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Dan's History Highway

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(based on 54 reviews)

350+ ready to use and fully resourced History lessons. As a British history teacher with 25 years of experience, I understand the challenges you face in the classroom. That's why I created my store — to share high-quality lessons and to save you time. This store shares my love of History, inspires critical thinking, and get students connected with the past. I’m also an examiner and textbook author, so you can trust that my lessons align with current standards and best practices.

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350+ ready to use and fully resourced History lessons. As a British history teacher with 25 years of experience, I understand the challenges you face in the classroom. That's why I created my store — to share high-quality lessons and to save you time. This store shares my love of History, inspires critical thinking, and get students connected with the past. I’m also an examiner and textbook author, so you can trust that my lessons align with current standards and best practices.
USA in the 1920s & 1930s fun quiz
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USA in the 1920s & 1930s fun quiz

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Ideal for an end of unit fun quiz on the USA in the roaring Twenties and thirsty Thirties … Seventy eight slides with fourteen categories and a whole range of activities to help students think about the key areas in this period. Tasks include anagrams, photo fit faces, chronology activities, dingbats and lots more. You might wish to allow students to use phones or devices to help them throughout the quiz or you may wish them to attempt it without them. I hope your students find this as fun and useful a revision activity as mine do.
Does Alexander II deserve the title 'Tsar Liberator'?
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Does Alexander II deserve the title 'Tsar Liberator'?

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This lesson has clearly defined learning objectives and a starter activity which asks students to consider two very different historian’s perspectives on the reign of Alexander II. The 56-slide PowerPoint then provides very detailed information on the reforms Alexander put in place including the Emancipation Statute of 1861 before giving students a task of creating a mind map showing the positive and negative aspects of the reforms. There is a two part plenary - a fun DingBats exercise which goes over some of the key vocabulary - and a voting exercise based on the starter and main activity. This lesson is pitched at high-achieving post-16 students and has been created by a UK teacher so is in English rather than American English. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions and I hope this lesson helps you deliver this fascinating topic! Have a terrific day, Daniel
What was the most significant invention of Ancient Egypt? Dragon's Den Project
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What was the most significant invention of Ancient Egypt? Dragon's Den Project

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The title of this lesson is “What was the most important invention of Ancient Egypt? Dragon’s Den Project.” This is a great project-based lesson designed to introduce students to the topic of Ancient Egypt and to promote 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 starter activity where students are asked to identify which of the given inventions was not invented in Ancient Egypt. This leads on to a second activity in which they see how many inventions which originated in Ancient Egypt they can identify. 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. Lesson objectives are introduced (all will/most will/some will). For the main task students are placed in groups and given a card with three different inventions on. They need to choose one of their inventions and explain in presentation form why they feel it is so significant. They can make models and sales pitches to accompany their explanations to the ‘dragons’ (get senior teachers to come in to act as these if they’re good sports). The lesson concludes with a peer assessment class voting plenary on which they felt was the most important invention and why. This lesson has been designed for high school students but can work with slightly younger classes too. Before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.
Global Perspectives Individual Report Assessment for Learning Lesson
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Global Perspectives Individual Report Assessment for Learning Lesson

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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.
Escape from Sobibor - 50 Movie Comprehension Questions
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Escape from Sobibor - 50 Movie Comprehension Questions

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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.
Cuban Missile Crisis - activity
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Cuban Missile Crisis - activity

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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.
What happened on Bloody Sunday 1905? Fully-resourced lesson
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What happened on Bloody Sunday 1905? Fully-resourced lesson

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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.
Was the fall of Singapore in 1942 the fault of General Percival?
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Was the fall of Singapore in 1942 the fault of General Percival?

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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.
Who killed JFK? - 18-page full lesson (notes, card sort, history mystery matrix)
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Who killed JFK? - 18-page full lesson (notes, card sort, history mystery matrix)

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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.
Causes of the Iran Iraq War - 7-page full lesson (charades starter, notes, card sort, exit plenary)
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Causes of the Iran Iraq War - 7-page full lesson (charades starter, notes, card sort, exit plenary)

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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.
EdExcel IGCSE History – Russia & The Soviet Union 1905-24 Full Unit Paper 2 Breadth Study Bundle
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EdExcel IGCSE History – Russia & The Soviet Union 1905-24 Full Unit Paper 2 Breadth Study Bundle

