This is another in my line of lessons about the history of the Philippines and one I am especially proud of. The lesson begins with a Countdown style starter activity in which students have to figure out anagrams on the four key reasons the Spanish came to colonise the islands (religion, technology, individuals, and economics) which builds on prior learning. They are then given learning objectives which are clearly graduated (all of you will/most of you will/some of you will). The 48 page PPT then gives some background information on the preamble to the battle before students commence the main task. This is a 16 piece hexagonal card sort which students break down into factors (Lapu Lapu’s forces strengths, Magellan’s forces mistakes, technology, geographical factors, and luck). There are two versions provided, one being colour-coordinated, for purposes of differentiation. Once they break these down students are next encouraged to make links between the factors and examples are given (which is why the cards are hexagonal and not rectangular). The lesson concludes with a plenary activity in which students are asked to place a post-it note on the board on a five starred shape to conclude which factor they feel is the most significant in answering the Key Question about why Magellan was killed in 1521. There is a written piece of homework assigned also. Thanks so much for your interest in this resource and please do have a look through my shop for hundreds of other resources for History teachers.

This 61-page PowerPoint is a full lesson to the Key Question ‘why did the Spanish come to the Philippines?’ The lesson begins with clear and graduated lesson objectives (all will, most will, and some will) and proceeds to a lesson starter which is designed to build on existing student knowledge (students match up five dominoes with the correct question and answer). There is then background information in the PPT explaining from the Battle of Mactan in 1521 through to Spanish conquest. The slides then deal with four key factors - the role of economics (and the proximity of the Spice Islands in particular), the role of key individuals (not least King Phillip II who lends his name to the island chain), changing technology (Spanish galleons), and religion (missionaries). From this, students are placed into groups of four and asked to create a short role play to answer the key question. Students are reminded of the lesson objectives to see which level they have achieved. The lesson concludes with a DingBats plenary where students are invited to figure out a key word from the lesson based upon some picture clues (maritime trade routes, canon ball, Spice Islands etc). Thanks for your interest in this lesson which is written in British-English and is pitched at high achieving mainstream high school students. It is one of a series of lessons I’ve made on the history of the Philippines so please do feel free to look through the rest of my store.

In this 1-slide PPT you will find a student learning journey about Weimar and Nazi Germany. The template is easily editable and provides you with an outline of a scheme of work which can be delivered. I like to ask students to glue these into their exercise books so they know exactly where on their own learning journey they are. This learning journey is broken down into inquiry units and individual lesson titles within these.

In this 1-slide PPT you will find a student learning journey about the Triangular Trade. The template is easily editable and provides you with an outline of a scheme of work which can be delivered. I like to ask students to glue these into their exercise books so they know exactly where on their own learning journey they are. This learning journey is broken down into inquiry units and individual lesson titles within these.

In this 1-slide PPT you will find a student learning journey about Twentieth Century China. The template is easily editable and provides you with an outline of a scheme of work which can be delivered. I like to ask students to glue these into their exercise books so they know exactly where on their own learning journey they are. This learning journey is broken down into inquiry units and individual lesson titles within these.

I have designed this lesson as part of a local History unit on the Philippines but it works just as well as a stand alone lesson if you are teaching war in the Pacific. It is titled ‘What was life like for Filipinos under Japanese occupation?’ The lesson begins with a starter activity about a Primary school teacher, Miss Fernandez. Students are asked to say what they see as squares are revealed. Ultimately it shows her as a guerilla fighter with 200 Japanese scalps to her name. This invites the question why her life took such a change and this in turn introduces us to the graduated learning objectives (all will/most will/some will). The main task is outlined - to create a museum exhibition which answers the key question. There is then very detailed information given on 7 areas of life under Japanese rule. These are the Bataan Death March, the Battle of Manila, Japanese war crimes, resistance movements, rule and government, Kamikaze fighting, and the Leyte landings. After information on each area there are suggestions for possible exhibitions. Students then present these exhibitions before a plenary in which they are encouraged to review over 40 pieces of vocabulary they have been introduced to as well as a homework task in which they write a letter as Miss. Fernandes explaining her actions to future generations. I hope your students get as much from this lesson as mine do. Have a great day, Daniel

I take great pride in leading my students to the Manila US military cemetery every year. Now you can purchase my 27-page pack which focuses on the areas of background, civilians, POWs, war crimes, the Battle of Manila, resistance, technology, the fallen, the chapel, Leyte Gulf and much more. This pack is designed to complement in-class studies and comes with a staff copy with answers. It has been designed specifically for this historic site and is of use only to teachers leading a trip to the cemetery. Please let me know if you have any questions and I wish you a wonderful day.

In this lesson students receive background information before sequencing a 33 piece card sort to explain the terrible conditions enslaved Africans endured on Guineamen slave ships. This then leads on to the main task in which students are given a card listing three conditions experienced on the ships. They then create a class oral history project which can be recorded and stitched together. This is always an extremely powerful lesson and one which needs to be taught sensitively and with purpose.

In this 1-slide PPT you will find a student learning journey about the USA in the 1920s and 1930s. The template is easily editable and provides you with an outline of a scheme of work which can be delivered. I like to ask students to glue these into their exercise books so they know exactly where on their own learning journey they are. This learning journey is broken down into inquiry units and individual lesson titles within these.

In this 1-slide PPT you will find a student learning journey about Stalin’s Russia The template is easily editable and provides you with an outline of a scheme of work which can be delivered. I like to ask students to glue these into their exercise books so they know exactly where on their own learning journey they are. This learning journey is broken down into inquiry units and individual lesson titles within these.

