Why did the Roman Empire Fall? In this exercise, created using the ClassTools Hexagons Generator, pairs of students are given a sheet of factors explaining the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West. They cut these out and then organise them into meaningful categories, each with a title which makes it clear how they…
IB History sourcework exercise: The Sophiatown Removals
One-hour sourcework exercise: The Sophiatown Removals | Model answers written by RJ Tarr A full sourcework exercise, complete with teacher model answers, based around the following questions: 1. a) According to Source C, why was was there so little resistance to the Sophiatown evictions? [3 marks] 1. b) What message is conveyed by Source B? [2 marks] 2. With reference to…
Infographic challenge: Apartheid in statistics
Infographic challenge: Apartheid in statistics “The impact of apartheid on black South Africans is difficult to comprehend. Your task is to take these essential statistics about apartheid and then convert them into an “info graphic” (for example, using a tool like Piktochart, Canva, Infogr.am or similar.” Part of the complete scheme of work to support…
IB History sourcework practice – in the style of question [1/2/3]
IB sourcework practice – in the style of question [1] IB sourcework practice – in the style of question [2/3] Two sourcework exercies based around conditions under the Apartheid regime. Part of the complete scheme of work to support the IBDP History “Rights and Protest” unit on Apartheid South Africa. Share this:
Speech-writing task: a reply to the defenders of Apartheid
Speech-writing task: a reply to the defenders of Apartheid “Watch the following three interviews with people defending the policy of apartheid. For each one, make notes on their essential arguments. Then, use these to help you produce a speech which will (a) summarise the arguments that have been put forward to defend apartheid by its…
Factual Test: The anti-apartheid resistance movement | Teacher answer sheet
Factual Test: The anti-apartheid resistance movement | Teacher answer sheet A detailed factual test in the form of a ‘fill the gaps’ exercise. When completed and corrected, it forms a useful revision aid in itself. Part of the complete scheme of work to support the IBDP History “Rights and Protest” unit on Apartheid South Africa. Share this:
IB History – The development of the anti-Apartheid resistance movement
The development of the anti-Apartheid resistance movement The tasks in this worksheet accompany the teacher led multimedia lecture and decision-making exercise at ActiveHistory (above). Both the lecture, and this worksheet, will take up substantially more than one lesson. Therefore, a good strategy is to (a) Complete Task 1 before the start of the lecture; (b)…
Apartheid – Multimedia Teacher-led lecture and decision-making exercise
Multimedia Teacher-led lecture and decision-making exercise This detailed multimedia presentation guides students through the development of the anti-Apartheid resistance movement. Through a series of stimulus images, written sources and video clips, students are guided through a series of decision points which reflect the issues which split the resistance movement into different groups and factions including…
Who was the most interesting Roman Emperor of all time?
Who was the most interesting Roman Emperor of all time? – a classroom debate In this activity, students research different emperors. They can then present their findings in a whole host of ways: through a balloon debate (my favoured approach!), a biopoem, a diamond diagram, and many others which are suggested within the worksheet. Part…
IB/A-Level: Christmas in Stalin’s Russia
IB/A-Level: Christmas in Stalin’s Russia | Teacher Answer Sheet This lesson gets starts with a team-based quiz challenge, and then moves on to look at how Stalin unexpectedly revivied Christmas for his own propagandistic ends. It forms a useful addition to students’ understanding of Stalin’s use of propaganda, and his policies towards religion, and as such is…
GCSE Christmas History: “Have Yourself and Very Nazi Christmas!”
GCSE: “Have Yourself and Very Nazi Christmas!” In this activity you will consider how effectively the Nazis used propaganda to manipulate the message of Christmas so that it promoted Nazi ideology. You will consider which aspects of Christmas traditions that Hitler would particularly dislike (and so remove) and which aspects he could use for Nazi…
Year 9 Christmas History: Ebeneezer Scrooge: Hero or Villain?
Yr9 Lesson 2: Ebeneezer Scrooge: Hero or Villain? | Teacher Support Sheet In this activity, students learn about, then are encouraged to challenge, the traditional interpretation of the Dickens Classic “A Christmas Carol”. Share this:
Gladiatorial Combat – A Roleplay Game!
Gladiatorial Combat – A Roleplay Game! | Accompanying question sheet “In this activity you will learn all about Roman Gladiators. You will complete a playing card all about your gladiator, then take the role of a gladiator and use your knowledge to help you win in a series of ‘battles’ against your opponents. Remember: Knowledge…
Yr9 History: The Victorian Invention of Christmas!
Yr9 Lesson 1: The Victorian Invention of Christmas! | Teacher Answers In this activity, students consider how the Industrial Revolution almost destroyed Christmas altogether – until three real-life “Father Christmas” figures came along to save it! This is part one of a two-part lesson and makes use of images of the first Christmas Cracker, the first Christmas Treeand the…
Roman Holiday! – Part 2: Presentations
Roman Holiday! – Part 2: Presentations ” Your teacher will give each team an A3 copy of this Venn diagram. Each team should nominate a scribe. This person should ask each member of the team what site(s) they researched, and write these into the Venn diagram in the appropriate place after discussion. Next, your teacher…
Gifts and Christmas Cards of World War One
In this new stand-alone lesson, the teacher will start by delivering this ActiveHistory Teacher Presentation (which comes complete with a useful video clip) to outline some of the gifts that were marketed to soldiers in World War One. The main task involves deciding how to categorise these 30 Xmas cards from World War One. Students should cut them…
Year 8 History – A Puritan Christmas!
