In this very detailed lesson students received clear aims and objectives (all will, most will, and some will) before being given a source starter activity which they are asked to break down using the frame provided. This introduces the idea of growing Japanese strength (its about the Russo-Japanese War). The class are then given activation material in the form of extremely detailed notes. The consolidation phase then asks IB students to sort a 25 piece hexagonal card sort into factors - domestic, economic, militaristic, and nationalistic. The lesson concludes with a chronology activity to test student knowledge acquired in a fun way. I have also made a revision video which is included as homework. I hope your IB students get as much from this as mine do and that it helps them prepare for this Move to Global War Paper 1 IB topic.

I couldn’t find a book on China 1900-89 which suited my high ability IGCSE students so I wrote one myself. This is my 200-page PDF which covers all of the key parts of the EdExcel specification and which includes comprehension questions and activities at the end of each chapter. I give it to students to supplement the course. It also includes detailed revision menus.

This lesson is titled “What really happened to the Roman Army’s Ninth Legion?” The lesson begins with an Odd One Out Starter Activity in which the class are invited to consider some truths and one mistruth about the Ninth Legion that mysteriously disappeared. The Key Question is then introduced along with aims and graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will). There are then slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition as well as a slide which features a pizza (because it has three points) which has three corners labelled with the key theories (that it was defeated in battle and wiped out, that it was reassigned, or that it assimilated with local people). The class are then given a 15 piece card sort and divide the information into these three categories. A color-coded version is also supplied in case any one needs a little extra help. The class then get broken into teams of four and are tasked with producing a TV chat show discussion explaining the main theories and they act these out. An example is given using real historians so students can see a model of what their work might look like. The lesson objectives are revisited and the lesson concludes with a plenary activity in which they are invited to come to the board and add information to the three sided object they saw earlier (under the correct theory). They then answer the Key Question by reviewing the evidence/knowledge acquired. I hope your students get as much out of this History Mystery as mine always do. Wishing you a terrific day.

This lesson will really get your students actively engaged. They begin by figuring out the anagrams of key terms and phrases from the course before working through a detailed set of notes on how China changed after the 1911 Revolution. From here students proceed to complete a 15 piece card sort, arranging them into social, political and economic impacts of Warlordism. Students then complete the lesson with a fun activity (Dingbats) designed to test how well they have understood the key vocabulary and events from the lesson. This lesson was one I created and planned while teaching in China so I really invest as much precision in the historical detail as possible. I hope your students enjoy it as much as mine.

This is a 43-slide PowerPoint presentation designed for Key Stage 3 high school students, composed in UK English. It begins with a Countdown-style Starter Activity where students unjumble letters to key things related to the period, such as paper and acupuncture. An introduction to the period is provided, followed by graduated lesson aims (all will/most will/some will). The slides delve into four different ways the period can be judged: government, culture, technology, and trade. The main activity involves students working in teams to cut out a 32-piece hexagonal card sort, provided in plain hexagons and color-coded ones for differentiation. They sort these into positive and negative columns and then arrange them into four categories. The lesson aims are revisited, culminating in a plenary where students fill in the quarters of a four-leaved clover labelled with the factors to answer the Key Question: Was the Han Dynasty the Golden Age of Ancient China? Crafted during my tenure teaching History in China, this lesson is adaptable for younger audiences.

Welcome to “Exploring Ancient Chinese Philosophy”, where we delve into the rich tapestry of thought from ancient China. In this session, we embark on a journey through the philosophical influences that shaped ancient Chinese society, including Legalism, Confucianism, and Daoism. Our class begins with a stimulating Starter Activity, prompting students to engage in discussion with a friend about images which stemmed from these philosophies, using three-word prompts. As we progress, our Graduated Aims guide us: all will/most will/some will. Through teacher exposition, we provide background information on Legalism, Confucianism, and Daoism. The main activity, introduced thereafter, takes the form of Blind Date Style Responses, where students, grouped in threes, prepare and share responses embodying one of the philosophies. Example responses serve as inspiration. It’s a creative way to develop real understanding on a complicated topic. A revisit to our objectives precedes the plenary, where students engage in a lively vote on the most compelling ‘date’. I’d be so grateful if you can find time to add a positive review if you enjoyed this lesson.

