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Ruth Messenger's Shop

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(based on 19 reviews)

I've been teaching history for four years, and I aim to provide lessons that are ready to go with minimal tweaking just to personalise the resource to your class and their prior learning. I'm a big fan of paired discussion, group work, debates, living graphs and hot seating, and I provide a variety of tasks in each lesson to ensure learning happens at a pace and that all learning styles are catered for. All feedback gratefully received.

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I've been teaching history for four years, and I aim to provide lessons that are ready to go with minimal tweaking just to personalise the resource to your class and their prior learning. I'm a big fan of paired discussion, group work, debates, living graphs and hot seating, and I provide a variety of tasks in each lesson to ensure learning happens at a pace and that all learning styles are catered for. All feedback gratefully received.
How much did the Black Death of 1348 change life for Peasants in Medieval England?
ruthmessengerruthmessenger

How much did the Black Death of 1348 change life for Peasants in Medieval England?

(0)
This is a lesson for HA year 7 students. It gives them the opportunity to write an essay aiming to hit the old NC levels 5,6 and even 7. I have had a 7A essay handed in using this lesson and most were L6 so if you want to challenge your HA, give this a go. Be aware though that this resource covers three lessons and is mostly concerned with essay structure. I haven't indicated in the PP at which point the students write the essay, so here is how I did it: Lesson 1: students use a card sort to examine the consequences of the black death, they work in pairs and groups to find the most significant/substantial change and the least significant/substantial change. They then choose three pieces of evidence that show significant change, three that show medium change and three that show no change. These will make up their paragraphs. Lesson 2: Students look at a dummy essay on how much school rules changed life for students. I have labelled a paragraph with structural necessities such as 'point, evidence, explanation' and they use highlighters to spot where the author of the essay has done this. Students get started on the essay, aim to finish one paragraph in class, then set one for homework. Lesson 3: You can allow students to peer assess each other's essay so far (in the same way they highlighted the dummy essay), or you can just give them half an hour to finish the essay. They need to have completed their third paragraph before you show them how to write the conclusion. There is a conclusion to the dummy essay that students analyse the structure of before having a go themselves. Most likely, you will want to set this for homework as if your HA class are like mine, they are crazy perfectionists. Please note, this lesson is not differentiated. You would have to approach this essay in a completely different way for a class that is targetted L3-5 and a L4 student would need support to access it. But if you want to push your HA, this resource is really strong. Learning Objectives: ALL students will be able to Describe some of the ways in which life changed using some detailed evidence. Write a conclusion to say how much life changed. (L5) MOST students will be able to Explain how the black death changed the lives of peasants by thinking about the short term and the long term effects of the changes. Supporting all comments with detailed factual knowledge (L6) SOME students will be able to use a lot of detailed factual knowledge to analyse how much change has taken place. This means that you really pick the facts apart to show how much life changed. (L7)
Edexcel Paper 1, Option F: LESSON 10 Was the Great Depression Hoover's fault?
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Edexcel Paper 1, Option F: LESSON 10 Was the Great Depression Hoover's fault?

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The Powerpoint contains images of Hoovervilles for students to see and for you to describe the effects of the Depression. The worksheet needs to be completed using the textbook. ALL Will be able to describe Hoover’s actions and the effects of the Great Depression MOST Will be able to explain Hoover’s limitations and the impact on public opinion of the Bonus Army SOME Will be able to predict the impact of Hoover’s actions on the former popularity of Republicanism.
Edexcel Paper 1, Option F: Why didn't Hoover win the 1932 election?
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Edexcel Paper 1, Option F: Why didn't Hoover win the 1932 election?

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ALL Will be able to describe why Hoover didn’t win MOST Will be able to identify detailed and relevant material to support their points SOME Will be able to analyse the factors to show how they are connected This lesson includes differentiated questions on the values and promises of Franklin D Roosevelt compared with the disaster Presidency of Hoover. Students will either need the textbook for this, or another resource on the Bonus Army.
Edexcel A Level Paper 1 Option F: In search of the American Dream: the USA 1917-1996 LESSON 1: Intro
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Edexcel A Level Paper 1 Option F: In search of the American Dream: the USA 1917-1996 LESSON 1: Intro

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Edexcel A Level Paper 1 Option F: In search of the American Dream: the USA 1917-1996 This lesson is an introduction to the course, it gives the teacher an idea of what students already know about the USA and gives a snapshot of what the USA is like at the moment. There are also slides on the structure of the US government, but I usually give my own description with the slides as illustrations. - Students name US states - Students use own tech and existing knowledge to answer general knowledge questions - homework which asks students to find an existing article about the USA today - slides on structure of government
Crime and Punishment - How did Crime change under Norman rule?
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Crime and Punishment - How did Crime change under Norman rule?

