Year 7 History students create their own family tree after analysing that of The Simpsons cartoon characters using this worksheet.

In this exercise students organise slips of information into appropriate categories, reduce them down to just 15, and use them to answer the question “Was Life Good or Bad in the Middle Ages?”. They work in teams of two or three, and at various points during the exercise the teacher will test each team with…

A short video I put together for my Year 7 students as a “starter” to their studies of views of Hell in the Middle Ages.

Analyse and categorise the evidence to solve this medieval mystery!

The class is divided into two groups to debate the key question in the format of a courtroom trial.

A completely updated version of the popular Medieval Realms Castles Game, in which students design their own castle and by so doing learn all about the key features of castle design. New additions to this game include factual questions as the story proceeds, so that the students are given two scores at the end: one…

A brand new simulation – A self-marking assessment testing both factual knowledge and sourcework skills. Students can play the game for as long as they wish, then at the end they are presented with two scores in the form of a certificate, both of which can be handed to the teacher to put into the…

This second worksheet encourages students to start thinking about “usefulness” as a sourcework concept by comparing the strengths and weaknesses of this source to that of the Bayeux Tapestry and (if they have studied it) the Luttrell Psalter.

An introductory worksheet to the Domesday Book – what it was, what it asked, why it was produced.

Students have to construct their own diagram of the feudal system based on examples in this powerpoint presentation. A sample piece of work from a former student is available here.

Use Word, Publisher and the net to reconstruct the story of this Saxon resistance fighter and produce their own report (c.1 hour in classroom, can be split into 2 sessions).

A new end-of-unit quiz for Year 7 students.

An updated version of the “Attack the Castle!” game for Year 7 Medieval Realms. A game of strategy: Spend your budget on your choice of features, then read a story of how your castle fares when faced with attack! In this new version, students are asked factual knowledge questions as they progress, and then their…

A new lesson plan to accompany the popular Time Machine Journey to the Middle Ages. Students are divided into two groups. The “Good” group approach their argument by producing a tourist brochure highlighting all of the great jobs, places and people in the town and the village. The “Bad” group instead write an angry letter…

Revision of Events – A worksheet to accompany the newsfeed exercise; students are given a list of quick-fire events then have to choose 10 of them to place into a timeline to “prove” that the Middle Ages were either a good or a bad time to be alive.

A worksheet for Year 7 History Students of Medieval Realms. Students go through their notes on each of the key topics studied this year and decide which aspects suggest that life was “Good” during this period, and which aspects suggest life was “Bad”. They then write their findings up as an overall conclusion which distinguishes…

An optional lesson for Year 7 History. Students compete to see which group can come up with the most place names from a particular origin. Any repetition, hesitation or incorrect answers knocks them out of the competition.

Year 7 Students research the origin of surnames of students / teachers in the school and either plot these on a Google Earth map (if the names originate from places) or in a Diamond9 Diagram from www.classtools.net to distinguish between high-status and low-status professions that existed.

A new worksheet for Year 7 History. Students are given advice on how to spot Celtic, Roman, Norman, Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon place names, research the meaning of some of the most famous places, then plot a whole series of them on a map to try to identify meaningful patterns.

A series of quizzes designed to be used as end-of-year history revision: Manic Miner: Medieval Realms Wordshoot: Medieval Realms Cannonball Fun: Medieval Realms Matching Pairs: Medieval Realms

A new worksheet for Year 7 History. Why does the English language have so many German, French, Celtic and Scandinavian words within it? An original way of looking at the waves of immigration that have characterised British history in the past 1000 years.

A new interactive challenge in the “Play your cards right” format designed to develop chronological understanding.

A new interactive newsfeed exercise for use with students at the end of year 7 history – a great way of revising the key dates, personalities and themes!

View a series of Flash animations from the Bayeux Tapestry with analysis of their meaning. Designed to accompany the Year 7 History worksheet that comes with the Battle of Hastings Decision Making Simulation.

A new quiz for Year 8 history students.

A new factual test designed to follow on from the Medieval Time Machine Game.

A new lesson plan / activity designed to consolidate knowledge after Year 7 history students have played the Time Machine Journey to the Middle Ages.

A new quiz for Year 7 History students.

A new lesson plan / worksheet. Students brainstorm famous people from history, research one each in more detail, and conduct a lively balloon debate to decide on the “most important”.

