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Innov8tive History

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Over 37,0000 happy downloads! 200+ ready to use, fully resourced and exceptionally detailed History lessons and resources for busy teachers by Dan Guiney. Have a lovely day everyone.

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Over 37,0000 happy downloads! 200+ ready to use, fully resourced and exceptionally detailed History lessons and resources for busy teachers by Dan Guiney. Have a lovely day everyone.
Who killed JFK? - 18-page full lesson (notes, card sort, history mystery matrix)
danguineydanguiney

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 and who knows, if President Trump releases the remaining JFK files the mystery could widen! 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.
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.
Stalin's economic policies - 6-page full lesson (notes, card sort)
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Stalin's economic policies - 6-page full lesson (notes, card sort)

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During this lesson students work their way through a fantastically precise and detailed set of background notes before completing a 33 piece evidence sort. Students are asked to arrange the evidence firstly into industrial and agricultural, and then into successes and failures. This is a brilliant lesson which suits many learners’ needs and in particular which appeals to high-end learners. I hope your students get as much from this set of activities as mine do. If you watch the short video clip attached you can see some of my students putting this knowledge to good use.
Social & cultural changes in 1920s USA - 9-page full lesson (starter PPT, notes, character cards)
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Social & cultural changes in 1920s USA - 9-page full lesson (starter PPT, notes, character cards)

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This is a great full lesson. Students begin with a starter activity which teaches them the basic steps to the Charleston before progressing through a very detailed and comprehensive set of notes covering the changes in the period in music, women, sports, architecture, religion, leisure and cinema. Students are then allocated a character card (flapper, housewife, young black American, Italian immigrant, gangster, businessman, Klansman, farmer) and complete a scaffolded worksheet explaining how there character would feel about the changes. They are then paired together to hold a discussion with another character in a meaningful way in order to reveal the different attitudes in the period. My students love this topic and I really hope yours do as well.
Weimar & Nazi Germany – Trivial Pursuit Revision Activity (125+ questions)
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Weimar & Nazi Germany – Trivial Pursuit Revision Activity (125+ questions)

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My students love this activity. 125+ questions based on the following categories: Early problems 1919-23 Golden years 1923-29 Rise of the Nazis 1929-33 Terror 1933-45 Propaganda 1919-45 Life in Nazi Germany 1933-45 It takes a little while to cut out the cards and the board and works best once laminated but your students will love this revision activity. The questions are designed to boost subject knowledge and focus on precise historical detail which in turn helps student examination performance. I hope your classes enjoy this activity as much as my IGCSE and IB classes always do! The questions are based around the notes from my lessons so should stretch most students but if you require a differentiated version you can allow students a fixed time to research responses on the internet as they play.
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.
How successful was the Provisional Government?
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How successful was the Provisional Government?

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In this lesson students begin with a starter activity in which they recap prior learning (by designing a question about events previously studied using the rubric provided). Students then read background information about the Provisional Government’s actions prior to moving onto the main activity which is a spectrum card sort. Students are given eight things the Provisional Government did, ranging from continuing the war through to its handling of the July Days through to the Kornilov Affair, and have to rate them on the spectrum provided (over a double page in their books/notes works best) in terms of good/bad policy. The lesson concludes with a plenary activity designed to ensure students have acquired the key knowledge in the lesson (in the form of a ‘Find someone who can’ walkabout activity). This lesson is pitched at high ability high school students with some prior knowledge of Russia before 1917. Please do ask if you have any questions and I hope your students get as much from this lesson as mine do.
What can we learn from Disney's Mulan about Ancient China?
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What can we learn from Disney's Mulan about Ancient China?

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Please note: To use this lesson you need to have a copy of the 1998 animated Disney movie Mulan. This is a great lesson in which students are given graduated learning objectives (some of you will / most of you will / and all of you will) in order to help them answer the essential question 'what can we learn about Ancient China from the Disney movie Mulan?". The lesson begins with a starter activity to engage your students in which they are invited to guess the odd one out from a group of Disney characters (the answer is Mulan - because she has killed whereas the others, Bambi’s mother et al, had been killed. This leads them into the lesson nicely and the idea that the ballad of Hua Mulan is no ordinary ‘Disney Princess.’ The class then work through 45 different evidence cards and arrange these into things they can learn from the movie (ie accurate things like the use of rickshaws and only the Emperor being allowed to wear yellow etc) as well as movie mistakes and things which are inaccurate (such as Mulan being allowed to hug the Emperor and the way she inserts her chopsticks vertically into her rice etc). There are two versions of this card sort, one for students who like a challenge and a differentiated version for students who need a more straightforward task. Students can also divide them using the labels given (info relating to women, family, rule and government, culture, society, military etc. Students then watch the movie and tick off those they spot (a nice end of term type activity - but not simply ‘watching a movie for the sake of it’!). From this the class then complete a movie review exercise using the template given before attempting a plenary in which they vote with their feet to establish how many stars (1-5) they would rate the movie for historical authenticity (ie they now answer the essential question). I have also included a final slide which is an assessment rubric should you wish to turn this series of lessons into a formal testing point. I teach this to high achieving high school students as part of a scheme of learning about Ancient China and I hope your students get as much out of it as mine always do. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask and thanks again for your interest in this lesson, which is in PPT form but which does need the buyer to have purchased a copy of the 1998 animated movie (not the 2020 version.)
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.
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.
IB Authoritarian States Stalin's Russia Entire Course Notes - 36 pages
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IB Authoritarian States Stalin's Russia Entire Course Notes - 36 pages

