This lesson is not on a specific topic nor is it a series of activities. Instead it is a whole class activity based around a major theme or topic in history. The aim is to create a visual summary of an historical event, from the main topic down to some of the key people involved. The Tree can be created as a piece of research on a new topic. The students can add to it as the topic develops. Alternatively the Tree can be created as a conclusion to a major class project. Each student can be given a task and once completed it will sum up all of their work.

This resource encourages the students to look at what they know well and what they need a little more guidance on. There are then five different types of essay plans that can be used either through the course or as part of the revision process. The essay plans are set out differently and can be easily adapted to different topics.

This lesson is all about imagination and creative writing. The students are to look at traditional Christmas songs, events and customs and invert or twist them to present an alternative. This produces great discussions and some really interesting pieces of creative writing. Alternatives include the Twelve Days of Christmas; Dickens A Christmas Carol; or just the life of a Christmas Tree. The lesson encourages the students to be critical of the work and world before them and come up with an alternative. They then have to present that alternative in one of three ways. At the end of the lesson is an opportunity for the students to think about their own Christmas traditions and write about what is important for themselves at Christmas

The truce within parts of the Western Front trenches is one of the defining moments of the First World War for many people. These activities seek to look at the emotion and the feelings that the men in the trenches would have been feeling as they spent their first Christmas in the Trenches. The activities take back the events from a novelty advert to the real emotion of the men in the trenches. The exercises encourage the students to empathise with the soldiers and to consider their actions in terms of what they had previously been told about the Germans. There is a link with English as the students then look at writing a poem about the events, taking influence from some of the great war poets.

This pack contains four useful activities based around remembrance week as well as the broader topic of remembering and thinking about those that have gone and died in conflicts around the world. The tasks are particularly suited to history but there are aspects that could be used in RS as well or used as a whole school activity. All are aimed at trying to get the students to really think about past conflicts and the loss that occurred. The activities encourage creativity and empathy and will be an excellent addition to any work planned. The work can be developed for wall displays and there are opportunities to expand the work to fit around other topics on the curriculum as well as extension tasks for homework.

It is perhaps the simplest thing to do. Think. However, when the examiner tells the students to begin their exams it can often be a rather more challenging proposal. This Lesson contains a variety of activities designed to get the students thinking. On their own they do not take too much time but can be easily adapted to some of the other Recipes to develop the revision. This activity can also be used as a thinking skills activity at the start of the year.

Ofsted describes an inadequate lesson as one where the students are over dependent on the teacher and produce only passive responses. The same lesson often has a one size fits all approach that limits the students’ own responses and ability to produce their own work. All of these points would produce a truly terrible lesson within the sixth form where there is expected to be even more independence. The students need to be encouraged to think for themselves and solve their own problems. This does not only mean making sure they bring a spare pen to the lesson but also how to go about completing their own work, how it is to be presented and finding the correct answer or solution. Activity Aims: 1. To demonstrate to the students the different ways of looking at problems 2. For the students to look at the process of coming to a solution

Sometimes students need a simpler way to explain a difficult event in history. Diagrams are good but so is the logical approach of mathematics. Students are used to being told to show their working out when doing maths but do not always transfer the same principle to other subjects, such as history. It could be argued that showing the working out in history is more important as there is rarely one correct answer. Therefore this lesson aims to get the students to show their working out and appreciate the benefits and process. Examiners want the student not only to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding but also demonstrate the difficult skills of analysis and evaluation. Showing their working, or expressing their process will enable students to achieve these skills.

One of the hardest things to comprehend, especially when young is the passage of time. One of the easiest things to get wrong therefore is time management, especially as the idea of an A level taking two years is misleading. Being able to manage and plan time effectively as well as working with other likeminded people could be beneficial. This Lesson can also be used at the beginning of the course.

Understanding what is being asked of you is an important skill. The average person is not expected to crack complex codes but we are meant to understand instructions and work independently in order to complete a task. Most things have a coded element, or at least an understanding of a pattern, whether its language or maths, geography or music. Code breaking forces us to see patterns and fully understand something. Too often people make mistakes or get work wrong because they do not fully understand something; they rush into a task. It is often useful to try and work with others on similar task to see if everyone’s task might be completed more efficiently. Activity Aims: 1. To develop individual and group problem solving skills 2. To encourage the students to see patterns in their work 3. To encourage the students to think differently. 4. To develop interpersonal skills

This pack contains four excellent revision tasks for students studying for their English GCSE. The focus of the revision is on the Reading aspect of the exam and offers several ways of developing the students understanding and showing them where certain skills are needed. Several recommended uses of the handouts are included but all can easily be adapted by teachers if needed to develop their revision. The GCSE Subject Criteria for English stipulates a variety of skills needed to be demonstrated in order to achieve certain Assessment Objectives. These revision sheets and tasks aim to assist the student in revising for their Reading Assessment covered by AO2.

To behave deviantly is to behave differently from the norm. It is not just about breaking the rules or behaving criminally. This task is about deviance in terms of norms and expectations; Behaving and thinking differently. The students have been conditioned to behave in a certain way for most of their school life. Students are often encouraged to conform and behave passively but within higher education and business this often hinders success. Ofsted claim that an outstanding lesson should be one in which students ‘learn intuitively, encouraging each other to explore, inquire, seek clarity, take risks and think critically and imaginatively’. Having an element of deviance in your students encourages all of these skills. Activity Aims: 1. To get the students to think differently and see the merit of deviant behaviour when solving problems 2. For the students to challenge their own preconceived ideas and processes

This is a must have resource pack for A level Students (and some higher GCSE Groups). Regardless of the subjects being studied all students need to learn and develop core educational skills in order to help them maximise their potential. There are ten lessons included in this pack, all fully resourced (stationary aside). This includes plans, PowerPoints, and handouts. The topics covered are: Problem Solving Time and how to manage it Money- how it works as a motivator and how students could view its importance. Code Breaking- we all write and talk in code, learning about codes helps us ask the right questions Deviance- doing something the wrong way can sometimes bring benefits. Graffiti- Thinking creatively Perspective- how we need to alter our perspective to see things differently Fight the Power- Why do we organise and make notes in just one way? Think about doing it differently Design a school- thinking about how we learn can make us better learners A letter to yourself- how you would explain your own strengths and weaknesses. The titles may be cryptic but that is because they best describe the activity and they get the students thinking.

This is a brilliant resource pack full of creative ways for getting your students to revise independently, differently and most importantly, successfully. Ten lessons are included and that means PowerPoints and handouts as well. Trial and error has gone into creating lots of resources that really get the students thinking about their revision. No two students are the same so adopting just one method of revision is limiting. Vary the methods and increase the outcomes. Topics included: Image is everything- revising using images Reverse the process- based on reverse engineering to see how a good answer is made Elementary- using Sherlock Holmes to help thinking Help Lights camera action Maps- a look at how mapping can help revision News Report- how putting a news report help focus revision Postcards- writing revision postcards Revision Game Thinking- different ways of thinking The title are varied because so are the methods, however, they are creative approaches to getting the most out of your students.