AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45 The aim of this lesson is to assess the political and economic impact of the Ruhr invasion upon Germany. Students begin by recapping Germany’s inability to pay reparations and its request to suspend payments to stabilise their currency. They also learn in more depth how they were required to pay and how a bad situation was made worse by the Allies. Students also have to answer a series of questions and predict how Germany reacted to the occupation by French and Belgian troops. A chronological task completes the lesson together with some source exam question practice. Some help is given if required together with a generic markscheme. There is a 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.

The Tudors This is the second in a series of lessons I have created on the Tudors, which is an introduction. The key skill of chronology is introduced from the start as students decide which Tudor came first to which came last. Key questions floating past the screen as well as the wall of mystery give clues and answers to some interesting and gruesome facts on the Tudor family. Students have the chance to create their own timelines, factual displays, key question and answer quizzes or an A-Z of Tudor facts. The lesson finishes which two plenaries to choose from which both test their new found knowledge. The resource comes in Powerpoint formats if there is a wish to adapt and change. I have also included suggested teaching strategies and differentiated resources to deliver the lesson. 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 English Civil War This lesson aims to explore the problems Charles brought upon himself to cause the English Civil War. Students are given information which they have to analyse and decide how and why there were opposing views from Parliament and the King on how to run the country. The use of contemporary accounts and propaganda posters will challenge the more able as well. Students justify who in their opinion is to blame for the Civil War and demonstrate their learning at the end of the lesson using factor and function symbols. The lesson 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 suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The Tudors This lesson aims to explore how Elizabeth approached the difficult subject of religion. Students are given the context of the religious situation left to Elizabeth by her predecessors, which will then give them answers as to why she took a calm and pragmatic approach to it. Furthermore they have to decide through a colour coding exercise which were the smallest and major problems she faced with religion before deciphering her religious settlement using a text mapping activity. Key questions can be used to understand the decisions she took. A sequencing activity reinforces the learning of the lesson and its significance 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.

The Holocaust This lesson analyses the story of Anne Frank and celebrates her short life. It asks in a sequence of lessons I have produced, who is to blame for the holocaust? Was it the SS who rounded up the Frank family or was it friends or spies to blame for theirs and countless death during World War 2? The lesson tells her story and asks students to think of but, because and so. There are some great video links to accompany the lesson as well as some analysis on an extract from her diary and a virtual tour of the annex. A final true of false quiz checks recall and retrieval from the lesson. 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.

The aim of this lesson is to understand why Britain was such a good place to invade. Students are given a thinking quilt to link words and meanings together and challenge their reasoning skills. Further information will help them understand what Britain had to offer to invaders giving context to its cities, markets and population as well as natural resources and weather. Students are then required to justify why England was a good place to invade in 1066, with prompts and 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.

The British Empire The aim of this lesson is to explore the reasons for why Africa became so important to the British Empire and how its people were affected in a global race to exploit it. The scramble for Africa was the reference given by the Times newspaper when several European nations, including Britain, took over most of the continent of Africa. These countries looked to Africa to enrich themselves; students learn which resources they could acquire and analyse the various reasons these European powers grabbed whatever land they could. A thinking quilt challenges thinking and ideas for this scramble and the dangers involved for European nations, whilst a true or false quiz and summarising pyramid checks understanding and reinforces the aims of the lesson. There is also an excellent video link to Cecil Rhodes and his importance to British colonial power in Africa. 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.

AQA GCSE 9-1 Elizabethan England, 1568-1603 The overarching aim of this and the subsequent bundle of lessons is to question and explore how Elizabeth asserted her authority and control in the second half of her reign. The lessons are therefore linked together to build up a picture of this golden age and question if it really was a period of stability and prosperity. This lesson questions if there really was an Elizabethan Golden Age or was it really a myth? Was it just some Elizabethan propaganda to promote Elizabeth I and the Tudors? The students get themselves involved in a mini debate agreeing or refuting the question using Cornell Note taking before presenting their findings to the class. They will also tackle a GCSE ‘write an account’ question before peer assessing it and deciding what went well and how they need to improve the answer. 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 This lesson was borne out of a necessity to explain the theatres of war in World War 2 after teaching this unit of study at Key Stage 3. Having taught this unit last year without this lesson, I found students were getting confused as to where World War 2 was being fought on a global stage, whether it be fighting in Europe, in the Atlantic, North Africa or in the Far East. Therefore this lesson aims to simplify the geographical locations covered. Using a world map, they have to plot which countries were involved and who they were fighting for, be it for the Allies or the Axis powers. This map will also appear throughout this unit of study to pinpoint where in the world the lesson is focused on. Students will also analyse and study famous photographs of World War 2 and try to explain why they are significant, such as Hitler at the Trocadero in France, the image of St. Pauls in London during the Blitz or the Soviet flag being waved on top of the Reichstag. Students are also required to plot a timeline of events using information provided and subsequently noting whether each event was a success or failure for each side. The subsequent plenary tests students’ general knowledge about the war in an ‘odd one out’ activity. This lesson 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.

The English Civil War The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the devastating consequences that alleged witchcraft had on communities in Stuart England. Students will be posed questions such as: Why were the Stuarts so obsessed with witches and witchcraft? How and why did the Pendle witch trials cause so much historical notoriety and infamy? and How could you even recognise a witch and why should they be feared in the local community? These questions will be answered and explained in this lesson, which ultimately focuses on the Pendle witch trials and its results for English society as a whole, who soon lived in fear and terror for their lives. Activities include evidence collection, a true or false quiz, a literacy challenge as well as video analysis. The lesson 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 suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and 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 bundle of 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. I devised this lesson not long into teaching my Year 11 groups about Elizabeth, as they soon became confused with all the advisors, favourites and ‘Roberts’ in her life. This lesson attempts to clarify and simplify the role of these men and why she needed them. This is an independent research task as the students find out key information and record it on a grid. The ‘significance’ question in the exam is also addressed as they evaluate their importance to Elizabeth. The plenaries at the end of the lesson include canalysing a video clip as well as testing their knowledge and challenging their thinking skills. 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.

