Students are provided with a selection of possible questions in the GCSE Paper 1 format (a. Describe, b. Explain, c. Assess). They are told that one of these three-part questions will be set as the end of unit assessment – it is up to the teacher which to choose! Share this:
Medieval Realms: Interactive Revision Newsfeed
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! Share this:
Conclusion: How was the Slave Trade Abolished?
Students are presented with a detailed timeline of the process of abolition, and then provided with four different tasks to choose from which will enable them to make sense of the information. Students can choose one or a combination of these tasks to complete. Share this:
The Balloon Debate – Who was the most important abolitionist?
Each student is allocated a different character to research and to produce a wiki about. The class then has a balloon debate over several rounds to determine the overall winner. The debate from students at the International School of Toulouse can be seen here. Share this:
Stalin and Collectivisation
A new running dictation exercise providing students with thorough details about Stalin’s policies for agriculture, including the Ukrainian Famine of 1932. Designed to accompany the full IB / A-Level unit on Stalin’s USSR. Share this:
Starter Activity: Methods of the Abolitionists
This PowerPoint provides students with an overview of the actual methods used by the real abolitionists. How do they compare with the campaigns the students came up with for Alan Sugartrader? Share this:
The Rise of Stalin
A new interactive running dictation exercise which outlines the main events in the final years of Lenin’s life which led to the Rise of Stalin as dictator of the USSR. Share this:
The Apprentice – A Campaign to Abolish the Slave Trade!
Alan Sugartrader of the good ship Amistrad leads the abolitionist movement in your local town. He has invited ambitious young businesspeople to come up with a brand new national campaign designed to generate support for the anti-slavery cause. Using a range of sources and a structured framework for preparation, groups of students have to produce…
Why Appeasement? (GCSE History)
A new diamond 9 diagram for GCSE Historians studying the causes of World War Two. Get students to elaborate on each factor and rearrange them in an order that makes sense to them. They can then use it to answer the question “Why did Britain pursue a policy of appeasement?” Click here for full screen…
Head2Head Worksheets
I have uploaded two worksheets to accompany the Head2Head Virtual Interviews. These are designed to work “off the shelf” and provide focus and direction to students conducting their virutal interviews with Hitler, Henry VIII, Martin Luther King, Dr. Fox and Stalin. 1. Newspaper Interview Task 2. Truth or Fiction Task Share this:
Flash Stopwatch
Type in your time, select a theme tune, and then click a button to start the countdown! A great tool for interactive whiteboards. Share this:
Causes of World War One
A one-sided summary sheet for GCSE History Revision. Share this:
Life on the Slave Plantations [2] – Images and Explanations
Students are presented with a series of images and explanations and placed into teams for a competition over several rounds to test knowledge and understanding of life on the slave plantations. Instructions for the game can be found here. Share this:
Accelerated Learning Cycle
Kolb’s Learning Cycle: The learning cycle model, developed by David Kolb, identifies four stages in learning. Peter Honey and Alan Mumford connected each stage in this learning cycle with a preferred learning style. Share this:
Create a Target Diagram Online!
A Target diagram is a fantastic way of getting students to break down a key question. Three factors are placed in the centre of the diagram. In the next layer, each factor can then be broken into two examples. In the final layer, each of these examples can then be substantiated with factual detail /…
Flash Game Generator
The Game Generator at www.classtools.net now has a feature which allows you to specify the type of quiz you would like the player to be directed to rather than allowing them a completely free choice. Check it out here! Share this:
Life on the Slave Plantations [1] – Slave Narratives
Students are placed in role as a real-life slave and read a first-person narrative from this sourcepack. They are then interviewed by the class, who records their findings in an attempt to determine the sorts of punishments inflicted for different types of “crimes” on the slave plantations. Share this:
Causes of Spanish Civil War: Conclusion
Students use this worksheet to summarise – and then crucially to connect – the various factors relating to the Origins of the Spanish Civil War. They are then given advice on how to structure an essay. Share this:
Runaway Slave Advertisements
This PowerPoint displays a series of advertisements for runaway slaves. Students are encouraged to read through each to deduce the sorts of conditions that slaves had to endure Share this:
The Spanish Second Republic
A worksheet in which students are given detailed information about The Spanish Second Republic and then asked to analyse it in various ways. Share this:
Fling the Teacher Challenge: The Rule of Primo de Rivera
An interactive computer game to test factual knowledge. The first student to finish should be given 20 points; the second student 18; and so on. I build up a “Fling the Teacher Leaderboard” over the whole course to build up a bit of competition…! Share this:
The Art of JMW Turner: PowerPoint Starter
This powerpoint presentation encourages students to analyse two of Turner’s greatest paintings: The Slave Ship and The Fighting Temeraire. Each painting is a great comment on the British Empire and its Slave Trade. A good cross-curricular link! Share this:
Primo de Rivera
Interactive Jigsaw Table Exercise: The Rule of Primo de Rivera [interactive]: Students have to read each key event, then decide whether it represents success or failure and in what particular policy area. The computer gives a score at the end, writes up the information in the correct order, and provides follow-up questions. Share this:
IB History, new syllabus resources
A new page outlining how I plan to teach the new International Baccalaureate syllabus as from September 2008, complete with links and resources. Share this:
Spanish Civil War: Map Task
Spain in 1923: Mapwork Task (Recommended as a homework at any point so far in this unit): Students are provided with essential information about the main locations relating to the economic, military, political, regional and social issues within Spain in the years immediately prior to the Spanish Civil War. This information is used to construct…
Hitler, Nazi Germany and the Spanish Civil War – Quiz
An end of unit interactive test designed to accompany the IGCSE Sourcework scheme of work unit at www.activehistory.co.uk. Share this:
What were the consequences of the Spanish Civil War for Spain, Hitler and Nazi Germany?
