This lesson is designed to be the first lesson for students who have no prior knowledge of Classics/Classical Civilisation/ The Classical world. It will work well as the first lesson for students who are studying Classical Civilisation at GCSE. it is designed to give students a real sense of period so that they can contextualise their learning in subsequent lessons. All worksheets referred to below are included as whole slides in the .pptx file and are located at the specific point in the lesson when they are designed to be used. The lesson begins with a discussion surrounding what ‘civilisation’ means. This is followed by a worksheet to be printed A5 size (pictured) which introduces students to the Geography of the area. It is deliberately more visual than ‘wordy’ in nature as students can stick it in and refer back to it when they need to know where Italy/Greece are in relation to the UK. A discussion surrounding BC/BCE and AD/CE then follows in terms of interpreting dates. A timeline with empty boxes is then included for students to fill in in their books. On this timeline is already printed some famous events in history that students will probably have some prior knowledge of. The point of this excercise is to see how BC/BCE dates work (backwards) and to show the Greeks and Romans existed a long time before anything else they will have studied in History lessons. It also allows students to see that the Greeks preceded the Romans at their peak. Another gap-fill exercise follows (with answers) which introduces students to basic information about Ancient Greece (There is no further information on Rome in this lesson as it is assumed students will progress onto a thematic study of Ancient Greece following this lesson). A video link explaining democracy is also included as a final thought for the lesson with student coming up with their own definition of democracy at the end. This will help them analyse Athens’ democracy in later lessons.

This lesson was designed for my GCSE students in order to build on their knowledge of the causes of the US Economic Boom of the 1920s (AQA spec) prior to the Wall Street Crash in 1929. There's enough information on here to stretch higher ability students and the main task involves students creating a table full of information on the groups that didn't benefit from it and and why. It acts as a good foil for our first lesson on The Boom ( https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/what-was-the-boom-a-detailed-look-at-the-us-economic-boom-of-the-1920s-11475396 ) which accentuates the positives of the Boom and why it happened. This is the lesson where the more nuanced thinking is introduced as regards the extent of the Boom for each area of society. There's some slides with information on (with an associated written task - handout also included) but it may be that you want to print these out too and offer groups of students all 3 and let them work independently. Students are encouraged to match their learning to an image (abstract or straightforward) and explain the link. If they can use their knowledge to make links between images even better! Something creative to finish with after dealing with some of the heavier concepts. In addition to the above there is also a Lower ability/SEN worksheet which closely follow the tasks set on the board. I have found these helpful in getting better outcomes for those students who don't write particularly fast or who struggle with making quality notes to revise from. This allows these students to access the same tasks and information as their peers more readily.

This lesson has been designed with the new OCR Classical Civilisation 9-1 GCSE in mind. The lesson begins by asking students what they can infer about the Great Panathenaia from a set of images. A table is then included which can be printed off and completed by students as they are presented with the relevant information about each aspect of the festival itself. Students are then encouraged to rank the importance of each day of the 8 day festival in order to make the learning stick and to promote higher order thinking. The next part of the lesson focuses on a range of study questions that are designed to get students to explain what they have learnt. An 8 mark GCSE style question is included as the final study question. The plenary involves designing your own temple metopes/relief sculpture and this is a sheet that is again best to be printed out, completed and then explained by their students to see how far they have met the success criteria/learning aims. Plenty of visual sources are included and each part of the festival is explained in a way that is accessible to all. Students should leave with a comprehensive understanding of not just what the Great Panathenaia was, but also why it was so significant in religious and community terms for the Athenians themselves.

This presentation and the worksheets included in the .ppt file are designed to span a number of lessons. The lesson starts with a discussion of Dionysus’ traits and depictions in art. A comprehension worksheet that can be printed in A5 size is then designed to get students familiar with some key terms they will need to know. A brief look at Pausanias’ account of the origin of the festival gives students the opportunity to interact with a primary source and then the attention of the lesson turns towards the sanctuary of Dionysus in Athens - with a brief comparison with other sanctuaries on the specification (The Acropolis dedicated to Athena in Athens and the Altis dedicated to Zeus at Olympia) Labelled diagrams of the sanctuary are included which can be printed off for students with the accompanying questions designed to help students enquire as to how Dionysus’ sanctuary differs from the others and where the focus really lies. Given that the sanctuary is at the heart of the festival, this is an important starting point. Students are also encouraged through discussion to realise the theatre’s significance as a religious building, not just a building designed for entertainment. I have then broken down the festival into ten main aspects. A worksheet for students to take notes on is then printable (recommended A3 size) and information on the ten aspects are included on separate slides which can be shown on the board and discussed, or printed and used as an information hunt/ carousel activity. The information includes all key words, what happened and when, and why, in addition to who took part in each activity. Study questions are also included along with two 8 mark comparison GCSE style questions (and a help box for each indicating how students should structure their answer). Through answering these effectively students can demonstrate their learning over the lessons you have taken with them on the City Dionysia. A homework activity is also included along with links to various helpful videos online.

