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.
AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603
The aim of this lesson is to analyse the problems and challenges Elizabeth faced in 1558 and evaluate if the decisions she took were right at the time.
Students begin with some source analysis and decipher some contemporary opinions of Elizabeth.
They also judge the biggest problems and challenges facing her reign at home and abroad, before linking the views people may have had at the time, from a prosperous farmer to a Marian exile or a town councillor.
The final task is to predict which decisions Elizabeth made for finance, the succession, trade and the economy and choosing her Privy Councillors.
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 how much of a threat Catholicism posed to Elizabeth during her reign.
The lesson begins with an analysis of the Northern Rebellion. Was it a direct consequence of the Religious Settlement or simply a Catholic uprising against Elizabeth?
Further analysis focuses on the role played by Seminary and Jesuits priests who came to England to spread the word of Catholicism and reconvert the masses; students have to decide if they had little influence or posed a direct threat to Elizabeth.
Furthermore students judge how significant the measures put in place to tackle these threats were.
Some exam practice is included with help given 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 assess the threat posed by Mary, Queen of Scots throughout her life to Elizabeth.
The lesson begins with some context of Mary’s life and political intrigue before students’ decide her threat to Elizabeth, before she flees to England from Scotland.
In the second part of the lesson, students learn about all the different Catholics plots against Elizabeth involving Mary (Northern Rebellion, Ridolfi, Throckmorton and Babington) examine their impact and assess how Elizabeth and her Privy Council dealt with each in turn.
There is also a diamond nine prioritising exercise as to the main reasons why Elizabeth was so reluctant to execute Mary after the Babington plot.
Some literacy and extract exam practice is also included with help given and a markscheme supplied
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 threat the Puritans posed to Elizabeth and the Religious Settlement.
The lesson begins with a definition and how the Puritans and the Puritam movement were becoming a problem for Elizabeth.
Four areas of Puritanism are analysed - from political influence in Parliament, local reform movements, the Church from within and separatism.
Students analyse and assess the information provided to tackle a practice exam question, with help and prompts given if required, including a detailed markscheme.
The plenary requires the students to discuss and rate how much the threat of Puritanism and religious conflict declined under Elizabeth and the possible reasons for this.
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 strengths and weaknesses of Elizabeth’s government and her ministers.
Students will analyse a number of key institutions of Government ranging from Parliament, the Royal Court and the Privy Council on a national level to Justices of the Peace, Sheriffs and Lord Lieutenants on a local level.
There are a number of slides within this PowerPoint and it is therefore recommended to deliver it over two lessons.
Students will also learn details of conflicts Elizabeth had with Parliament and her Privy Council, the power and factions which developed in her reign and how she was able to overcome these through her diplomacy and strength of character.
A 20 question quiz concludes the lesson as well as some exam question practice if required, with some guidance and a mark scheme provided.
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 give the context of the religious changes that have happened to the Church in England since the reign of Henry VIII.
Students begin by focusing on the different religions present in England under Elizabeth, such as Lutheranism, Catholicism, Puritanism and Presbyterianism.
They are given a religious road map to complete before analysing the political situation in Europe in 1558 and the threats posed by the Catholic states of France and Spain.
Finally they assess Elizabeth’s personal beliefs and the state of the English Church at the beginning of her reign, before predicting how Elizabeth will tackle religion and religious policy upon her accession to the throne.
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 importance of courtship and marriage for Elizabeth.
Students begin the lesson by recapping the importance of marriage for previous Tudor monarchs and the reasons for their choice of partner.
They then decide who is Elizabeth’s best suitor and what benefits they might bring politically to England
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. .
There are some key questions posed to the students as well as judging the relevance of some historians points of view, such as Doran, Haig and Jordan.
Some source scholarship can be completed with a themed linked plenary to Elizabeth and the marriage question.
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 and impact of Elizabeth’s Religious Settlement.
Students begin by analysing the various intricacies of the Religious Settlement, from the Royal Injunctions, the Thirty-Nine Articles, the Book of Common Prayer to the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity.
Using this information, they then have to decide which historian’s viewpoint appears the more accurate on the settlement and Elizabethan religious policy and explain why.
Moreover students have to discover which parts of the settlement are from Elizabeth’s own personal beliefs and which parts did she have to compromise on.
There is some exam practice to complete if required with help and prompts given.
