Welcome to RA Resources. I have an extended range of fully resourced, high quality History lessons for KS2, KS3 and GCSE aimed at schools, tutors and home learning. Having taught History abroad and then in Cornwall for 20 years, these lessons reflect my creativity and teaching experience.
Please feel free to email me with any enquiries about the resources on offer. You can keep up to date with my latest published lessons using the Facebook link in my shop.
Welcome to RA Resources. I have an extended range of fully resourced, high quality History lessons for KS2, KS3 and GCSE aimed at schools, tutors and home learning. Having taught History abroad and then in Cornwall for 20 years, these lessons reflect my creativity and teaching experience.
Please feel free to email me with any enquiries about the resources on offer. You can keep up to date with my latest published lessons using the Facebook link in my shop.
**In this lesson, students will be able to explain the reasons why Queen Elizabeth I signed the death warrant for her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots. **
Students will first learn about why Mary, Queen of Scots was a threat to Elizabeth’s power.
They will then analyse a painting of Mary, Queen of Scots’ execution before being able to understand the reasons for and against Elizabeth ordering her execution.
The lesson includes one main power point lesson as well as a fact sheet about the events leading up to the execution and a blank timeline.
The lesson contains plenty of activities, printable resources, starter and plenary tasks, engaging background information and discussion points for both high and lower ability students.
All images used in this lesson are in the public domain and are therefore copyright free at the time of publishing. Images which require attribution have been attributed in the notes section of each slide where the image appears. If you feel any errors have been made, please contact me at raschoolresources@gmail.com in the first instance to resolve any issues. Thank you.
**In this lesson, students will be able to understand and explain the main challenges faced by Elizabeth I as she came to the throne in 1558. **
-Students will take part in a problem solving activity and have to select which solution Elizabeth should take in order to keep her reign of England secure.
-The challenges featured in this lesson include: the economy, Mary, Queen of Scots, marriage, poverty and religion.
-Students play the role of one of Queen Elizabeth’s advisors to try and make sure Elizabeth deals with these problems effectively.
The lesson contains plenty of activities, printable resources, starter and plenary tasks, engaging background information and discussion points for both high and lower ability students.
All images used in this lesson are in the public domain and are therefore copyright free at the time of publishing. Images which require attribution have been attributed in the notes section of each slide where the image appears. If you feel any errors have been made, please contact me at raschoolresources@gmail.com in the first instance to resolve any issues. Thank you.
**The lesson covers the main events of the invasion from the Spanish Armada setting off from Lisbon to the final wreckage of the Spanish ships around the coast of Scotland and Ireland. **
Using the resources and fact sheets, students will be able to track the events on their own tracking map. This knowledge will then allow them to begin explaining the reasons for the Spanish defeat.
This single resource contains:
1 x main lesson PowerPoint
1 x A4 tracking map for students to complete
1 x BONUS Spanish Armada crossword
The lesson contains plenty of activities, printable resources, starter and plenary tasks, engaging background information and discussion points for both high and lower ability students.
All images used in this lesson are in the public domain and are therefore copyright free at the time of publishing. Images which require attribution have been attributed in the notes section of each slide where the image appears. If you feel any errors have been made, please contact me at raschoolresources@gmail.com in the first instance to resolve any issues. Thank you.
This lesson specifically looks at tracking the treatement of Jews in Germany between 1933-39. Care has been taken not to go beyond this date as the exam specification states, but one of the documentary clips will touch upon post 1939.
This lesson includes:
Clear learning aims/targets
Provoking starter tasks and discussion activities
Printable worksheets
Engaging background information
Challenge tasks
Exam links
Learning Review
Fact Sheet linked to the GCSE specification
All images used in this lesson are in the public domain and are therefore copyright free at the time of publishing. Images which require attribution have been attributed in the notes section of each slide where the image appears. If you feel any errors have been made, please contact me at raschoolresources@gmail.com in the first instance to resolve any issues. My lessons are completed using PowerPoint and designed on widescreen formatting. Thank you.
This resource is for personal use only and for copyright reasons should not be copied/amended for commercial use.
**In this lesson, students will learn about Henry VIII’s ‘Dissolution of the Monasteries’ in 1536. They will be able to explain the reasons why Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries and use a variety of sources to investigate the greed, corruption and poor behaviour that existed in the monasteries by the early 1500s. **
Students will then write a letter to Henry VIII outlining and analysing their findings about the monasteries.
