Inspired by the game show Only Connect, students have to work in groups to be the quickest to work out the link/connection between groups of 4 words, works well for a recap lesson or plenary. Students click on the word to change its colour and must group the board into 4 groups and work out the links between them. The timer gives them 2.5 minutes to do this. Or show the words on the board and set the timer and use the worksheet for all students to try and work out the link. Students liked working in groups and competing to get the fastest time.

A pointless inspired themed plenary, it is interactive so the answer if correct will reveal a unique score which in teams they can keep track of, for each round. Press the small circle to reveal score. If the answer is wrong click the large purple circle to reveal an X and students score 100.

A revision activity inspired by the Chase game show, read the instruction and adapt to your needs in the lesson. Students liked this and use as a way to break up a longer revision activity.

This lesson focuses upon source skills and GCSE styled questions. This lesson builds upon the previous lesson that looked at life in trenches. Students work through questions with sentence starters, key words and model answers. You can build in peer and self assessment with the model answers. Question include: - How are they different? - Why are they different? - Which is most convincing? The worksheet allows you to work through source looking at Nature, Origin, Author, Audience and Purpose.

An introductory lesson into the history of medicine starting with the prehistoric period. This lesson gets students to gain a chronology of the topic, putting together a time line using facts, dates and time periods. Students then look at the Prehistoric period and use sources to work out what medicine and health was like at the time period, source include Otzi, trepanned skull etc. Lesson has a GCSE styled question

A visual hexagons activity with prompt questions to help with task as well as some practice GCSE questions for students to try.

This task works really well and gets students engaged in their revision. Place images into each of the hexagons that connect in some way to the topic you are studying. Right the title in the middle. Students that have to explain how the images link to the tile, making notes around the image. Students can cut them out if they want to add more space (I recommend this for high ability students). Challenge task can be for students to then link the other images together.

This task works well for a recap activity. The images can be swapped if wanted. Students annotate the images with notes on what they can remember about the topic. Students can then try and make links between the different images.

This idea sprang up from teaching a particular difficult Year 9 class (maybe pushing it in terms of age, but they loved it). Every student is given a card at the beginning of the lesson and explained that if they work hard and show good behavior their card will be ticked off. Each row completed equals a different reward. At first I rewarded everything and we went through lots of cards. Answering questions, not talking when others are speaking, completing work etc. This worked very well with this class as students start to see and hear that others are getting rewarded. By the end other teachers of the class stole this idea. I printed 4 to an A4 page and It can be stuck in the back of their books i printed it on card and its was their responsibility to bring it. If they loose it they start again.

I always struggle when planning what homework should be set and then moaning about having increased my own workload with more marking. So I created this to solve those problems, every so often I get students to take this sheet home and to explain to an adult at home what they have learnt. The parents them comment what has been explained to them to ensure they have done it. I then expanded it to allow parents to have a dialogue and ask any questions about their child’s learning and work. This helped to increase parental engagement which was low and reduced marking on Homework. I have done this with all different years. I allowed students to also do this with other members of staff including their tutors and homework club if they have issues at home.

These were designed to engage and push less able students to challenge themselves as well as Gifted and Talented students. These can be handed out to individual students throughout the lesson or as they come in, by the end of the lesson they need to prove they have done this can be rewarded by students are happy with Praise points. The idea is to keep them secret from the rest of the class to increase engagement with it as it adds mystery. This worked very well with a lower set as it got them to use connectives and improve their work perhaps when they wouldn’t have. As a history teacher there is a a restyled version, “Royal Assignments” as it go with my Year 7 Scheme on William the Conqueror

A Year 7 lesson that recaps what has been learnt so far about the Romans. There is a focus on literacy in this lesson. The lesson culminates in a GCSE styled question with a writing frame for those that needs support. This lesson also gives you a chance to get students to reflect on their work using the Book Review sheet.

I have a copy of these on each table, it works well for extended writing. They can be printed out, cut up and then laminated and turned into a key chains.

A lesson that aims to teach the skill of chronology to students. PowerPoint has challenge tasks that aim to push higher ability students. The timeline group task engages students and can be a competition between different groups

A recap lesson of the causes of the First World War, students have the choice of a visual hexagons, or significance graph. Lesson has key words that they should include. There is a spelling test task for key words, with a differentiated sheet to help the less able.

This is from a T&L Breakfast that I did on some approaches to stretch and challenge. It aims to give some ideas that work on challenging all students not just the most able. If you try any of the ideas would be good to get some feedback on them. What works in some classes doesn’t necessarily work in others.

Print out, cut up, fold in half, laminate and add to key ring. I leave these on the table in resources trays with other things such as glues, scissors, pens etc. I use these for multiple choice questions to get quick AFL for factual recall. I pose the question for 1 min then the answers come up and students have to hold up the correct answer card. These can also be used for voting in class and in debates

After struggling to find lots of sources for exam practice here is a selection of Public Health sources. Ideas: Students have to try and place them into time period. Get students to work out the message and purpose of each source. Print them out and link them with each other or with key words.

These cards are simple, print and laminate. All you need to do is buy scratch card stickers, easy to find on the internet, and place them on the cards over the reward words. Or you can mix silver paint and fairy liquid and paint on them and this can be scratched off. These work well as prizes in lessons as students are excited to see what they have won. Used them for rewards for good lesson work and homework

A plenary task inspired by GET ME OUT OF HERE. Students choose a plate and if its a creepy crawly they answer a question if its a star they choose another person to answer.