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.
The American West, c 1835-c1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel
This lesson aims to explore the strengths and weaknesses of the Homestead Act of 1862.
What was the Homestead Act and who could apply? How did the US
Government make it easier for US citizens to become Homesteaders from what had happened previously?
Students will also be required to think and judge who really benefitted from it. Was it all US Citizens who benefitted or did anyone else? Were the Plains Indians considered when this Act was passed and how did it affect them? There are notes on the slides to help.
Students are required to complete a GCSE ‘importance’ practice question and are challenged to think why each specific term was significant.
The plenary requires connecting and linking key words and dates.
The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some retrieval practice is also included using an odd one out activity.
It comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
The American West, c1835-c1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel
This lesson focuses on the impact of Pacific Railroad Act of 1842.
Students analyse maps and original advertisements to evaluate how effective the railroad companies were in encouraging people to move west and the difficulties involved in building a railroad in the first place.
They focus on the effects of the American Civil War and judge the economic impact of the railroad in terms of travel, immigration, the rise of towns, farming as well as the growth of the cattle industry.
They also have to determine the negative impacts the railroad had on the Plains Indians and the Buffalo.
There is some GCSE exam practice on the ‘consequences’ question, with help given if required.
The plenary requires thinking around the popular head, heart, bin and bag activity.
The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some key word retrieval practice is also included using a spider diagram.
It comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
The American West, c1835-c1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel
The aim of this lesson is to understand the rise of the cattle industry and the impact it had on the American West.
Students are given a Texan Cattle Industry Thinking Quilt which introduces them to new concepts and key words.
They are introduced to Joseph McCoy and have to decipher a number of statements relating to him which have specific errors in them to correct.
They analyse various texts and video links on the Goodnight-Loving Trail as well as the rise of John Iliff and have to work out relating statistics as well as key questions which aim to challenge assumptions and beliefs.
There is some GCSE exam practice on the ‘consequences’ question, with help given if required.
The plenary is a talking heads activity.
The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some retrieval practice on source recall is also included.
It comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
The American West 1835-1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel
The aim of this lesson is to explore the problems of the rapid rising of mining towns and the lawlessness they created.
Students complete a Head and Tails activity and a thinking quilt which challenges them to decide the greatest changes as well as the most important and biggest impact the early towns and settlements brought.
There is some GCSE exam question practice on the ‘importance question’, with some help given if required.
The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some retrieval practice using an A-Z task is also included.
It 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 introduce the Fort Laramie Treaty and how the Government began to force the Plains Indians into fixed territories.
Students have to decide and justify why conflict and tension grew between the Plain Indians and white settlers, with some red herrings thrown in for challenge.
The terms of the Fort Laramie Treaty are given, which the students should learn and a printable worksheet is provided.
They also have to rate the success of each term and/or fact about the Treaty by colour coding a battery and then deciding the problems each might cause. A quick fire quiz also will reinforce their learning.
There is some GCSE question practice on the consequences question, with some help given if required.
A play your cards right plenary (complete with music) will test chronology and understanding from this and previous lessons.
The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some retrieval practice is also included on the first slide on treaties.
It comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
The American West, c1835-c1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel
This lesson aims to assess the importance of Billy the Kid in the continued problems of law and order in the West.
Students learn about his story from a young age to him acquiring his notorious reputation and have to emoji rate each part of it to judge how bad he really was.
They have to give reasons for each of their judgements before they give an overall assessment of his life. There is an excellent link to a documentary to reinforce the learning.
There is some follow up exam question practice using the ‘importance’ question worth 8 marks, with help given if needed.
The plenary uses key letters of the alphabet to link to the learning of the lesson.
The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some recall retrieval practice is also included linking their prior knowledge of law and order in the towns
It comes in Powerpoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.
The American West, c1835-c1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel
The aim of this lesson is to analyse the large scale mass migration of black Americans to Kansas in 1879.
Students are introduced to a picture called ‘American Progress’, painted in 1872 and have to decide how and why it promotes the inhuman treatment of native Americans.
They also have to answer the following key questions: Where does the word Exoduster come from? Who was Benjamin Singleton and why was there a mass migration of black Americans to Kansas in 1879?