This 25-slide PowerPoint begins with an odd one out Starter Activity in which students pick out one misconception about the Han Dynasty. They are then introduced to the lesson title and graduated aims (all will/most will/some will). There is then some background information to enable teacher exposition. This is followed by a series of slides in which 12 people offer reasons for the collapse, some of which relate to internal problems (taxes, loss of traditional values, etc.) and some of which relate to external pressures (bandits on the Silk Road, attacks by nomadic tribes such as Xiongnu, etc.). Students act as journalists and jot down notes from these characters before using the information to create a newspaper to answer the Key Question. The lesson objectives are revisited, and the lesson concludes with a plenary in which the class is asked to come up with eight reasons for the collapse of the Han Dynasty and to write them on a flower with eight petals. I created this lesson while I taught History in China, and it was designed for high school students. It is written in UK English.

The lesson begins with a starter activity in which students are invited to guess the weighting of the three components (Play Your Cards Right style). After this there is a second starter where they have to pick out the correct word count from a choice of four. The starter activities conclude with a couple of quick anagrams of key terms (Analysis and Perspectives). There are then clear aims and objectives which are graduated (all will/most will/some will) and students are invited to co-construct the aim with the teacher. There are then a series of slides and rubrics for designing a question and mapping out a good report. After this an exemplar of a top graded report is provided and students are invited to complete an assessment for learning task to identify ten aspects of the highest band of the mark scheme. They cut these out and glue them on the exemplar work. This leads to a discussion about the anatomy of a great individual report. These include things like having three points, referencing, justifying the issues etc. Some examples from individual reports are given for each of the AFL criteria and a copy of the top band aspects of the mark schemes is included. The lesson then concludes with a Have I Got News For You style plenary where students are invited to fill in the gaps to show their understanding. At the end I have included a link to a YouTube guide I’ve created which you might wish to set for homework/consolidation task. I love teaching Global Perspectives IGCSE but it can be tricky to structure each of the components. I really hope this PPT helps you deliver this aspect of the course and that it helps your students achieve highly. Have a wonderful day and I’m always grateful for positive reviews if you find this lesson useful.

Students work their way through the background knowledge before taking a what-would-you-do style quiz. Each question focuses on a different stage in the crisis and students are given three options to choose from. Afterwards students add up their tally and are grouped into brackets to show what kind of President they would have made. My students really enjoy this activity, especially as a starter to the Cuban Missile Crisis - I hope yours do also.

This is one of my most detailed resources. Students are given a pack of 15 large information cards offering information as to how and why President Kennedy was assassinated and are encouraged to write their findings on the mystery sheets provided at the end of the pack. This is one of my very best lessons and has been designed to encourage students to think, question, collaborate and take risks. During this lesson students will explore the possibility that there was more to JFK’s death than the lone gunman theory and will offer alternatives using precisely selected evidence. I really look forward to delivering this lesson each year. I really hope you enjoy teaching this topic and that you find it gets your students truly acting as young Historians should.

In this lesson students begin with a starter activity in which they recap prior learning (by designing a question about events previously studied using the rubric provided). Students then read background information about the Provisional Government’s actions prior to moving onto the main activity which is a spectrum card sort. Students are given eight things the Provisional Government did, ranging from continuing the war through to its handling of the July Days through to the Kornilov Affair, and have to rate them on the spectrum provided (over a double page in their books/notes works best) in terms of good/bad policy. The lesson concludes with a plenary activity designed to ensure students have acquired the key knowledge in the lesson (in the form of a ‘Find someone who can’ walkabout activity). This lesson is pitched at high ability high school students with some prior knowledge of Russia before 1917. Please do ask if you have any questions and I hope your students get as much from this lesson as mine do.

