at how Hitler transformed himself and the Nazi Party to be able to secure enough votes to become Chancellor by 1933.
Many GCSE questions centre around why people voted for the Nazis before 1933. This lesson shows how he was able to do this focusing on four main areas: his beliefs, organisation, leadership skills and voters.
How he dressed, spoke, acted and performed in public were crucial in his propaganda assault on the German people.
Students write this up and evaluate the success of this transformation using worksheets, video footage and visual aids.
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.
**AQA GCSE 9-1 Britain: Health and the People, c.1000 to present **
This lesson aims to find out why the public health in Medieval towns was so poor.
Some local councils tried their best, but the laissez-faire attitude of many including the government of the day proved a major hindrance.
Students have to decide the most important issues, both short and long term, causing the poor public health conditions by putting and prioritising the main ‘ingredients’ on shelves ready to put into a cauldron.
There are some fabulous links to video footage as well as a true or false quiz and a game of noughts and crosses to finish.
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 Holocaust
The aim of this lesson is to analyse and evaluate the reasons why anti-Semitism prevailed in Europe and in particular Britain during the Middle Ages.
Students study the causes and consequences of this hatred and jealousy and have to decide and justify why so little was done to defend the Jewish community leading to their expulsion in Norwich.
A case study of Mosse Mokke and his wife Abigale, Jewish tax collectors in Medieval Norwich shows how anti-Semitism was rife in Britain in the Middle Ages and how they were portrayed by the local community.
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 centred around a lightbulb) and build up a picture of how difficult it is to blame a single individual or event for this catastrophe.
There is some excellent video footage to accompany the lesson and printable worksheets which are differentiated.
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.
Edexcel 9-1 Medicine in Britain, Thematic study and historic environment
This double lesson aims to explain the treatment soldiers received on the battlefield for their injuries and the new treatments available or being developed to aid their recovery.
Students will analyse and evaluate the work of the RAMC, F.A.N.Y, V.A.D.'s as well as the role played by Regimental Aid Posts, Advanced Dressing Stations, Casualty Clearing Stations and Base Hospitals,
There is also a case study of the underground hospital at Arras.
They will focus on the significant advances in the treatment of the wounded including the Thomas Splint, the Carrel-Dakin method of using a sterilised salt solution in the wound, mobile and static x-ray units and portable blood transfusion kits as well as the ability to store blood.
Furthermore there are case studies involving the pioneering work of brain surgeon Harvey Cushing and the reconstructive facial surgery of Harold Gillies,
Activities include recall and retrieval, evaluation and analysis, summarising, discussion and debate, source analysis, the use of video evidence as well as GCSE exam question practice.
The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies.
It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.
Edexcel 9-1 Medicine in Britain, Thematic study and historic environment
This lesson aims to show the devastating effect upon the soldiers, both physically and mentally from the new technological advances in warfare used at the beginning of the twentieth century.
The weapons analysed, for example, include the use of the Lee Enfield Rifle, the machine gun, grenades, artillery shells as well as the use of gas.
Activities include retrieval practice, the evaluation of the weapons used and their effect on the soldiers, the use of video evidence, a true or false and noughts and crosses quiz as well as GCSE question practice, with help given if required.
The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies.
It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.
Edexcel 9-1 Medicine in Britain, Thematic study and historic environment
This lesson aims to show how fighting in the trenches led to terrible injuries, infection and problems in treated the wounded.
Students judge which medical conditions were the worst and rate them according to their severity.
Case studies include trench foot and shellshock with an excellent BBC link to treating infection on the battlefield.
They also learn the difficulties of transporting the wounded and which facilities were available for this at the beginning of 1914 and how this changed over time.
Activities include recall and retrieval, evaluation and judgement, discussion and debate, a thinking quilt linking ideas together, as well as GCSE question practice, with help given if required.
The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies.
It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.
This 42 page revision guide is tailored to the Edexcel Medicine Through Time c.1250 to present specification for GCSE 9-1. It is broken down into 5 main sections: Medieval Medicine, Renaissance Medicine, Medicine in 18th and 19th Century, Modern Medicine and the Historic Environment, British sector of the Western Front .
This revision guide includes 29 GCSE practice exam questions throughout on the main questions and gives examples on how to answer each using model answers.
This will enable all learners to achieve the higher grades required by the exam board, including the skills of description, explanation, interpretation, change and continuity, source utility and cause and consequence.
The information is also broken down into an easy to use format to aid the students in their revision programme.
This Guide has been designed to be engaging, detailed and easy to follow and can be edited and changed to suit with both PDF and Word files included.
It can be used for revision, interleaving, home learning as well as class teaching.
Any reviews on this resource would be much appreciated. Please email me for a free copy of any of my resources worth up to £3.50 if you do.
The American West 1835-1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel
This lesson explores the significance of the Buffalo to the Plains Indians way of life.
Students learn about how survival depended on the Buffalo for everything as they analyse which parts of the Buffalo are used for what and how each part had a significance. They can map this out on a printable worksheet.
There is an excellent video link to Ray Mears and his brilliant American West series.
The final part of the lesson introduces the students to the ‘importance’ question and some tips on how to tackle it for GCSE exam question practice. Some answers for peer assessment are given if required.
The plenary requires students to answer questions to reveal a catchphrase from the lesson.
The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some sentence starters for retrieval practice are also included.
It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.
The American West 1835-1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel
The aim of this lesson is to analyse some of the problems the early settlers faced moving west onto the Great Plains.
Students have to work out the initial problems through various images and think through how they could solve these.
They also have to decide how to deal with the swarms of locusts that descended on the Great Plain such as in 1874 when an estimated 120 billion grasshoppers devastated over 300,000 square kilometres of land.
There is some GCSE exam question practice on the consequences question with some help given if required.
The plenary requires students to use dice to pick and link key words together to create sentences.
The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some retrieval practice with talking heads is also included on the front slide.
It comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.