Included in this lesson pack:
1 x main lesson powerpoint
1 x A4 printable report
1 x A4 printable table for the source analysis
The lesson contains plenty of activities, printable resources, starter and plenary tasks, engaging background information and discussion points for both high and lower ability students.
All images used in this lesson are in the public domain and are therefore copyright free at the time of publishing. Images which require attribution have been attributed in the notes section of each slide where the image appears. If you feel any errors have been made, please contact me at raschoolresources@gmail.com in the first instance to resolve any issues. Thank you.
In this lesson, students will learn about the early life of Elizabeth I as a princess growing up in the royal household. The lesson will cover the type of lessons she excelled in at school, her education at home and her relationship with her family.
Students will be able to complete a number of activities to demonstrate their knowledge of Princess Elizabeth’s education such as writing a school report for her.
The lesson includes a number of activities which can be adapted to students of all ages, two fact sheets, starter and learning review tasks and a number of other discussion questions.
All images used in this lesson are in the public domain and are therefore copyright free at the time of publishing. Images which require attribution have been attributed in the notes section of each slide where the image appears. If you feel any errors have been made, please contact me at raschoolresources@gmail.com in the first instance to resolve any issues. Thank you.
This lesson looks at the influence of religion and the supernatural on people’s explanations for the cause of illness and disease in the later Medieval period.
The lesson includes a recap from previous learning, a focussed starter task, background information about the wider historical context, a set of learning tasks which are differentiated for higher and lower ability, extention task/s, a focus on the exam with a 12 mark question, a review (plenary) and finally a fact sheet which can be used as a replacement for any books.
All images used in this lesson are in the public domain and are therefore copyright free at the time of publishing. Images which require attribution have been attributed in the notes section of each slide where the image appears. If you feel any errors have been made, please contact me at raschoolresources@gmail.com in the first instance to resolve any issues. My lessons are completed using PowerPoint and designed on widescreen formatting. Thank you.
This resource is for personal use only and for copyright reasons should not be copied/amended for commercial use.
This lesson specifically examines the way culture in Nazi Germany was censored by the Nazi authorities.
This lesson includes:
- Clear learning aims/targets
- Provoking starter tasks and discussion activities
- Printable worksheets
- Engaging background information
- Challenge tasks
- Exam links
- Learning Review
- Fact Sheet linked to the GCSE specification
All images used in this lesson are in the public domain and are therefore copyright free at the time of publishing. Images which require attribution have been attributed in the notes section of each slide where the image appears. If you feel any errors have been made, please contact me at raschoolresources@gmail.com in the first instance to resolve any issues. My lessons are completed using PowerPoint and designed on widescreen formatting. Thank you.
This resource is for personal use only and for copyright reasons should not be copied/amended for commercial use.
This lesson has a particular focus on the treatment of minority groups other than the Jews who will be covered in more depth in lesson 27.
This lesson includes:
Clear learning aims/targets
Provoking starter tasks and discussion activities
Printable worksheets
Engaging background information
Challenge tasks
Exam links
Learning Review
Fact Sheet linked to the GCSE specification
All images used in this lesson are in the public domain and are therefore copyright free at the time of publishing. Images which require attribution have been attributed in the notes section of each slide where the image appears. If you feel any errors have been made, please contact me at raschoolresources@gmail.com in the first instance to resolve any issues. My lessons are completed using PowerPoint and designed on widescreen formatting. Thank you.
This resource is for personal use only and for copyright reasons should not be copied/amended for commercial use.
This lesson examines the development in the prison system during the 18th and 19th century and the roles played by Robert Peel, Elizabeth Fry and John Howard.
Worksheet 1: Practice Exam Question and outline
Worksheet 2: The task sheet on A4
Slide 1: Title - To explain the development and reform of prisons between 1700 - 1900
Slide 2-3: Previous lesson recap about punishments from this time
Slide 4: Short clip reminding students of the way prisons were run before 1700.
