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Dan's History Highway

Average Rating3.88
(based on 71 reviews)

350+ ready to use and fully resourced History lessons. As a British history teacher with 25 years of experience, I understand the challenges you face in the classroom. That's why I created my store — to share high-quality lessons and to save you time. This store shares my love of History, inspires critical thinking, and get students connected with the past. I’m also an examiner and textbook author, so you can trust that my lessons align with current standards and best practices.

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350+ ready to use and fully resourced History lessons. As a British history teacher with 25 years of experience, I understand the challenges you face in the classroom. That's why I created my store — to share high-quality lessons and to save you time. This store shares my love of History, inspires critical thinking, and get students connected with the past. I’m also an examiner and textbook author, so you can trust that my lessons align with current standards and best practices.
How was life for convicts transported to Australia?
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How was life for convicts transported to Australia?

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“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This 26-slide PowerPoint begins with a starter activity in which students listen to the folk song ‘The Fields of Athenry’ and fill in the blanks in a ‘Have I Got News For You’ style activity. They then discuss the meaning of the song. The lesson title and graduated aims (‘all will/most will/some will’) are then introduced. There are some background information slides about transportation to penal colonies for teacher exposition. This then leads to the main activity in which students pair up heads and tails cards in a card sort (the answers are provided so students can self or peer assess) before plotting them onto an emotional rollercoaster to determine the worst aspects of being convicted and sent to Botany Bay. The lesson aims are referred back to, and the lesson concludes with a plenary activity in which students are asked to use the knowledge and understanding they have acquired to create a dialogue between the characters in a famous painting by Ford Madox Brown (‘The Last of England’). This lesson was created with a desirable difficulty level for high-achieving Key Stage 4 students in high school settings and is written in UK English.
What can the Terracotta Warriors teach us?
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What can the Terracotta Warriors teach us?

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“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This 28-slide PowerPoint presentation commences with a Starter Activity, prompting students to match famous figures with the unusual items they chose to be buried with, such as Houdini and his keys. Following this, the slides detail the discovery of the Terracotta Warriors, leading to an exploration of why Emperor Qin Shi Huang would choose to be interred with 8,000 model soldiers. The lesson title is introduced alongside graduated lesson aims (all will/most will/some will), followed by slides delving into the finds and inferences that can be drawn from them, provided by the teacher. Subsequently, the main activity is outlined, tasking students with crafting a series of diary entries as one of the archaeologists, supplemented by exemplars. Finally, the lesson aims are revisited, culminating in a plenary where students contribute their learnings by writing them on designated baskets categorized into political, economic, military, and social aspects. This lesson, crafted during my tenure teaching History in China, is tailored for Key Stage 3 high school students but is adaptable for younger audiences, and is composed in UK English.
Trash by Andy Mulligan - 18 lesson unit
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Trash by Andy Mulligan - 18 lesson unit

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This product is titled “Trash by Andy Mulligan – 18 lessons covering the whole book.” This is an 85-page PowerPoint which includes 18 lessons on the excellent children’s novel Trash, by Andy Mulligan. Based in Manila, three dumpsite children embark on a journey once they discover a wallet, a key and a map. Along the way they are chased by police and the authorities in a bid to reveal Vice President Zapanta’s corruption. It is beautifully written and perfect reading material for high school English students. Themes covered include social justice, poverty, and corruption. Each lesson I have put together includes a starter activity, comprehension questions, extension thinking activities, a main activity, and a lesson plenary. Everything is in one PowerPoint so its easy for you to follow and reading homework is set at the end of each lesson. Every lesson comes with clear aims and objectives too. I created this series of lessons whilst teaching English in Manila and so it means a lot to me to share it with fellow teachers. Please note you do need to purchase a class set of the books (or a digital copy of the book) to accompany this set of English lessons. The novel is now a major motion picture also. Wishing you a terrific day.
Was it right to drop the atomic bombs?
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Was it right to drop the atomic bombs?

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“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan Students are given character cards, some pro and some anti dropping the bomb ranging from Einstein and Churchill to Hirihito and Stalin. In groups each side then works through 36 cards which are teeming with precisely selected historical detail, some of which support the dropping of the A-bomb and some of which argue against it. This activity prepares students exceptionally well for a debate about one of the most keenly argued historical topics - the dropping of the atomic bombs - and can also be used to help students structure an extended written response to this question. The cards are colour coded for students who require additional differentiation. This is one of my best lessons year on year and I hope it gets your students talking, evaluating, and arguing - especially in this nuclear world which we live in today.
What were the causes of the Tiananmen Square Massacre?
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What were the causes of the Tiananmen Square Massacre?

