A new worksheet.
Author: Russel Tarr
The July Crisis of 1914: Worksheet and Flash Quiz
An engaging way of teaching and learning the chronology of this tense period in history. Worksheet | Flash Quiz
The Causes of World War One: The Assassination at Sarajevo
A new worksheet.
The Causes of World War One: Philip Larkin’s Poem “1914”
A very moving poem, often overlooked. It is a powerful way of introducing the World War One topic.
The Causes of World War One: Study Guide
A new study guide focusing on WHY it is so important for students to study the causes of World War One. Covers political and social consequences of the war both in the long and the short term.
Historiography: Soviet Russia under Lenin
A worksheet designed to get students thinking about the historiographical debate surrounding Lenin. A great way to improve marks in an A-Level / IB History essay assignment!
The Causes of World War Two: Flash Prioritisation Exercise
A new activity designed in Flash to encourage reflection on the respective importance of a variety of factors.
“SNAP!” quiz: Jack the Ripper
A new “race against the clock” game designed for Year 9 students.
Causes of the Bolshevik Revolution: Interactive Diamond Nine Template
An interactive exercise designed to get students thinking about the respective importance of a wide variety of factors behind the Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917.
Flash Template: The Consequences of World War One
An interactive Flash Template designed to help students break down this key question in an engaging manner.
Living Graph: The Life of Henry VIII
A “Living Graph” exercise based at www.classtools.net, designed in Flash for Year 8 students.
William the Conqueror: Interactive Timeline
As part of a new project, www.classtools.net, I created an interactive timeline of the life of William the Conqueror.
IB History revision
I have added 3 student overview / IB History Revision guides to the site at www.ibhistory.net: 1. World War One 2. Tsarist and Revolutionary Russia 3. Stalin’s USSR
Google Earth in the History Classroom: New Additions
The Google Earth page of this site (www.activehistory.co.uk/google-earth) has now been developed to include 3 new case studies to accompany the Year 8 example (Francis Drake’s Circumnavigation): Year 9: Biased interpretations of the Middle East Conflict GCSE: Causes of World War Two A-Level / IB History: Russia on the Eve of World War One
Lenin’s Russia: Article Published in History Review
My article on “Lenin’s Rule of Russia” is published in this month’s edition of History Review (Sep. 2006). If you use my lesson bank of resources and worksheets on this topic, you will find this a really valuable addition to your scheme of work!
Manic Miner, Wordshoot and CannonBall now on the Big Screen!
The popular educational arcade games Manic Miner, Wordshoot and Cannonball Fun have now been amended so that the games fill your screen, whatever its size / resolution!
William the Conqueror: Family, Friends and Enemies
Worksheet to accompany the Head2Head Virtual Interview: Students interview William to find out what other people helped and hindered his career. In the standard level task, they match names to the descriptions. In the higher level task, they also categorise these into “family”, “friends” and “enemies”.
How did William the Conqueror rule England?
Worksheet to acommpany the Head2Head Virtual Interview a. Timeline Activity: Students interview William to find out what events occurred on key dates in his reign. b. Essay writing: Students then use this information to assess whether William deserves to be remembered as a good King.
What sort of person was William the Conqueror?
Worksheet to accompany the Head2Head Interview. a. True or False?: Students are presented with key points about William the Conqueror and interview him to find out which of these are true, and which are false. b. Reflection: Students then assess what sort of a man William was, and whether he is likely to make a…
What happened in 1066?
What happened in 1066? a. Mapping Activity: Students interview William about the main events of 1066, and plot the main events he describes onto a map of Britain / France. b. Essay writing: Students use their knowledge to produce a written peice assessing whether William won the throne due to his skill, Harold’s mistakes or…
William the Conqueror – Virtual Interview Work Sheet
Who were the contenders for the English throne? Familiarises students with the contenders for the English throne in 1066 and gets them to debate the strengths and weaknesses of each one.
William the Conqueror – Virtual Head2Head Interview!
A brand new activity for Year 7 History students: A virtual interview with William of Normandy, with over 100 questions and answers. There are a couple of worksheets to accompany the activity at present, with more planned ready for a formal Autumn Term launch!
Head2Head Interview with Hitler: Completely updated!
The Virtual Interview with Adolf Hitler has now been completely updated and rewritten. His ‘brain’ is now 50% bigger than before, which means he answers more questions, in more detail, and with more accuracy. It has been a gigantic project, but hopefully you will now find he is more ‘intelligent’ than ever!
