Historic Environment Question for 2024 This nine page Revision Guide is aimed at students to help study, organise, revise and be prepared for the AQA GCSE 9-1 Elizabethan England 1568-1603 Historic Environment question for 2024. I have included 6 possible questions for GCSE exam practice on the themes I believe stand out in the literature provided. Within the guide itself, I have broken down the main details of the Americas and Drake’s circumnavigation into manageable chunks. This guide focuses on the main concepts prescribed by AQA. For example it examines the location of the New World and its growing importance for Drake and his fellow navigators, the function and structure of seafaring as new navigational techniques and ship design allowed more exploration. It will also analyse the people connected to Drake’s circumnavigation including Sir John Hawkins and Diego as well as giving information on Drake and the different interpretations of him at the time. Furthermore the culture, values and fashions connected with Drake’s circumnavigation are examined as untold riches such as feathers, pearls, jewels and gold became essential accessories for the fashionistas of Elizabethan England. Finally important events are linked to Drake’s voyages from his initial slave excursions to his revenge attacks on Spanish shipping and his circumnavigation, as well focusing on the detailed maps and illustrations in his diaries and journals of new lands he discovered. All the information and more included is advised by AQA through their Paper 2: Shaping the nation resource pack guidance. I have also gained a brilliant insight into the Americas and Drake’s circumnavigation from renowned historians such as Ben Johnson, Miranda Kaufman and the superb Professor Jowett, as well as numerous other sources, including the fabulous BBC History Today magazine and podcasts. The resource comes in PDF and Word formats if you wish to adapt and change. Any reviews on this resource which would be much appreciated.

The Industrial Revolution The aim of this lesson is to question how effective Victorian justice was. This is an interesting and engaging lesson for students as they decide who was a criminal (from their looks), which were the most common crimes in the early 1800’s and what you could expect at a public hanging though some source analysis. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to answer the following questions: Why was it so easy to commit crime in the Victorian period in the early nineteenth century and if you were unfortunate to get caught what could you expect from Victorian justice? What was the Bloody Code and why was the law so harsh to offenders irrespective in some cases of sex or age? There are also three case studies to unpick and students are left questioning the morality and effectiveness of the punishments inflicted. Please note that the reform of the criminal justice system is dealt with in other lessons such as the Victorian prison system and the setting up of the Metropolitan Police force by Sir Robert Peel and the abolition of the Bloody Code. There are a choice of plenaries from hangman to bingo and heart, head, bag, bin which get the students to prioritise the most ‘effective’ methods used to deal with crime. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end to show the progress of learning. The resource comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson and there are differentiated materials included.

The British Empire This lesson focuses on the role Gandhi played in achieving Indian independence from Britain which ultimately cost him his life. The first part of the lesson looks at why the Indian population were unhappy with British rule, from the Indian Mutiny of 1857, events happening abroad to the Rowlatt Act culminating in the Amritsar Massacre. They are then introduced to Gandhi, his philosophy of passive resistance (or as he called it satyagraha) and why he set up his Independent Congress Party. This is accompanied with some excellent video footage from the BBC as well as clips from the film ‘Gandhi’ by Sir Richard Attenborough. The second part of the lesson centers around his life and by analysing various sources from which they complete either a table or grid; students then have to decide how big a part Gandhi played in many events leading to Independence and his lasting legacy for India in 1947. The lesson comes with retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching and learning strategies, differentiated materials and is linked to the latest historical interpretations, video clips and debate. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end to show the progress of learning. The lesson is fully adaptable in PowerPoint format and can be changed to suit.

This is a Revision Guide tailored to the new AQA Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship specification for GCSE 9-1. I have been inspired to write this not due to a lack of revision guides for Germany out there (as there are plenty and of good quality), but because I needed to tailor it to suit the new GCSE 9-1 specification complete with the types of questions and the skills on how to answer them for my students. Therefore this Revision Guide includes GCSE exam question practise throughout on the six main questions and gives examples using model answers. The information is also broken down into an easy to use format to aid the students in their revision programme. I have also included some useful mnemonics for specific areas of study which have really helped in past GCSEs. This Guide has been designed to be engaging, detailed and easy to follow and can be edited and changed to suit with both PDF and Word files included. Any reviews on this resource would be much appreciated. Please email me for a free copy of my AQA Germany revision summary guide worth £3 if you do . I have also made similar revision resources for AQA GCSE 9-1 include Britain: Health and the People c.1000 to the present day, Elizabethan England c,1568-1603, Conflict and Tension and Power and the People.

