A revamped and relaunched version of this popular interactive investigation for GCSE / IGCSE History. The investigation focuses on getting students to think about how factors link together, and the work sheet helps them to structure an essay.
Category: 1900-2000 (GCSE History)
How to write essays at GCSE / IGCSE History
A student guide with some worksheet material, designed to develop essay-writing skills with GCSE / IGCSE History students.
GCSE / IGCSE Modern World History: How to approach structured questions
A step-by-step guide providing students with different strategies for approaching “describe, explain, assess” questions in the GCSE / IGCSE History examination.
Writing History Essays at Advanced Level
A teacher’s mark scheme, student advice and some practice exercises for developing history essay writing skills.
GCSE / IGCSE History Exam Skills: Causes of World War One
After marking my students’ IGCSE History mock exam answers, I put together this feedback session which I think they got a lot out of – basically, I wrote a whole raft of responses based around the describe / explain / assess format, and then students had to mark each response using a generic markscheme. It…
IB / A-Level History essay skills: Challenge the assumptions of the question!
This new page, using examples of student work from the International School of Toulouse, consists of a list of past paper questions, and examples of the ways in which students are able to challenge the “loaded assumptions” within them. These examples are taken from the IB History examination but the principle can be applied to…
IB History – Past Paper Questions
New questions from 2006 Paper 1, 2 and 3 added to IB History.
Stalin’s Economic Policies: Online Simulator!
I’ve been working over the Christmas holidays on a brand new simulation designed to teach students about Stalin’s Economic Policies: Soviet Economy Simulator I don’t know if you teach this subject, but with revision period coming up soon I thought you might find it useful – especially as it comes complete with a range of…
Stalin’s Henchmen
An updated version of the popular history quiz, complete with a brand new lesson plan and worksheet.
How did the Nazis Rule Germany? – Fishbone Diagram
A Flash Activity based at ClassTools.net Interactive Whiteboard Resources.
Churchill’s Cold War Speech of 1949
An interactive Flash exercise based at ClassTools.net Interactive Whiteboard Resources.
Classroom Debate: Who was Most Responsible for the Outbreak of World War One?
A lesson plan and worksheet.
Causes of World War One: Britain v. Germany: The Arms Race
A new worksheet and discussion points.
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.
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.
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
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!
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.
Google Earth Tour: Tsarist Russia in 1914
A Google Earth Tour designed to accompany the decision making game.
Nazi Germany: Women’s Policies
A brand new worksheet.
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.
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.
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.
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…
GCSE Revision – PowerPoint
A PowerPoint Presentation donated to the site by Mr. Fitzsimmons.
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
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!
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…
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!
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.
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?
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)
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 Interwar 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?
Weimar Germany Decision-Making Game – Part 1: 1918-21
This simulation is a great way of introducing or revising the issues surrounding Weimar Germany in the years 1918-20.The game is designed to “run itself” with minimal teacher preparation. Each of the 5 key decision points covers a different issue. By working through the activity and completing the worksheet, students will learn about the diplomatic, economic, social and political problems faced by the Republic, and consider how successfully the Republic dealt with them.
Head2Head Chat: Medicine Through Time Expert!
Designed to allow a range of year groups to investigate medicine, surgery and public health at particular points in history.
Weimar Germany Decision Making Game – Part 2: 1921-29
A brand-new simulation, which offers a great way of introducing or revising the issues surrounding Weimar Germany in the years 1921-29.
The Great Patriotic War
Interactive Running Dictation Exercise: The Great Patriotic War
Stalin and the USSR: Worksheets for A2 / IB
A2 The Rise of Stalin – Collapsible revision notes Worksheets on Stalin’s Russia: 1. Divisions in the party before 1924 2. Who should succeed Lenin? 3. Lenin’s Testament 4. What were Stalin’s Economic Objectives? 5. Collectivisation: Theory and Practice 6. How successful was the policy of collectivisation?
