I am a History teacher in the North West, and head of Citizenship in my school. I have been teaching since 2007, in four secondary schools across the area. In between times, in 2012, I taught as a volunteer teacher in Ghana, with English, French and Maths classes (you can read about my adventures in my book, Teaching in the Sun, available on Amazon).
All of my resources have been extensively tried and tested. I hope that you, like me, are able to use them for good and outstanding lessons.
I am a History teacher in the North West, and head of Citizenship in my school. I have been teaching since 2007, in four secondary schools across the area. In between times, in 2012, I taught as a volunteer teacher in Ghana, with English, French and Maths classes (you can read about my adventures in my book, Teaching in the Sun, available on Amazon).
All of my resources have been extensively tried and tested. I hope that you, like me, are able to use them for good and outstanding lessons.
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 a lesson for KS3/4 Citizenship. Pupils initially have to make spider diagram on Doc 1 of what anti-social behaviour problems there are in society. More able students are invited to explain which are the most serious.
With the diamond 9 ranking, higher ability students can use the ‘(H) Diamond 9’ sheet. They explain in the space provided why each of these examples is a problem. They can then make 3 separate arrangements (get students to sort first bullet point, then put them all back together, then sort second bullet point, then put them all back together, then sort third bullet point), of which problems:
• Damage property
• Make the community look unpleasant
• Leave longer-term mental scars for victims (choose up to 5)
Then arrange as a diamond 9 card sort.
Lower ability students can use the differentiated version, and colour code these categories - some will fit into more than one category, then arrange as a diamond 9 card sort.
With Doc 2, students match the people on the left hand side of the info sheet to the work that they do in the community. They should then explain how these people/groups might contribute to solving problems of anti-social behaviour. Potential answers in notes section of ppt slide 7, and can be printed to help lower-ability students. More able students are invited to explain which are the most useful people or groups.
This is a cut and stick activity. Students must decide which of the terms relate to war guilt, reparations, military restrictions and land.
There is a differentiated version for lower ability students.
Students then decide on the worst of the punishments, placing themselves in the position of Germany.
Students are invited to consider the extent to which the terms of the treaty met the aims of the Big Three.
This can lead to a piece of extended writing on which would be the worst aspect of the Treaty, or on comparing aspects of the treaty as per GCSE high–mark questions.
Videos can be used to support learning.
This is a resource that allows students to have a glossary of the key terms associated with the Hardwick Hall unit.
My classes have them glued to the inside cover of their AQA resource pack.
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 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 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.
This is a card sort or diamond 9 activity designed to allow students to categorise and prioritise the effects of the Blitz.
Students can use the cards to explain their thoughts on the worst effects of the Blitz, and why the Blitz failed to break British morale.
As an extension, students can choose either to write as a German or British journalist, explaining a one-sided point of view on the Blitz.
Categories could include, but not be limited to:
Fear
Death
Destruction of cities
A resource for GSCE students studying the Prohibition era in the USA.
There are two cards sorts, one one why Prohibition was introduced, and one for why it was repealed. The repeal card sort is best done as a diamond 9 activity. There is a separate document for this card sort for the higher abilities.
Categories could include, but not be limited to: corruption, violence, crime, alcohol, the public.
This is a resource for Key Stage 4 Citizenship. Students are invited to distinguish between civil and criminal law (definitions are provided) and complete a table using an interactive decision-making process whereby issues are flashed on and of the powerpoint using animations. Answers are in the powerpoint.
There is a run-down of the different courts that try disfferent crimes - mgistrates, crown and youth courts, and a video and written/dicussion activity on the role of the CPS.
The final aspect of the lesson takes recent examples of breaches of law and invites students to explain what they think should have happened in each case. Answers as to what really happened are in the powerpoint.
There is a teacher notes document to help delivery as well.
A resource for KS3.
The PowerPoint has a starter activity to detail the qualities of a good king, and a YouTube link to Disney’s Prince John.
Students decide in gthe Word doc whether King John was good, bad or unlucky, by marking different pieces of evidence.
This can lead to a PEE paragraph, which is scaffolded in the Powerpoint.
The powerpoint then goes on to detail the Magna Carta. Students read through key terms and then make decisions.
A written homework from the point of view of a baron is added near the end of the ppt.
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 resource for the new GCSE section on Elizabeth.
Students are to put the events of the Essex rebellion in order. They are to then answer the scaffolded questions at the bottom of the sheet.
More able students can be invited to consider turning points and the overall position of Elizabeth after the rebellion - was her position strengthened or weakened?
An exam Q can be set after the activity, or as a homework.
The powerpoint allows a fully-taught lesson, and the consequences worksheet allows students to weigh up evidence to decide whether Elizabeth was stronger or weaker for the rebellion’s failure. This can lead to extended writing or a debate.
This is a worksheet and lesson powerpoint for Key Stage 2 and 3 Citizenship.
Pupils use worksheet 1 to define the word ‘community’ after working as a pair.
Worksheet 1 invites pupils to look at different people in the school community, and their roles within it. they make a spider diagram on the sheet. They can, as an extension, then choose one person and consider their role using questions on the powerpoint to stimulate their thinking.
Sheet 2 is a layered sheet similar to an inference square on which are problems, causes, solutions and pupil actions. Pupils can consider problems within the school, and what they could do about them, with questions layered on sheet 2 for differentiation.
The powerpoint supports all aspects of learning on the sheet, and invites pupils to discuss the role of a school council.
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 an activity for GCSE students.
They should arrange the events into chronological order - it can be done as a card sort, cut and stick or a numbering exercise.
AS an extension they then have a series of questions to answer to explain and justify their thoughts on the Japanese invasion and the lack of adequate response of the League. This is an excellent resource to stimulate debate of the Japanese and the League.
The first activity is is a card sort designed to allow students to categorise information do to with nuclear energy.
More able students can use the cards to explain their thoughts on the best and worst aspects of nuclear energy.
There is a differentiated card sort for the lower-ability students.
The second activity is a letter to the local council. This has a writing frame which can be used, and is differentiated for abilities.
Thus is a resource of KS4.
Students watch the YouTube link and can discuss the effects of the fear of communism. The link contains use of a term now considered racist.
Students then make a diamond 9 on the different effects of McCarthyism.
This can lead to extended writing or a debate.
A resource pack to support the teaching of the Russian Revolution.
Activities included to suit KS3 teaching, although could also be suitable for KS4 if this I a new topic for students, with plenty of scope for differentiation by either task or outcome for more- or less able students.
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.