The aim of this lesson is to let students showcase their awareness of the Triangular Trade using plenty of subject specific vocabulary and precise historical details (names, dates, people, places, events, quotes and statistics) and I normally give them a couple of lessons to achieve this. The objective is to write a five-part poem detailing: The causes of slavery Conditions on the Middle Passage Life in the Americas Resistance Abolition Throughout the 24-slide Power Point there are five slides with heaps of precise historical detail to help students decide what to include in their poems, and there are five examples too. Please be aware that the slides are deliberately heavily packed with information to ensure students can write different accounts. I use this lesson to tie together the unit once students have already got a good grasp of the subject knowledge. It’s a powerful way to remember and to allow for some cross-curricular overlap between History and English. If you have any questions about this lesson let me know and thanks for stopping by.

I couldn’t find a book on USA 1919-41 which suited my high ability IGCSE students so I wrote one myself. This is my 215-page PDF which covers all of the key parts of the CIE specification and which includes comprehension questions and activities at the end of each chapter. I give it to students to supplement the course. It also includes detailed revision menus. If you prefer you can find it on Amazon in published form but am selling it here also in case anyone prefers a digicopy they can print. Wishing you a great day, Daniel

My students always feel exam-ready thanks to this lesson. The class begin with a source analysis starter in which they reconstruct a source from a jigsaw. This allows for great discussion about what is in the foreground/background. The class then work through a set of very detailed notes on the First and Second New Deals before creating an emoji storyboard to explain it. Finally a bingo plenary allows for testing of comprehension.

This lesson begins with a What’s Behind the Squares? Starter activity in which students are invited to shout out what they see in a Medieval interpretation of St. George. The lesson title and aims as well as graduated criteria (all will/most will/some will) are introduced and there are some teacher expo slides which explain the second order concept of historical significance. The acronym GREAT is used (ground-breaking, remembered, importance at the time, affected the future, and turning-point) and examples are given to aid discussion and understanding of these as they relate generally and more specifically to St. George. This information is then used as the class begin their main activity (to make a digital, written, or visual model celebrating George’s importance.) The lesson concludes with a Design Your Own Question retrieval knowledge activity. A consolidation homework task is included where students write an answer to the Key Question.

This lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which students are invited to match up celebrity Hollywood actors with Shakespeare roles they have appeared in. The lesson title and aims as well as graduated criteria (all will/most will/some will) are introduced and there are some teacher expo slides which explain the concept of significance. This invites students to explain their perspective on what makes someone or something important. The acronym GREAT is introduced (ground-breaking, remembered, importance at the time, affected the future, and turning point) and examples are given to aid discussion and understanding of these as they relate specifically to Shakespeare. This information is then used as the class begin their main activity (to make a digital, written, or visual model celebrating his importance.) The lesson concludes with a Design Your Own Question retrieval knowledge activity. A consolidation homework task is included where students write an answer to the Key Question. I created this as a series of 2-3 lessons and its pitched at high achieving Key Stage 3 students for Shakespeare Day. If you have any questions do let me know and I wish you a wonderful day.

This lesson begins with a starter activity in which students are asked to sequence four key events of American history in the correct order, the last of which is Ruby Bridges’ first day at an all-white school in Louisiana. The class are then introduced to the lesson title with graduated criteria (all will/most will/some will) and the PPT has some background information for teacher exposition. The class then begin their main activity in which they cut out 24 cards. The start and end cards are labelled but all the others need to be placed in the correct order using the heads and tails sentences. This then tells the story of Ruby Parks. The class then use this information to create a rollercoaster map. Examples are given and this enables students to consider which aspects would have been most distressing or dangerous. The lesson then concludes with a plenary in which the class are asked some comprehension questions on a famous Norman Rockwell painting about the incident to consolidate their knowledge and understanding. Lesson aims are revisited and a two-paragraph homework task is set. This lesson on Ruby is one that students always connect with and I hope your students appreciate her as much as I do. I don’t normally include URLs in my lessons because they expire but I’ve put in a link to a great segment from a chat show in which Ruby explains her role in history.

In this lesson, students are introduced to the concept of Jim Crow in a ‘What’s Behind the Squares’ starter activity. Once the squares are revealed, they witness a white American pouring acid into a swimming pool which had previously been a whites-only pool. There is then background information for teacher exposition in which students become aware of Plessy V Ferguson and the nature of segregation and discrimination in the USA at this time. Examples are given of various Jim Crow Laws with images before the main task is introduced. Lesson aims are graduated (all will/most will/some will), and the class is asked to create their own ‘museum’ of Jim Crow artefacts. They are only allowed a maximum of 8 objects (examples are given, but they are encouraged to research their own). Students then present and explain their choices as presentations. The lesson concludes with a plenary where they are asked to find one photograph by Gordon Parks online (from his Segregation Story series) and to create dialogue between the people featured based on their knowledge and understanding acquired in the lesson. There is also a homework task at the end of the 49-slide PPT. I hope your students get as much from this very important lesson as mine do. As with all History lessons about Civil Rights, it is important it is taught sensitively but head-on. I hope the materials here allow you to do just that.

I couldn’t find a book on Russia 1905-41 which suited my high ability IGCSE students so I wrote one myself. This is my 240-page PDF which covers all of the key parts of the CIE specification and which includes comprehension questions and activities at the end of each chapter. I give it to students to supplement the course. It also includes detailed revision menus.

Get students to glue this sheet in. It explains graduated criteria for five skills (interpretation, significance, causation, change and continuity, and consequence). Each has criteria for Mastery, Secure, Developing, Emerging, and Beginner grades. I always ask students to highlight their grade on returned assessments and then do the same in another colour to note what they need to do to improve.