This critical thinking skills activity has been designed to provide stretch and challenge for students studying why it was difficult to maintain law and order in the American West. .The key theory underpinning this type of strategy is that when we rank items, either statements, objects or images, we are required to make explicit the over- arching relationships by which we organise our knowledge and connect our learning. If you are looking for a more traditional exercise then please check out my card sort matching exercise on this topic, which can be downloaded from my TES shop. This resource will easily work alongside any main steam textbook or resource on this topic. The resource includes nine diamond shaped cards which include a range of factors which explain it was difficult to maintain law and order in the American West. The document is provided in Microsoft Word so you can edit the resource if you wish to customise it further by changing any of the key factors that I have included. Once students have cut out the cards out they are set three tasks including: 1. Remove any reasons that you don’t think are important. Record and explain why you have removed them. 2. Arrange the remaining diamonds to show any links that you can find between the different reasons. Record and explain your reasons. 3. Make a smaller diamond shape using the four most important reasons to explain why it was difficult to maintain law and order in the American West. Record and explain the reasons for your choices. At each stage students should be feeding back to their group or the class and explaining their choices. The discussion and explanation around the choices that they have made are critical in helping them develop their thinking skills as well as their understanding of this topic. The aims and objectives for this lesson are: Theme: The American West Know: What were the key reasons why maintaining law & order was difficult? Understand: What roles did social, economic, geographical factors as well as the values and attitudes play of the people at the time, play in making law enforcement difficult? Evaluate: Which was the most important factor? WILF - What Am I Looking For? Identify and describe: what were the main reasons why maintaining law and order was difficult? Explain: What roles did social, economic, geographical, factors as well as the values and attitudes of people at the time, play in making law enforcement difficult? Analyse: Which was the most important factor? Kind Regards Roy

This great resource is designed to help students work cooperatively and research the key stages in Adolf Hitler's life from 1889 - 1933. This lesson makes a great observation lesson if you are trying to demonstrate collaborative learning. The PowerPoint includes information, content and sources that can be printed off on A3 for the following stages in Hitler's life 1889 - 1909, 1909 - 1913, 1913 - 18, 1918 - 23 and finally 1923 - 22. This information can be given out to groups or pinned up on the wall. I've also included an optional observation sheet for students to use to record their research. The first activity in the lesson is a snowballing starter of the key words to help activate the learning. The second task, the market place activity can be approached in one of two ways. Your first option is for your five groups to rotate around the information, record their five facts and then move on to the next stage in Hitler’s life / career OR for a student from each group to speak for their table and rotate and share what their group has learnt. The aim of this activity is not just to give students an overview of Hitler's life and his ideas, but to also get them to listen, speak and collaborate as effective learners. The final activity, is a plenary class discussion which tries to get students to match Hitler's ideas to different stages in his life. There is no perfect match, it is designed to promote debate. There is a second discussion questions which centers around why did Germans vote for Hitler jobs, bread, ripping up the Treaty of Versailles, revenge or Anti-Semitism? The aims and objectives are: Theme: Germany 1923 - 1933 Know: Who was Adolf Hitler and what did he believe? Understand: How did Hitler’s experiences shape his beliefs? Understand: Why did Hitler join and become leader of the Nazis Party? Evaluate: Why did the membership of the Nazi Party increase? Skills: Narrative, Causes, Consequence, Significance. What Am I Looking For this lesson? Identify and describe the key facts about Hitler’s early life? Explain how Hitler’s experiences may have shaped his beliefs? Analyse the reasons why people joined and supported the Nazi Party? If you like this resource then why not check out my other resources on this topic in my 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 either the price of a good cup of coffee or a happy meal so that you can spend more time doing the things that you want. Anyway, have fun and stay in touch via social media for the latest updates. Kind Regards Roy

This outstanding lesson has been developed in challenging schools and field tested in the classroom over many years, aims to enhance students’ critical thinking skills during the exploration of the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381. Suitable for students across all ability levels, this versatile resource serves as a starter, plenary, revision tool, or assessment activity, with a particular focus on challenging high-achieving students who require stretch and challenge. Following a short presentation, students engage in a diamond 9 activity to categorize consequences into ‘short’ and ‘long term’, before deciding which four were the most important or historically significant. Designed to cater to a diverse range of learners, this lesson includes supportive writing frameworks and thinking skills review tools to guide students in their decision-making processes and foster meaningful discussions and critical thinking. When you purchase this resource, you will be able to download two fully editable office documents, a Word document containing the diamond 9 activity and a supporting PowerPoint presentation. Both have also been uploaded as PDFs. The PowerPoint contains aims, objectives, differentiated outcomes, information slides, historical sources, starters, templates, writing frames, tasks and activities. Meanwhile, the Word document includes nine diamond shaped cards which include a sellection of ‘short’ and ‘long term’ consequences of the Peasants’ Revolt. Once students have cut the cards out, they are set three tasks including: Remove any reasons that you don’t think are important. Record and explain why you have removed them. Sort the remaining diamonds to show which are ‘short’ or ‘long’ term consequences. Record and explain your reasons. Make a smaller diamond shape using the four most important consequences of the Peasants’ Revolt. Record and explain your reasons. At each stage students should be feeding back to their group or the class and explaining their choices. The discussion and explanation around the choices that they have made are critical in helping them develop not only their critical thinking skills but their understanding of the topic. Please see the detailed preview for more information. The aims and objectives for this lesson are: Theme: Medieval Society Know: What happened after the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381? Understand: Which changes were ‘short’ and ‘long’ term consequences? Evaluate: Which consequences were the most significant? Skills: Source Analysis, Cause, Consequence, Change & Continuality. WILF – What Am I Looking For? Can You Describe: What happened after the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381? Can You Explain: Which changes were ‘short’ and ‘long’ term consequences? Can You Evaluate: Which consequences were the most important?

This PowerPoint is designed to span two lessons and includes 6 activities to help students assess the tactics that General Haig used at the Battle of the Somme in 1916. The aims and objectives are: 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? Skills: Cause, Consequence, Source Analysis and Interpretation 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? These activities include a snowballing starter, source analysis comparing John Laffin and the BBC’s Blackadder interpretation of General Haig, a contemporary cartoon analysis to assess public reaction in 1916, a summary diagram of why Haig tactics failed and a source analysis comparing the different perspectives of George Coppard and Haig of the progress made on the first day of the attack. I’ve also included a card sort activity which could be used as the basis for an assessment or extended writing on the topic. In all there are 40 slides which can be easily customised for your students. It could also be uploaded to a virtual learning environment and used as an independent learning resource for homework. 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. Anyway, have fun and I look forward to your feedback.