Lenin – Summary: Lecture Notes / Student Worksheet
A new worksheet, designed for AS / IB Level.
Nazi Germany: Religious Policy
A brand new self-contained worksheet.
Causes of World War Two: Google Earth Tour / Worksheet
Google Earth Tour Causes of World War Two, 1919-39: An animated flyover A Google Earth tour, complete with a worksheet, designed to teach students about the main events, but also to encourage them to reflect on the shifting pattern of international alliances. [note: needs Google Earth to be installed!]
Middle East Conflict: Google Earth Tours
One from a Palestinian Perspective, one from an Israeli Perspective. Produced by Year 9 students at the International School of Toulouse. Click Here to see their work and the reasoning behind it.
Lenin – Conclusion
A new worksheet designed for AS / IB Level.
The Middle East Crisis: Worksheets and activities
Year 9 The Middle East Uploaded a new Interactive Timeline and Timeline Worksheet.
A-Level / IB History: Tsarist and Soviet Russia
A2 Tsarist and Soviet Russia Economic Developments, c.18811983: A synoptic activity complete with a worksheet.
Google Earth Tour: Tsarist Russia in 1914
A Google Earth Tour designed to accompany the decision making game.
GCSE Crime and Punishment: New Resources page
Crime and Punishment Through Time – In response to member feedback, I added a brand new section to the site to cater for students and teachers following this popular SHP course.
Nazi Germany: Women’s Policies
A brand new worksheet.
IB History: New web addresses
You can now reach the IB History resources on this site directly through the web addresses www.ibhistory.net, www.ibhistory.org, www.ibhistory.org.uk, www.ibhistory.co.uk. Over the coming months I hope to develop this area of the site substantially, maybe even turning it into a separate IB History website (hence the purchase of the web addresses)
Lenin’s Russia: Decision Making Adventure! (AS / A2 / IB History)
How can you help Lenin rule Russia after seizing power in 1917? A comprehensive decision-making game complete with a worksheet which will give students a thorough grounding in the main events and issues of the period.
IB History Curriculum Map
I have put together a Curriculum Map for IB History, designed to help teachers planning their course for the first time. This is how we teach the syllabus at the International School of Toulouse, and it might give you a few ideas.
Lenin – Divisions within the Party by 1924: (AS / A2 / IB History)
A new worksheet, designed for AS / IB Level.
Lenin – The New Economic Policy: (AS / A2 / IB History)
A new worksheet, designed for AS / IB Level.
Lenin – The Crisis Year: 1921: (AS / A2 / IB History)
A new worksheet, designed for AS / IB Level.
Lenin – The issue of National Minorities (AS / A2 / IB History)
A new worksheet designed for AS / IB Level
Lenin – War Communism (AS / A2 / IB History)
A new worksheet designed for AS / IB Level.
Lenin – Peace and War: From Brest-Litovsk to Civil War
A new worksheet designed for AS / IB Level.
Lenin – Political Concession: The 1918 Constitution
A new worksheet for AS / IB Level
Nazi Germany: Economic Policies
A new worksheet for GCSE students.
Nazi Germany: Youth policy – Schools
A new worksheet – students write each other a Nazi school report using original source material.
Lenin: Political Oppression: From the Constituent Assembly to the Red Terror
A new worksheet designed for AS / IB level
Google Earth Database: Submit a Resource function
I have updated the Google Earth for Historians Database so that users can now submit resources they find / develop themselves for inclusion in it.
Nazi Germany: Youth policy – Youth Organisations
A new worksheet – students write a dialogue between two disillusioned youngsters outlining their experiences of the Hitler Youth / League of German Maidens.
Google Earth for Historians: Searchable Database
I have just created a searchable database of 175 resources in Google Earth. You can search by year group, topic or resource type. If you know of any other links that could be added, please let me know!
What is the message of Holbein’s ‘The Ambassadors’?
Analyse the famous portrait from the court of Henry VIII and decide for yourself!
Nazi Germany: The “moral maze” of Darwinism
A new worksheet designed to get students thinking about exactly when or if “acceptable” and “civilised” ideas descend into irrationality and barbarism.
Nazi Germany: Were their social policies immoral and novel?
A new worksheet, designed to make the point that Nazi social policies did not “come out of nowhere” nor have they entirely “gone away” – it should be a stimulating lesson!
Nazi Germany: Social Policies
A new worksheet for GCSE students.
