Black History – The Middle Passage – Simulation

Take on the role of a kidnapped young African in this simulation and see how well you can maintain your strength in the gruelling “Middle Passage” across the Atlantic in this decision-making activity. Complete with five different lesson plans. Part of an up-and-coming new Black History unit which I am currently developing which will be…

Nazi Economic Policies

Students use the Head2Head Interview with Adolf Hitler to organise information about Hitler’s economic policies for Big Business, Small Business, Agriculture and the working classes under key headings in this worksheet.

Hitler’s Consolidation of Power – Quiz

A paper test of 20 questions based on the information in the preceeding worksheets. Students should be given the opportunity to revise for the test by playing this interactive quiz.

Hitler: The Rise of Evil [2003] – Worksheet

Hitler: The Rise of Evil – Worksheet to accompany the drama documentary. A complete breakdown of the themes covered across the two episodes starring Robert Carlyle, designed to help teachers decide which bits should be shown in class and to help students structure their notes. The DVD can be purchased through Amazon here.

Medieval Time Machine Newspaper Report

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

The Rise of Hitler – End of Unit Factual Test

To evaluate factual recall, students can then be set this test (30 questions) as a classroom exercise. Personally, I like to get them all playing this Fling the Teacher Quiz for the first 15 minutes of the lesson as “last minute revision”. The first person to finish this game successfully gets 10/10, the second person…

Why did Hitler become Chancellor of Germany? – 3. Display Task

The final part of the exercise involves students approaching the question from a completely fresh perspective. Six – rather than three – factors are provided in the form of cards, each one of which contains essential pieces of factual information. Students have to arrange these on sugar paper, establish links between the factors by connecting…

Why did Hitler become Chancellor of Germany? – 1. Skeleton Essay Exercise

In this exercise, students are given three “skeleton essays”, each one of which puts forward a different interpretation of Hitler’s rise to power. Students read through each interpretation, choose the one they agree with most, and then elaborate on each section using their classroom notes. It provides an accessible way of showing students how the…

Causes of the Industrial Revolution

I have now added a new factual test to the popular “Horatio Ramsbottom: Victorian Entrepreneur” computer simulation. The game itself has also been expanded to include a new decision point relating to Brunel’s “Great Eastern” project.

Who was the most important person in the Industrial Revolution?

A balloon debate lesson plan and worksheet. Each student produces a single powerpoint slide as a key figure from the industrial revolution period explaining why “they” deserve to be remembered as the most important character overall. The debate which follows is a great way of encouraging students to link and prioritise different types of achievements.

Who was Jack the Ripper? – Simulation

Armed with the profiles that they have built up using the worksheet unit about Jack the Ripper, students go to this ActiveHistory Simulation which asks them a series of questions about what they think they now know about the personality and appearance of the Ripper. The computer then analyses their responses to present them with…

Stalin’s Five Year Plans – Test

A 20-question factual test designed to accompany the interactive simulation for IB / A2 History students investigating Stalin’s Five-Year-Plans

The Fatal Attraction of Adolf Hitler: Worksheet

After studying the Weimar Republic on its own terms, students should turn their attention in more detail to the activities of Adolf Hitler during the Weimar period. This worksheet is designed to accompany the first part of the excellent video documentary “The Fatal Attraction of Adolf Hitler (1989)” (30 mins). Sadly I don’t think it’s…

The Culture of the Weimar Republic

The positive achievements of the Weimar Republic are easily overlooked. This project encourages students to investigate the cultural vibrancy of the Republic by producing a “virtual tour” around the Berlin of the 1920s.

Stalin’s Henchmen

Stalin’s Henchmen – A worksheet which gives students the opportunity to investigate the key characters at the Court of the Red Tsar: Mikoyan, Kaganovich, Kirov, Yagoda, Molotov, Voroshilov, Sergo.

Why did Stalin become leader of the USSR?

Essay Assignment: Why did Stalin become leader of the USSR? – Students are given a long list of factors which they have to categorise and then turn into a written piece to consolidate their understanding of Stalin’s rise to power.

Witchcraft Trial – Updated Activity Worksheet

I have updated the popular witchcraft trial lesson plan and trial worksheet to include follow up questions designed to get students thinking about the advantages and disadvantages of both the adversarial justice system, and also of jury trials. This ensures that the trial itself is rounded off with some reflective questions rather than just a…

Political Parties in Weimar Germany

Display Task: Useful as an extension or as a homework activity. Students are provided with a diagram of the main political parties in Weimar Germany. They use this as the basis for some propaganda posters for classroom display.

