This short study unit should end with students writing an essay on the subject of “Compare and Contrast the Rise to Power of Two Single Party State Rulers” (focusing on Mao and Pinochet). I have written a model essay on this subject myself which is available in the teacher resources area.

Students then get into pairs and small groups to compare their approaches to the previous task. There is a lengthy list of “discussion points” provided too in this worksheet designed to get them thinking more (e.g. the USA opposed Mao, but failed to prevent his rise; but they favoured Pinochet, who succeeded. Why the difference?)….

With the research on Pinochet completed, the students now move on to compare and contrast his rise to that of Mao in China. This worksheet provides them with structured guidance on how to go about this process. As a popular format of question in the IB examination, this is a very useful exercise.

A detailed analysis of the causes for Pinochet’s rise to power presented as a “Fill the Blanks” quiz. There is a completed teacher version available.

Students are given this worksheet framework to help structure their investigation about why Pinochet became leader of Chile. They should use any sources available to them (books, video, websites). A particularly good video is the 10-minute drama film by Ken Loach which can be found on YouTube.

Students are presented with a series of images from which to draw their own initial deductions. They are then told what each one represents. A good introduction to the topic.

A brand new study unit. The IB History examination is very keen that students learn to compare and contrast the methods and conditions which led to the rise to power of single party state rulers – sometimes insisting that they are from different parts of the world, and / or that one is a right-wing…

Students are allocated or choose one of the musicians, sportsmen or politicians to research in more depth. They will present their work in the form of a “Fakebook” profile using the application based at www.classtools.net.

Students paste their essay into this interface and get a score based on how many keywords they have included. Excellent for ensuring topic coverage at first-draft phase.

A new revision quiz which can be played by students as independent revision or as a classroom group challenge.

In this structured debate, students are placed into two teams to formulate questions from their opponents designed to prove their case using references to all the major periods covered by the syllabus. The arguments and evidence put forward, and the synthesis reached, is a useful revision aid.

Mapwork: The growth of Israel. In this exercise, students firstly label all of the key regions and areas onto a large map. Then, in a series of smaller maps they shade the territory occupied by Israel over time by referring to a list of key points.

Timeline of Key Events: Match the Dates. An overview of the entire period, chronologically arranged but with no dates provided. Students see how many of the events they can correctly identify. The completed teacher version is also available.

Picture Round and Terminology Quiz. Students are instructed to locate some pictures of key characters, and produce quiz questions that can be turned into an interactive revision exercise at www.classtools.net.

In this worksheet, students are provided with a “mega summary” on one sheet of paper as a “gap fill” exercise. Covering the major events down the page, broken into columns which compare the role of Jews, Arabs and the International Community, this is an invaluable resource to help students refresh their memories and see the…

Students paste their essay into this interface and get a score based on how many keywords they have included. Excellent for ensuring topic coverage at first-draft phase.

An exercise to develop sourcework skills in the style of the IB examination. There are also some model answers available.

These five characters are very fascinating in themselves; and as they may well be quoted in the sourcework paper, it makes sense to have a little to say about each one.

A Quiz. There is also a completed teacher version available.

A series of structured questions to help students make sense of the causes, course and consequence of the Yom Kippur War. There is also a completed teacher version.

To test understanding following completion of the previous worksheet.

A worksheet of questions to help students understand the fate of the Palestinians between 1948-1973. A good review exercise. There is also a completed teacher version.

Classroom Debate Students use their completed timelines to get into role as different characters from different countries and reach an independent judgement about which of the three key interpretations listed at the outset is the most convincing. They are then given guidance on how to construct a written essay answering the central question. There are…

An article in the style of an IB / A-Level essay, which I have written for History Review, due to be published in March 2011.

Timeline Analysis Students construct a timeline of events broken down into events relating to Jordan, Egypt and Syria. The teacher can then test their understanding using this classroom challenge and this answer sheet.