Students are provided with a list of essential points relating to the international consequences of the Spanish Civil War. These are analysed in terms of what Hitler’s objectives were, and what the actual results were – thereby keeping a close focus on the subject of the sourcework paper for 2009 (Germany Involvement in the Spanish…
What were the main events of the Spanish Civil War?
Students should be provided with this interactive newsfeed covering the main events of the Spanish Civil War and then divide these into “Good news for the Republic” and “Bad news for the Republic”. They then have to use their own knowledge of international events in the 1930s to add a final column in the timeline…
Germany and the Spanish Civil War: Guernica
The most notorious example of German involvement in the Spanish Civil War was when the Nazi Condor Legion bombed the Basque city of Guernica. This lesson investigates the event through a detailed analysis of Picasso’s painting provided by Simon Schama’s excellent documentary (available here). Share this:
What did Nazi Germany contribute to the Spanish Civil War?
A decision-making exercise. Students are asked a series of questions about how they think Hitler should have organised his help to Franco’s Nationalists. The teacher then tells the students what actually happened in each case so that the class can discuss the merits and drawbacks of each policy. Sourcework questions round the exercise off. Share…
Origins of the British Empire
Students have to copy and paste key details into the appropriate cells of a table which outlines who, why, where and how the British Empire developed. A great way of providing an overview of the growth of the British Empire. Share this:
Why did Germany get involved in the Spanish Civil War?
Students analyse a series of written sources – primary and secondary – to develop an understanding of why Germany got involved in the Spanish Civil War. By comparing, contrasting, organising points under key headings and summarising their findings, students will end this lesson with a sound grasp of Germany’s motives. Sourcework questions invite students to…
Arcade Game Generator
Now available as a widget from widgetbox.com: Share this:
German involvement in the Spanish Civil War: Quiz
A mid-unit test to accompany the complete scheme of work at activehistory. Share this:
Causes of the Spanish Civil War: Sourcework for IGCSE History
A series of pictorial and written sources with questions about the causes of the Spanish Civil War designed to familiarise students with the format of the IGCSE Sourcework examination. Share this:
IGCSE History: Causes of the Spanish Civil War
In this worksheet, students use this interactive newsfeed to develop an understanding of the main events leading up to the Spanish Civil War, which they then categorise into social, economic, military and political factors. They produce a biased account from either a Republican or a Nationalist perspective, then consolidate their knowledge by producing a learning…
What was the International Significance of the Spanish Civil War?
This worksheet outlines why the Spanish Civil War was so important in an international sense. The roles of the major powers are outlined and compared and cartoons relating to the non-intervention committee are analysed. Share this:
Stalin historiography: Montefiore, Figes, Applebaum, Conquest
A worksheet which provides an overview of the most recent historiography by Montefiore, Applebaum, Figes and others and sets a series of questions about the most popular themes that seem to be arising. Share this:
German Involvement in the Spanish Civil War
A complete scheme of work with interactive exercises and worksheets for IGCSE History. Nazi involvement in the Spanish Civil War is the sourcework paper for examinations in 2009! Share this:
Who was Responsible for the Holocaust?
