This is a card sorting resource for KS3 or KS4 students looking at the success of the evacuation process, Operation Pied Piper, in 1939. Students can sort the cards into: advantages for children, disadvantages for children, successes of the process, failures of the process. Alternatively, they can sort them into good/bad points. Further activities can sort the cards for priorities of positives and negatives. There is a differentiated resource for lower ability students. This can lead to a discussion activity or a piece of extended writing on the success of evacuation. I have in the past used it as the basis of an assessment on the success of evacuation.

This is for GCSE Medicine. Students look through the pieces of evidence. They decide which of these suggest that Islam helped medicine, and which suggest that Islam hindered it. It can be done as a card sort, cut and stick or highlighting activity. Higher ability students can be challenged, particularly in a card sort, to prioritise the pieces of evidence on either side of the argument. There are extension questions provided at the end of the task. There are resources for higher and lower ability students included This can lead to a class debate or a piece of extended writing.

This is a card sort for the two invasion of Britain in 55BC and 54BC. Students can arrange the events in chronological order. It could be done as a card sort or numbering activity. Students can then decide the reasons why Caesar’s invasions failed. They give an explanation of each reason. More able students can reach their judgement on the key reasons for failure.

This is a diamond 9 card sort to explain why the Great Fire of London spread with such devastating consequences. Students can explain the reasons that each of the causes of the spread of the fire ere important. Students then arrange cards into the following areas: the Lord Mayor, the weather, the buildings and the fire engines. Students can prioritise and classify reasons into these factors. There is a differentiated version, without thee explanation space, for lower ability students. Students should explain what they think are the most important factors in the spread of the fire, and explain their opinons. This can lead to an extended piece of writing on the causes of the spread of the fire.

A worksheet differentiated for the higher-, medium- and lower-ability students, containing reasons for the abolition of the slave trade, and slavery itself. Could be used as a card sort or a colour-coded worksheet. Students can decide which factors help to end the slave trade, slavery itself, or both. Students can sort for political, economic social and cultural reasons. Students are invited to make decisions on the most important 3 reasons at the end of the sorting. This can lead to lively debate.

This is a card sort designed to allow students to categorise and prioritise reasons that Galen is significant in the development of medicine. More able students can use the cards to explain their thoughts on the most important reason for Galen’s significance. The task could also be done as a diamond activity, with categories taken out for the more able. This is an ideal activity for preparing students for longer-answer exam questions. It allows discussion to develop as students explain their thoughts and defend them in front of their peers.

This is a resource to sort the advantages and disadvantages of migration to Britain, and invites students to prepare a debate on the issue. Students can decide which of these affect all, most, some or only a few migrants - and then decide which are the most important. Students can pair up as differentiation to prepare a debate on the good and bad points of migration.

This is a card sort designed to allow students to categorise and prioritise reasons for the 1905 Revolution in Russia. There is a differentiated version for lower-ability students. More able students can use the cards to explain their thoughts on the most important reason for the Revolution. It could be done as a diamond 9 activity. It could also be done as a venn diagram using the template sheet. This is an ideal activity for preparing exam-class students for longer-answer exam questions. It allows discussion to develop as students explain their thoughts and defend them in front of their peers.

This is a lesson resource in including a two-fold card sorting or cutting and sticking exercise. Students start by matching up key terms which will be used in this lesson and others on the Civil War. Students then move on to the causes of the war, on the worksheet. They decide which are the long-term and short term factors. They can subsequently arrange them according to blame - the king, Parliament, or no particular blame. Lower-ability students can move straight on to blaming the king, Parliament, or no-one in particular. Students can use the writing frame at the end to decide on the more important causes of the Civil War, and attach overall blame to the king / Parliament. A fun and informative lesson.

This is a resource for GCSE Medicine, with activities for higher- and lower-attaining students. It allows students to identify and explain the positives and negatives of Medieval hospitals in terms of how they cared for people’s health. Students can either use this as a card sort or a cut and stick, or as a highlighting/colour coding activity. They are then invited to judge the biggest positives and biggest negatives of hospitals, and more able students can reflect on how far they reflected the Church’s teachings (for this, you will need to make clear that the church ran most hospitals). Finally, students can evaluate their own thoughts on the effectiveness of hospitals. This could lead well into class discussion, extended writing or an exam-style question.