Drake’s Circumnavigation: Google Earth Flyover
I have just put the finishing touches to a Google Earth Flyover of Sir Francis Drake’s Circumnavigation of the Globe. The activity comes complete with 6 worksheets which you can pick and choose from to use with your classes: 1. Structured Questions about Drake’s Circumnavigation Students answer a series of questions based around a viewing…
The Henrician Reformation under Henry VIII – Decision Making Game
A2 DecisionMaking Game The Henrician Reformation A major new game: can you keep your head at the court of Henry VIII?
Nazi Germany: The Nazi Police State
A new worksheet designed to be used in conjunction with the Head2Head Interview.
Nazi Germany: The Night of the Long Knives
A new worksheet for Year 10 students.
Virtual Interview with Adolf Hitler: Major Update!
The Virtual Interview with Adolf Hitler, recently updated with a custom-made 3D face, is currently being updated with 300 new questions submitted by members over the past few months. This will obviously take a couple of weeks, so if no other updates appear during that time, then this is the reason! The final activity, when…
Head2Head Hitler: Youth Policies added to the new brain!
A new batch of questions added to the “New Hitler” interview – to check out the work in progress, click here.
Testimonies Page
I have added a testimonies page from satisfied customers – a very big thank you to everyone who offered comments! There are still some more to add, which I’ll do next week.
Activities Index
I have put together a brand new page for the Interactive Games and Activities on the site, listing the most popular four activities per year group.
Running Dictation Exericse: The Siege of Constantinople, 1453
Perhaps the defining reason why the Renaissance took off in Italy, the Siege of Constantinople is also a great story. This activity gets the narrative across in a suitably exciting way. Complete with suggested classroom / homework activities.
Head2Head with Hitler: Women’s Policies
A new batch of questions added to the “New Hitler” interview – to check out the work in progress, click here.
Head2Head Hitler: Social Policies
30 questions and answers added to the new database. Women, Children and Religion to follow soon…
Emperor Charles I: Doomed to Failure?
A revision sheet donated to the site by Mr. Fitzsimmons.
Head2Head with Hitler: The Brain is Growing
I have just launched the first part of the new Head2Head Hitler interview – he is barely in power, but he already has 100 things to say! If you are interested in checking out this “work in progress” then click here.
GCSE Revision – PowerPoint
A PowerPoint Presentation donated to the site by Mr. Fitzsimmons.
Key Stage 3 History Skills – PowerPoints
Two excellent PowerPoint Presentations for use in the history classroom generously donated to ACTIVEHISTORY by Mr. Richard Fitzsimmons: Communication at KS3 What is Chronology?
Historiography – Revolutionary Russia
Three worksheets: Historiography 1: February 1917 Historiography 2: October 1917 Historiography 3: The Big Issues
Liberal Britain: Simulation adventure
This popular game, central to the GCSE history syllabus, has been reprogrammed to run more smoothly in the Firefox browser. Several pages have been amended to add extra detail in response to visitor feedback.
Revolutionary Russia: The Provisional Government
Three new worksheets: The Provisional Government: Introduction The Provisional Government: Detailed Analysis and The October Revolution Conclusion: Comparing the Revolutions
World War One Simulation: Life in the Trenches
This simulation allows students to take on the role of an ordinary soldier and take a series of decisions covering the whole period 1914-1918. I have streamlined the programming of this popular activity so that it should now run more quickly and provide more detailed feedback to students studying this central modern history topic.
Tsarist Russia – 2 new worksheets
1. The Murder of Rasputin 2. Essay Framework: Was Tsarist Russia more secure in 1914 than it had been in 1905?
Tsarist / Revolutionary Russia
I have recently updated and improved these pages with several new additions. The old section, which was becoming unwieldy, has now been split into two sections: (a) Tsarist Russia under Alexander II and Alexander III (b) Revolutionary Russia under Nicholas II and Lenin
Why was Thomas Becket Murdered?
A brand new version of a popular lesson designed for Year 7 students.
What did Henry II and Archbishop Becket argue about?
A worksheet in Word, designed to introduce the subject to students, who have to insert bias and propaganda into an account and reach some initial judgements.
How should you vote at the General Election?
General Election 2005 An interactive questionnaire which tells you how you should probably be voting at the next election!
What did Medieval people think heaven and hell were really like?
This worksheet provides students with some gruesome and gripping pictures of hell from medieval sources, and gets them to write their own imaginary sermon based on the sights, sounds and smells of HELL!
