A murder mystery exercise. Split the class into pairs or groups of three. Give each pupil the you decide worksheets to jot down their findings. then: -Starter: As they sit down introduce the mystery using the presentation to get them engaged. They need to work out who was 'responsible' for the murder. - Put sources into three envelopes and give them to the groups in 5-8 minute intervals so it feels like an ongoing investigation and they are not swamped. - Finally discuss their findings.

An assembly that looks at the work of charities and the benefits of volunteering. There are some videos from ‘V’ that introduces pupils to their work.

A suggested structure of the lesson: Starter Display picture of fun in the Middle Ages. Pupils have to identify as many forms of entertainment as they can. Next, pupils study an image of the Feudal System and are asked to calculate the differences in classes according to the diagram. They are also asked what they can learn from this source. Main activities Think, Pair, Share – Pupils read and then shade in details about Medieval fun that looks dangerous and other activities that don’t. Emerging/Secure/Mastery choice activities – Pupils complete 2 activities (one literacy and one visual/creative) to help consolidate and show their understanding of medieval entertainment. Plenary Display the picture of fun in the Middle Ages used in the starter. Pupils have to identify as many forms of entertainment as they can. Have they discovered anymore? What activities are missing?

A cross curricular SOW I wrote for my History department which worked alongside the Drama team. The pupils loved the fact they went to both subjects and explore the same topic. I have also included the first lesson. History focused on the building of the ship and the tragic events while Drama studied the passengers and Edwardian class system.

A Geography and History themed lesson on Pompeii in which pupils use a variety of resources such as animations, information sheets and eyewitness accounts to build a picture of the Vesuvius eruption in AD79.

An assembly that looks at the ingredients that make up ambition. It also goes through how often to reach your ambitious goals you will get setbacks. I use the story of Jamie Vardy to illustrate this. I have included some notes on the PP slides to help you deliver it and explore the concepts with your pupils.

A complete lesson which gets pupil to use their source skills to investigate an enquiry question. - PowerPoint with targeted lesson objectives - A worksheet with sources. Print this on A3 as the questions are also embedded. I have used this for both an interview and for observations - succeeded in both. Pupils enjoy it too.

7 lessons and an Assessment on the Titanic. Includes an investigation into the Edwardian class system, passengers, design of the ship and why and who was to blame for the disaster.

An assembly about the dangers of fireworks and points to consider for children when watching and using them.

2 assemblies included - 1) The first assembly tells the story of the main events of Holy Week. The angle I have taken is to try and get students to think about some of the feelings and emotions people may have felt when Jesus was in Jerusalem. 2) The second assembly focuses on how Easter has developed over time, its origins and also explores what it means to people in modern times. The quiz is a simple multiple choice double sided sheet that can be completed in class afterwards or as a standalone activity.

It never fails to amaze me how much children enjoy a good murder investigation! This lesson is an introduction to how historians 'do' history. Pupils are introduced the concept of inference during the lesson. It also has a literacy twist in that after they have investigated the murder they have to write a piece of discursive writing.

Two assemblies (linked) about emotional wellbeing. Includes: An explanation of emotions and how they link to the brain An interactive game to get pupils thinking about empathy A description of Dan Siegel’s hand model Ways pupils could improve their mental wellbeing Slide notes to help with the delivery of the assembly You can adapt the assemblies to your settings. If you would like more information on emotional wellbeing CPD or further assistance then email me on dan@talkingleaders.co.uk

A detailed SOW that includes: - Lesson Objectives and outcomes - Key questions to use for lessons - Coherent sequence of lessons that build up to an assessment - Suggested activities to use in every lesson

A SOW of 10 lessons on the assassination of JFK and the different theories surrounding it. Also included in this pack is a few of the resources to help deliver it.

A superb lesson I have used for numerous observations before. It works well as it is well paced, has group work and helps pupils consolidate their knowledge at the end with some extended writing. You need some sugar paper or plain A3 would do. Stick the picture of a Motte and Bailey castle and the Stone Keep castle on either side of the sheet prior to the lesson. A good plan of how to run the lesson is below: Starter: A map image is displayed showing Norman castles that were built by William the Conqueror. Pupils asked questions about the map e.g. What do the locations of the castles tell you about England at the time? New Learning: Learning objectives displayed and pupils record the relevant one for their target grade into their exercise books. Pupils watch a short clip about Norman castles and then answer some questions about them with the aid of a PowerPoint slide. Learning development: In pairs, use the sugar paper to explore, analyse and consider the effectiveness of Motte and Bailey and Stone castles. Afterwards, pupils stick their own versions of the castles in in their books and complete a series of levelled activities. Plenary: Think of a 15 second sales pitch you would give William about why he should invest in each type of castle to help him control the English. Revisit Learning Objectives: Pupils consider how/why they have met their learning objective.

A generic double lesson that could be used in a variety of subjects as an introduction to aspects of leadership. The lesson is based around ideas of pupils and then looking at 3 case studies - Abraham Lincoln, Karen Brady and Alex Ferguson. After looking at summaries of their life stories, pupils can debate similarities and differences in their experiences, turning points and other interesting observations. Certainly creates debates in the classroom! I have used this as an introduction to Jesus and also for a Growth Mindset themed day in school.

An assembly that looks at what rights are and the difference between a ‘want’ and a ‘need’ making reference to everyday items and the UNCRC.

A document that summarises all of the major Geography GCSE courses that have now been accredited from September 2012. Useful for departments to study and compare what each exam board covers and the assessments pupils have to complete. I have left it as a word document so you can add details and ammend it as you wish.

A document to use as an SLT to evidence your progress against the Ofsted criteria, highlight areas if strength, and areas for development. A good way to keep self evaluating is have the template as a working document that you update each term. Think about: Specific evidence (e.g. events, data highlights) instead of a narrative. Next steps could help determine your SIP

A simple and editable action plan for school leaders to use and assess progress against, the Ofsted recommendations from the June 2021 report on sexual abuse.