The Reichstag Fire

A paper version of an online interactive unit (coming soon!), developed in conjunction with John D. Clare. Students use information about the key characters involved to create a “courtroom drama” seeking to determine who was responsible for the Reichstag Fire.

Stalin’s Rise to Power – Lenin’s Testament

Lenin’s Testament – A worksheet which introduces the strengths and weaknesses of the Lenin’s possible successors. Designed to be used in conjunction with this primary source extract from Lenin’s Testament.

Year 7 History Skills – “People”

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”.

Stalin and the USSR: Study Guide

A printable study guide designed for A-Level / IB History students, designed to engage student interest by outlining the historical significance of Stalin’s rule of the USSR.

Year 7 History Skills: “Time”

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

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…

Year 7 History Skills – “Historical Evidence”

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.

“Bloody” Mary Tudor?

A worksheet based around the short clip from the feature film “Elizabeth” which shows the execution of Latimer and Ridley. Type in “latimer ridley” into www.youtube.com to find the clip!

Korean War – Collapsible Notes

A summary of the main causes, events and consequences of the Korean War, which can be “collapsed” or “expanded” for levels of detail. Useful for revision.

Nazi Germany Simulation: Undercover in the Third Reich!

I have just launched a brand new simulation for students of Nazi Germany. This game is a brand new version of an activity which has been one of the most popular features of the site for a number of years. It has over three times as many locations, each of which highlights a different aspect…

Medieval Realms: KeyWord Challenge

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…

Origins of the Cold War – Cartoon Analysis

Analyse a series of cartoons by hovering over details and answering exam-style questions. When you have finished, the computer will provide you with a printout comparing your answer to a model answer. A great way to revise and develop sourcework skills.

Medieval Images of Heaven / Hell

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.

Origins of the Cold War

https://www.activehistory.co.uk/fling/quizzes/gcse_cold_war_origins/quiz.htm with several sets of questions.

Manchuria and Abyssinia – GCSE Cartoon Analysis

Analyse a series of cartoons by hovering over details and answering exam-style questions. When you have finished, the computer will provide you with a printout comparing your answer to a model answer. A great way to revise and develop sourcework skills.

Hitler’s Foreign Policy – GCSE Cartoon Analysis

Analyse a series of cartoons by hovering over details and answering exam-style questions. When you have finished, the computer will provide you with a printout comparing your answer to a model answer. A great way to revise and develop sourcework skills.

Nazi Germany – GCSE Cartoon Analysis

Analyse a series of cartoons by hovering over details and answering exam-style questions. When you have finished, the computer will provide you with a printout comparing your answer to a model answer. A great way to revise and develop sourcework skills.

Weimar Germany – GCSE Cartoon Analysis

Analyse a series of cartoons by hovering over details and answering exam-style questions. When you have finished, the computer will provide you with a printout comparing your answer to a model answer. A great way to revise and develop sourcework skills.

League in the 1920s – Cartoon Analysis

Analyse a series of cartoons by hovering over details and answering exam-style questions. When you have finished, the computer will provide you with a printout comparing your answer to a model answer. A great way to revise and develop sourcework skills.

Political Cartoons – The Versailles Peace Treaty

Analyse a series of cartoons by hovering over details and answering exam-style questions. When you have finished, the computer will provide you with a printout comparing your answer to a model answer. A great way to revise and develop sourcework skills.

Opposition in Nazi Germany

A new Fling the Teacher Quiz, designed to test factual knowledge of this GCSE Modern World History topic.

The Nazis and Propaganda

A new Fling the Teacher Quiz, designed to test factual knowledge of this GCSE Modern World History topic.

Nazi Treatment of Jews

A new Fling the Teacher Quiz, designed to test factual knowledge of this GCSE Modern World History topic.

Nazi Religious Policies

A new Fling the Teacher Quiz, designed to test factual knowledge of this GCSE Modern World History topic.

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Korean War Quiz

Korean War Fling the Teacher Quiz – 75 possible questions: I like to get all the students playing it simultaneously, and award 25 points for the first person to finish, 24 for the next, and so on; over the course of a few weeks you can build up a “Fling the Teacher Leaderboard” if you…

Truman’s Dismissal of MacArthur

A new worksheet on the Cold War section of the website. Was Truman right to limit his policy of “rollback” in Korea, or should he have followed MacArthur’s advice to escalate the war at the risk of conflict with China and the USSR?