At my school GCSE options subjects are taught in extended sessions ranging from 90 minutes to 3 hours – this lesson was designed to be taught in a longer session, but could easily be divided up into shorter units. This lesson focusses on the link between political instability/violence and economic problems, examining their causes and effects. There is a variety of individual and group tasks and a differentiated writing task

This worksheet/resource can be used to introduce the topic of the Black Death and could be adapted for use with a range of ages, either for KS3 History, or as part of Medicine through Time at GCSE. Through using this resources students should become aware of where the Black Death originated, how it spread to England and what the main characteristics of Bubonic and Pneumonic Plague were. There are a range of activities included that get progressively more challenging - the tasks could be adapted and delivered by a subject specialist, but would be also work left as cover. The activities go particularly well with this video from youtube -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZy6XilXDZQ.

This resource can be used by students to help revise the GCSE Cold War unit, and as a basis for producing their own revision materials. Teachers may also use it to structure their own teaching of the content of this unit in overview, showing both the chronological order of events, and how they are linked together. A brief summary of each key event is provided, based on the 'superfacts' provided by edexcel to suggest core content for the unit.

This is a group task - pupils look at pictures of Holocaust memorials from around the world, the discuss and assess them against criteria. They use this work to then design their own Holocaust memorial which is then peer assessed

At my school GCSE options subjects are taught in extended sessions ranging from 90 minutes to 3 hours – this lesson was designed to be taught in a longer session, but could easily be divided up into shorter units. The focus of this lesson is on the stab in the back myth and the treaty of versailles and includes cartoon analysis and independent research exercises

The essential examined content for Unit 1 (International Relations 1943-89) of the Edexcel Modern World History GCSE is presented on 1 clear, condensed and flexible resource. There is one page for each Key Topic - each Key topic is broken down into 10 'essential' events in chronological order. Each of the 10 events is summarised in 2 key features (to correspond with the common exam question format from the specification). The resource could be used in a variety of ways - as posters or cards for students, or utilised for resources like creating cue cards or spider-diagrams. The resource is aimed at providing condensed content for students aiming to get a C or above at GCSE

This resource contains a grid of 'practice questions' for students of the Edexcel Modern World History International Relations 1943-91 (Cold War) unit. The grid is broken down into the different types of questions, and then provides an extensive list of past questions with space for students to bullet point plans for answers. Previous students have found this useful to help them understand and remember the different styles of questions and to spot patterns in the sort of content that recurs. It also provides ample material for them to practice responses independently at home (as a teacher it also provides an extensive bank of assessment questions that can be used across the unit).

This is designed to develop GCSE History student's retention of keywords and content from the 'International Relations 1943-91' unit of Edexcel Modern World History (though it could be used with other variants). Students are provided with a comprehensive list of content, with definitions or explanations - they have a blank copy of the template as well. I have tended to test student's ability to complete the grid accurately from memory, then got them to correct mistakes or fill in gaps in a different colour pen to identify weak areas - I then revisit the activity periodically to assess improvements in knowledge. My students have always responded well to this, and appreciate the emphasis on retention of content knowledge.

This 2 page resource is designed to help your students recall and organise the core information they require for the Edexcel Germany unit in the MWH specification. It focusses on key terms and individuals, with also a timeline for them to practice their chronological understanding, plus a section designed for them recall and explain the impact of Nazi rule on different groups in German society (a key part of the topic). I have often got students to complete it from memory in one colour, before doing further revision activities and adding to it in a different colour so they can judge areas where they are more confident. It is a useful resource for students to use at home to support their independent revision.

This resource is designed to consolidate and clarify student knowledge in a challenging element of the International Relations 1943-91 (Cold War) unit for GCSE History. Students often become confused between certain specific events - the three Berlin crises (1948, 1958-61, 1989) and the Hungarian and Czech uprisings. These tasks are intended to help students delineate and compartmentalise their knowledge of these events so that they do not confuse them during revision and when they have to write about them under examination conditions. They could be used during the teaching of the course, or as part of revision activities.

Two very simple resources to save you time and effort - the key dates and events of the Edexcel History A Cold War Unit are placed on a series of easily printed cards. You can then use them to produce class room display, or for a timeline activity requiring students to match events to dates and to organise them in a timeline. The resources are easily adaptable so you can add extra detail or images to them if necessary. THIS RESOURCE HAS BEEN UPDATED IN RESPONSE TO FEEDBACK.