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This 36-page pack is the incredibly detailed and complete set of notes I have written for my students. It is basically an entire course on Stalin’s Russia in one pack! Suitable for 16+ including GCSE, AP, A Level, and IB students. Notes are broken down into the following sections: How did Stalin come to power by 1928? How successful were Stalin’s economic policies? How did Stalin control the Soviet Union through purges? How did Stalin control the Soviet Union through the cult of personality? *What was the impact of the Second World War on the Soviet Union? I am confident you will love this resource because there is nothing on the Internet which I have found which offers the same level of breadth and detail on this topic. Your students will find the notes supremely useful and they will help them achieve examination success.
What were the causes of the Abyssinian Crisis? (Full lesson)
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What were the causes of the Abyssinian Crisis? (Full lesson)

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In this fully resourced lesson students explore the causes of Mussolini’s decision to invade Abyssinia in 1935. The lesson features graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will) and begins with a What’s Behind the Squares Starter Activity. Be aware the image is harrowing (it is the feet of an African burned by Italian mustard gas) and invites students to ask why this happened. There is then some background information / teacher exposition and students are asked to add notes to a mind map with 9 nodes. Once this has been added to the class plenary is to add to a 9-sided shape (a nonagram). The class are asked to place four post-it notes which answer the question and to place these notes more centrally in the shape if they consider a particular factor to be of greater importance. If it is of lesser importance, they will place it towards the perimeter. I hope your students enjoy this lesson as much as mine do. It has been created for high school History students and has been written in UK-English.
Stalin & the Purges - Who killed Kirov? - 20-page full lesson (notes, history mystery evidence sort)
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Stalin & the Purges - Who killed Kirov? - 20-page full lesson (notes, history mystery evidence sort)

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This is one of my absolute favourite lessons. Students read through the background knowledge/notes before working their ways through a 21 piece evidence sort to answer the question ‘Who killed Kirov?’ Students then place the card sort information into piles which suggest Stalin was guilty of the murder and evidence that suggests he was not, before arriving at an opinion abotu why the 1st December Law and the subsequent purges and period of Yezhovschina occured. My students truly love this lesson and I really hope yours do too!
Cold War Revision Flash Cards ('Gimme 5')
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Cold War Revision Flash Cards ('Gimme 5')

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My students love using these as a revision tool and also as an in class activity. Each of the twenty three hand-shaped cards has a key topic about the Cold War on it and each finger has a name/date/quote/statistic/fact on. Students learn precise supporting material which really boosts examination success. These aides can be reversed so students can test each other by reading the answers first and guessing the topic also. Once cut out and laminated they make a very handy and mobile revision aide and knowledge on them is extremely precise and exact.
Iranian Revolution Causes - 14-page full lesson (notes, card sort)
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Iranian Revolution Causes - 14-page full lesson (notes, card sort)

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I’ve always enjoyed this lesson and its one that really helps students develop an expert grasp of a difficult series of events. Students read through background knowledge before completing a card sort of 21 precise pieces of evidence. I then encourage students to make links between these factors and to identify which pieces of evidence they find the most compelling. I worked in the Middle East when creating and delivering this lesson so it carries real meaning for me and I hope you can see how that has come across in the level of detail and precision. Above all though I hope your students enjoy this as much as mine did.
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!
Revision Menu – Twentieth Century China (IGCSE)
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Revision Menu – Twentieth Century China (IGCSE)

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Last year I achieved 94% A*-A in my IGCSE exam results. The year before it was 88%, making the History Department consistently high achieving and one which students want to sign up for. One of the main reasons for this is the detailed and focused set of revision menus I give to my students to help them prepare for exam success. Now you can have them too. Of all of my resources these revision menus are my must-haves! I hope they can be of much use to your students as they are to mine. If you enjoyed this resource please leaf through my collection of other revision menus and resources. This pack focuses on Twentieth Century China, includes space for student notes, and includes revision content for the following topics: China 1911-34 The triumph of Mao and the CCP, 1934-49 Change under Mao, 1949-63 The impact of the Cultural Revolution China, 1969-89
100+ Great Ideas for History Teachers - Practical Pedagogy
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100+ Great Ideas for History Teachers - Practical Pedagogy

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A 22-page pack of over 100 great ideas for the History teacher looking to improve his or her pedagogy. I use this within my team to shake up our teaching and revitalize old schemes of work. All of the activities are easy to implement and very transferable across topics. The pack can also be used as a great CPD tool for staff training. I’ve compiled these ideas over a 20 year teaching career and am very proud to share them with other education professionals. Daniel Guiney
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