This tried and tested card sort looks at the controversial topic of General Haig's leadership during the Battle of the Somme. Students are given two heading cards labelled 'Butcher of the Somme' and the 'Man who won the war.' However, depending upon how you decide to use them you could change them to 'evidence for and 'evidence against' as the document is in word. In addition to the headings cards, students are given 14 statements to sort through. These are based on the latest research on the topic. This activity is suitable for a wide range of learners and could be used as the basis of an assessment task or extended writing activity. Aims & Objectives Theme: Why was there a stalemate on the Western Front? Know: What tactics did General Haig use at the Battle of the Somme in 1916? Understand: Why did the Battle of the Somme end in a stalemate? Evaluate: Was General Haig the 'Butcher of the Somme? WILF: What Am I Looking For? Identify and describe- What happened during the Battle of the Somme in 1916? Explain - Why did Haig's tactics fail to achieve a breakthrough? Analyse - How far was Haig's responsible for the failure to break through in 1916? Professional Knowledge For those of you who are new to the profession, this topic is controversial for a number of reasons. Firstly, the leadership of the British Army during the war is traditionally described by some historians as 'lions led by donkeys.' Please note that this interpretation first grew out a dissatisfaction with the Treaty of Versailles and the concept that the First World War would be the 'War to end all wars' in the 1930's. Clearly by then, many of the sacrifices appeared to have been in vain with the rise of Hitler and the threat of war. However, in the immediate aftermath of the First World War, Haig was seen as a hero. He was also the man who set up the Royal British Legion and began the first poppy appeal. Secondly, this topic is controversial for many of our Australian cousins whose sense of national identity grew out of their frustration and anger over the disaster at Gallipoli. This has led to feeling that the British tactics were a complete failure in all theatres of war and has led to the writing of some pretty bad popular history by Australian tour guides like John Laffin in his book ‘British Butchers and Bunglers of WW1' to almost justify the Republican Movement in Australia. History as always is controversial. Historians create a hierarchy of facts to suit their own interpretations. This exercise gets students to have a go at creating their own! I have also created a PowerPoint to accompany this topic, which can be downloaded separately or as part of a discounted package. Kind Regards Roy

These outstanding resources on the Christmas Truce in 1914 are a great lesson no matter the time of year, but they make a particularly moving, touching and inspirational end to the long Autumn Term on the meaning of Christmas. They have been uploaded in both Office and PDF formats. I’ve provided two resources with this lesson. They can be used in any subject across the curriculum. This topic links to History, Music, RE, PSCHE, English, Drama and Music. The first resource is a worksheet with a series of activities aimed to support a wide spectrum of learners. I’ve built in extension tasks as well as DART strategies for the less able. The PowerPoint is designed to primarily to support the delivery of the worksheet, but includes the aims and objectives, a snowballing starter for pair and share, differentiated questions for different groups, historical sources and diagrams to help illustrate core ideas as well as carefully selected video and music clips. This is one of my favourite lessons and I am confident that it will quickly become yours as well. Treat yourself to good lesson, avoid the painful Christmas videos at the end of term and create a memorable educational moment in time for your students with this truly inspirational story. Theme: The First World War Know: What happened during the Christmas Truce in 1914? Understand: Why did the British and German troops hold an unofficial truce? Evaluate: Why wasn’t there a Christmas truce in 1915? Skills: Source Analysis, Cause, Consequence & Collaboration WILF – What Am I Looking For? Can You Describe: What happened during the Christmas Truce in 1914? Can You Explain: Why did the British and German troops hold an unofficial truce? Can You Evaluate: Why wasn’t there a Christmas truce in 1915? If you like this resource then why not check out our other resources on similar topics in our TES shop. You can also follow ‘The History Academy’ on Twitter, Google Plus, YouTube and Facebook for the latest updates or even to get in touch and chat about how you have used this resource or to ask questions. We aim to produce cheap and affordable resources for the price of a good cup of coffee so that you can spend more time doing the things that you want. All our authors are paid the living wage so when you purchase our resources you are buying into our shared values of fair play and decency. Anyway, have fun and stay in touch via social media for the latest updates. Kind Regards Roy