A thorny subject, but an important one: were the German people “Hitler’s Willing Executioners”? GCSE History Students consider the evidence for both sides to reach their own judgement. Share this:
The Spanish Civil War: IB History
A new study guide for IB History students outlining the relevance of the topic, its causes and consequences. Share this:
Nazi Policies for Jews, 1939-4
The development of the Final Solution in the Third Reich is examined and students produce their own classroom presentation. Share this:
The Causes of the Cold War: History Study Guide
A new study guide for IB History outlining the relevance of the Cold War, its causes and the key questions. Share this:
Nazi Policies for Jews, 1933-39
Students consider whether each antisemitic policy in Hitler’s Third Reich was designed to threaten, humiliate or physically weaken the Jewish people. They consider how the international community responded to Nazi policies. They then consider what the law should really be regarding the treatment of immigrants and national minorities. Share this:
GCSE: Manchuria / Abyssinia Quiz
A new Fling the Teacher Quiz designed for GCSE History Revision. Share this:
Nazi Propaganda
An analysis of a whole range of Nazi propaganda techniques from Hitler’s Third Reich including sport, posters and cinema. For each, students have to assess evidence of success and failure. Share this:
IGCSE / GCSE History Paper 1 Sample Answers
Paper 1 Structured Questions focus – Interactive Cartoon Analysis A large range of cartoons covering the 1919-39 period. For each one, students are asked a sourcework question focusing on the message of the source, and then a three-part Paper 1 style question. When they have written their answer in timed conditions, the computer provides model…
Create a Burger Diagram
A burger diagram is a simple essay planning tool. Students make basic notes covering their introduction, three main sections, and a conclusion. It is a useful way of ensuring that students think about structuring their essays in a logical format. Share this:
Chatshow Challenge: the Arab-Israeli Conflict
An end-of-unit activity which tests sourcework skills as well as factual knowledge. Students take on the role of either a Palestinian or an Israeli and go “Head to Head” with an opponent to answer key questions from their own biased perspective. The computer produces two scores for each student for teachers to record in the…
Nazi Policies towards Women
In this worksheet GCSE history students analyse one of Hitler’s speeches to determine how the Third Reich justified the Nazi policy of “Kinder, Kirche, Kuche”. They then categorise his actions according to whether they encouraged women to stay at home or have more babies. Share this:
The Renaissance – End of Unit Test / Assessment
Following directly on from the classroom debate, students then write an essay. This worksheet contains detailed instructions on how to link the characters together rather than simply focusing on what each one individually contributed. A clear markscheme is also provided; I get each student to mark 4 different essays, then we collate all the marks…
Youth Policies: [2] Youth Organisations in Hitler’s Third Reich
GCSE history students compare the Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens by constructing a dialogue designed to highlight the positive and negative features about each. Share this:
The Renaissance – Who was the most important person of the Renaissance?
A detailed lesson plan for year 8 history students. A class list is put into the Fruit Machine Name Picker at www.classtools.net to choose the Renaissance character each student should produce a research project on. This Renaissance project will be written in the first person to ensure that the student reads the information, under three…
Nazi Youth Policies: [1] Schools in the Third Reich
Youth Policies: [1] Schools Students match entries from Nazi School Textbooks to the subjects they describe, then each student in the class has a “Napola” school report written for them by several people in the class. Share this:
1453 Siege of Constantinople
An introductory worksheet. Perhaps the main reason why the Renaissance took off in Italy – this activity gets the narrative across in an engaging way. Students are given an interactive “news feed” of events, then can choose to produce EITHER a biased news report in Publisher OR a radio broadcast using their microphone OR a…
Nazi Germany – Social Policies [3]: The Moral Maze
Social Policies [3]: The Moral Maze: Students are presented with a logical defence of the principles of Eugenics and Social Darwinism as they existed in the Third Reich. They are then asked how they would nevertheless challenge some of its assertions both on rational and on moral grounds. One to get them thinking and debating!…
Bayeux Tapestry Slideshow
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. Share this:
Nazi Social Policies [2]: The European Dimension of Social Darwinism
A stimulating worksheet in which students are shown how many of Hitler’s ideas stemmed from social darwinism theories and practices in Europe and America which were popular at the time (and since). A crucial worksheet which helps students get away from the idea that Hitler was a peculiarly “German” problem. Share this:
Cathars – Quiz
A new quiz for Year 8 history students. Share this:
Living Graph
A “Living Graph” encourages students not only to select the most important events within a topic, but also to rate them against criteria such as success and failure, strength and weakness and so on. Share this:
Venn Diagram
A Venn diagram is a classic way of getting students to compare and contrast the similarities and differences between three key events, concepts or people. Characteristics shared in common go in the central area; those shared by just two factors go in the area where those two circles overlap; characteristics possessed by just one go…
GCSE History – Nazi Germany Social Policies: Overview
Students are divided into groups to investigate Nazi social policies towards undesirables and untermenschen. They are instructed how to organise a PowerPoint show to give to the rest of the class and the findings are recorded in a grid. Share this:
Reformation Historiography [3]: What was the state of the Catholic Church on the eve of the Reformation?