In response to research that strongly suggests that graded lesson observations are not an effective way of judging teacher quality, and the acknowledgement by OFSTED that they do not formally grade individual lessons I have designed this form to focus on the developmental aspects of lesson observation. The form is structured around the teacher standards and helps observers and teachers to help identify more specific areas of strength and weakness within their practice. I normally print this document as an A4 booklet - it is a simple template that could be easily adapted for your school.

Edexcel provides a breakdown of course content called 'super-facts' for Units 1 and 2, but doesn't do so for the source paper (Unit 3). I find my students still feel that they need a revision resource that helps them feel familiar with the content of this unit, so I have created a summary of the unit content on one page. My students have used it to create their own notes, spider-diagrams or cue-cards. It can be easily adapted as i have provided it in a very simple format.

This set of resources is suitable for revision and review of Germany 1918-39 for GCSE History - although prepared for the current MW specification for Edexcel, it could easily be used with other variants or the new GCSE. I have used this to strengthen my students chronological understanding and recall of key events over the whole topic. The comprehensive timeline is for students to revise from independently, but the other tables and timelines are designed for them to try to complete from memory - we came back to them repeatedly during revision with very positive results (and with positive feedback from students). I also 'talked through' the timeline, with students adding notes to the blank versions - this approach also got positive feedback and results.

This resource contains a grid of the different sorts of questions from the Edexcel MW History Germany unit, with a wide range of past questions for each type. The resource is useful for ensuring GCSE History students are familiar with the different sorts of questions they will encounter on their exam, allows them to spot regularly recurring content and provides an opportunity to practice answers in response to real past questions. As a teacher it could be useful as a bank of assessment questions to use throughout the teaching of the unit.

This is a generic resource that can be used as a template to analyse any visual source - it is simple and can be easily adapted and added to. You can insert your own visual source into the space on the left, but equally it could be used as a resource for students to fill in while they watch a video clip.

Simple revision tasks based around timelines of the 2 key topics (designed to help students chronological understanding and retention of key information) and 2 sets of short keywords tests (doubled up for economical copying). The timelines encourage flexible use - I have used 'direct instruction' style techniques, describing/explaining the key events while students make notes, add annotations and ask questions. Equally students could add extra detail to the timelines independently as part of revision. The tests make good starters or plenaries - I have regularly revisited them in the run up to assessments and examinations.

This suite of resources is designed to review and evaluate the first section of GCSE History study for Germany 1918 to 39. There is a set of keywords to revise and prepare for homework - I follow this up with a test as part of a starter or plenary activity. There is a more comprehensive starter activity provided here with students completing a timeline of the period 1918-23 from memory (answers are provided). There is a presentation that requires students to assess the significance of 5 problems faced by the Weimar government between 1918-23 - this is presented in the form of a 'snowball' activity, where students prioritise these problems in progressively larger groups. This leads onto the hexagon activity, where students explain why each event was a problem inside a hexagon before cutting them up and arranging them in a way that reflects how they can be linked and prioritised. This then leads to the students completing a new-style GCSE exam question that will make reference to what they have learned.

This resource is designed to help pupils organise past events chronologically, to develop the ability to assess the significance of past events and also to practice writing about past events in a structured manner. Students are encouraged to select events from their own life that they consider to be significant and to suggest reasons why they are significant. They then organise those events chronologically on a timeline - they should measure the line to make sure it is drawn to scale. They then use the timeline to help them write a short autobiography. There is a powerpoint that helps structure these pages and worksheets to help create the timeline and the autobiography. All resources are simple enough to be used by a non-specialist or a supply teacher, and can be easily adapted to make them easier or more difficult - they could also be adapted to fit with the assessment system used in your school. I typically use this lesson early in KS3 to assess the ability of students to write about the past.

This presentation and resource is used to provide the conceptual foundation required to study History at KS3 - it therefore focusses on chronological organisation and understanding, the BC/AD calendar and how it works, and how the centuries are named. The resources can be easily adapted to make them more or less challenging, but are equally sufficiently simple and straightforward that they could be used by a non-specialist or cover teacher. I typically use them at the start of KS3 - it includes a presentation comprising a series of structured activities and opportunities for questioning and exposition, plus a two sided worksheet that can be completed independently (or that would work as homework).

This activity is designed for pupils to make sense of and prioritise the complex causes of the English Civil War - specifically why Charles Ist fell out with Parliament. This activity is well suited to both KS3 & 4 students as it has several layers of complexity, and pupils can produce very individual pieces of work in response to the tasks. It can also be differentiated down by providing pupils with a range of categories to sort, or limiting the number of factors. The end point of the task should see pupils identify the 6 most important reasons why the Civil War started - they explain each of these in a hexagon which they the can cut out, arrange and stick down in an arrangement that reflects how they relate to each other.