Designed for the new OCR Classical Civilisation GCSE unit: 1.4 Myth and the City Ideally spread over 2 teaching hours, this lesson is designed to give students an understanding of how important both Aeneas and Romulus are in the story of Rome’s foundation. It begins with a slide that can be printed off as a worksheet studying the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite to determine the significance of Aeneas’ birth. It then moves on to the fall of Troy and students are invited to evaluate how heroic Aeneas was in the episode of his life. This is followed by a brief look at his wanderings and arrival in Lavinium through a summary of Book 2 of Virgil’s Aeneid (included) with some analysis. These two can be printed off and there are accompanying think/written response questions that students can complete. Finally, the lesson looks at Livy’s account of how Aeneas’ son, Ascanius, founds Alba Longa and spawns the line of kings leading to Romulus. Throughout the lesson are links to videos (all freely available on Youtube) which consolidate the learning going on at that point in the lesson.

This lesson was designed for my pupils studying OCR Classical Civilisation 9-1 GCSE. It provides an excellent in-depth look at the Roman Domus / Villa - the household and home of wealthy Romans / Roman Patricians. The lesson is dual coded and there is an emphasis in reducing excess ‘noise’ in the PowerPoint file - allowing pupils to easily access the content without distraction. There is also a yellow overlay on each slide to aid any pupils with irlens / dyslexia (this can easily be removed though by clicking on the overlay on each slide and pressing ‘delete’). The lesson begins with a look at a map of Pompeii to allow pupils to see the prevalence of the Domus in a Roman city and then pupils are given a handout (included as a slide to be printed off) of a typical domus floor plan with a key and pupils must colour code both. Once pupils thus have an understanding of the uses of the rooms in a typical domus and what they were called, there is a handout (again, included as a slide) to be printed off of extra info where pupils are encouraged to highlight key points and use to make extra notes to supplement their work up to this point. There is then a short 3 minute video embedded in the next slide which summarises what pupils should have learnt up to this point. Having established the key features of a typical domus, pupils are then presented with the floor plans of three important Roman villas in Herculaneum and Pompeii: The House of the Wooden Partition The House of Menander The House of Octavius Quartio Pupils are prompted to compare the floorplans and key features of these houses to their ‘typical’ domus floorplan and pick out similarities and differences. A group task then ensues where pupils fill in their fact file sheets on each house using more detailed information included in the proceeding slides (designed to be printed out - but you can go through the info on the board, or alternatively read the information for each house aloud and ask students to make notes as you read - I did it slightly differently with my two groups). Finally, the PowerPoint ends with OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation exam questions so pupils’ learning and understanding can be assessed. Thanks for taking a look :-)

This lesson is designed with the new OCR Classical Civilisation GCSE 9-1 Spec in mind. As part of the Myth and Religion unit students need to know about a number of ancient religious festivals. This lesson is designed to give students a deep understanding of the details of the Lupercalia and why it was important to the Romans. After a couple of starter activities, students are given a brief overview of the festival with key words missing and they must select the appropriate words from the list attached. The main part of the lesson is given over to the completion of a leaflet to be handed out in ancient Rome advertising the festival. A template is included within the .ppt file attached at the appropriate point in the lesson. All the information for each heading is also included so students have plenty of information to work with without feeling swamped. There are explanation questions at the end of the lesson which are designed so students can exhibit the extent of their learning, just before a short plenary activity.

The lesson starts by asking students what the lesson might be about based on a set of abstract images. It assumes some prior knowledge about the basics of Theseus’s life e.g. How he was born and who he was. Included in the powerpoint which can be printed A3 or A4 is a worksheet which students can fill in with information about each of Theseus’ labours as you go through them on the board. Students are introduced to the kylix depicting the labours of Theseus housed in the British Museum. As a prescribed source for the GCSE, it is crucial that students know which labour is depicted where on the kylix itself. This powerpoint provides rotated and enlarged versions of each depiction at the appropriate points in the lesson. This ensures that students are constantly thinking not only about Theseus’ labours, but also how they are depicted on the kylix at all times. All the information students need to know about each of Theseus’ labours for the new Classical Civilisation OCR 9-1 GCSE is included. Having already studied Heracles earlier on in the course. There are questions to prompt comparisons with Theseus’ contemporary hero – in particular in the labours that they undertake and the way in which they go about doing them. This comparative thinking will help with the exam question at the end of the lesson. There is a link to a short animation (appropriate for all ages) included to his final labour: the defeat of the Minotaur which students can use to enhance their understanding of this story. The kylix is then referred back to as students are asked to contemplate how appropriate each depiction on the kylix is based on what they know about their labour, followed by a ranking and justification task. Finally, an 8 mark comparison question is included. It is designed to take them 8 minutes as per the timings on the paper at GSCE, and as a support there are sentence starters and helpful tips available to those that might need it. An extension task is also included which encourages the comparison with Heracles.