What sorts of things could get me into hell?
A worksheet designed to introduce students to the Seven Deadly Sins, and the gruesomely gripping punishments awaiting them in hell if they are committed!
What should I DO to get into heaven?
This worksheet makes the point that getting into heaven, for medieval people, was a careers choice – pilgrim or crusader, monk or flagellant – which route would have suited you?
What should I BELIEVE to get into heaven?
This worksheet is a true / false questionnaire which helps students understand medieval theology. At the end of the exercise they will know whether they are on a Highway to Hell or a Stairway to Heaven!
Why was the Church so important to people in the Middle Ages?
This worksheet is designed to make the point that the Church was not all about praying and hymns, but was the social hub of medieval life. Students will design an attractive poster highlighting all the fun activities offered by the Church.
Virtual Tour Around Tsarist Russia – Official Launch
I have finally launched a brand new decision-making game about Tsarist Russia on the Eve of World War One This simulation is designed to teach students all about the strengths, weaknesses, successes and failures of Tsarist Russia on the eve of World War One. You take on the role of Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii, a professional photographer…
Head2Head with Henry VIII – Major update
The Head2Head Interview with King Henry VIII has now been updated with a custom-made 3D face. Many thanks to subscribers for enabling me to pay OddCast, the American software corporation, to design this great new addition to the site. I hope the kids enjoy it!
Stalin Head2Head Interview: Custom-made 3D face!
Thanks to www.oddcast.com for designing (and site members for funding) the creation of a custom-made 3D face for the Head2Head Interview with Josef Stalin. At last, the dictator’s moustache can be seen in all its Georgian glory!
Medieval Careeers Advice: Christian Style!
Are you on a Highway to Hell or a Stairway to Heaven? By playing This interactive simulation students will learn about (a) The beliefs and (b) The practices of medieval religion in an engaging way. The game comes complete with a worksheet.
Historiography: Hitler’s Role in World War Two
A fascinating but rather complex historiographical debate, which I have aimed to simplify for students using this worksheet. The debate is initially distilled down to the AJP Taylor / Trevor-Roper clash, which is then broken down into its constituent arguments, and students are then invited to research the views of other historians in more detail.
Digital Video: Why and how can we use it?
A brand new article of mine, which is published in this week’s issue of the TES. Using The International School of Toulouse as a case study, it investigates how digital movies can be produced by students as a way of developing historical knowledge and skills.
Splat the Stalinist!
A brand new game designed for IB / A2 History students, designed to teach them about the significance of key characters of the period – how many can you SPLAT in 60 seconds?
SPLAT the Cold War Celebrity!
A brand new version of the popular game, now with a high score board – can you get onto the Hall of Fame with your historical knowledge?
SPLAT the European Reformation Celebrities!
A brand new version of the popular game, now with a high score board – can you get onto the Hall of Fame with your historical knowledge?
Using Video in the History Classroom
This article of mine is published in the latest issue of History Review and offers some creative ideas on how to use video in the classroom as well as methods of digitising VHS and DVD resources for use through whiteboards and projectors.
The Nazis: A Warning from History – more worksheets to accompany the TV series
The Road to Treblinka (The Holocaust) Fighting to the End (Opposition to Hitler, and why it failed) (click here to buy from Amazon)
A Virtual Tour around Tsarist Russia
I am currently working on a Virtual Tour Around Tsarist Russia, in which students will be able to learn all about the national minorities, political parties, economic development and key characters of Nicholas II’s Empire. It’s taking a bit of work, but I hope to have in launched within the next couple of weeks!
SPLAT the Liberal Government Politicians!
A brand new version of the popular game, now with a high score board – can you get onto the Hall of Fame with your historical knowledge?
The Nazis: A Warning from History – Worksheets to accompany the TV series
Helped into Power (The rise of the Nazis) Chaos and Consent (The system of government in Nazi Germany) The Wrong War (Foreign Policy and Appeasement) (click here to buy from Amazon)
SPLAT the Weimar Republic Figures!
A brand new version of the popular game, now with a high score board – can you get onto the Hall of Fame with your historical knowledge?
SPLAT the Nazi!
A brand new version of the popular game, now with a high score board – can you get onto the Hall of Fame with your historical knowledge?
SPLAT the Medieval Celebrity!
A brand new version of the popular game, now with a high score board – can you get onto the Hall of Fame with your historical knowledge?