World War II This lesson sets out to explains how Hitler set Germany on the road to war in 5 steps. Students are challenged to find out how and why was he able to defy the Treaty of Versailles so easily with little or no consequences (shown through a causal spider’s web). Students analyse video footage and a number of sources, using the COP technique (modelled for student understanding) which has proved invaluable for evaluating sources at GCSE. A final chronological recap of the events and evaluation of the most and least important of the events that led to war, will give students an in depth understanding of why World War II started. This lesson is ideal as preparation for GCSE if you are embedding source skills or teaching the interwar years or WWII at Key stage 4. It is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning. The resource includes retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Cold War The aim of this lesson is to understand the causes behind the building of the Berlin Wall and the consequences for Berliners. Students analyse the differences between life on the East and West sides of Berlin to understand why thousands of Germans continued to cross the border to make a better life in West Berlin. The second part of the lesson focuses on the building of the wall, using statistics, graffiti art and the personal account of Conrad Shuman in a thinking quilt to develop further understanding and evaluate its significance in the context of the Cold War. The central enquiry of this and subsequent lessons is to ask why did civilians fear for their lives? Students will map out their ideas each lesson (which can be plotted in different colours or dates to show the progress of their learning and centred around the key question) and build up a picture of how these and different countries in the world responded and acted in this new nuclear age. The resource comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change and is differentiated. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson.

Cold War The aim of this lesson is to analyse the Korea War between 1950-53 and understand the threat North Korea poses to the world today, with its insistence on spending millions on producing nuclear weapons despite catastrophic failures of industry and the famine of the 1990’s. Students learn about present day Korea using a brilliant video link, and annotate key facts around a map. They analyse key information about the Korean War in the 1950s and how this produced an armistice in 1953, which is still in force today. Students have to complete a variety of differentiated tasks which focus on the causes and consequences of the war and evaluate the reasons for the subsequent stalemate. The central enquiry of this and subsequent lessons is to ask why did civilians fear for their lives during the Cold War? Students will map out their ideas each lesson (which can be plotted in different colours or dates to show the progress of their learning and centred around the key question) and build up a picture of how these and different countries in the world responded and acted in this new nuclear age. The resource comes in PowerPoint formats if there is a wish to adapt and change and is differentiated. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson.

Edexcel GCSE 9-1 Medicine Through Time, c1250-present These key individual flashcards aim to get the students thinking of key people and their significance in medicine. I always find students have revised thoroughly for exams, but do not push their grades into the higher brackets as they focus on content rather than the individual’s impact and importance, particularly over time. These flashcards are great when addressing the 12 mark ‘explain why’ question, particularly when arguing over rapid change. There are 33 individuals listed, including those for the Historic Environment; The British sector of the Western Front. Students can use them in class (I use them as starters and plenaries) or to take home and use for their own personal revision programme. I also display them in the classroom (enlarged) and use when teaching this unit of study. The resource comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

