51����

This KS3 unit of work covers several lessons and I’ve generally been quite flexible and allowed classes who are particularly engaged with the topic and research to spend longer on it. The lessons build up the students’ knowledge and understanding of trench structure, purpose, conditions and warfare. The booklet ensures that all students know the key facts surrounding this topic with the Power Point leading students through all of the activities. A few different starter activities are included at the end of the Power Point which can be selected according to the length of time spent on the main activities. Having worked through the key facts and background, the students undertake more independent research. Support materials are included for weaker classes, such as research tables and a source booklet which covers all of the key areas. I have used a great variety of resources depending upon each class- textbooks, library lessons, Internet, videos etc. Once the research is complete, the students complete the Trench Diary assessment task which is levelled according to subject knowledge and understanding of cause/effect. A mark scheme is included. Support materials are also included in this pack, such as a plan outline for students who require a little more guidance and a writing frame for the less able.

This Key Stage 3 unit explores the causes of WW1 and then goes on to analyse the reasons why the German Schlieffen Plan failed, leading to trench warfare. It will take around two lessons to complete. The Power Point leads students through all of the activities. There are a number of very nice short video clips on the causes of WW1, including a great Horrible Histories clip (when available) but I particularly like the Blackadder clip attached. Be warned- the final punchline is “bollo**s” and I often censored this with a timely cough much to the annoyance of the class. The lessons start by contextualising Europe in 1914 with some map work and identification of alliance systems. We then identify and analyse the causes of WW1 using the passage provided. The following lesson, the students start by problem-solving Germany’s dilemma and proposing their own war plans- I’ve had some very interesting and intelligent responses to this, along with some quite frankly bizzare/amusing. After studying the Schlieffen Plan, students translate the actual events into a series of annotated maps before analysing the reasons for the plan’s failure and writing this up in an extended paragraph.

This KS3 lesson should take at least one hour to complete. The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying resources included. Aims and Objectives: To consider the problems which William faced immediately after the Battle of Hastings. To understand that he applied different methods to each of these problems. To empathise with people who lived through the Norman Conquest. Activities include a think, pair, share starter considering what William’s potential problems might be and how he may address them. His problems are then summarised as 1) Controlling population 2) Resistance in the north 3) Collecting taxes and tackled separately. An extended source is analysed to understand how the resistance in the north was handled. The nature of hierarchies is introduced via modern-day examples before students complete their own diagram of the feudal system using the structure and jumbled phrases. An SEN version is also included. Students consider who they would most/least like to have been. A five minute video is finally used to explain the Domesday Book.

This KS3 lesson should take around 2 hours to complete. The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying resources included. Aims and Objectives: To know the main features of a motte and bailey and stone keep castle. To understand how and why castle design changed over time. To weight up the advantages and disadvantages of each type of castle. To compare both types of castles, considering similarities and differences. Students compare the design of a motte and bailey castle to that of a stone keep, looking for areas of similarity and difference. These are recorded in table and venn diagram format. This then leads into an assessed piece of writing on continuity versus change in castle design. A mark scheme is included.

Includes a set of revision notes for each area of the specification. These notes are used in conjunction with my full revision guide. In contrast to the full guide, they follow a more analytical structure which matches previous exam questions. The notes can be used separately or put together into one booklet. I integrated previous exam questions and mark schemes which had been sorted by topic rather than by date set. Students used the full guide and revision notes to prepare essay plans on each unit in preparation for the exam.

IMPORTANT: Many of these activities refer to the textbook “Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History, The American West, c1835-c1895” (editor Leonard A. and published by Pearson) ISBN 9781292127309 and will not be usable without a copy of this text. This Edexcel 9-1 GCSE unit covers around 3 lessons depending upon your class and their overall ability/work rate. Aims and Objectives: Specification area: The early settlement of the West, c.1835-1862 To understand the Plains Indian’s social and tribal structures, ways of life and means of survival on the Plains. To understand the Plains Indian’s beliefs about land and nature and attitudes towards war and property. The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying resources. It also provides feedback/answers at intervals and advice on exam approach. Activities include independent note-taking, card sorting, group discussion, timelines and a narrative account question “Write a narrative account analysing the ways in which the US government policy towards the Plains Indians developed in the period 1835-51.”