World History teaching resources for the high school classroom: lesson plans, worksheets, quizzes and simulation games for KS3, IGCSE, IB and A-Level teachers.
 

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General

The Court of the Red Tsar: Overview of the CD Audiobook

A grid summarising the main themes and personalities covered in each section of the audiobook.

B. An Introduction to Stalin's USSR

Interactive Interview with Josef Stalin Allocate out a different topic from those listed in the drop-down menu to each student. In a subsequent lesson, each student then does a presentation to the class based on their findings. Best of all is if they choose the three most interesting questions and responses and memorise these. The questions are then given by each student to the teacher. Each student then has to sit in front of the class, and the teacher interviews each "Stalin" whilst the rest of the class takes notes.

Soviet Economy Simulator Students design their own "5-Year Plans" designed to prepare the USSR for war with the West. They can then compare the results with what actually happened in Stalin's USSR. Complete with worksheets, this is a fantastic way of introducing students to the concepts and events of the period.

C. Economic Policies: Agriculture

1. What were Stalin's Economic Objectives? [student worksheet] [teacher copy] [PowerPoint Presentation]
2. Collectivisation: Theory and Practice [student worksheet ] [teacher copy] [PowerPoint Presentation] [Interactive Running Dictation Exercise]
3. The Ukrainian Famine: Sources and Questions [student worksheet] [PowerPoint Show]
4. The Ukrainian Famine: Individual Research Task [student worksheet]
5. Collectivisation: How successful was it? [student worksheet] [teacher copy]
6. Collectivisation: Sourcework Test [student worksheet]
7. Agricultural Policies: A comparison of the Tsarist and Stalinist periods [student worksheet] [teacher copy]

D. Economic Policies: Industry

1. Introduction and Overview [student worksheet] [teacher copy] [PowerPoint Presentation]
2. Debate on the causes, course and consequence of the 5-Year Plans [student worksheet]
3. Assessment of the 5-Year Plans [student worksheet] [teacher notes]
4. Industrial Policies: A comparison of the Tsarist and Stalinist periods [student worksheet] [teacher copy]
5. Factual Test: Stalin's Policies for Industry [student worksheet and teacher answers]. Could be used along with, or instead of, this Keyword Challenge (rules of this game can be found here).

E. Economic Policies - General

1. Were Agricultural or Industrial Policies more successful? - [student worksheet / lesson plan]

Interactive Factual Tests:

F. The Terror and the Purges

1. Introduction to the Terror - including an investigation of the key characters
2. Causes of the Terror - economic, political, diplomatic
3. Who Killed Kirov? - a sourcework investigation leading to a debate
4. Key Events, 1936-38 - political, economic and military victims
5. The Trials of Kamenev, Zinoviev and Bukharin - transcripts and discussion points
6. Effects of the Purges - on all levels of society
7. End of the Purges - including the assassination of Leon Trotsky
8. Conclusion Grid - to consolidate understanding

Interactive Factual Tests:

G. The "Social Revolution" and the "Cult of Personality"

1. The 1936 Constitution
Students consider the difference between the theory and the practice of the Stalinist Constitution of 1936.

2. The Stalin Cult
Students consider how Stalin used and abused cinema, art and music to develop his "Cult of Personality". They then produce their own flyleaf for a novel, a film poster or a poem in praise of the great Stalin. Here are some examples produced by students at the International School of Toulouse:
The Redfather / The Stalinator (film posters by June) | Stalin is God (film trailer by Chris)

3. The Social Revolution

4. Conclusion

5. Sourcework Exercise
Based on the format of the IB History Examination, but easily adapted for other syllabi.

H. Foreign Policy

Worksheet

Stalin's Foreign Policy, 1917-39
Students use a detailed timeline to produce a biased interpretation of Stalin's foreign policy from a communist and a capitalist perspective.

Worksheet

Why did the USSR win the Great Patriotic War?
Designed to follow on from the interactive exercise above. Students drag and drop factors to make connections and write up their findings.

I. "High Stalinism" - 1945-53

Collapsible Revision Notes

Worksheets

1. Stalin's USSR: 1945-53 - Society, Culture and Zhdanov -Designed to be used with the collapsible notes above.
2. Stalin's USSR: 1945-53 - Industrial and Agricultural recovery?

J. Historiography of Stalin's USSR

1. Stalin's Legacy: Did he corrupt or fulfil Lenin's vision?
2. Stalin's Legacy: What was his long term impact on the USSR and beyond?
3. Recent Books on Stalin's USSR
A worksheet which provides an overview of the most recent books by Montefiore, Applebaum, Figes and others and sets a series of questions about the most popular themes that seem to be arising.

General / Revision

Fling the Teacher: The Rule of Stalin
I give students 10 minutes at the start of the lesson to try to complete the quiz. Anyone completing the quiz within the available time gets a score based on the amount of minutes left on the clock. They can then move on to the first lesson task, whatever that happens to be, whilst the other members of the class continue to play. I build up a 'leaderboard' of scores over the numerous lessons we have during revision time to build up momentum!