Furthermore they have to pick part and decipher the causes and consequences of this mass migration to Kansas and why black Americans received a positive as well as a negative reaction from white Americans living there.
The plenary uses boxing gloves to spark a number of discussions amongst the students and what they have understood in this and previous lessons.
There is some follow up exam question practice using the ‘consequences ’ question worth 8 marks, with help given if needed.
The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some recall retrieval practice is also included which involves splatting bubbles.
It comes in Powerpoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.
The American West, c1835-c1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel
The aim of this lesson is to recognise the implications of the passing of the Dawes Act of 1887 and the final assimilation of the Plains Indians by the US Government.
Students begin and end the lesson with a retrieval wheel using key words they have to define, which have been used throughout the course.
Students are also challenged into deciding which policies went before or after 1887 and what constituted this new change in direction.
They analyse the Dawes Act in detail and make inferences from it before they evaluate its impact on the Plains Indians.
There is also some source analysis to complete as well as colour coding a thinking quilt linking key terms and their definitions.
The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies.
It comes in Powerpoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.
Suffragettes
The aim of this lesson is to evaluate how much the vote gave independence to women in the roaring twenties.
Students have to assess how and why women became more confident and empowered with new technology and the introduction of the reckless flapper, shocking society with her wild behaviour.
There is video evidence, text mapping and source analysis for the students to complete to aid them in justifying their decisions.
Students will also evaluate the role of four pioneering women in a differentiated task by colour coding batteries to rate their contribution to ‘girl power’.
There is a chance to complete some extended writing using importance words as well as adding appositives to simple sentences in the plenary.
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.
Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91
This lesson focuses on the Satellite States created by the Soviet Union.
Students will be encouraged to question how far these states were willing participants in communism and happy to be part of a Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
There is some source analysis as well as differentiated questioning to help them unpick the events which followed the fall of Berlin in 1945.
Furthermore they will evaluate how each eastern country fell into line with the Soviet Union and plot if it was through intimidation and threats and how much they resisted this control.
The plenary asks the students to think outside the box and link particular events to key images.
The final part of the lesson is some GCSE question practice on the ‘narrative account’ with some help given and a markscheme if required.
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 question practice.
It also comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91
This lesson aims to re-evaluate the importance of Berlin in 1958 during the Cold War.
Students recap on previous events of the Berlin Blockade and Airlift using some retrieval practice.
They will also decide which statements fits the criteria of being on the West or East side of Berlin and therefore evaluate why they was a brain drain crisis for the Soviet Union.
Students will also learn about the Berlin Ultimatum and with some GCSE question practice evaluate the consequences of this as well as the summits organised by both sides.
The final task is to answer some differentiated questions focusing on the learning 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 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 aim of this lesson is to analyse African American experiences in the Civil War.
The lesson begins by students exploring the reasons why the law changed, allowing black people to join the US army
Some video footage and statistics give an insight into some of the experiences black people encountered, before students complete a thinking quilt linking key terms to events in the Civil War as well as challenge questions.
Students also have to evaluate the significance of black regiments by analysing a quote from Frederick Douglass at the time and deciding which statements apply and fit the criteria, before justifying their choices.
An interactive blockbusters plenary questions their knowledge from the lesson and checks understanding.
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.
Rise of Dictators
The aim of this lesson is to decide if Idi Amin was either an idiot or just simply evil.
Students learn about his early life with an absent father and a poor education, completing a missing word exercise, Thus their initial leanings of sympathy towards him may lead them to question the aims of the lesson.
However they will soon have to analyse information of how he came to power and his subsequent rule of Uganda.
By rating each episode of his life, this should be able to challenge their original assertions and begin to make valid judgements about him. Further video evidence will enable them to make an overall evaluation on his reign as Ugandan President.
Being a heavyweight boxing champion of Uganda gives a nice link to a ‘boxing’ debate on his leadership qualities and personality.
The debate also recaps on some key words used as with the plenary which requires them to complete a literacy race.
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.
Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, 1060-87
This resource sets out the whole course in two sides of A4.
This is ideal for the student who wants a quick recap and summary before the exam or an internal assessment, as it sets out and gives all the main knowledge required.
It is also great for quickly printing and giving out for revision lessons, especially when the students claim they cannot remember anything you have taught!