This lesson was designed with the 9-1 OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation spec in mind. It covers everything pupils need to know about the events portrayed in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, and aims to solidify both their knowledge of the events of the poem, and to draw out quality analysis through the inclusion of study questions, handouts (included as hidden slides for printing) and a video. The resource is fully dual coded to reduce excess ‘noise’ - something my students are really keen on as it is clear at every point in the lessons, what the key information is that they should be focusing on. The use of dual coding also aids knowledge retention and allows pupils of all abilities to access this otherwise difficult poem. When I taught this it fit quite neatly into 2 x 1 hour lessons, with the first lesson focusing on knowing the story of Hades’ abduction of Persephone and the roles various other characters play (i.e. Hermes, Hades, Demeter, Helios, Hecate et al.) through to the poem’s resolution. A copy of the poem is included if you wish to use it with pupils, however key quotes with analysis are picked out on a separate handout (included as a hidden slide for printing) to aid the story-telling task in that forms the focus of the rest of the first lesson. The second hour focuses more on analysis of the characters and their relationships with one-another - including the complex relationships and power (im)balance between humans and the gods. Study questions are included along with an exam question at the end in order that you as the teacher can assess the extent of their learning. Thanks for taking a look :)

This lesson is designed with OCR’s GCSE Classical Civilisation unit: Myth and Religion The lesson is comprehensive in its inclusion of everything the GCSE specification requires: How wealth and status affected burial in Ancient Rome Preparation of the body Funerary procession Burial of the body Festivals for the dead and ancestors Also, primary sources such as Pliny and Ovid are included and clearly signposted for students. Thinking questions (to be answered verbally or in written form are included) as are exam questions at the end, in addition to a short video where Mary Beard looks at Roman tombs lining the road into Rome. Everything my students needed to know is included and they seemed to really enjoy it and engage with it. It’s presented using the principles of dual coding to reduce cognitive load - ensuring that excess ‘noise’ on the PowerPoint does not prove a barrier to knowledge acquisition and retention. Thanks for taking a look :)

I created this lesson out of a feeling that often, in teaching Romulus and Remus, there is a distinct lack of proper history skills involved. This lesson is my attempt to create a lesson which imparts knowledge of the (genuinely intriguing) story of the twin founders of Rome, but also hints at the historical inaccuracies, the story’s mythical nature and cultural significance to the Romans themselves. This lesson is aimed at students 13-16 (although more able students who are younger can access it) in order to introduce them to: The story of Romulus and Remus (which they would need to know for their OCR Class Civ or Ancient History GCSE (9-1) Ancient Historians (specifically Livy who is mentioned throughout and a required for GCSE Ancient History - yet often difficult to access). Modern Historians (specifically Mary Beard) through her retelling of the story in SPQR which is quoted and attributed appropriately throughout (and sometimes adapted slightly for easier understanding). The Lesson starts with a series of images to see if students can guess what the lesson might be about. Some students might have more knowledge of the ancient world than others but whatever answers they come up with can become talking points. Attention moves to the geography/setting of the story and the story itself is then split up into 3 parts; beginning, middle and end. Each part includes an appropriate work sheet which are contained as slides within the .ppt file (in the right places within the presentation) which can be printed, photocopied and worked through. This can be done together as a class or individually. There is a challenge task (focusing on provenance/other versions) on each worksheet for the more able students. Worksheets involve summarising Mary Beard’s account of the Romulus and Remus story in images and words. There is a strong literacy focus throughout with students encouraged primarily to highlight words they don’t understand and annotate their sheet with definitions. There is also additional guidance in the ‘notes’ section of each slide to help you as you teach. The lesson finishes with students attempting to answer the question that is the lesson title using a quote from Romulus (via Livy) to help them to show how much progress they’ve made. Students are then given the same set of images they were given at the start of the lesson and invited to explain each one to show how much they have learnt.