Slide 5: Source and information sheet for students to recap the problems that faced the previous prison system
Slide 6: A slide to record student ideas
Slide 7: BBC Class Clips about Victorian prisons
Slide 8: Background information about Humanitarianism
Slide 9: Elizabeth Fry
Slide 10 and 11: Image based information about the development of prisons
Slide 12: The role played by Robert Peel with prison reform
Slide 13: Learning Task - students to identify and categorise the reasons why prisons reformed
Slide 14: Follow up qiestions
Slide 15-16: Recap crossword with answers revealed
Slide 17: Lesson Fact sheet
Slide 18: Example practice exam questions
To take into account copyright, all photographic and illustrative images have been attributed where appropriate and/or are all in the public domain. Clipart/vector images are all creativecommons.publicdomain.zero.1.0 which do not have to be attributed. If you have any issues regarding copyright please email me in the first instance.
In this lesson, students will explore a number of portraits of Queen Elizabeth I and use them to explain why portraits were so important to Queen Elizabeth and other Tudor monarchs.
Students will have the opportunity to analyse the features and details of some of Elizabeth’s famous portraits to gain an understanding of their symbolism and how Elizabeth used them as a form of propaganda.
The lesson contains plenty of activities, printable resources, starter and plenary tasks, engaging background information and discussion points for both high and lower ability students.
All images used in this lesson are in the public domain and are therefore copyright free at the time of publishing. Images which require attribution have been attributed in the notes section of each slide where the image appears. If you feel any errors have been made, please contact me at raschoolresources@gmail.com in the first instance to resolve any issues. Thank you.
This single page resource is a really useful timeline of all the key events covered in the Paper 1 topic Crime & Punishment. The timeline can be adapted to use as a high resolution display, book insert or revision tool and is clearly presented to fit most students’ needs.
You will receive:
1x full colour timeline poster
1x black and white timeline suitable for photocopy
1 x PDF file of the above
UPDATE 2024: Please note that all images (clipart/vector/illustrations/photographs) are in the public domain and are therefore classed as Creative Commons 1.0 unless otherwise attributed in the notes section of each slide. If you believe there are any errors, please email me directly in the first instance to resolve the issue.
**Once purchased, you will receive everything needed to teach students about William I’s use of the Feudal System in Medieval England. **
This high quality resource includes the following:
A4 Worksheet 1: A fact sheet about the Feudal System for students to use while competing their tasks.
A4 Worksheet 2: A worksheet to help students follow up from their main task of creating a Feudal System diagram. The questions on the sheet are explanation based but still provide structure for all students to use.
Main Power Point Presentation
Slide 1 - Title Slide - To explain how the Feudal System helped William control England after 1066.
Slide 2: Starter Task 1 - Two medieval illustrations of society - what can students learn from them about how William kept control?
Slide 3/4: Starter Task 2 - A brief introduction to the idea of a hierarchy. Students think about and design their own school’s hierarchy before focusing on the purpose of it.
Slides 5-9: An overview of the Feudal System with clear, bold images and small chunks of writing.
Slide 10: My own version of the Feudal System diagram
Slide 11: Main Task activity - Students taken through step by step to create their own diagram of the Feudal System.
Slide 12: Two printable Feudal System blank diagrams if needed
Slide 13: A optional role play set of cards for students to read out in class or groups of 4.
Slide 14: Mini Learning Review - students have to place four linked images in the correct order
Slide 15: Learning Review - Students need to write their own definition of the Feudal System from what they have learned in the lesson.
Slide 16-18: Key term match up activity with one slide being a printable version to give students.
Slide 19: A challenge question - Would the Feudal System work in today’s society?
All images used in this lesson are in the public domain and are therefore copyright free at the time of publishing. Images which require attribution have been attributed in the notes section of each slide where the image appears. If you feel any errors have been made, please contact me at raschoolresources@gmail.com in the first instance to resolve any issues. My lessons are completed using PowerPoint and designed on widescreen formatting. Thank you.
This resource is for personal use only and for copyright reasons should not be copied/amended for commercial use.
This lesson looks at the care received in the early Medieval hospitals as well as that in the home. There is a focus on aspects of similarity and difference.
Every lesson in this topic includes: Clear learning aims and achievements, a recap task, a starter activity, background information, a variety of tasks to pick from to suite your students, extension and challenge tasks, exam questions, a learning review (plenary) and finally a fact sheet which can be used as a stand alone resource for the lesson or as part of revision/student catch up.