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“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This is a powerful lesson in causation. Students read through the detailed background information before arranging 17 extremely detailed and precise information cards into factors (economic, cultural, and people). This activity helps students scaffold a response to the key question which can then be used as the basis for a piece of assessed or extended written work. I hope your students find this as useful as I know mine have!
The Great Depression
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The Great Depression

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“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This resource features a starter in which students compare two sources on life in 1930s USA using a VENN diagram. The PowerPoint then provides some background information before inviting students to break down 22 factor-led thought bubbles into columns (these are colour-coded into social, economic, cultural and political). Students then use this information to create a written account of what life was like before concluding with a fun singing plenary. I really enjoy delivering this lesson (partly because Hoover is my favourite US President!) and hope you find it useful!
The Sacco and Vanzetti Trial
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The Sacco and Vanzetti Trial

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“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan I teach this lesson as part of my unit on 1920s USA and it always proves tremendously successful. Students are allocated one of seven detailed character cards - these include Sacco’s Defence Lawyer Fred Moore and the biased Judge Webster Thayer amongst others. From here students familiarise themselves with their character and work through 15 pieces of evidence ranging from ballistics documents to the hat that Sacco was reported to have worn (it did not fit). Once they have considered the evidence students then use the trial reenactment template provided to act out one of the most famous trials of the Twentieth Century. I get my class to shout out “Sono innocente!” upon news of the verdict and it is always a powerful lesson. I hope you enjoy this series of activities as much as my students do.
Iran Revolution Causes
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Iran Revolution Causes

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“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan 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.
Cold War Revision Flash Cards ('Gimme 5')
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Cold War Revision Flash Cards ('Gimme 5')

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“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan 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.
Impact of WWI on the USA
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Impact of WWI on the USA

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“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan In this lesson students work through a ‘what’s behind the squares’ starter activity which introduces them to the horrors of the First World War. They then proceed to work through the detailed set of notes and use this knowledge in the main activiation tasks (questions to test comprehension and a mind-map activity) before testing their chronological understanding of the notes in the ‘play your cards right’ plenary. My students always love this lesson and it is a great introduction to life in 1920s USA. I’m confident your students will love it too.
What are the historical foundations of the Ukraine War?
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What are the historical foundations of the Ukraine War?

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“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan The title of this lesson is “What are the historical foundations of the Ukraine-Russia War?” This lesson begins with a Starter Activity in which students are invited to play a game of Play Your Cards Right to test chronological understanding of four of the key events in Russo-Ukraine relations. The title is then introduced along with graduated criteria (all will/most will/some will). There then follows slides of teacher exposition and students are given a template (a newspaper template with headings which match the points discussed) on which to jot down key names, dates, people, places, events, quotations, and statistics. When they have achieved this, they then write up their own newspaper (you can give them the editable PPT template or just print it off). A completed example is given, and students are brought back to the criteria to show progress made. There is then a Whose Line Is It Anyway? plenary for students to recap the knowledge of key vocabulary covered. I hope your students get as much out of this lesson as mine always do. Please note it is exposition heavy and was written for high achieving high school students and is written in UK English. Before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.
Was Maximilien Robespierre a hero or a villain?
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Was Maximilien Robespierre a hero or a villain?

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“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “Was Maximilien Robespierre a hero or a villain?” The 25-slide PPT begins with a Starter Activity in which students are asked to look at four facts about Robespierre and to identify the one which is not true. The Key Question is then stated. Aims and lesson objectives are graduated (all will/most will/some will). There are slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition. Students are then placed in a pair and given one of two character cards (for and against Robespierre). They work together to sift through 24 evidence cards to decide if the evidence suggests he was a hero or a villain. A plain version is provided as well as a colour coded one with simpler language for those who need a little more help or for whom English is an additional language. Using this they then attempt the second part of the main activity which is to write a two-sided newspaper report. The lesson objectives are revisited. The lesson concludes with two plenaries. First, they are asked to come to the board and fill up an eight-petalled flower with compelling evidence. They then vote with their feet by standing to the side of the classroom they mostly agree with (i.e. he was a hero, or he was a villain). I hope your students get as much from this lesson as mine do. I’d be so grateful if you can find time to add a positive review if you enjoyed this lesson. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.
What was life like in Mansa Musa's Mali?
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What was life like in Mansa Musa's Mali?

