The Tudors The aims of this lesson are for students to recognise how theatres changed under Elizabeth. They will analyse their early days as travelling performers with a poor reputation playing in pubs and fields to purpose built theatres such as the Globe, paid for by wealthy Patrons such as the Earl of Leicester. Students know through their links to their English lessons quite a lot already about Shakespeare and this lesson taps into their knowledge and builds upon it with a thinking quilt to examine how theatres developed. Furthermore there is a focus on Shakespeare’s plays and inspiration as well as an analysis of the Globe theatre. There is some excellent video footage to complement the learning tasks. The lesson finishes with an odd one out task which will revisit the aims of the lesson and how Tudor theatres and plays still have an impact on society today. 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.

This lesson aims to introduce the main contenders to the vacant throne of England in 1066 with the deat hof Edward the Confessor. Students have to understand why a chair (a throne) would cause a war and read a script to understand who the main contenders were and the reasons they put forward for having a claim to the English throne. Diffetentiated bloom’s questions aim to deepen their understanding and get them to analyse who has the best claim and why (thus extracting fact from fiction). A brilliant video link to English heritage and extra work sheets will give them all the knowledge required to create a newspaper report or table to ultimately evaluate these claims of the contenders The resource comes in PDF and Powerpoint formats 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 accompanying script for the lesson can be found here: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/medieval-britain-script-for-the-normans-who-had-the-best-claim-to-the-english-throne-in-1066-11456418 If you like this resource, please visit my shop where I have created further resources on Medieval Britain which can be found here: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/PilgrimHistory

Edexcel 9-1 Medicine in Britain, Thematic study and historic environment This lesson aims to set the scene for the beginning of trench warfare and the problems for medical treatment on the battlefields of World War 1. Students will analyse the setting up of the trenches, how and why they were dug, which equipment they needed and how they used the trenches to defend and attack the enemy. They also assess the lie of the land and how this impacted on medicine and the wounded and the problems created. Activities include retrieval practice, evaluation of the terrain, use of video evidence as well as GCSE question practice, with help given if required. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

Edexcel 9-1 Medicine in Britain, Thematic study and historic environment This double lesson aims to explain the treatment soldiers received on the battlefield for their injuries and the new treatments available or being developed to aid their recovery. Students will analyse and evaluate the work of the RAMC, F.A.N.Y, V.A.D.'s as well as the role played by Regimental Aid Posts, Advanced Dressing Stations, Casualty Clearing Stations and Base Hospitals, There is also a case study of the underground hospital at Arras. They will focus on the significant advances in the treatment of the wounded including the Thomas Splint, the Carrel-Dakin method of using a sterilised salt solution in the wound, mobile and static x-ray units and portable blood transfusion kits as well as the ability to store blood. Furthermore there are case studies involving the pioneering work of brain surgeon Harvey Cushing and the reconstructive facial surgery of Harold Gillies, Activities include recall and retrieval, evaluation and analysis, summarising, discussion and debate, source analysis, the use of video evidence as well as GCSE exam question practice. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

The American West 1835-1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel This lesson examines the process and problems of migration using the Oregon Trail, exacerbated and proliferated by the discovery of Gold in California. Students analyse the positive and negative effects of migrating to California and are then challenged to link statistics to the various facts shown. There is some text analysis on the Donner Party and its consequences with key questions as well as video footage to reinforce the learning. Some GCSE question practice focuses of the narrative account question with key exam skills attached as well as some help if required. The plenary uses an interactive hangman game. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some retrieval practice using the odd one out is also included. It comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The American West 1835-1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel The aim of this lesson is to analyse some of the problems the early settlers faced moving west onto the Great Plains. Students have to work out the initial problems through various images and think through how they could solve these. They also have to decide how to deal with the swarms of locusts that descended on the Great Plain such as in 1874 when an estimated 120 billion grasshoppers devastated over 300,000 square kilometres of land. There is some GCSE exam question practice on the consequences question with some help given if required. The plenary requires students to use dice to pick and link key words together to create sentences. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some retrieval practice with talking heads is also included on the front slide. It comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