All images used in this lesson are in the public domain and are therefore copyright free at the time of publishing. Images which require attribution have been attributed in the notes section of each slide where the image appears. If you feel any errors have been made, please contact me at raschoolresources@gmail.com in the first instance to resolve any issues. My lessons are completed using PowerPoint and designed on widescreen formatting. Thank you.
This resource is for personal use only and for copyright reasons should not be copied/amended for commercial use.
This final lesson of the Crime and Punishment unit looks at the treatment, laws and punishments of Conscientious Objectors during and after World War One and World War Two.
Slide 1: Title slide - The Treatment of Conscientious Objectors
Slide 2: Starter Task - students watch a short documentary clip taken from the BBC One Show and write down three facts about Conscientious Objectors.
Slide 3-6: Poster inference activity-students examine World War One propaganda posters to infer what the attitudes towards these men were at the time.
Slide 7-8: Background information
Slide 9: Option Task sheets
Slide 10-14: Sheets which will help students learn about the Conscientious Objectors using their preferred learning style.
Slide 15: Challenge question - which other groups from the study have been persecuted in law because of their beliefs and/or actions?
Slide 16: Example exam questions
Slide 17: Lesson Fact Sheet
To take into account copyright, all photographic and illustrative images have been attributed where appropriate and/or are all in the public domain. Clipart/vector images are all creativecommons.publicdomain.zero.1.0 which do not have to be attributed. If you have any issues regarding copyright please email me in the first instance.
This lesson examines the case study of Derek Bentley, with a focus on the public reaction to his sentence and how his punishment led to the abolition of the death penalty.
Slide 1: Title slide - To explain the controversy of Derek Bentley’s execution in 1953
Slide 2-4: Learning recap - key terms, with printable version for students and answers revealed.
Slide 5: Starter Task - Students read and listen to the lyrics of Elvis Costello’s Let him Dangle’ in order to infer information about the Derek Bentley case.
Slide 6: The story of the Derek Bentley case, written in a student friendly format.
Slide 7: Explanation practice table
Slide 8: Activity - students imagine they are on the side of the defence and the prosecution and write down what their arguments would be.
Slide 9: Learning Task questions with challenge
Slide 10 - 11: Practice 12 and 4 mark questions
Slide 12: Lesson Fact Sheet
To take into account copyright, all photographic and illustrative images have been attributed where appropriate and/or are all in the public domain. Clipart/vector images are all creativecommons.publicdomain.zero.1.0 which do not have to be attributed. If you have any issues regarding copyright please email me in the first instance.
This lesson provides the students with a basic knowledge of the Crime and Punishment paper and allows them to practice some of the key skills needed for the paper. All of the resources for the teaching of the lesson are included and so there is no need for any text books.
Slide 1: Title - To gain a general overview of the skills and knowledge needed to study Crime and Punishment
Slide 2: A copy of the exam paper front cover to go through with students
Slide 3: An overview of the three question types for this part of their exam
Slide 4: An outline of what a ‘Thematic Study’ is.
Slide 5: A discussion about the defintitions of ‘crime’, ‘law enforcement’ and ‘punishment’.
Slide 6: A slide which outlines the main reasons for change and continuity
Slide 7-8: A chronology task for students to place key periods of time and events in the correct order.
Slide 9-12: A key term activity - students have to read the key term and then select the correct meaning.
Slide 13-14: Fact organisation activity - this will give the students a brief overview of the some of the topics they will study over the course of this unit.
Slide 15: Lesson Fact Sheet
Slide 16: A basic course overview
2023 UPDATE INFO: To take into account copyright, all photographic and illustrative images have been attributed where appropriate and/or are all in the public domain. Clipart/vector images are all creativecommons.publicdomain.zero.1.0 which do not have to be attributed. If you have any issues regarding copyright please email me in the first instance.
NEW UPDATED 2025/6 SPEC: This lesson examines the methods and techniques used by the Metropolitan Police in Whitechapel to investigate the murders of Jack the Ripper.
The lesson resources include:
1 x A4 Workbook Style Fact Sheet (PDF & PPT)
1 x A4 Source Enquiry Sheet
1 x 24 slide main power point presentation
The lesson includes:
Slide 1: Title slide
Slide 2: Lesson aims and outcomes
Slide 3: As you enter discussion - linked to modern day crime and policing
Slide 4-6: Recap Activity - Gap fill activity to recap the murders, policing and Whitechapel environment with answers and printable worksheets.