**AQA GCSE 9-1 Elizabethan England, 1568-1603 ** The overarching aim of this and the subsequent lessons is to question and explore how Elizabeth tried to assert and establish her authority in the early years of her reign. The lessons are therefore linked together to build up a picture of her difficulties in trying to overcome this. This first lesson is an introduction to the reign of Queen Elizabeth and starts by finding out what the students know already using a true or false quiz, source material, video evidence and portraits of Elizabeth. The emphasis is also on the precarious nature of her early life which has a major impact on how she rules when she becomes Queen. The second part of the lesson uses differentiated resources and requires the students to plot, explain and prioritise her early problems on a tree (using the trunk, branches and leaves). The third part focuses on a typical GCSE question on the usefulness of a source giving tips and notes on how to answer this question. The lesson also gives a brief introduction to the course and includes a tracking sheet which the students stick in their books detailing the assessment objectives of the course and the four main question types. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Cold War The aim of this extended lesson on the Vietnam War is to analyse its significance; from its dubious beginnings and inception to the types of weapons used, the war crimes which followed and the ensuing lack of support at home as well as the consequences for the civilian population of Vietnam. So why did America fail to win this war despite overwhelming manpower, control of the air and sea and the most modern military weapons available at the time? As a starting point, students focus on Paul Hardcastle’s 19 song and his reasons for writing it and analyse the photograph of Kim Phúc before examining the details surrounding the Gulf of Tonkin resolution. They are given a number of differentiated tasks to analyse both American and Vietcong tactics to win the war (using printable worksheets) and the horrors surrounding search and destroy and the My Lai massacre, the tunnelling system as well as the use of napalm and agent orange. At the end they will prioritise the reasons for Vietcong success and American failure and how this war played its key part in the Cold War. The central enquiry of this and subsequent lessons is to ask why did civilians fear for their lives during the Cold War? Students will map out their ideas each lesson (which can be plotted in different colours or dates to show the progress of their learning and centred around the key question) and build up a picture of how these and different countries in the world responded and acted in this new nuclear age. The resource comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change and is differentiated. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson.

AQA GCSE 9-1 Britain: Health and the People, c1000 to present The aim of this lesson is to determine how much of an impact the Renaissance had on Medicine. Students study and analyse Vesalius, Pare and Harvey with their individual specialisms and contributions at the time of the Renaissance. They then have to decide who has made the most important contribution to medicine and justify their decisions thinking about short, medium and long term significance. Opposition to all three is evaluated as students decide who was being criticised and why. There is a brilliant video link to bbc teach as well as learning activities to check understanding. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end to show the progress of learning. The resource comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson and there are differentiated materials included.

Cold War The aim of this lesson is to explore the moon landings and the subsequent conspiracy theories which suggest it was faked and not real at all. Students have to decide why it was so important for the USA to be the first to put a man on the moon and prioritise their reasoning using their knowledge of the Cold War. They analyse footage from the time and are introduced to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to emphasise this audacious achievement in 1969. However they also analyse sources from the time and different interpretations making their own sustained judgements as to whether the moon landings were fake or fiction. They finish with writing an extended piece on the evidence they have selected and are given some argument words to help if required. The plenary required them to judge if further facts are fake or authentic news. The central enquiry of this and subsequent lessons is to ask why did civilians fear for their lives during the Cold War? Students will map out their ideas each lesson (which can be plotted in different colours or dates to show the progress of their learning and centred around the key question) and build up a picture of how these and different countries in the world responded and acted in this new nuclear age. The resource comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change and is differentiated. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson.

Britain: Health and the People, C.1000AD to present With revision constantly in full swing, I have started to make these revision workbooks which my Year 11 students love (as an alternative to death by Powerpoint). We pick certain sections each lesson to revise and come up with model answers and discuss the best way to tackle each question in the best way, considering exam time constraints. I print out the sheets in A5, which the students stick in their books and use to colour code Students answer the questions next to or underneath the sheets. They can also be used for homework or interleaving. The resource comes in Word format if there is a need to change or adapt.

The Industrial Revolution The aim of this aim is to assess why coal became known as ‘black gold’. Students learn how important coal was to the Industrial Revolution and how it was used in a number of areas. However the interesting facts focus on its extraction and yet again the dangers involved for all concerned, especially children. Students have to rate how effective the various measures put in place were to overcome some of the problems They also have to tackle some historical hexagonals to get them thinking and linking all the information together. A find and fix plenary should test their recall and knowledge from the lesson. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end to show the progress of learning. The resource comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson and there are differentiated materials included.