This resource is designed to be printed off and arranged in a timeline fashion on the class room wall. It is designed to be useful as a teaching aid from a distance and promote an understanding of the chronology of the AQA Unit: USA 1920-73: Inequality and Opportunity. It is also designed to be useful close up as a revision aid with some skeleton information included on each part. The idea is that students will find it easier to recall events from having interacted with this display each lesson. There are over 30 colour sections to this timeline so there is plenty to display.

This lesson is aimed at KS3/4 students embarking on a study of Alexander the Great. It was designed with the OCR Ancient History Spec in mind but can also be used as a stand alone lesson as its aim is to introduce students to the debate surrounding Alexander and his ‘greatness’. The lesson begins with a quick-fire drawing game based on the Alexander Mosaic from the House of the Faun in Pompeii. Students are then given Mary Beard’s views on Alexander and discuss whether she believes Alexander is ‘great’ etc. It then moves onto a look at a timeline of his life with students encouraged to identify what might have been they most significant events in his life and why. There is then a task where students have to decide whether key events in his life were either positive or negative and draw conclusions about his greatness from this. They are then encouraged to compare their analysis with Mary Beard’s opinion, followed by Philip Freeman’s. The final task involves looking at a map of Alexander’s empire at the time of his death and the routes he took. Students then use this to feed into their gradually evolving opinion on Alexander which they can explain at the end and link to the lesson’s success criteria. This lesson should ideally cover around 2 hours, but could be reduced to 1 if necessary. Reading is included which students do as homework following the lesson with an accompanying short written task.

This lesson goes into detail about each of Heracles’ 12 Labours; what happened during them and after each one. The lesson is dual coded where possible to ensure students can easily access the key information they need in what can be an otherwise information heavy lesson. This lesson resource guides pupils to learn about Heracles’ Twelve Labours in first an independent way,and then in a collaborative way to mixup T&L strategies to ensure engagement throughout from all students. Handouts with info on each Labour is included with quotes from primary sources (but not too much - to ensure accessibility) and a commentary for each one too. I have also included the information on each Labour on separate slides in case you’d rather go through them one by one as a class on the whiteboard. Pupils use this information to fill in an A3 sheet (included as a hidden slide to be printed off) and then have their learning cemented by the inclusion of a variety of video clips that summarise the Labours in 4 different parts. Throughout there are study questions and stretch and challenge activities to ensure the most able students are catered for. The summative assessment task at the end is an exam question, but there is also a newspaper task activity with a template included (again as a hidden slide for printing) which worked well with my students as a homework task. I did this lesson with my students in 2 x 1 hour lessons and the feedback I got from it was really good - they certainly retained the knowledge they needed for their Classical Civilisation GCSE exam. There is also a transparent cover on each slide to help pupils with dyslexia/Irlen’s which can be easily deleted or the colour can be changed to suit your pupils. Thanks for taking a look :)

This lesson takes learners through the details of the Feminist Movement that emerged in the USA during the 1960s and 1970s. It's been designed in accordance with the new AQA spec for 2017 USA unit. Ideally, this would span two lessons and two comprehension starters (on two of the slides - to be printed off) are included. A challenge question on these starters ensures that higher ability learners get sufficient challenge at the start of both lessons. The first lesson would deliver information, outlining the emergence of the Feminist Movement and then the more radical Women's Liberation Movement. It outlines the groups and laws and leads students to question the impact of these on the lives of ordinary women in the USA at the time (+ in relation to their success/failure). Plenty of exam questions are included (including an 'explain' 8 marker and '4,4,8 marker' interpretation questions)

This lesson is designed with the new OCR Ancient History 9-1 GCSE spec in mind. All worksheets referenced here and in the lesson are included as Powerpoint slides within the .ppt file and can be printed off and given to students. Brief summaries of the Aeneas’ travels and the story of Romulus and Remus begin the lesson and the first activity involves dual-coding these stories to help commit them to memory. The lesson then turns towards how to answer the 10 mark questions that appear in the first half (period study) of each of the two GCSE papers. A Passage from Livy about Aeneas’ troubles with Turnus is the focus of the first question where students are taken through step by step guidance and then a model answer. Then it is students’ turn to have a go but this time they are given a passage from Livy about Romulus and Remus’ quarrel. They must follow the step by step guidance to answer the question in 10 minutes. They are then presented with another model answer and must use this to improve their own and then explain how they improved their answer. The lesson finishes with students needing to explain how to be successful in answering a 10 mark question and then as a plenary they are asked to match abstract images to what they have learnt in the lesson so that you can check their understanding before they leave.