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 to what extend Elizabeth presided over a Golden Age.
Students are first introduced to the concept of an Elizabethan Golden Age.
They focus on achievements in the arts, popular culture, improved communication and education, patronage and increasing wealth to decide to what extent a Golden Age existed or whether it was a myth created by a very astute monarch who used propaganda extremely cleverly to put across a cult of Gloriana.
A detailed markscheme accompanies some exam practice towards the end of the lesson.
There are video links and images to accompany the lesson, culminating in some exam question practice at the end., together with a detailed markscheme.
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 success of Elizabethan exploration and colonisation.
Students are first introduced to the most influential seafarers and martime explorers of the age: Drake, Hawkins and Raleigh.
Students are required to evaluate the significance of their activities, such as slave trading, the colonisation of Virginia and overseas expansion and attacks on Spanish shipping as a result of the attack on Sir Francis Drake at San Juan de Ulua.
They also analyse the reasons why exploration increased with new ship design and navigational techniques.
As well as focusing on Drake’s epic circumnavigation of the globe and the enormous revenue he generated for the crown, some misconceptions are also clarified such as what colonisation meant to the Elizabethans and how much overseas trade expanded as a result of voyages to the New World.
There is some exam practice to complete if required, which questions if Drake’s exploits were the main cause of hostilities with Spain. There is an accompanying markscheme to help.
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 how successful Elizabeth’s policy of plantation in Ireland really was.
Students begin by plotting areas on a map of Ireland and are required to explain previous Tudor policy in Ireland with some prompts when needed.
After being given the context to Ireland in 1558, they then analyse Elizabeth’s colonisation policy in Ireland and rate how effective each attempt was, bearing in mind a number of Irish rebellions such as Shane and Hugh O’Neill were ignited by it.
There is some exam extract analysis practice to complete if required on Elizabethan policy in Ireland, complete with markscheme.
The plenary focuses on some interactive flashcards which recall the learning in 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.
Migration Nation
The aim of this lesson is to assess the impact the Windrush Generation and Caribbean migration made upon Britain post World War II.
This lesson is the second part out of two focusing on Caribbean migration to Britain.
The lesson begins with the analysis of why people on board the Empire Windrush came to Britain. There is an accompanying passenger list excerpt, with differentiated questions for the students. Furthermore there is some source scholarship to complete on a newspaper report from the time.
As well as focusing on the positives of culture brought with this post war immigration and the current Notting Hill Carnival, there are also negatives to evaluate such as racism, prejudice and discrimination faced by many who settled in Britain.
Students are required to analyse key information before completing an extended writing exercise with key words and scaffolding to help if required. There is also a challenge to students to explain how these problems might and should have been overcome from the outset.
The plenary is in the style of a ‘Have I got news for you’ quiz.
There are video links to also accompany the lesson.
The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and edited to suit.
The lesson is differentiated, fully resourced and includes suggested teaching strategies.
The British Empire
This lesson focuses on the upheaval of the lives of the indigenous peoples of Australia with the coming of the Europeans.
The lesson starts by looking at their customs and traditions and how these were quickly attacked through the attitudes and settlements of the colonists. A ‘Horrible Histories’ version of events is also scrutinised and questioned on its accuracy of Australian indigenous history .
I have included some comprehension questions and source scholarship using an extract from the brilliant ‘Empireland’ by Sathnam Sanghera which explains the atrocities committed in Tasmania by the colonists.
Paintings from Governor Davey of Van Diemen’s Land can also analysed so the students are able to prioritise the most significant changes the colonists made to Australia and the legacy of the British Empire.
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.
Migration Nation
The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the impact of South Asian migration to Britain since the 1800s.
The lesson begins with case studies on the Lascars and Anyars and an analysis of their contribution and impact to British migration from the Indian sub continent.
There are four differentiated case studies on success stories from migrants in the 1800s and students will be required to decide who was the most successful, using some key criteria to judge the part they played.
Students are also required to put the events of migration from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh after the partition of India in chronological order.
They will finally complete some source question practice to explain the challenges faced by many of the migrants in multicultural Britain.
The plenary is a mood board which will allow students to express their knowledge as well as their judgements of migration.
The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and edited to suit.
The lesson is differentiated, fully resourced and includes suggested teaching strategies.