It covers the main events, issues and people connected to the topic, with a focus on the exam requirements at the beginning.
I have included both PDF and word documents in case there is a wish to adapt and change.
AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603
The aim of this lesson is to understand how and why Wolsey rose to become Henry VIII’s chief minister.
Students are at first given a quick summary of Wolsey’s rise and subsequent fall from power with some differentiated questions to answer.
A more detailed and in depth study with some focused reading will require them to assess Wolsey’s character and strengths on his rise to prominence and then give an analytical written account using key evidence.
The plenary focuses on some key spellings, knowledge and statistics learned in the lesson.
There is some question practice to complete if required, together with a writing frame focusing on the factors helping Wolsey in cementing his position as Henry’s right hand man.
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 early problems Henry faced as King.
Students begin by prioritising the problems he faced and also deciding if they were short or long term.
There is also some focus reading where they will be required to take notes by categorising the information required.
Some video analysis using David Starkey will also give some context to the start of Henry’s reign.
There is some exam practice to complete with a supplied writing frame and an introductory model answer 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.
AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603
The aim of this lesson is discuss and debate the ‘virtues’ of Cardinal Wolsey.
Students are given various interpretations of Cardinal Wolsey’s time in office. They have to decide which of these best fits his character.
They are given a number of sources to interpret and analyse before making they make own conclusions in front of their peers.
Students will then be able to complete a source based exam practice question, with a writing frame and markscheme provided.
The last part of the lesson revisits the head, heart, bin, bag scenarios.
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.
Conflicts and conquest, The American West c.1876-c1895.
This bundle is the third part in a series of lessons I have created for Edexcel GCSE 9-1 The American West, c.1835-c1895
Students will be assessed on their knowledge and understanding of the conflicts and conquest with changes in the farming industry, the cattle industry and settlement.
Students will learn about the establishment of law and order across the period. They will recognise the significance of key people such as Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid and Benjamin Singleton.
They will study the destruction of the Plain Indians way of life with events such as the Wounded Knee Massacre as well as the Range Wars and extermination of the Buffalo.
Lessons will also target the cause and consequence of US government policy with the Dawes Act of 1887 and the declaration of the disappearance of an Indian Frontier.
I have dispensed with individual learning objectives for each lesson to focus throughout on a specific enquiry based question which addresses the knowledge and skills required for the GCSE questions and shows progression in learning required during this course.
Moreover it allows the students to critically think for themselves to decide who was benefitting from this rapid change to America as well as how and why.
The lessons are as follows:
L21 Changes to farming on the Plains
L22 Changes in the Cattle Industry
L23 Exoduster Movement
L24 Billy the Kid
L25 Wyatt Earp
L26 Battle of Little Big Horn
L27 Wounded Knee Massacre
L28 Range Wars
L29 Extermination of the Buffalo
L30 Dawes Act of 1887
For assessment purposes each lesson is accompanied by one of the three exam questions with help and exam tips given if needed. These can be completed in the lesson or for homework tasks if required.
The lessons are all differentiated and are tailored to enable the students to achieve the highest grades.
The lessons come in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
Conflict and Tension 1918-1939
The aim of this lesson is to explore the reasons why Mussolini invaded Abyssinia.
Throughout the lesson, students will be required to analyse the reasons as to why, in the face of unprovoked hostility and belligerence, the League of Nations did little to stop Italian aggression against Abyssinia and why Britain and France went out of their way to appease Mussolini.
At first, students will recap on the previous dealings Mussolini had with the League of Nations in the Corfu incident.
They will then evaluate the role of the League and its clear inability to act decisively, even before Britain and France undermined its very foundations.
When students have built up a clear picture of the whole incident, they are then ready to tackle a ‘write an account’ question.
The plenary is an A-Z tasks using the key words and events from 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, some retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
Conflict and Tension 1918-1939
The aim of this lesson is to analyse the thoughts of France, Britain, the USA and Russia and their reaction to Hitler’s foreign policy.
Students are also introduced to Britain’s policy of appeasement and have to rate how effective negotiating with Hitler might be.
Students have a choice of task from answering a GCSE question, to a balloon debate or to making flashcards to reinforce their learning.
The plenary asks them to evaluate a number of silhouettes in a crowd and which character would best represent the Allied leaders.
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, some retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