AQA GCSE 9-1 Elizabethan England, 1568-1603 The overarching aim of this and the subsequent bundle of eleven lessons is to question and explore how Elizabeth tried to assert and establish her authority in the early years of her reign. The eleven lessons are therefore linked together to build up a picture of her difficulties in trying to overcome this. This lesson aims to explain how Elizabeth approached the sensitive subject of religion in a calm and pragmatic fashion. The first part of the lesson concentrates on the differences between Protestants and Catholics and why Elizabeth should take a different perspective on religion compared to her predecessors. The second part of the lesson describes and explains the Elizabethan Settlement using a text mapping activity before students answer a GCSE question on the significance of the Settlement in the context of her reign. The lesson is also linked to video footage from the film Elizabeth. 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. Any reviews will be greatly appreciated

With revision 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, considering exam time constraints. I print out the sheets in A5, which the students stick in their books and use to colour code They answer the questions next to or underneath the sheets. They can also be used for homework or interleaving.

World War I The aim of this lesson is to understand why building trenches led to a static war of attrition. It focuses on some key questions: Why did they build trenches in the first place? Why were the trenches built in zig zags? Why were there lines of trenches behind the front ones and how did they use the barbed wire and sandbags? Through video footage and visual aids, students build up a picture of what a trench looked like, the equipment a soldier would have to carry to build them and the advantages and disadvantages of protecting themselves in a trench. Key knowledge Bingo for the plenary will test students understanding of the lesson. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question of ‘How frightening was the First World War?’ 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.

Cold War and the Olympics This lesson explores the link between the Cold War and sport. As with technology and space exploration, sport was an area where rival powers could prove or assert their dominance without going to war. Students compete a recall, retention and retrieval task on the previous Vietnam War lesson before undertaking a true or false quiz. They analyse and evaluate medal tally statistics from previous Olympics and make judgement about the anomalies in different years. They are given an account of the history of Olympic success and are challenged as to why it was so important to do well for your respective country. As with previous lessons they use the light bulb and key question to continue to annotate around as the fear of losing spurred both nations on to different extremes. No lesson on Cold War sports would be complete without refence to the Rocky film and the US propaganda machine is in full force as grit and determination to train is pitted against the use of drugs to cheat. Students can then determine which statement to agree with and use argument words to convince their peers. . 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, c.1000 to present If Islamic medicine was so good, why did many of its ideas fail to spread to Christian Europe and Britain? What skills did Islamic surgeons have to make them specialists in particular areas How did Islam promote medicine to become so advanced in the first place? These questions are analysed and answered through the lesson as students decide which Islamic doctor deserves which podium finish for being the most effective. Furthermore students tackle a GCSE practice question on similarities with Christian medicine in Britain with a student friendly markscheme to help peer or self assess their work. 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.

This lesson aims to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of Rochester Castle and understand why it was built in such a strategic position. It also explores the reasons why the Castle was seized by some disaffected knights in 1215 and why King John was so keen to recapture it. Students have to evaluate the most effective ways of attacking and defending a Castle and learn how difficult medieval siege warfare was. The second aim of the lesson is to examine how and why it was captured in the first place, as students continue to analyse the power struggle between the barons and the King. There is a brilliant video link to the siege under Rory’s McGrath’s Bloody Britain series which the students follow and answer questions on. Finally they plot the power struggle between the king, the church, the barons and the people in a sequence of lessons. This lesson includes: Fun, engaging and challenging tasks Links to video footage Printable worksheets Suggested teaching strategies PowerPoint format, which can be changed to suit

Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship This lesson is an introduction to Kaiser Wilhelm II. It focuses on the background of Kaiser Wilhelm II, his family and relations, his paranoia and disability, but with a focus on the problems he encountered as a leader of a new Germany. Included in the lesson is a thinking quilt, a map of Germany, links to informative videos and a summarising pyramid at the end. This lesson comes complete with a tracking sheet and the noted exam skills required for the students to stick in their books. 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.

Norman Conquest The aim of this lesson is to challenge and question the role of the Church in Medieval Society. On face value, the power it had over people was enormous and with power came great wealth, often at the expense and help of the population. But was it all corrupt and how much did people willingly give over their goods in return for salvation? These questions are explored through statistics, facts and video evidence. Students are ultimately required to justify if the Church was corrupt by colour coding and rating batteries (linked to a final post it note challenge) and evidencing their choices. There are also introduced to a number of key words which they are required to recall in the plenary. 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.

The American West 1835-1895, GCSE 9-1 Edexcel This lesson aims to introduce students to the course and some of the key ideas which will affect America in the 19th Century ranging from Manifest Destiny to survival, colonisation, migration and civilise. Students are introduced to the Great Plains and its weather extremes as well as the Plains Indians and their communities. Using an enquiry based learning question, students are required to annotate around a lightbulb. This is central to this unit of study and students will map this out over the course of each lesson to show progression. Questions are also asked throughout to challenge assumptions, culminating in a balloon debate as to who can move America forward into becoming a great nation. A road map task at the end tests their new knowledge and is ideal for setting as a homework. The resource is differentiated and gives suggested teaching strategies. It comes in PowerPoint formats if there is a wish to adapt and change.