This is a whole lessons activity on the coming of canals during the Industrial Revolution. Use the powerpoint to encourage students to define the word canalmania, and to decide the biggest problems that the canalbuilders faced in the 1780s/90s. The worksheet can be done as a card sort or a cut and stick activity. Students must decide which of the pieces of information are advantages and disadvantages. They must then, as an extension, decide which relate to: a) money, b) transporting people/things, c) others. Students then answer the question on the final slide of the powerpoint. This can lead to a piece of extended writing for more able students, or as a more broken down set of answers for the less able. There is plenty of scope for discussion throughout the lesson.

This is a resource for KS3/4 students to be looking at the decisions to drop the atomic bombs in 1945. On the ‘bomb decisions’ sheet, students decide what they would do regarding the decisions on dropping thee bomb. As an extension, they can lace themselves in the position of Harry Truman and decide what he should have done. On the second sheet, differentiated for lower ability students, students firstly which of the points suggest that the dropping of the bombs was: • The right thing to do • The wrong thing to do They then choose their opinions on what were the best reasons for and against dropping he bomb. As an extension, the more able students can write a letter explaining their views fully. This can lead to a debate or a piece of extended writing. It has also been used in the past as a resource to prepare for an assessment.

The powerpoint allows students to decide what was a Medieval belief in the spread of the Black Death, and what was a real cause. The worksheet allows students to decide what was: • Completely ineffective in stopping the spread of the Black Death • Of limited effect in stopping the spread of the Black Death • More effective in stopping the spread of the Black Death Students then explain one treatment that was effective, and why, then one treatment that was ineffective and why people did it anyway. More able students can extend themselves by explaining why people did not know the real causes, and the extent to which fear played a part in the disease’s treatment.

A card sort to show the aims of the Big Three leaders at the Treaty of Versailles. Students can use this to make a decision on why each of the leaders held these aims, and which were the more or less reasonable of the aims. More able student can explain which was the most likely to achieve an agreeable peace settlement, in the short and long term. This is an ideal activity for preparing students for longer-answer exam questions. It allows discussion to develop as students explain their thoughts and defend them in front of their peers.

This is a card sorting resource for KS4 students. I have used it with the new GCSE spec for US History. Students read examples of reasons why the Depression happened. They arrange them into the longer term causes and the stock market’s problems (make clear – or allow the more able to work out – that it was these mainly that led to Wall St crashing, and the longer term ones that made the crash turn to depression). They are then invited to prioritise the reasons in each of the two categories, and explain a judgement of the most important to do with longer term causes and the stock market’s problems.There is an exam-style question for the GCSE spec for US History at the bottom of the sheet. This can lead to a debate or piece of extended writing.

This is a worksheet that can be used as a cut and stick or a card sort. There are versions for higher and lower ability students. Feedback can lead to discussion on how factors link together. Students look at and decide upon the push, pull and enabling factors. They then decide on 2-3 which were the most important, 3-4 which were very important, 8-10 which were quite important and 2-3 which were less important. They can explain their opinions on importance. Finally students can categorise the reasons into:- Government action, Railroads, Problems in Europe, The end of the Civil War, Manifest Destiny and propaganda, Technology, Others. This can lead to an essay or exam answer on the reasons that the homesteaders moved on to the Plains.

This is a resource for students to explain why the USA joined WW2. Students are presented with 7 reasons, they must explain why these made the USA join the war. There is a differentiated version with are key words to help less able students with the explanations. Students then decide which were reactions to Pearl Harbour, and which were longer term reasons. As an extension, students explain their opinion on the most important reason for the USA joining the war.

This is a resource for KS3 History students. Students look through the pieces of evidence. They decide which of these suggest a real plot, and which suggest that there was a government cover-up. It can be done as a card sort, cut and stick or highlighting activity. Higher ability students can be challenged, particularly in a card sort, to prioritise the pieces of evidence on either side of the argument. There are resources for higher and lower ability students included This can lead to a class debate or a piece of extended writing.

This is a card sort designed to allow students to categorise and prioritise reasons that the Peasants’ Revolt started. More able students can use the cards to explain their thoughts on the most important reason for the revolt. It could be done as a venn diagram using the second sheet.

This worksheet allows students to explain events in Russia before and after the 1917 revolution. Students have 7 events outlined to them, and explain their own thoughts on why it was significant. Students can, as an extension, explain how these events link together and created an environment in the USSR which grew more oppressive. They can make judgements on turning points. This is an ideal activity for preparing students for longer-answer exam questions. It allows discussion to develop as students explain their thoughts and defend them in front of their peers.