Migration Nation
The aim of this lesson is to assess the impact of the Bristol Bus Boycott and the murder of Stephen Lawrence in the fight against discrimination and on the British justice system.
This lesson is split into two parts.
The first part of the lesson focuses on the Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963. Students will discover the causes and consequences of the decision by the Bristol Omnibus company to not hire Black or Asian workers as bus drivers or conductors.
Students will complete some source scholarship on the events which followed this discrimination and assess its impact with changes in the law on civil rights using some scaffolding to complete some extended writing practice.
The second part of the lesson focuses on the death of Stephen Lawrence. Students learn what happened to him and examine the subsequent flawed police investigation. They then analyse the main details of the Macpherson Report and have to desipher some key words in a literacy focus from the report, with help given if required.
There is a quick fire quiz to finish to consolidate the learning this the lesson.
There are some excellent video links to also accompany the lesson.
The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and edited to suit.
The lesson is differentiated, fully resourced and includes suggested teaching strategies.
Migration Nation
The aim of this lesson is to assess the impact and value of Eastern European migration to Britain.
The lesson begins with an introduction to Eastern European migration to Britain from the 1600s.
Students then complete some source analysis on identity papers as part of the Kindertransport during World War II. There is a reading activity to accompany the source giving its context and a literacy check to complete.
Students learn about Eastern European contributions to the British war effort between 1939-1945, including the bravery of Polish pilots in the Battle of Britain and complete a missing word activity to gauge their impact in outcome of the war.
Finally students evaluate the significance of the Polish Resettlement Act of 1947 and resettlement camps that were established to house many Eastern Europeans after the war as well as the repercussions of Brexit on migration to Britain.
They is some extended exam style question practice to complete, which is differentiated, to focus on the value of Eastern European migration to Britain. There is sentence scaffolding to help if required.
The plenary is an unscramble of key words used in the lesson.
The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and edited to suit.
The lesson is differentiated, fully resourced and includes suggested teaching strategies.
This bundle is the second part in a series of lessons I have created for AQA GCSE 9-1 Britain: Health and the People, c.1000-present.
I have taught this course for more than 20 years now and have again decided to completely overhaul my lessons to bring them up to date with the latest teaching and learning ideas I have picked up and with a focus on the new 9-1 GCSE.
Furthermore I have dispensed with learning objectives to focus on specific enquiry based questions which address the knowledge and skills required for the GCSE questions.
As well as focusing on GCSE exam practice questions, the lessons are all differentiated and are tailored to enable the students to achieve the highest grades.
The lessons will allow students to demonstrate (AO1) knowledge and understanding of the key features and characteristics of the period studied from the brilliance of the surgical skills of John Hunter to the discovery of the vaccination for smallpox by Edward Jenner.
They will study (AO2) second-order concepts such as change and continuity in the development of ideas about disease and the causes and consequences for surgery with the discovery and anaesthetics and antiseptics.
The analysis and evaluation of sources (AO3) are used in for example Public Health in the 19th Century whilst substantiated judgements are made (AO4) on the progression or regression of medicine from the Renaissance pioneers such as Vesalius, Pare and Harvey to the discovery and isolation of germs by Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch.
The lessons are as follows:
L8 Renaissance Medicine
L9 Medicine in the 17th and 18th Century (free resource)
L10 John Hunter
L11 Edward Jenner and smallpox
L12 Surgery in the 19th Century
L13 Florence Nightingale and hospitals
L14 Pasteur, Koch and Tyndall
L15 Public Health in the 19th Century
The lessons are fully adaptable in PowerPoint and can be changed to suit.
Please note that setting a full mock examination in class after completing this unit is strongly recommended.
All the examination resources and markschemes are subject to copyright but can easily be found on the AQA website.
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AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603
I have produced this bundle of resources on Edward VI and Mary I to help A level history students access the course and make some of the ideas, themes and concepts of the Tudors more comprehensible.
Edward VI: Most of the historiography of Edward places him at the periphery of the reign. However this bundle of lessons challenges this view and sets out to reappraise his monarchy.
Therefore the enquiry question throughout this bundle of resources will be to question how fit was Edward to rule during his reign.
Students will learn how cold and callous Edward could be from his chronicle and how much of a leading role and contribution he played in the English Reformation.
They will judge the significance of the Dukes of Somerset and Northumberland and how they tackled the problems of finance, the economy, law and order, religion and foreign policy.