World War II The aim of this lesson is to assess how Channel islanders survived the war with the only occupation of British soil by German armed forces. Britain had taken the decision to leave the Channel islands undefended. Therefore students are questioned as to why this decision was taken and how they might feel being at the mercy of the German occupation. Use of a text and a thinking quilt will help students analyse the ways in which islanders survived, through rationing, acts of resistance and their treatment by the German soldiers garrisoned there. The Germans attempted to make it a model occupation with respect shown to the islanders, but with curfews and censorship, students have to evaluate if this was the case. Some excellent video footage will also explain the treatment of prisoners of war moved to the island to help build the Atlantic Wall defences and how they attempted to manage under appalling conditions. Some real life testimony from survivors is also given to allow students to evaluate fully the significance of the occupation and survival techniques developed to survive. A big thank you in my research for this lesson goes to Dan Snow and his podcast on the occupation as well as the book by Duncan Barrett, ‘When the Germans came’, as well as testimony from a family friend who is still a resident on Jersey. 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.

Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91 The lesson aims to explore the importance of the Kennan and Novikov Telegrams. The context of the Telegrams is given at the start of the lesson, with students using video footage to explain the consequences if the atomic bomb was used. Students will also learn of the recommendations each of the foreign ministers proposed to their respective superiors and the importance of their advise. There is also a home learning challenge which the students can answer a key question and self assess themselves using a model answer. The plenary make use of an interactive connect four game, complete with differentiated questions. 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 materials and GCSE question practice. It also comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91 This lesson focuses on the financial aid given to Western Europe as part of the Marshall Plan. Students have to evaluate how significant it was in relation to the Truman Doctrine and how Stalin reacted this ‘dollar imperialism’. There are differentiated questions which explore why this aid was also offered to Eastern bloc countries, how America was able to offer such huge sums and who received a majority of the aid. There is some text to therefore analyse and use to make inferences. The plenary asks students a series of questions which recap the lesson and consolidate their learning from previous ones. There is some GCSE exam question practice to complete, with tips on how to answer the consequences question, with a model answer given if required. 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 materials and GCSE exam practice. It also comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91 The aim of this lesson is to assess the importance of Gorbachev’s new thinking and evaluate the consequences of his new policies with the collapse of Soviet control in Eastern Europe Therefore this lesson is divided into two parts and can be delivered over two lessons. The first part of the lesson analyses Gorbachev’s problems when he became the leader of the Soviet Union. Students will analyse sources and decide on the biggest problems he faced before prioritising these in an evaluation task. The second part of the lesson requires the students to undertake a quiz, picking up points on the way with the right decisions made, as Eastern European satellite states began to increase their freedoms and break away from the Soviet Union. Students can write an extended answer from what they have learnt with literacy help given. A GCSE practice question on the importance of Gorbachev’s policies can be completed after a colour coding plenary task to summarise Gorbachev’s premiership. 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.

Rise of Dictators The aim of this lesson is to decide if Robert Mugabe was a hero or a villain. Students are introduced to his early life in a text mapping exercise which they have to decipher to understand his credentials for Presidency. They are given information about Mugabe’s career from which they then have to give a number of ratings as to whether he was indeed a hero or villain. Subsequent video footage gives the thoughts of people from Zimbabwe today as well as other commentators to help them in their comprehension of the task in hand. An extended written piece, using a writing frame, will allow students to demonstrate their understanding and give a full evaluation of his rule. A fragment exercise as well as a find and fix plenary recaps on what they have learnt in the lesson and reinforces their judgements of him. 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, differentiated materials and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Conflict and Tension 1918-1939 This lesson aims to focus on how the League was organised and run on a day to day basis. Despite some strengths, students analyse its inherent weaknesses from the start. Using source material, video footage and worksheets, students work out how and why each part of its structure (such as the Assembly or the Council) was a strength as well a weaknesses. They can then put their new found knowledge to the test using specific skills to analyse and evaluate source exam practice questions. 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, some retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Conflict and Tension 1918-1939 The aim of this lesson is to analyse the thoughts of France, Britain, the USA and Russia and their reaction to Hitler’s foreign policy. Students are also introduced to Britain’s policy of appeasement and have to rate how effective negotiating with Hitler might be. Students have a choice of task from answering a GCSE question, to a balloon debate or to making flashcards to reinforce their learning. The plenary asks them to evaluate a number of silhouettes in a crowd and which character would best represent the Allied leaders. 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, some retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Conflict and Tension 1918-1939 The aims of this lesson are to understand how far the leaders at the Versailles Conference were willing to compromise. The lesson is quite topical and uses current political events to discuss conciliation and compromise. The Armistice set out the blueprint which France expected to follow. However despite the differences of the Allied Powers, the pressure to make a decision quickly made the leaders compromise. As a result, students analyse how the map of Europe was to change. They are led to question which countries were formed and how and why rushing this was may not have been a good idea . Finally a summary of some of Wilson’s 14 points are evaluated; students have to decide who would have had the most objection to each point and justify their reasons. 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, some retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is to ascertain how smoothly Elizabeth consolidated her power on her succession to the throne. Students use source and documentary evidence to argue how Elizabeth used her coronation so effectively and think how Cecil might advise the Queen from the outset. There is a true and false activity as well as some source scholarship to consolidate the learning in the lesson. Students also have to think why a proposed marriage to Philip II of Spain might have its merits. There is an enquiry question posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work. The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit. The lesson is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.