In this activity, Organise the class 5 teams. Display the first event by clicking the button. All the students should copy this information into their worksheet as instructed. The first team can play for up to 10 points depending on their confidence. They have to not only identify the mistake in the account, but correct…

Introduction and Overview Students are introduced to the main debate that they will investigate: Interpretation 1: Israel was acting defensively. This was a pre-emptive strike against Arab armies who were about to invade her. Throughout the conflict Israel acted with admirable restraint. Interpretation 2: Israel was acting aggressively. She deliberately misread the situation to justify…

Students are provided with a detailed list of factors relating to Stalin’s rise to power. These are organised under 3-5 headings. The following headings might give you some ideas: Political | Economic | Personal | Stalin’s Strengths | Opposition Weaknesses | Stalin’s Successes | Opposition Mistakes | Lenin’s Mistakes | Lenin’s Weaknesses. There is a…

The Suez Crisis: Tension Erupts Students consider the causes, events and consequences of the Suez Crisis through a series of sources, including a short video from Andrew Marr’s History of Britain. There are teacher notes available for this activity and evidence slips for the main exercise, as well as YouTube Videos available: [1 – Sevres…

I have launched some detailed worksheets and completed teacher versions on the topic of “Why did Stalin become leader of the USSR?”.

The Suez Crisis: Tension Builds Students consider the proposal to turn the Suez Canal into an international zone, and the infamous “Sevres Protocol”. They will use two primary sources: Nasser’s rejection of the Western plan and the Sevres Protocol. There are several YouTube videos that can be used: [1 – Czech Arms Deal, USA Anger]…

The Suez Crisis: Roleplay Exercise “In this exercise you will take on the role of a French / British / Israeli civil servant. Each of you will develop a particular area of expertise to share with the rest of the group. The group as a whole will have to decide on some key courses of…

Background: The Palestinian Refugee Problem after 1948 As a recap on the events prior to 1956, students use their textbooks to learn more about Al-Nakba (“the catastrophe”) for the Palestinians. There are teacher notes available for this activity.

As part of my ongoing project to upload teacher notes for all major units over the course of the year, I’ve added a completed version of the timeline, and a factual test / completed teacher answers to this page. Much more to follow…!

Analysis: Why did Israel win the war of 1948-49? Working with a partner, students cut up these slips and then organise them under headings of their choice. Some of the slips may be arguments, whereas others may be substantiating detail you can use to back up these arguments. They should aim for 3-5 categories of…

Professor AJP Sailor takes 5 factors and connects them together in endless combinations to help students consider the Origins of Spanish Civil War and how to link factors in essays.

Timeline Factual Test To ensure that students have gathered the essential information, they should take this “fill the gaps” exercise which contains 15 questions in a table following the same format as the timeline in the previous worksheet. There is also a completed teacher version available.

Introduction and Overview. The UN General Assembly voted in principle to accept the UNSCOP Majority Plan for partition (with some amendments) in November 1947. On May 14th 1948 David Ben Gurion, leader of the Zionists in Palestine, suddenly declared the independence of Israel. The following day 5 Arab nations invaded the new Jewish state. Israel…

A short factual test to round off the Middle East unit.

UN Debate on Partition of the Middle East: The Reality: (a) Plans prior to 1947 UN Debate on Partition of the Middle East: The Reality: (a) Plans of 1947 Whilst the three “judges” are deliberating which partition plan is the most appropriate, the members of the other two groups can be completing these two worksheets.

In the event, UNSCOP was divided about which of these proposals was the best way forward. The Majority Plan (8 votes) supported partition qualified by economic unity. The Minority Plan (3 votes) supported the federal state solution. In this activity students read through primary sources relating to the decision-makers and decide whether they agree with…

In 1947, UNSCOP (the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine) was given the task of working out a proposal for the future of Palestine. They considered 6 possible courses of action. In this activity students will consider the advantages and disadvantages of the schemes they put forward and decide if they settled upon the correct…

A useful recap / revision exercise: this timeline is presented in a “collapsible” format for ease of access.

The teacher can ensure that students have covered the most important events in an appropriate amount of depth by playing this interactive, whole-class quiz using an interactive whiteboard.

Using syllabus points and past examination questions, students start to form an independent judgement on the key question. They will also be required to focus on a short period to research in-depth and report back to the class (here is a sample Prezi Presentation that can be used as a guide). There are two sets…

Students watch this short video and refer to their textbooks to develop a new timeline focusing heavily on the period 1939-47.

This exercise involves students comparing and contrasting the Balfour Declaration, th The Sykes-Picot Agreement and the Hussein-MacMahon Correspondence. They could watch too this short video covering the interwar period. There are also teacher notes available for this activity.

This task introduces students to the interesting character of TE Lawrence, and also deepens their knowledge on the subject of “The Impact of World War One”, which is a core Standard Level Paper 2 topic.