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“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson is titled “What was life like in Mansa Musa’s Mali?” In this lesson’s starter activity students are asked to answer a series of true of false questions to challenge assumptions on what Africa was like before the transatlantic slave trade. Students are then provided with background information (6 slides) about Mansa Mula’s Mali and are given a list of key events. The main activity is that students are asked to use this information to create an Instagram style storyboard to narrow this down to the key events of his reign (3 examples are given). They are then cold called to explain their creations and take part in a thinking thumbs activity to answer the Key Question. The lesson concludes with a Have I Got News For You style plenary to test knowledge learned. I hope your students enjoy this lesson as much as mine. This lesson is pitched at high school students but could work with slightly younger children too. And before you leave be sure to follow Dan’s History Highway for more info on hundreds of fully-resourced lessons for busy teachers! Wishing you a terrific day.
Why did Donald Trump want to build a wall? Mexico-US Migration
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Why did Donald Trump want to build a wall? Mexico-US Migration

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Why Did Donald Trump Want to Build a Wall? Mexico-US Migration Explore the push and pull factors behind Mexican immigration to the United States with this interactive and thought-provoking lesson. Perfect for geography or social studies classes, this case study offers students an engaging way to understand the political and demographic factors shaping U.S. immigration policy. Lesson Overview Starter Activity – What’s Behind the Squares? Students guess the image hidden behind gradually revealed squares. The first image is the Statue of Liberty, sparking a discussion on America’s history of immigration. The second image shows a migrant hiding in a car, prompting students to think about modern immigration challenges. Leads to the Key Question: Why did Donald Trump want to build a wall? Includes clear objectives with differentiated outcomes (all will/most will/some will). Teacher Exposition 7 editable background slides provide the context behind U.S.-Mexico migration and demographic changes. Perfect for building foundational knowledge and sparking curiosity. Main Task – Card Sorting Students sort 32 push and pull factor cards into 4 categories: social, economic, political, and physical environment. Differentiated, color-coded cards included to support all learners. Students write a UN envoy’s letter to the President, summarizing the push and pull factors. Plenary – Reflection and Basketball Activity Students reflect on the lesson’s Key Question and place their Post-It notes in one of four baskets to showcase what they’ve learned. Why This Lesson Stands Out Interactive and Engaging: Activities like “What’s Behind the Squares” ensure students are captivated from the start. Critical Thinking and Collaboration: Students analyze push and pull factors and work together to create a formal letter. Differentiated for All Learners: Color-coded cards and scaffolding make the material accessible to all students. Comprehensive and Time-Saving: Aligned with Human Geography curricula, this resource is ready to use. What’s Included Fully editable lesson presentation (PPT) 32 sorting cards (+ differentiated version) Report-writing activity Starter and plenary activities Bonus Offer Leave a positive review and email me at danguiney78@gmail.com to receive a FREE lesson of your choice! You’ll also join my mailing list for exclusive resources and discounts.
Revision Menu – Twentieth Century China (IGCSE)
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Revision Menu – Twentieth Century China (IGCSE)

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“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan 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
IB History AFL Essay Front Sheets (Papers 1, 2, and 3)
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IB History AFL Essay Front Sheets (Papers 1, 2, and 3)

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“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking.” Dan These two sided front sheets look great when attached to student work. Moreover, they save teacher time and increase the level of precise feedback received by students. They have been designed specifically for the IB History course. I hope your students find them as useful as mine do.
China under the Warlords
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China under the Warlords

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“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This lesson will really get your students actively engaged. They begin by figuring out the anagrams of key terms and phrases from the course before working through a detailed set of notes on how China changed after the 1911 Revolution. From here students proceed to complete a 15 piece card sort, arranging them into social, political and economic impacts of Warlordism. Students then complete the lesson with a fun activity (Dingbats) designed to test how well they have understood the key vocabulary and events from the lesson. This lesson was one I created and planned while teaching in China and I really invest as much precision in the historical detail as possible. I hope your students enjoy it as much as mine.
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 purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan 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.
Causes of the Iran Iraq War
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Causes of the Iran Iraq War

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“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see others’ points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan 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.
1066 - Who should be King?
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1066 - Who should be King?

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“My purpose is to engage students in dialogue so they can see other’s points of view – in a world that needs this more than ever. I do this by sharing lessons on this site which connect students with the past and inspire critical thinking. Please read below to find details about this one.” Dan This free lesson is titled “1066 – Who should be King?” The lesson begins with a freeze-frame Starter Activity in which students act out four scenes explaining the life and death of Edward the Confessor (prompts are given). They are then asked to come to the board and write down 3 adjectives of what a good leader should be. This leads to an introduction of the Key Question along with lesson aims and graduated objectives (all will/most will/some will). After this there are 5 slides of background information to allow for teacher exposition and a true or false activity to test knowledge gained. There are then 4 printable character cards and students are issued these (with examples) and placed in groups of 4. They prepare a speech (with props) explaining why they should be King and take part in a Blind Date style hot seating activity (questions are provided). Lesson aims and objectives are revisited. After this, students self-assess (two stars and a wish) before peer-assessing on the kite diagram plenary. I hope your students enjoy this lesson as much as mine always do. It has been created for high school students but could be adapted to work with slightly younger students too. I’d be so grateful if you can find time to add a positive review and ‘follow’ me if you enjoyed this lesson. If you do please look around the store and email me for any free lesson of your choosing – danguiney78@gmail.com – and I’ll add you to my mailing list so you get to hear about other bargains once in a while. Wishing you a terrific day.