What was the state of the Catholic Church on the eve of the Reformation? – Historians bitterly argue as to whether the Catholic Church was corrupt and unpopular on the eve of the Reformation. This worksheet allows students to compare the different viewpoints and consider the evidence for each. Share this:
The Kronstadt Uprising, 1921: Lenin’s Year of Crisis
A new interactive exercise for A-Level / IB History students in which students are presented with a series of news feeds about the Kronstadt Rebellion of 1921 which spelt the end of War Communism and the introduction of the New Economic Policy (NEP). Share this:
Reformation Historiography [2]: Was the Reformation an example of a German Nationalist revolution?
Students compare the views of Ranke, Steinmetz and Reinhard in this worksheet – both in terms of the geographical area which each said the Reformation should cover, and also in terms of whether they regarded the Reformation as being motivated by religious or social factors. Share this:
Reformation Historiography [1]: What time period should be used in a study of the German Reformation?
What time period should be used in a study of the German Reformation? – This worksheet encourages students to compare the views of Bainton, Oberman and Schilling through the means of a classroom debate. Share this:
Causes of World War Two
Causes of World War Two: Past Exam Questions and Research Task This GCSE History handout outlines the main causes of World War Two: The Peace Treaties, the Weaknesses of the League, the Depression, Hitler’s Foreign Policy, Manchuria and Abyssinia, Appeasement, the Nazi-Soviet Pact. It also provides a list of past history examination questions. Students have…
Facebook Timeline – February-October 1917
Why not give students a basic timeline of events, then ask them to convert it into a “Facebook Newsfeed” as shown here? Share this:
ClassTools.net Quicklinks – Google Gadget
A drop-down menu that takes you straight to the ClassTools.net template of your choice. Add it to your webpage, blog or IGoogle homepage Share this:
How similar were Alexander II, Alexander III and Nicholas II?
For IB / A-Level historians. How similar were Alexander II, Alexander III and Nicholas II? = Obviously this venn diagram worksheet is only appropriate if students have covered the previous two Tsars; otherwise this worksheet is not necessary. Share this:
Harvard Author-Reference Generator – Google Gadget
Type the title and / or author of a book, and get a professional Harvard-Author Date reference for your essays. Add it to your webpage, blog or IGoogle homepage. Share this:
The February Revolution of 1917
For IB / A-Level historians. Students take a detailed timeline of events and place each event into one of three columns: political damage, military damage, socio-economic damage. From this they decide when exactly the Tsar lost control of the politicians, the armed forced and the ordinary people. They then put each of these crises in…
ActiveHistory Updates – Google Gadget
A summary of the latest games, worksheets and activities added to the site. Add it to your webpage, blog or IGoogle homepage. Share this:
The Murder of Rasputin: Analyis of the Hollywood Movie
For IB / A-Level historians. At this point, I watch the final 35 minutes or so of the “Rasputin” Feature Film starring Alan Rickman (available from Amazon here). This worksheet follows the viewing and encourages students to analyse the film as they would any other source – what has been left out? what has been…
History Teachers’ Search Engine
Only sites designed for teachers and students will be searched. Join up as a collaborator to add websites to the search engine! Add the search engine to your webpage, blog or IGoogle homepage. Share this:
Historical Quote of the Day: Google Gadget
An inspirational quote about history and historians, updated daily! Add it to your webpage or to your IGoogle homepage. Share this:
Debate: Was Tsarist Russia on the verge of collapse in 1914?
For IB / A-Level historians. After the above essay question has been set, students could prepare for and deliver this debate, the findings of which can then feed into their set essays. Share this:
Was Tsarist Russia on the verge of collapse in 1914?