(1)
Designed to follow on from a study of crime and punishment in the Saxon period, students will also need prior knowledge of the basics of the Norman conquest (they need to know it was a violent and foreign occupation). This lesson is designed primarily for the GCSE Edexcel depth study 'Crime and Punishment' and is updated for the brand new 2018 GCSE. This PowerPoint includes information and tasks with ideas for group work and differentiation included. It also includes a sample exam question on this topic with a suggestion for a writing frame. Although the textbook is not explicitly referred it, it may help students to have one to hand. The Edexcel textbook is ideal, but the OCR or SHP will work just as well. Lesson Objectives: ALL Will be able to describe new crimes MOST Will be able to explain how these new crimes were connected to the Norman Conquest SOME Will be able to identify change and continuity in crime from Saxon times
Crime and Punishment - What was the Role of the Church in Medieval Law Enforcement?
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Crime and Punishment - What was the Role of the Church in Medieval Law Enforcement?

(1)
Designed to be used for GCSE Crime and Punishment either Edexcel or OCR, you will need a textbook to support learning from this lesson as students will be prompted to find out information for themselves. This PowerPoint is essentially a focal point for the lesson, it covers Thomas Beckett and Benefit of the Clergy, Church Courts and moral crimes. It covers the following Learning Objectives: ALL will be able to describe how the Church affected law and order in Medieval England MOST will be able to used precise historical detail to describe the role of the church SOME will be able to evaluate who had more power over law and order; the church or the King.
Crime and Punishment - What was the role of the King in Medieval Law Enforcement?
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Crime and Punishment - What was the role of the King in Medieval Law Enforcement?

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This lesson looks particularly at Henry II and the changes he made in 1154. It includes a clip, a sock matching exercise and an alternative exercise if you prefer to keep your students seated. It includes a structured written exercise and a plenary. Learning objectives are: ALL will be able to describe how the King affected law and order in Medieval England MOST will be able to used precise historical detail to describe the changes the King brought SOME will be able to explain how much things change. All resources are included, no textbook needed. Questions are differentiated into traffic light colours.
Overview of Tudor England as  part of a study of Crime and Punishment
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Overview of Tudor England as part of a study of Crime and Punishment

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Intended to give a very quick overview of Tudor England for students in KS4, this lesson gives students the key information they need to begin to study the crimes and punishments of Tudor times. Learning Objectives: ALL Students will be able to recall key facts about life in Tudor Times MOST Students will be able to consider how these facts impacted on the monarch of the time SOME Students will be able to predict what kind of laws the monarchs would have brought in to deal with threats to their rule.
Crime and Punishment - How was Tudor Law Enforcement different from Medieval Law Enforcement?
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Crime and Punishment - How was Tudor Law Enforcement different from Medieval Law Enforcement?

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Designed for GCSE students either studying the OCR course, or the Edexcel course, you will need a textbook for this (OCR, SHP and Edexcel are all appropriate for this) and prior learning on law enforcement in medieval times. Students will compare tudor law enforcement with law enforcement from medieval times: ALL Will be able to describe one difference and one similarity MOST Will be able to describe several differences and several similarities using detail SOME Will be able to analyse the extent of change
Structuring an essay on why confidence in the US government declined from 1968-1980
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Structuring an essay on why confidence in the US government declined from 1968-1980

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This needs to be included in a scheme of work on American politics during this period as it helps structure an essay, but it doesn't provide new knowledge on content. The lesson is focused on how to pick out themes and structure an essay at A Level. Students come up with their themes as a class, but suggestions are made in the lesson, students assess a model paragraph to find the evidence and analysis present. Students structure their own paragraphs around the model paragraph structure. The question this lesson considers is “The Vietnam War was the main reason the American public lost confidence in their President between the years 1968 and 1980” How far do you agree? This lesson was designed to be part of a Scheme of Work on Edexcel AS/A Level history Paper 1, Option F: The American Dream
Why did Capital Punishment End? Crime and Punishment in the Twentieth Century
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Why did Capital Punishment End? Crime and Punishment in the Twentieth Century

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Intended for GCSE students either studying the OCR or Edxecel spec for Crime and Punishment, appropriate for both the new GCSE and the old, this stand alone lesson is designed to be used with a textbook. The SHP, OCR and Edexcel textbooks will all be fine for this lesson. Lesson Objectives: ALL Will be able to describe some of the reasons capital punishment ended MOST Will be able to support their points with detailed evidence SOME explain how these factors led to capital punishment ending This lesson includes a clip about Derek Bentley, a table to be completed using the textbook, a triangle of importance and then an essay question that asks students to compare factors.
Peasants Life Game with accompanying tasks
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Peasants Life Game with accompanying tasks

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Standard board game that requires a dice and counters to represent the students playing. Students complete activity sheet as they play, using the knowledge they gained from the game. Each square details something that might happen to a peasant to either cause them good fortune or bad and instructs students to move ahead or drop back a few spaces accordingly. As students play the game they have a range of activities to complete based on the information they find out in the game. They could do these as they play, or to consolidate what they have learned after. Activities cover: * the feudal system * jobs of the peasant in each season * factors affecting the peasant's life such as the weather * matching pictures to the jobs of the peasant * the roles of other people in the village such as the steward This game is active learning that is student centred. Other than behaviour management, it is hands off for the teacher and enjoyable for students. This is appropriate to KS3. Many thanks to Paul Durnall who gave this to me :-)
Using the caption to investigate Factory Conditions during the Industrial Revolution
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Using the caption to investigate Factory Conditions during the Industrial Revolution

