51

Last updated

27 May 2025

pptx, 5.01 MB
pptx, 5.01 MB
PNG, 306.61 KB
PNG, 306.61 KB

This fully resourced and engaging history skills lesson introduces students to the complexities of historical interpretations through two case studies.

It is designed to build critical thinking and source analysis skills; it helps students go beyond “what happened” to explore how and why historians disagree about the past.

I have included differentiated resources suitable for mixed-ability classes, clear learning objectives and an engaging starter activity to introduce the concept of interpretations.

Students focus on two detailed case studies with sources and viewpoints on How Henry VIII has been interpreted (tyrant vs. visionary king) and competing explanations for the fall of the Roman Empire (such as barbarian invasion vs. internal decay)

The lesson will promote deeper understanding of how history is constructed, encourage debate, analysis and independent though. It is perfect for observation lessons or simply introducing interpretations at KS3. There is no planning needed—just print the slides needed and teach!

The resource gives suggested teaching strategies. It comes in PowerPoint format which can be edited and changed to suit.

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History Skills Bundle

These lessons are designed to enable students to think like real historians! They build up mastery in the essential historical skills of inference, the use of sources and inference, chronology cause and consequence, interpretation and significance. Baseline Assessment Test: This can be used to assess what students know and which historical skills have they acquired from primary school. What is History: This is an ideal lesson to introduce the subject by focusing on the skills required by historians to investigate the past, including chronology and time. Inference: Students will learn how to ‘read between the lines’ of evidence and developing the critical skills of drawing conclusions from clues in both written and visual sources. This lesson will also build their analytical thinking, essential for understanding past perspectives and motivations. Cause and Consequence: Students examine how and why events occurred and the impact they had. This will encourage deeper thinking about the causes and effects of decisions and actions throughout history. Interpretation: Through guided tasks, learners examine different views about the past and develop their own, supporting them with evidence. This will help them build evaluative skills and support extended argument writing. Significance: Students are challenged to assess what makes an event, individual or development important, helping them in their future studies to make value judgments supported by historical criteria. Historical investigations: The Anglos-Saxons. This lesson investigates why the Anglo-Saxons came to Britain and allows students to develop their reasoning and justify their conclusions. The Princes in the Tower lesson will encourage students to evaluate conflicting sources, question reliability and come up with their own evidence-based conclusions about this unsolved historical mystery. These skills are not only vital for exam success, but are also transferable across subjects and essential for developing critical and reflective thinkers. These lessons are perfect for KS3 and can be used as standalone skills lessons, revision tools or embedded into wider schemes of work. The lessons are broken down into the following: L1 Baseline Assessment Test L2 What is History? L3 Historical Sources L4 Cause and consequence L5 Historical significance (X Factor) L6 Historical Inferences L7 Historical interpretations L8 Historical Investigation - Anglo-Saxons (Free resource) L9 Historical investigation – Princes in the Tower The resources all come in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to edit and change. Any reviews would be gratefully received.

£18.45

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