For IB / A-Level historians. An essay planning task. How could such a written piece be structured? Some general advice is followed by a “skeleton” essay framework for those students lacking the confidence to structure a piece themselves at this early stage. Share this:
The Impact of World War One Upon Russia: Note-taking exercise
For IB / A-Level historians. Obviously an important factor in the downfall of the regime, although exactly how important depends on the conclusions students reached in their written essay. In this task, students are provided with a basic overview of the main events in the war, and then the teacher provides several ways in which…
GCSE History Source Work
Sourcework Exercise: The Causes of World War One Six important sources, each one looking at a different cause of the World War One, with GCSE History questions and suggested approaches. Share this:
The Duma Era: 1906-1914
For IB / A-Level historians. Outlines the Tsar’s relationship with the political parties who took part in the representative assembly he set up in the October Manifesto. How would he justify undermining their powers in the Fundamental Laws and his increasingly undemocratic voting system? Share this:
Political Parties in Russia before 1914
For IB / A-Level historians. Political Parties in Russia before 1914: Full Version Political Parties in Russia before 1914: Abridged Version I personally use the abridged version with my students these days, but for students who desire a more thorough analysis, the full version may be more to their tastes. Students are encouraged to look…
Causes of World War One: History Revision
Causes of World War One: Connecting the Factors: A diagram which helps students to connect the various causes together rather than simply list them. Share this:
Hegel, Marx and Dialectics
For IB / A-Level historians. An accessible introduction to the concepts of Hegelian and Marxist Dialectic which will stand students in good stead for 20th Century Soviet history. Share this:
Edexcel is recruiting Examiners for GCE/GCSE History
Edexcel is currently looking for History teachers to become examiners for the June 2008 summer examination series for mainly the following units: Votes For Women Italy 1848-1925 USA & China 1945-76 Life In Authoritarian Regime Joining Edexcel’s Assessment Associate community offers an excellent opportunity to gain greater insight into the assessment of candidates as well…
Causes of the First World War
This handout provides a breakdown of the most recent questions from the IGCSE History examination focusing on the Causes of the First World War. It then provides advice about how to prepare history revision notes for each area using this template. Share this:
Causes of the Spanish Civil War Simulation
A brand new history game for students of the Spanish Civil War. After reading about each of the problems facing Spain on the eve of the civil war, students rank them according to urgency and then have to decide which policy seems the most appropriate response to each problem. At the end of the simulation…
Social Conditions in the Countryside in Tsarist Russia
For IB / A-Level historians. A series of sources and questions outlining the state of agriculture at the time that Peter Stolypin became prime minister. Share this:
Jigsaw Diagram
The Jigsaw template is designed to allow students to make connections between various factors in an engaging manner. The “pieces” of the jigsaw can have text written into them. When they are dragged next to each other, they “snap” into place. The pieces can be colour coded as appropriate. Share this:
Lights Out!
This template allows you to load an image, then “turn the lights off” so that you can view just small sections of the image at a time. It provides a great way of getting students to look more closely at an image. Share this:
Timeline Generator
A timeline is a great way of getting students to select and summarise key events across a defined period. This activity allows them to do this simply and effectively, and to colour-code the events if they choose to do so. They can also add a background image before printing off their work and / or…
Historiography of the October Revolution of 1917
Students consider the main questions which divide historians and form their own judgement on which answers they find the most convincing. Share this:
The Reign of Nicholas II (to 1905) [interactive]
For IB / A-Level historians. A “Fling the Teacher” quiz designed to test how much students have learned. Give 10 marks for the first person to finish, 9 for second place, and so on. Share this:
Historiography of the February Revolution of 1917
Students consider the main questions which divide historians and form their own judgement on which answers they find the most convincing. Share this:
Turning Page Template
This generator allows you to cut and paste text into a template and turn it into an animated book! Share this:
Venn Diagram
This interactive Venn Diagram Generator is a great Flash template for use in the classroom. Share this:
Ishikawa Diagram
This fishbone (Ishikawa) template is an essay planning tool. Whereas the burger diagram encourages students to think in terms of introduction, three main sections and a conclusion, the fishbone approach involves selecting four main factors, then providing three key pieces of detail about each. Share this:
Fishbone Diagram
This fishbone (Ishikawa) template is an essay planning tool. Whereas the burger diagram encourages students to think in terms of introduction, three main sections and a conclusion, the fishbone approach involves selecting four main factors, then providing three key pieces of detail about each. Share this:
Diamond 9 Diagram
This Diamond Nine Diagram helps to prioritise and categorise key factors. The most important factors are placed towards the top of the “diamond 9 “. The least important factors are placed towards the bottom. Factors of equal importance are placed in the same row. Each factor can be colour coded for further sophistication. Share this:
Random Name Picker
This is a simple tool which is a great way of rounding off a unit and revising important dates, concepts and people. It can also be used to randomly pick a name from a list of students. You can copy and paste your data direct from Word, Excel and other programs. Random Name Picker Share…