The Norman Conquest The aim of this lesson is to challenge the overarching question as to whether the punishments fitted the crimes in the Middle Ages. There is a key focus on literacy throughout the lesson, as students are introduced to a number of key words which they have to fit into a missing word activity and well as using some differentiated story source scholarship to define certain key words using inference and analytical skills. This resource uses visuals to explain the punishments used in the Middle Ages as well as the causes of crime. There is also some excellent BBC video footage to accompany the lesson. Students will be required to complete an extended piece of writing, using the key words they have learnt from the lesson as well as having to justify and explain the key concepts of crime and punishment in an odd one out activity. This lesson is designed to be interactive, fun, challenging and engaging. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end using a rate ‘o’ meter to show the progress of learning. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91 The aim of this lesson is to analyse the significance of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the impact upon Europe with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Students begin by recapping key facts about the Wall and how citizens of East Germany could travel to the west through Austria. They will learn how the fall and destruction of the wall came about an given significance ratings to ten consequences, which students can use to complete an extended writing task. There are some excellent video links to watch as well as images to decipher during the lesson. A GCSE question tackling the importance of the fall of the wall can be completed at the end of the lesson with help and a writing frame provided. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout this and subsequent lessons to show the progress of learning. The lessons in this bundle are therefore linked together to build up a picture of how diplomacy, propaganda and spying led two Superpowers with opposing political ideologies to create tensions, rivalries and distrust as well as subsequently forming mutual understanding and cooperation over the time period in question. The resource includes retrieval practice, suggested teaching strategies, differentiated material and GCSE question practice. It comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The Holocaust The aims of this lesson are to explain who was put on trial at Nuremberg, the crimes they were charged with and their category of criminality ranging from major offenders to followers. Students begin by learning about Denazification and how this was implemented immediately after the war, before Cold War tensions took over. They also learn why Nuremberg was chosen as the place for the trials. The main task requires them to analyse up to 8 individuals and how they ‘conducted’ themselves during World War II. Students then have to decide which of the four war crimes they committed and which category of prisoner they would come under. They also have to judge whether their sentences would be death by shooting, hanging or a prison sentence. The verdicts are given later in the Powerpoint so students can check and compare their answers. There is an accompanying video task which looks at Nuremberg 75 years on, with some brilliant footage of holocaust survivors and the son of Hans Frank, the Butcher of Poland. The central enquiry of this and the other lessons in the bundle is to ask who was to blame for the holocaust? Students map out their ideas each lesson (which can be plotted in different colours or dates to show the progress of their learning and centred around a lightbulb) and build up a picture of how difficult it is to blame a single individual or event for this catastrophe. The resource comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change and is differentiated. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson.

Elizabethan England 1568-1603 This Revision Guide is aimed to help students prepare fully for their GCSE exam in this unit of study Within this 45 page Revision Guide, there are 18 GCSE exam questions and guidance of how to answer them throughout. At the start of the Guide, there are tips on how the students can access the four main questions and advice on how to put this into practice with model answers given from the exam board. There are also eight new pages in the Guide dedicated to the 2024 Environmental Study, Americas and Drake's Circumnaviation with a focus on knowledge and understanding and second order concepts. Six possible exam questions have been included which AQA could ask focusing on the main themes from the AQA guidance given. This Guide has been designed to be engaging, detailed, easy to follow and allows the students to access the higher grades in the examination. It comes in PDF and Word format and can be adapted and changed to suit. Any reviews on this resource would be much appreciated.

The Tudors This lesson poses the question ‘How much of a threat did Mary, Queen of Scots pose to Elizabeth I?’ Students are taken through Mary’s life from becoming Queen of Scotland to the controversy of her husbands and her eventual house arrest in England. Through sources, visual and video evidence, students have conclude how much of a threat Mary posed to Elizabeth, after pleading their case through the eyes of Mary herself. There is some help to write an extended answer using key words which help mention cause and effect, to sequence events and to emphasise judgements. There is also analysis of the Babington Plot and a deciphering exercise to work out on how Mary was implicated. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

World War II The aim of this lesson is to question Britain’s policy of appeasement in the 1930’s, but also defend the decision Chamberlain took. Students have to make up their own minds through a variety of learning tasks which include gathering evidence from video footage of the time, completing a card sort activity, creating causational chains and analysing sources from the time. Some higher order questions at the end are aimed at getting them to think and challenge the perceptions they have made about appeasement. This lesson is ideal as preparation for GCSE if you are embedding source skills or teaching the interwar years or WWII at Key stage 4. It is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end to show the progress of learning. The resource includes retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.