Engaging and challenging History resources for Key Stages 3, 4 and 5.
Striving to produce well-balanced, well-paced, challenging and differentiated resources that cater to a variety of ages and ability levels.
Engaging and challenging History resources for Key Stages 3, 4 and 5.
Striving to produce well-balanced, well-paced, challenging and differentiated resources that cater to a variety of ages and ability levels.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
An introductory lesson to the Cold War, including the postwar settlement (Yalta, Potsdam) and a main focus on the ideological differences between capitalism and communism, taught through a card sort activity.
Learning outcomes:
describe what the Cold War was
explain why the allies of the Second World War became enemies
explain and evaluate the key differences between capitalism and communism
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
A lesson that forms part of a scheme of work on Oliver Cromwell, the Commonwealth and the Restoration.
Contains:
presentation with starter activity and plenary discussion
high quality images and resources, ready to print from Microsoft PowerPoint
Learning Objectives:
describe how the Great Plague broke out
use evidence from sources to explain what people knew about the spread of plague and disease in seventeenth-century London.
investigate a primary source to discover more precise details about the Great Plague
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
Learning outcomes:
explain the impact the Blitz had on people living in London.
assess the extent to which the Blitz can be seen as both good and bad for people living in London.
form an opinion on the impact of the Blitz on people living in London and justify this opinion with well-explained historical knowledge
Lesson features differentiated learning objectives, a well-paced starter, main and plenary, and a focal on source evaluation, including evidence collection in a table.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
Learning objectives:
identify the main groups that made up Tudor society
categorise a variety of historical sources, explaining why I made the decisions that I did
This active lesson introduces students to the various social groups within Tudor England, according to William Harrison (writing in 1587) - gentlemen, citizens, yeomen and labourers.
Students complete a gap fill to form an impression of what each social group was like. They then categorise a variety of sources - pictures and descriptions - based on this knowledge, before explaining the decisions they made.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
LOs:
describe the ways in which Victorians spent their leisure time
explain why the amount of free time increased in the 1800s
plan a weekend for your friends
assess the extent to which free time activities have changed/stayed the same
Contains:
- a starter relating the topic to students' own activities and interests
- a brief summary of why free time increases
- a letter writing activity with a challenge extension and a self-assessment sheet (that could also be easily adapted for peer assessment)
- a plenary on change and continuity since the Victorian era
- a word-memory activity if time allows
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
A lesson that forms part of a scheme of work on the Stuarts and the Civil War.
Contains:
presentation with starter activity and plenary discussion
high quality images and resources, ready to print from Microsoft PowerPoint
Learning Objectives:
identify some facts about the reign of Charles I
explain why Charles fell out with Parliament
evaluate evidence to reach your own judgement about Charles’ behaviour as king
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
A lesson that forms part of a scheme of work on the Stuarts and the Civil War.
Contains:
presentation with starter activity and plenary discussion
high quality images and resources, ready to print from Microsoft PowerPoint
Learning Objectives:
understand key terms involved when discussing sources
analyse and evaluate sources
use your skills to answer source-based questions
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
A lesson that forms part of a scheme of work on the Stuarts and the Civil War.
Contains:
presentation with starter activity and plenary discussion
high quality images and resources, ready to print from Microsoft PowerPoint
Learning Objectives:
explore how Charles spent the last few hours of his life
examine the details of his execution
imagine what it was like to be there!
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
Two lessons that form part of a scheme of work on the Stuarts and the Civil War.
Contains:
presentation with starter activity and plenary discussion
high quality images and resources, ready to print from Microsoft PowerPoint
Learning Objectives:
identify some factors that caused the Civil War
explain links between the factors
evaluate and prioritise the factors to form an opinion about the most important cause
identify short-term and long-term causes
explain links between the causes
evaluate which are the more important factors
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
Two lessons that form part of a scheme of work on the Industrial Revolution, ending in the early 20th century (before the First World War).