World War I The aim of this lesson is to assess the reasons why air power became an increasingly important part of warfare in the First World War. As each side became more aware of the potential of reconnaissance, observation and bombing raids, they quickly built and developed their planes. However the sudden need to shoot down these aircraft quickly gave rise to dog fights and flying aces. Therefore the enquiry question of how frightening was the First World War’ is quite apt here. Students have decide how the planes were used using photographic evidence and then categorise information under the following headings: reconnaissance, fighting, bombing cities or attacking trenches. Much of the excellent video footage uses links to the documentaries posted by Dan Snow on the BBC. The first half of the lesson concludes by questioning the early effectiveness of air power. The second part of the lesson analyses the fighting prowess of a flying ace from Kent, Jimmy McCudden. Having scrutinised his life and achievements, students have to judge how frightening his daring exploits were before deciding if he deserves more recognition for his gallantry other than an inscription on a gravestone and on a war memorial. They can also create their create their own war memorial or obituary of his life. This lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout the lesson and this unit of study 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.

The American West 1835-1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel This lesson aims to examine push and pull factors which contributed to the migration west. Students are introduced to the Oregon Trail and learn how the Government promoted its use by providing $30,000 for an expedition led by John Fremont to map it out and report how exciting and achievable it was to travel along it. An excellent accompanying video in contrast shows the realities however of travelling to the west. Students are given various scenarios which they have to decide are push and pull factors and for extra challenge decide if they are social, political or economic factors. There is some follow up exam question practice using the ‘consequences’ question worth 8 marks. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some retrieval practice is also included on spelling key words. It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

The American West 1835-1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel This lesson explores the significance of the Buffalo to the Plains Indians way of life. Students learn about how survival depended on the Buffalo for everything as they analyse which parts of the Buffalo are used for what and how each part had a significance. They can map this out on a printable worksheet. There is an excellent video link to Ray Mears and his brilliant American West series. The final part of the lesson introduces the students to the ‘importance’ question and some tips on how to tackle it for GCSE exam question practice. Some answers for peer assessment are given if required. The plenary requires students to answer questions to reveal a catchphrase from the lesson. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. Some sentence starters for retrieval practice are also included. It comes in PowerPoint format which can be amended and changed to suit.

AQA A Level 1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603 The aim of this lesson is decide how much of a threat the Lovell and Stafford rebellions were. Students are given the information about the two rebellions and then have to categorise them into causes, consequences and events. There is an odd one out activity included to check understanding where students have to justify the correct and incorrect answers. The plenary requires the challenge and thinking of but, because and so. Students have to opportunity to plan and write an essay on how much of a threat to Henry the rebellions were. A planning sheet, markscheme and help is given if required. There is an enquiry question posed and revisited to show the progress of learning throughout the lesson and subsequent unit of work. The lesson comes in PowerPoint format and can be changed and adapted to suit. The lesson is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.