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This lesson should follow on from either your own lesson on factory conditions, or my other lesson on factory conditions. The focus of the lesson is not new learning, it is practising the skill of assessing reliability based on the caption of the source. It doesn't go as far as NOP but allows students a more organic, paired or group discussion on whether a source is reliable. First you analyse reliability together, then students pass round sources and add their own notes to the bottom before completing a worksheet task. NB. This lesson does not use the word 'bias' when examining sources as in my opinion, this leads students to stop analysing once they have decided that the source is biased. If instead they examine reliability, they are more able to take a balanced view on source reliability. Learning Objectives: To know how to make inferences from the source (L5) and to know how to use the caption to decide how reliable the source is (L6)
How did Roosevelt's Presidential Style differ from his predecessors?
ruthmessengerruthmessenger

How did Roosevelt's Presidential Style differ from his predecessors?

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Students analyse change using continuum bars. will also need previous learning on previous Presidents (Wilson onwards) and a textbook to refer to on Roosevelt's presidency. The 'Edexcel Paper 1: Searching for rights and freedoms in the 20th century' is what I use. Tasks include: chronological placing of Presidents recall of previous facts learned about that President an examination of FDR from the textbook completing the worksheet on the continuum of change
Supreme Court challenges to the New Deal; Did Roosevelt overstep his Power as President?
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Supreme Court challenges to the New Deal; Did Roosevelt overstep his Power as President?

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This lesson is designed to be used with Access to History:‘Prosperity, Depression and the New Deal: The USA 1980-1954 by Peter Clements, but could be used with another resource if your resource is: * of A level complexity or above (lesson skill focus is finding information in text) * details the Supreme Court challenges made against the New Deal * is no longer than 2 sides of A4 The skill focus is on finding information in text with a view to increasing student confidence in using the textbook and other more complex sources more independently. Tasks include 'skim it/scan it/scope it out' exercise, rephrasing complex concepts into student own words to improve comprehension, and differentiated tasks as per Blooms. Students will also be fully informed about Supreme Court challenges to the New Deal and able to analyse the changing relationships within the US Federal government.
How far did the New Deal change the Presidency?
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How far did the New Deal change the Presidency?

(1)
You need a textbook resource on the New Deal, or access to internet research for students to complete one of the tasks in this lesson. They just need basic information on the provisions of the new deal so they can summarise individual elements such as the NRA for each other. Learning Outcomes ALL Will be able to recall key facts about the New Deal MOST Will be able to explain how the New Deal helped the economy SOME Will be able to analyse the extent to which the New Deal altered the Presidency Lesson includes: Source analysis of a political cartoon Student paired research Student paired presentations individual students select evidence to support the point that the New Deal changed the Presidency in its relationship with Congress and business.
Was McCarthyism a threat to the US government?
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Was McCarthyism a threat to the US government?

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ALL Will be able to describe the key features of McCarthyism MOST Will be able to explain how this impacted on American politics and culture SOME Will be able to use detailed evidence to analyse the threat posed by McCarthyism to the American government Self contained lesson with all resources contained, differentiated questions and a homework paragraph structure.
Did Reagan inherit an 'Imperilled Presidency'?
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Did Reagan inherit an 'Imperilled Presidency'?

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This resource for KS5 looks at the challenges faced by Reagan in exerting his power as president, and looks at whether the Presidency was 'imperilled' and power disseminating to Congress. The resources in this pack support students to achieve the first two of these Learning Objectives, the third objective is a holistic objective that asks students to consider their previous learning on Nixon, Ford and Carter. If they haven't learned this, they will still have access to the first two objectives. ALL: Will be able to describe how it was difficult for Reagan to use his power MOST: Will be able to explain how the obstacles Reagan faced would impede his policies SOME: Will be able to make links between these obstacles and the failures of the previous presidents to explain how the Presidency had become ‘imperilled’
Why were Martin Luther King’s Northern campaigns less successful than his campaigns in the South?
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Why were Martin Luther King’s Northern campaigns less successful than his campaigns in the South?

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Civil Rights, KS5, students need an existing knowledge of MLK's Southern Campaigns before they can access this lesson effectively. All resources included, no need for additional textbooks although they are always useful for extra material. The starter asks students to look at the Moynihan Report and decide why MLK turned his attention North. The main body of the lesson is a card sort on the Northern Campaign, students separate 'event' cards from 'analysis' cards, then use the event cards to put together a chronology. Students then colour code their cards to align with various reasons the Northern campaign was unsuccessful, then they either make three bullet point lists, or write three paragraphs to answer the question.