Students will also compare the two Dukes and decide whose rule could be judged a success and why ultimately they both fell from grace.
Finally they will about the key reformers and the new Evangelicals during the reign of Edward VI such as Archbishop Cranmer, Bishop John Fisher and John Hooper and the impact they had on the Edwardian Reformation.
Mary I: Mary’s reign has traditionally been given a negative historiography. This bundle of lessons will challenge this interpretation and whilst justifying it in some cases, also argue that Mary was in many instances courageous, decisive, successful and determined.
Therefore the enquiry question throughout this bundle of resources will be to question if a woman was fit to rule England.
Students will learn the background to which Mary ascended the throne, assess her priorities as Queen and challenge the traditional view of Mary from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.
They will evaluate the significance of her Government and the role of Parliament as well as her marriage to Philip II of Spain and the consequences this brought as she was sucked into the Habsburg-Valois conflict, with the loss of Calais.
Furthermore they will compare and contrast the Counter Reformation with the religious changes introduced by Edward and the wider implications of Mary’s reforms with Marian martyrs.
Finally, students will judge the similarities of the economic situation she inherited from her half brother and the differences she made in laying many of the foundations for the success of subsequent monarchs.
The lessons are as follows:
L1 Introduction to Edward
L2 The rise of Somerset (free resource)
L3 Rule of Somerset
L4 Rise of Northumberland
L5 Rule of Northumberland
L6 The Edwardian Reformation
L7 Introduction to Mary I
L8 Aims of Mary I
L9 Mary I and her government
L10 Mary I marriage and Wyatt’s Rebellion
L11 The Counter Reformation
L12 Marian Martyrs
L13 Mary’s Foreign Policy
L14 Mary I and the economy
The lessons include the two types of exam question used, with examples of how to tackle them, using helpful hints and tips, structuring and scaffolding as well as markschemes. However, please refer to the AQA website for further assessment materials as they are subject to copyright.
The lessons are also differentiated and fully resourced and allow students to reach the very top marks.
This is the third bundle of resources I have created for this unit and hope to complete the rest of the course very soon.
If you have any questions about the lessons, please email me via my TES shop, or any other information about the course.
I would also welcome any reviews, which would be gratefully appreciated.
AQA GCSE 9-1 Elizabethan England, 1568-1603
These lessons focus on Elizabethan society from wealth, status and the latest fashions of the time, an analysis of the Elizabethan theatre and Tudor exploration and trade.
There is also a lesson for the Historic Environment Questions of 2023 on Sheffield Manor Lodge.
The lessons are enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning.
Each lesson aims to challenge the students and focuses on how to answer a GCSE practice question set in the exam.
These range from how convincing is the source, write an account and how significant.
For further assessment materials, please visit the AQA website for specimen questions and answers.
The lessons are as follows:
L1: Wealth Status and fashion
L2: Elizabethan Theatre
L3: The Golden Age (free resource)
L4: Poverty and the Poor Law of 1601
L5: Famous explorers (focus on Drake, Hawkins and Raleigh)
L6: Planning the Spanish Armada
L7: Planning for the Spanish Armada
L8: Defeat of the Spanish Armada
All the resources include suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and come in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
Any reviews would be gratefully received.
This bundle follows the Key Stage 3 National Curriculum - challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world, 1901 to the present day with a focus on the rise of Dictators
The aims of this bundle are to know and assess the characters and personalities of a number of Dictators of the Twentieth Century and understand how they have shaped our history today.
I have also created and used these lessons to challenge and engage students and to show how much fun learning about this part of history really is.
Students will learn and understand key historical skills throughout such as change and continuity in Dictatorships of the Twentieth Century, the causes and consequences of Castro’s Cuban Revolution and the similarities and differences of Dictators such as Hitler and Stalin.
They will also learn about the significance of the abdication of Tsar Nicholas and his subsequent murder, the execution of Saddam Hussein as well as interpretations as to how much love their was for Chairman Mao in China.
The lessons are as follows:
L1 Tsar Nicholas
L2 Adolf Hitler
L3 Josef Stalin
L4 Benito Mussolini
L5 Chairman Mao
L6 Fidel Castro
L7 Saddam Hussein
L8 Idi Amin
L9 Robert Mugabe
L10 Francisco Franco (free resource)
This bundle includes some retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials.
All lessons come in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.