Slide 7-8: Starter - Which of the 12 police techniques could have been used in 1888? With answers.
Slide 9-10: Task 1 - Printable diagram with instructions and aims
Slide 11-12: Task 2 - Additional questions with printable question and activity sheet included.
Slide 13-14: Exam Focus - Examples and printable sheets for ‘one feature’ question.
Slide 15-18: Exam Focus - Two examples of the ‘how useful’ question with printable answer sheets and exam technique.
Slide 19-20: Exam Focus - Two examples of the ‘follow up’ question.
Slide 21: Learning Review Activities
Slide 22-24: Learning Review Crossword - with answers and printable sheet.
Slide 25: Lesson Fact Sheet
Slide 26: More from RA Resources
This lesson has been updated in line with the amended specification and exam questions ready for the 2025/6 examinations.
All images used in this lesson are in the public domain and are therefore copyright free. Images which require attribution have been attributed in the notes section of each slide where the image appears. If you feel any errors have been made, please contact me at raschoolresources@gmail.com in the first instance to resolve any issues. My lessons are completed using PowerPoint and designed on widescreen formatting. Thank you.
This resource is for personal use only and for copyright reasons should not be copied/amended for commercial use.
This lesson examines the guerrilla warfare tactics used by the Vietcong and asks students to explain why these tactics were so effective against the USA and ARVN forces in Vietnam. Source based exam questions are given throughout.
The lesson includes the following:
Slide 1: Title slide
Slide 2: Lesson Key Questions
Slide 3:Source inference recap of the Gulf of Tonkin Incident
Slide 4: Sources based starter task - What can students infer from 2 sources about the use of guerrilla warfare tactics by the Vietcong?
Slide 5: Discussion question about the definition of ‘Guerrilla Warfare’.
Slide 6: Background information about why guerrilla warfare tactics were so effective against the USA
Slide 7-8: Table fill activity for students to describe the various tactics and then explain why they were so effective. Print out included
Slide 9: Follow-up challenge questions
Slide 10-12: Practice Exam Question - ‘How useful’ with model answer and suggested structure sheet included.
Slide 13: Charades based Learning Review 1
Slide 14-15: Learning Review 2 - True or False?
Slides 16-17: Lesson fact sheets based on the Edexcel specification.
I have included two fact sheets (one slightly differentiated) with the information needed for this part of the course which can be found on the final two slides. Therefore, no other resources are needed for the teaching of this lesson.
Please note that all images (clipart/photographs/vectors) used in this presentation, to be best of my knowledge, are copyright free and in the public domain unless otherwise attributed in the links. A number of clipart images have also been purchased for commercial use from ‘Artsy Bee Kids’. If you feel any errors have been made, please contact me directly in the first instance to resolve the issue. Thank you.
**This lesson examines the impact of the Vietnam War on America. It divides the consequences and impact of the war into the following categories: social, economic, military and political. **
The lesson includes the following:
Slide 1: Title slide
Slide 2-3: Previous Learning Recap tasks about the Paris Peace Agreement with answers provided.
Slide 4: Source Inference starter task with promp questions about the source
Slide 5: Task One: A US soldier’s war experience source analysis with questions - suitable to print out for students
Slide 6: An overview of the impact of the Vietnam War introducing the main categories
Slide 7: Instructions for the main learning task
Slide 8: Printable sheet - students read each statement and decide which category it best fits into.
Slide 9: Challenge questions
Slide 10-11: Exam Practice ‘How useful’ question using Source B from a previous slide
Slide 12: Learning Review - What was the emotional impact of the Vietnam War
Slide 13-14: Lesson fact sheets based on the Edexcel GCSE specification
I have included two fact sheets (one slightly differentiated) with the information needed for this part of the course which can be found on the final two slides. Therefore, no other resources are needed for the teaching of this lesson.
Please note that all images (clipart/photographs/vectors) used in this presentation, to be best of my knowledge, are copyright free and in the public domain unless otherwise attributed in the links. A number of clipart images have also been purchased for commercial use from ‘Artsy Bee Kids’. If you feel any errors have been made, please contact me directly in the first instance to resolve the issue. Thank you.