Lesson one: a group news presentation involving the following learning objectives:
- describe what the Titanic was like as a ship
- explain why it is such a famous ship
- judge whether women and children really were rescued first
Students work in groups of three, read the information sheets and present a news report on the three key questions. This active lesson familiarises students with the key events of the Titanic, preparing them for the next lesson which is more writing-based.
Lesson two: an observation lesson involving the following learning outcomes:
- explain how several people’s actions led to the sinking of the Titanic
- explain how these people could defend themselves from blame
- assess which person or group of people was ultimately the most responsible for the sinking of the Titanic
Students analyse the five 'suspects', deciding who is responsible for the tragedy. They then write a persuasive report detailing their opinion. Ideal as an observation lesson, this lesson could easily be adapted for peer or self-assessment following the writing of the report if there was time.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
An introduction to the topic of the Romans for Year 7, focusing on the extent of the Roman Empire and why Rome wanted an Empire. Contains presentation and accompanying handout.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
An engaging lesson that explains the feudal system to students. This lesson can be brought to life through some student participation!
Learning outcomes:
Describe what the Feudal System was. (C)
Explain how the Feudal System helped William keep control. (B)
Evaluate how effective the Feudal System was as a way for William to keep control. (A)
Starter - A recap of the Domesday Book (this could easily be changed to Why William Won if you are skipping the Domesday Book in your scheme of work)
Main - The Feudal System. An analogy to the school pyramid and a cartoon strip should be combined with active student participation to explain the feudal system to students. Use an A3 piece of paper to represent all of the land in England! Give it to a chosen student (the King). Tell him he has to apportion a certain amount of land for his barons. What are the dangers of giving too much? What are the dangers of giving too little? Repeat down the Feudal System pyramid.
Main - Now that students are engaged and attuned to the concept of the Feudal System, consolidate their knowledge by asking them to explain the feudal system in their books. This activity includes differentiated word lists that students should use in their explanations.
Plenary - Covers how the Feudal System helped William to control England, linking to the Harrying of the North and the Domesday Book. Once the fourth method is covered (Castles), students are prepared for a longer piece of work / an assessment on William's control methods.
Quiz - Students have to match statements to who said them to consolidate understanding of the feudal system!
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
Learning objectives:
explain what happened on 11th September 2001
explain the consequences of the 9/11 terrorist attacks
assess the most significant consequence
Starter: an impactful BBC video clip about the terrorist attacks
Main: picture-led class discussion about the consequences of 9/11, following by an evidence categorisation activity. This stage of the lesson also allows for students to bring in their own opinions about the consequences of 9/11 (it may, for example, lead to the idea that 9/11 has negatively affected the portrayal of Muslims).
Main: a debate arguing over the most significant consequence of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Based around the historical concept of significance, and with a variety of impassioned views, this activity acts really well as a method by which students can both strengthen their understanding of 'significance' and develop their skills of backing up their arguments with well-explained evidence.
Plenary: a summary of the debate.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
This lesson can be used in a series looking at the 'MAIN' causes of the First World War - Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism and Nationalism. A review of the lessons on alliances and imperialism is followed by source analysis of militarism in Germany and the UK before the First World War. There is also an analysis of army and navy statistics designed to draw attention to the relative importance of different technological breakthroughs, particularly the Dreadnought.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
This lesson forms part of a scheme of work on The Tudors. Ideal for Year 7 / Year 8 students, depending on your school's SoW.
Learning Objectives:
identify reasons why Henry broke away from Rome
explain why Henry established the Church of England and closed down the monasteries.
choose the most important reason why he did this and explain your choice
A lesson that could be used over two lessons to highlight the key details of Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon and marriage to Anne Boleyn, and the subsequent dissolution of the monasteries. Includes a consideration of the various factors at play, and a self-assessment sheet.
***SALE*** - this resource is on sale at a reduced price.
Learning outcomes:
describe what trench life was like
explain the different ways in which soldiers lives were affected
demonstrate your understanding by writing and peer assessing a diary entry.
Lesson features differentiated learning objectives, a well-paced starter, main and plenary, and a focus on the historical concept of source evaluation. Students also self and peer assess their work (AfL).