In this lesson students read background information on the fall of Singapore in the Second World War before completing an extremely detailed card sort activity (26 cards) to help them decide on the key reasons Yamashita’s Japanese army defeated that of Percival. The card sort itself is incredibly detailed and was drawn up during my time working and researching in Singapore and has been broken down into colour-coordinated factors (Percival’s mistakes, Japanese strengths, British high command decisions, technological shortcomings, and issues with British troops) to promote a structured and factor-led student approach. This activity helps students scaffold historical responses and prepares them well for extended written analysis in a follow up piece of work. It is one of my favourite lessons and I hope your students enjoy it just as much as mine do. If you have any questions please let me know. This lesson was designed for high achieving secondary aged students.

Escape from Sobibor is a terrific movie to showcase both the horrors of the Holocaust as well as one shining example of widerstand/resistance. In this activity there are 50 questions for students to response to as they watch the movie. Answers are provided also for peer and self assessment.

Boost your teaching with this 4-part lesson plan. It will help refine existing skills, ensure pace to every lesson, and enable you to take into account a variety of different needs in order to facilitate accelerated learning in your classroom. Yes, you too will have a cunning plan!

This is the most detailed lesson pack on TES in terms of prohibition and gangsterism. Purchasing this will give you an exceptionally detailed set of notes and three different activities for students to engage with. I have also included PowerPoint starter and plenary activities so the entire lesson is here for you. This is a gripping topic which my students always love and I hope your classes enjoy it just as much!

In this lesson students begin with a charades starter to test knowledge from prior learning. They then work their way through a detailed set of notes before completing a card sort activity in which they decide if evidence suggests the war was the fault of Iraq, Iran, or the USA. Students complete the lesson with an exit plenary activity. I hope your students get as much out of this lesson as much as mine do.

Students begin this lesson with a starter activity in which they watch a video clip of the traditional view of events (with some true or false questions to test comprehension). They then work through a detailed 3-page set of notes before handling 17 pieces of evidence, some of which offer the traditional view (that this was a peaceful protest whereby the Imperial Guard massacred innocent civilians) and others of which suggest a more revisionist perspective (that Father Gapon was a double agent and expected/wanted to provoke a violent response). Students answer questions on the sources and are invited to give their opinion, which ties back neatly to the starter activity and the Key Question. The lesson concludes with a plenary activity which asks students to listen and contemplate on the meaning and nuances within Dmitri Shostakovitch’s famous 11th symphony. I hope you enjoy this lesson as much as my students do. It has been pitched towards high achieving secondary aged students but please do ask me if you have any questions.

This is a great project-based lesson designed to introduce students to the topic of Ancient China and to the second-order concept of significance and includes graduated learning outcomes (all of you will/most of you will/some of you will). The lesson begins with a quick starter activity where students have to guess which of four sports was not invented in China. They’re often a bit surprised by the answer (table tennis) and this leads on to a second activity in which they have to see how many inventions which originated in China they can identify (the rocket, paper, wheelbarrows - 21 are given in total). From this the class are then introduced to the idea of how historians decide what makes an event or discovery significant and they explore the acronym GREAT: G = ground-breaking, R = remembered, E = extent of importance to people at the time, A = affected the future, and T = turning point. For the main task students are given a card with three different inventions on. They need to choose one of their inventions and explain in presentation form why they felt it was so significant. The lesson concludes with a class vote on which they felt was the most important invention and why. I’ve also thrown in an assessment rubric should you wish to turn the project into a formal assessment. Please note this lesson was designed for high achieving Year 7 students with the ability to do their own research (some websites are given) but it also works well as a great library-based lesson depending on the resources you have in yours. Please let me know if you have any questions and I hope your students get as much from this lesson as mine always do.

A simple but very effective sheet which I pieced together to help my students improve their written work for IB Papers 2 and 3. It really does help and I have found the number of students achieving Levels 6 and 7 has increased in my classes since I began using this approach. I hope you find this useful and feel free to check out hundreds of other resources for History teachers here: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/danguiney