This resource can be used at any point during any sort of study of Alexander the Great. In our school we have designed it to sit at the beginning of our OCR Ancient History 9-1 GCSE unit on Alexander. One of the biggest issues with studying Alexander (and something crucial to the 20 mark essay question on the GCSE paper!) is our sources for his life and conquests. This resource tackles the four main problems with our sources. It also encourages students to come to a judgement in the form of an exam question at the end of the lesson as to how much we can ever really know about Alexander. There are ample notes in the ‘notes’ section on the Powerpoint to support teachers in delivering the lesson accurately and the aim has always been to create an easy-to follow, high quality resource that can be used ‘off the shelf’ and can easily slot in to any scheme of work as a stand-alone lesson.

This lesson is designed with with AQA 9-1 GCSE History spec in mind. The lesson takes inspiration from Oli Caviglioli’s methods of Dual Coding to help lessen cognitive load for students while simultaneously ensuring learning sticks. This requires teacher expertise and subject knowledge (all included as hidden slides in case you’re worried!) The lesson takes you through Sir John Hawkins, his significance and key details. Then Sir Francis Drake, his background, significance of his round the world voyage and other key details. Finally, students are introduced to Sir Walter Raleigh and his significance as an explorer and his direction in the setting up of Roanoke Colony. Information on the new technologies used by these three men is also included, and there are constant prompts to assess students learning through paired attempts at low-stakes multiple choice questions that appear. Then two exam questions are included: the first for students to verbally attempt in pairs, followed by an 8 marker for students to complete on their own, with appropriate scaffolding. There is also an information sheet included for each student (with all the basic details for each sailor on to avoid extensive note-taking) which can be printed off in A5, highlighted and annotated appropriately as the lesson progresses.

This lesson is part of a scheme of lessons I created to try and fill a gap in the OCR Ancient History GCSE available resources. I felt like this is quite a complex era in Roman history and the resources that exist are complicated too - leading to cognitive overload for many of my students. This lesson is completely dual coded and my students loved it because it is clear and succinct. it starts with a couple of video clips recapping Superbus’ reasons for being exiled and it then tells the following three ‘stories’ that Livy outlines in his History of Rome: The Battle of Silvia Arsia - where Rome’s exiled king Tarquinius Superbus teams up with members of the Latin League to try and regain Rome. Lars Porsena’s siege of Rome - where Superbus persuades a powerful neighbouring king to try and get him back into power in Rome. The Battle of Lake Regilius - Superbus’ last hurrah and ultimate failure to regain the Roman throne. Throughout there are pertinent questions posed to students on screen that they can answer verbally or in written form and are great for AfL - there is also a 10 mark exam question at the end (with sentence starters) on the battle of Lake Regilius (with an accompanying passage from Livy to refer to) so students can apply their learning and hone their exam skills. Thanks for taking a look!

I used this lesson with my students for their OCR Classical Civilisation 9-1 GCSE unit ‘Myth and Religion’. It covers what they need to know about Heracles apart from his twelve labours (which are covered in this lesson: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12658219 ) The lesson begins with a look at what Olympia was and why it was important to the Greeks. There is a video embedded and pupils are asked to describe what they can see in the reconstruction of Olympia on screen. Heracles’ link to Olympia is then emphasised through a quick recap of his fifth labour, the Augean Stables, and the concept of metopes is introduced and where they are located on the Olympian Zeus temple. Pupils are then presented with a discussion of the three aims of the sculptor in representing each of Heracles’ labours and are invited to make a reasoned judgement as to what they believe the sculptor’s primary aim was and explain why. There is then a brief digression into the ‘other’ story of how the Olympic games were founded (Pelops, Hippodamia and Oinomaos) and pupils are shown where and how these events were depicted on the Temple of Zeus at Olympia. The final task in this lesson that is designed to fit into an hour is one where pupils conclude which story of the origin of the Olympic Games is more likely to their mind, based on the literary and archaeological evidence. Short exam practice questions are used as a plenary so that you as the teacher can assess what knowledge they’ve retained from the lesson. The whole lesson is dual coded - something my students really enjoy as it facilitates a reduction in cognitive load and allows them to focus on exactly what needs to be focused on, by eliminating excess ‘noise’ from what is being presented. This in turn we have found aids knowledge retention and allows them to link back to prior learning more readily, meaning they are making bigger learning gains from lesson to lesson. A coloured overaly is included on each slide which can be easily deleted if you do not want or need it, but we have found these help our pupils with dyslexia / Irlen’s to engage more easily. Thanks for taking a look :)