Having taught History across KS3, 4 and 5 for seventeen years within state education, I have built up quite an extensive set of resources! I’ve spent several years working as a head of department and also spent a year working as a university subject tutor for Schools Direct. I’m currently out of the classroom and supporting my own children through their secondary experience and keeping relevant by becoming an Edexcel examination marker this summer. Planning for fun and hopefully your benefit.
Having taught History across KS3, 4 and 5 for seventeen years within state education, I have built up quite an extensive set of resources! I’ve spent several years working as a head of department and also spent a year working as a university subject tutor for Schools Direct. I’m currently out of the classroom and supporting my own children through their secondary experience and keeping relevant by becoming an Edexcel examination marker this summer. Planning for fun and hopefully your benefit.
This KS3 unit of work should take around two hours to complete. The Power Point leads students through all activities. All resources referred to are included.
Aims and Objectives:
To know the key events leading up to and during the execution of King Charles I.
To understand both the arguments for and against his execution.
To write persuasively for one side of the argument.
Activities include an introductory definition of “treason” and discussion as to why this is a controversial accusation in this case. A simple overview of the background events such as Pride’s Purge is given before the students analyse a short clip from the program “The Devil’s Whore” to consider the attitudes demonstrated by those involved. Whilst listening to an account of the execution day, students create a series of illustrations and symbols as memory joggers. They then retell the events as a class using their memory joggers. A Dutch engraving of the execution is used to make inferences before a series of statements are categorised into reasons for and against the execution. Students then use their understanding to write a speech either for or against the execution. We then listen to these speeches and turn it into a competition.
This KS3 lesson should take around two hours to complete. The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying resources included and answers when required.
Aims and Objectives:
To know what they Trade Triangle was and how it worked.
To understand how the Trade Triangle developed over time.
To consider who was to blame for the Trade Triangle and why.
To reach a judgement on who was the most to blame.
Activities include a card sort starter on individuals involved. Students sort these people into a line from good to bad. This helps to break down stereotypes from the outset that all white people were powerful/bad and all black people were powerless/good, encouraging students to judge specific actions and not generalise. A series of tasks then ensure that students have the factual knowledge regarding the trade and its development. Students categorises reasons for the trade into tradition, African divisions and trade before writing a paragraph answer on who or what they feel was the most to blame for the slave trade.
This KS3 lesson should take one hours to complete. The Power Point leads the students through all of the activities with accompanying resources included.
Aims and Objectives:
To know the key events after the death of King Edward the Confessor, leading up to the Battle of Hastings.
To consider which side was in the strongest position at the start of the Battle of Hastings.
To predict what may happen at the Battle of Hastings in light of these prior events.
Activities include a recap of the claimants to the throne where students quickly match the facts to the claimant. After a quick bit of context on what Harold actually did after Edward’s death, students work in pairs to discuss Harold’s options and their advantages/disadvantages using the information provided. Students then create a storyboard of the key events using the information sheet and then retell these events using only their storyboard. Finally, students analyse the advantages and disadvantages of both Harold and William pre-Battle of Hastings using what they have learnt this lesson.
This unit of work should take at least 3 hours to complete. The Power Point leads students through all activities with answers when required along with the necessary contextual subject knowledge. All accompanying resources are included. I have previously broken this unit down into three classroom lessons and one final IT lesson where students researched their Holocaust hero.
LESSON 1 (Growing anti-Semitism of 1930s): Aims and Objectives:
To know Hitler’s racial theories.
To use sources to explore how these were put into practice throughout the 1930s in Germany.
To empathise with those effected through producing a piece of creative writing in the first-person.
LESSON 2 (Life in a ghetto): Aims and Objectives:
To know what ghettos were and where they were set up.
To understand the purpose of the ghettos.
To carry out independent research into conditions inside the ghettos and demonstrate empathetic understanding of what it must have been like to live in one.
LESSON 3 (The Final Solution): Aims and Objectives:
To know the key events which led to the construction of death camps in Eastern Europe.
To understand why these camps were created and how they eased the process of mass murder.
To understand the motivation and psychology of those involved.
The three lessons focus on the journey of two fictional Jewish children throughout the period 1933-45. A short diary entry is written at the end of each lesson explaining what has happened to them at this stage. Lesson 1 explores the growing anti-Semitism of the 1930s using a range of sources to chart the development and escalation. Lesson 2 explores conditions inside the ghetto using video clips and handout. The final lessons explains the process of the Final Solution and focuses upon how it was able to happen (from a psychological angle). The student booklet for this lesson uses a series of sources to explore the key issues. To end the unit on a more optimistic topic, students consider those who stood up against the Holocaust and create a information poster on their hero of the Holocaust.
Students develop their understanding of both Martin Luther King and Malcolm X’s contributions towards US Civil Rights. They weigh these against their failings and limitations to reach a verdict on who achieved the most. The final activity asks students to create a persuasive piece of writing in support of one of the leaders.
There are two versions of each text- a simpler version and a more developed/advanced. There is also a table available to support weaker students. Persuasive writing is modeled as part of the Power Point.
This KS3 unit of study should take around seven hours to complete. There is a Power Point included for every lesson which leads students through the activities and provides advice and guidance where required.
In teaching/chronological order, the lessons include:
Who should be king? Claimants to the throne in 1066
Events leading up to the Battle of Hastings
Why did William win the Battle of Hastings?
How did William control England?
How far did castle design improve during the MAs?
There are a great range of activities including discussion, problem-solving, argument formation, chronological ordering, formal essay writing and comparative writing. The two formal assessments are the essay on “Why William won?” and the comparative writing on castle development. Support, advice, writing frames and mark schemes are provided for both of these. To avoid completing two asessments in quick succession, I generally teach the castles lesson a little later having looked at other medieval topics such as living conditions and religion in between. For more details, please refer to individual lessons.
Includes a set of revision notes for each area of the specification. These notes are used in conjunction with my full revision guide. In contrast to the full guide, they follow a more analytical structure which matches previous exam questions. The notes can be used separately or put together into one booklet. I integrated previous exam questions and mark schemes which had been sorted by topic rather than by date set. Students used the full guide and revision notes to prepare essay plans on each unit in preparation for the exam.
IMPORTANT: This Edexcel 9-1 History GCSE unit is structured around the textbook "Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History, The American West, c1835-c1895 (editor Leonard A. and published by Pearson) ISBN 9781292127309. The lessons will not be usable without a class set of these textbooks. However, if you’re looking to change course and can’t face all the fresh planning then I can guarantee that this bundle covers the entire specification with all supporting resources and assessment opportunities throughout.
For a summary of activities etc. please see individual items. Every section of the specification is supported with a Power Point which leads students through all of the activities and includes feedback/answers. Every worksheet and resource referred to is included in the bundle.
IMPORTANT: Some of these worksheets refer to the textbook “Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History, Medicine through time, c1250-present” (editor Leonard A. and published by Pearson) ISBN 9781292127378 and will not be usable without a copy of this text.
The first two lessons of Edexcel 9-1, Medicine Through Time (although in reality this work will take longer than two lessons to do thoroughly).
Aims and Objectives:
To understand the supernatural and religious explanations of the cause of disease.
To understand the rational explanations: the Theory of the Four Humours and the miasma theory; the continuing influence in England of Hippocrates and Galen.
The Power Point leads students though all activities with accompanying worksheets. It also provides feedback/answers at intervals. A 12 mark explanation question is introduced and set with a writing frame provided.