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EdExcel IGCSE History – Russia & The Soviet Union 1905-24 Full Unit Paper 2 Breadth Study Bundle Comprehensive and detailed notes as well as rigorous and engaging activities for this entire Paper 2 topic. Now includes comprehensive revision menu. Lessons covered include: Russia in 1900 in 8 objects Why were so many Russians unhappy in 1905? What happened on Bloody Sunday 1905? How much did rule and government change between 1905-14? Rasputin: Holy Man or Mad Monk? How did Rasputin die? Escape Room activity Why did Russia do so badly in the First World War? What were the causes of the February Revolution? How successful was the Provisional Government? How did the Bolsheviks come to power by 1917? Why did the Reds win the Civil War? What happened to Princess Anastasia? How well did Lenin rule Russia? I hope your students enjoy these materials as much as mine do.
Ancient Chinese Inventions: Dragon's Den Project
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Ancient Chinese Inventions: Dragon's Den Project

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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.
Al Capone: Hero or Villain?
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Al Capone: Hero or Villain?

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In this lesson students are given a quick odd one out activity as a starter to invite them to consider the positives and negatives of Capone, the notorious gangster. The PPT then offers them some background information and the learning objectives are broken down into all of you will/most of you will/and some of you will. The main activity is a 44-piece card sort and there is a slide explaining the answers to this also. The lesson concludes with a short voting plenary where students are asked to side with the views of different personalities when answering the question as to whether Capone was as “black as they say” to use his own words. This lesson has been designed for high achieving high school students and please do note I use English spellings (eg colour) throughout. If you have any questions please do not hestitate to contact me.
Berlin Wall Escape Room Activity
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Berlin Wall Escape Room Activity

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This lesson begins with an ‘Odd One Out’ starter activity where students are asked to look at four people (Honecker, Emperor Qin, Emperor Hadrian, and Donald Trump) and to offer reasons for one of them being the odd one out. The answer we are looking for is that they all built walls bar Trump whose proposed southern wall was never built. That introduces the concept of walls and their purpose. The class then take part in an escape room activity. (Please note this takes a bit of setting up to be done properly, but can be done more simply if missions and codes are just printed back to back - just tell students they can’t turn over the page until you have verified they have got the code correct). Nevertheless, if you can it is a whole lot more enjoyable with boxes and padlocks! There are six missions - each with background information about key turning points in the Wall’s History (from the end of WWII and the split through to the Berlin Blockade through to the border being closed through to barbed wire Sunday through to the Next Gen Wall through to Escape attempts). Each mission is then completed on the worksheet. Please note I do not cover the collapse of Communism or the fall of the wall here (because I cover that in a separate lesson). The lesson concludes with a ‘play your cards right’ chronology activity in which the students use the knowledge they have gained to test their awareness of key events and dates. The lesson comes with an accompanying 11-page set of notes. I hope your students get as much out of this fun lesson as mine always do and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Japan's move to global war - causation lesson
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Japan's move to global war - causation lesson

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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.
How similar & how different were the Montgomery bus boycotts and the Freedom Riders?
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How similar & how different were the Montgomery bus boycotts and the Freedom Riders?

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This lesson is a 40-slide PowerPoint presentation with graduated lesson aims (all will/most will/some will) and begins with some images and quotations to illustrate why bus segregation was such an important issue. The lesson then includes a “What’s Behind the Squares?” Starter Activity, which reveals two images: one of Rosa Parks on a bus in Louisiana and a photograph of an injured Freedom Rider. The main activity consists of an 18-piece card sort, in which students are invited to identify strategies, challenges, and impacts of both events (they’re colour coordinated), and then divide these into similarities or differences. Both were non-violent and led to desegregation, but there are also some key differences in terms of participants, scale of impact, and how they are remembered. The lesson concludes by referring back to the lesson aims and asks students to write a three-paragraph piece of work addressing the Key Question. I hope your students find it as useful as mine always do. I haven’t included any YouTube links because the links often expire, but there are many terrific documentary clips you can use. You may also wish to play the Joan Baez song “We Shall Overcome” during the plenary.
What really happened to the Roman Army's Ninth Legion?
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What really happened to the Roman Army's Ninth Legion?

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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.
Accelerated Learning Four Part Lesson Planning Proforma (blank)
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Accelerated Learning Four Part Lesson Planning Proforma (blank)

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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!
Prohibition & Gangsters - 11-page full lesson (starter, notes, worksheet, wordsearch, plenary)
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Prohibition & Gangsters - 11-page full lesson (starter, notes, worksheet, wordsearch, plenary)

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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!
IB History Writing Formula for Papers 2/3
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IB History Writing Formula for Papers 2/3

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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