The Soviet Union under Stalin: Worksheets for A-Level and IB History
The Soviet Union Stalin’s Police State: Introduction and research task Stalin’s Terror: Overview of the main events research task Stalin’s Terror: Causal Links
Causes of World War One: Worksheets for GCSE / IGCSE
Uploaded a new series of editable worksheets on The Causes of WW1: The Assassination at Sarajevo Serb Nationalism The Alliance System Colonial and Economic Rivalry
The Middle East Crisis
Yr9 The Middle East Conflict 5 Possible Outcomes a new worksheet.JigsawTable Exercise Possible outcomes of the Middle East Conflict
History Games: AS / A2 / IB History
Cannonball Fun Quizzes a. Russia under Alexander II b. Russia under Alexander III c. Russia under Nicholas II Wordshoot Quiz a. Russia under Alexander II b. Russia under Alexander III c. Russia under Nicholas II
AS Government and Politics Quizzes
Cannonball Fun Quiz Electoral Systems Wordshoot Quiz Electoral Systems
AS Government and Politics: Quiz
Cannonball Fun Quiz Democracy and Referenda Wordshoot Quiz Democracy and Referenda
Stalin and the USSR: Worksheet and Quizzes
Worksheet Comparison of the Stalin, Khrushchev and Brezhnev Eras: A useful revision aid in the form of a Cloze exercise; designed to be used with the CannonBall Fun Quiz or the Historical Wordshoot Game.
Devolution in the UK: Worksheets
Devolution in the UK A workpack designed to be printed off and used in the classroom.
Nazi Germany – Quiz and Worksheets
Why did Hitler Become Chancellor of Germany? A complete one-hour lesson plan, designed to be used with this PowerPoint Presentation and this interactive quiz.
Khrushchev and Brezhnev: History Quizzes
A2 Modern History CannonBall Fun Quiz Khrushchev and Brezhnev WordShoot Quiz Khrushchev and Brezhnev
Pressure Groups and Politics – Quizzes
AS AS Government and Politics: Pressure Groups CannonBall Fun Quiz Pressure Groups WordShoot Quiz Pressure Groups
Government and Politics: Pressure Groups
Site Redesign Redesigned the AS Government and Politics Pages. AS Government and Politics: Pressure Groups AS Government and Politics: Pressure Groups Why do Pressure Groups succeed or fail? 1. What are the differences between parties and pressure groups? 2. Why is it sometimes so difficult to distinguish between parties and pressure groups? 3. How can…
Josef Stalin and the Soviet Union: History games
Economic Developments under Stalin High Stalinism: 1945-53Wordshoot Game: High Stalinism: 1945-53
Stalin, Khrushchev and Brezhnev
Created a new page on Khrushchev and Brezhnev, and uploaded some worksheets: 1. Overview of the key figures Online exercises in Word Editable Timeline of Brezhnev’s Life The Brezhnev Era: “Big Sleep” or “Developed Communism”? [Synoptic] 1. Venn Diagram: Comparing Stalin, Khrushchev and Brezhnev
GCSE Depth Study – Britain 1906-18 – Interactive resources
British Depth Study Jigsaw Table Exercise: The Defence of the Realm Act
Women in World War One
GCSE Jigsaw Table Exercise Women in World War One
Khrushchev’s Economic Policies
A2 Jigsaw Table Exercise Khrushchev’s Economic Policies
Suffragettes, Suffragists and the Vote
GCSE British Depth Study, 1906-18: New worksheet What were the arguments for and against female suffrage? A combination of general points and primary sources – excellent follow up activity to the interactive exercise. Women and the Vote: Sourcework exercise Complete with markscheme.
USSR under Khrushchev: New worksheets
A2 USSR Under Khrushchev: New worksheets 3. De-Stalinisation 4. De-Stalinisation: Source Questions 5. Khrushchev: What sort of a man was he?
Khrushchev: Early Career
Khrushchev: Early Career / Rise to Power Worksheet
Play Your Dates Right: Dating Game
Play Your Dates Right Code updated do that all the timelines can be printed off for revision prior to taking the quizzes.
Head2Head Interview with Josef Stalin!
Head2Head Virtual Interview with Josef Stalin! A major new project: type questions and through artificial intelligence and a massive database, Stalin responds to your queries! With almost 200 responses, 150 suggested questions, and text-to-speech fully enabled, this promises to be a great addition to the site.
Remembrance Day: ActiveHistory at the top of The Guardian’s website list!
ActiveHistory tops Guardian Education section’s “Critic’s Choice” list for Remembrance Day! FREE: The ActiveHistory “Life in the Trenches” Simulation is described in the following terms: “…a wonderful simulation of life in the trenches…it covers what life was like for the ordinary soldier – such aspects as food, lice, trench-foot, censorship and poison gas. There are…
Stalin’s Soviet Union: Quizzes
A2 New Wordshoot Quiz The Purges in the Era of Stalin New Worksheets Stalin’s Terror: What were the effects? Stalin’s Terror: The Process Winds Down