A new lesson plan / worksheet. Each student produces a timeline of their life and then a timeline of world events covering the same period. They also consider how different cultures measure time in different ways, and how Einstein showed that time itself can be slowed down!

Crime and Punishment in the Middle Ages – A kinaesthetic history unit! Students start by considering how guilt was determined in the Middle Ages. They then engage in a role-play exercise where the class acts as a “jury” and the defence and prosection teams have to go through trial by water, battle and fire. Once…

A new worksheet / lesson plan. As a first homework, students produce a scrapbook of personal evidence consisting of photos, certificates, tickets and so on – but with no written explanation. In the follow-up lesson, the scrapbooks are swapped around and students have to deduce things about each other from the evidence that they have.

A new quiz for Year 7 History.

A new quiz for Year 7 History students.

A new quiz for Year 7 students of Medieval Realms.

A new end of unit quiz for Year 7. Put students into teams of 4-5. The first member of the first team sits in the “hotseat” with their back to the interactive whiteboard. The teacher uses the “Random Word Picker” at www.classtools.net to choose and display a word at random on the interactive whiteboard. The…

A project instruction sheet to accompany the Medieval Religion Unit at Year 7.

A worksheet, with 5 interactive exercises to accompany it. Students will label different features of various “doom” paintings, then print them off for display purposes. In the worksheet, they will produce a medieval sermon trying to bring alive the sights, sounds and smells of hell from their investigations.

A new quiz, with 45 possible questions, for Year 7 students of Medieval Realms.

A new quiz, with 45 possible questions, testing knowledge and understanding of the events of 1066.

New History quizzes covering the events of 1066 and all that – Wordshoot, Manic Miner and CannonBall Fun all available, great for an end of unit factual test!

A worksheet to accompany the Battle of Hastings Online Adventure. This activity focuses on the main places of 1066. You will have to label key countries on a map, and explain the significance of other places already labelled on the map.

A new worksheet to accompany the interactive decision making adventure on the Battle of Hastings for Year 7 History students. This activity, based around the Bayeux Tapestry, helps you understand the main events of 1066. You are given a series of pictures from the Tapestry, and you explain them using the Flash animations in the…

William, Hardraada and Harold Godwineson: A worksheet to accompany the interactive Battle of Hastings simulation.

This very popular Battle of Hastings Simulation for Year 7 History has been completely updated with new decision points, new Flash animations and three new worksheets! Students take on the role of King Harold and take a series of decisions which will determine whether they keep their throne or die a horrible death by the…

A history worksheet to accompany the Flash Animation on the site. Students produce a written account about the Black Death, then a graph charting the progress of the Black Death, then produce a full written assignment about the Black Death as a homework.

A decision-making exercise: Would you have taken the same decisions as de Montfort?

This brand new section of the website has now been launched.

Students watch the events unfold through a series of “news feeds” in this interactive history exercise and should then be asked to write a biased newspaper report about the event from either a Catholic or a Cathar perspective.

An animation designed to accompany the Cathars unit designed for Year 7 / Year 8 History.

An interactive exercise based at ClassTools.net Interactive Whiteboard Resources, with an accompanying worksheet.

An interactive exercise based at ClassTools.net Interactive Whiteboard Resources, with an accompanying worksheet.

As part of the unit on the Cathars, an interactive Diamond 9 Exercise based at ClassTools.net Interactive Whiteboard Resources.

Students compare Cathar viewpoints to those of Catholics, and form their own judgement as to which they have most sympathy with in this worksheet designed for Year 7 / Year 8 History.

Part of a brand new unit on the Cathars for Year 7 / 8. This first worksheet is designed to give students a romantic impression of what Medieval Languedoc was like.

As part of a new project, www.classtools.net, I created an interactive timeline of the life of William the Conqueror.

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”.

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.

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? 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…

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.

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!

A brand new version of a popular lesson designed for Year 7 students.

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.

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!

A worksheet designed to introduce students to the Seven Deadly Sins, and the gruesomely gripping punishments awaiting them in hell if they are committed!

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?

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!

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.

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.

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?

Time Machine Journey to the Middle Ages In response to member feedback, this popular activity has now been completely re-programmed to contain a whole raft of new features, including: a. Quiz questions throughout the game (which each student will only have to answer the first time they visit a location) b. Additional sound effects (even…

Castles: Defence and Attack A game of strategy: Spend your budget on your choice of features, then read a story of how your castle fares when faced with attack! Complete with worksheet and extension activities.