Yr8: A Puritan Christmas! This lesson covers how and why the Protestant Reformation led to the emergence of a ‘Puritan’ movement which banned Christmas altogether. Students will research how various Christmas traditions that we take for granted actually have very little basis in the Bible. In role, and as charmingly as possible, the teacher will…
The Sophiatown removals: podcast note-taking task
The Sophiatown removals: podcast note-taking task Students use the BBC Witness Podcast (10 minutes) to answer a series of structured questions, including: Why were the black residents evicted from Sophiatown? How long did the process take, and how many people were affected? How did the Sophiatown get its name? How did this non-white community manage…
Roman Holiday! – Part 1: Research
Roman Holiday! – Part 1: Research “In this activity you will work in teams. You will design a guided tour which you hope to sell to a customer (your teacher). The class will be arranged into two teams. Each member or each team should choose two sites from different categories in this list to research…
Year 7 History – A Boy Bishopping Medieval Christmas!
Yr7: A Boy Bishopping Medieval Christmas! In this activity students will learn how people celebrated Christmas in the Middle Ages. In particular, the class will re-enact the ceremony of the “Boy Bishop”. This ceremony will provide one student with special religious powers. In particular, that student will have the power to marry pairs of people…
Factual Test: the Apartheid laws
Factual Test: the Apartheid laws | Teacher answer sheet A detailed factual test in the form of a ‘fill the gaps’ exercise. When completed and corrected, it forms a useful revision aid in itself. Part of the complete scheme of work to support the IBDP History “Rights and Protest” unit on Apartheid South Africa. Share this:
“Beat the Teacher” – Hotseating with an edge!
This is a great way of encouraging students to conduct vigorous research in preparation for a debate about the success/failure of a particular ruler. It can be conducted either as a way of revising and consolidating topic knowledge at the end of a unit, or as an intensive means of studying the topic for the very…
What is your Roman name?
What is your Roman name? In this activity students will work out what their names would have been if they had been alive during the time of the Roman Empire! Students will be organised into pairs and will use a detailed table to choose the most appropriate three-part name for their partner. Part of the…
Creative writing task: the experience of Apartheid
Creative writing task: the experience of Apartheid Students are provided with THREE possible approache to this task, one of which is to “Produce a fictional first-person account written by a black South African looking back on their life under apartheid. The account should tell a story which allows you to illustrate the impact of the…
“Linkage Bingo” to summarise and connect key factors
This whole-class game is a great way firstly to summarise issues of cause or effect, and then (most importantly and most challengingly) to link them together in a meaningful way prior to students producing a written essay. The class will be divided into 5 teams and one piece of scrap paper to jot down ideas….
The Apartheid Laws: research, categorisation and prioritisation
The Apartheid Laws: research, categorisation and prioritisation | Completed teacher copy “1. Read the details about each Act and use these to complete the second column with the correct titles from this list: Population Registration Act | Bantu Self-Government / Authorities Acts | Group Areas Act | Bantu Education Act | Separate Amenities Act | Public Safety…
IB-style source work exercise: Why was apartheid introduced into South Africa in 1948?
IB-style source work exercise: Why was apartheid introduced into South Africa in 1948? A one-hour source work exercise in the style of the IBDP History Paper 1. Part of the complete scheme of work to support the IBDP History “Rights and Protest” unit on Apartheid South Africa. Share this:
Answer Buzzers for Revision Quizzes
A quick search for “Answer Buzzers” on Amazon will provide you with a link to something like this. They are a great way of adding a bit of fun to team revision quizzes with the teacher in the hotseat as the quizmaster! Taking it further In team quizzes, I usually nominate one person in…
South Africa – Discriminatory laws passed before 1948
Discriminatory laws passed before 1948 “Using any sources available to you, research the provisions of each of the following TEN laws passed before 1948.When you have notes on each, colour code the laws using a scheme of your choice and provide a key to make it clear how you have categorised them” Part of the…
Target Diagrams for Categorisation
The ClassTools Target Diagram Generator 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…
South Africa before 1948 – factual test
Factual Test | Teacher Answer Sheet This 20 question, paper-based test is provided in the form of a ‘fill the gaps’ exercise. When completed and corrected, it forms a useful revision aid in itself. Part of the complete scheme of work to support the IBDP History “Rights and Protest” unit on Apartheid South Africa. Share this:
“On School Report!” – A fun way of evaluating factors and individuals
When assessing the successes and failures of a particular historical figure, consider approaching the task in the form of a “school report”. This can be the basis of a consolidation exercise at the start of the topic, or an intensive and efficient way of covering fresh material step-by-step. Start by identifying the main ‘subjects’ that…
Empathy exercise: Understanding the Broderbund and the ANC
Empathy exercise: Understanding the Broderbund and the ANC Supporting material: 1944 ANC Youth League Manifesto | 1948 National Party Platform “In 1912 the Afrikaner Broderbund was established to protect the rights of White Boers. In 1918 the ANC was established to protect the rights of Black South Africans. Produce a press statement from each organisation dated 1944 which…
Diamond Diagrams for Prioritisation
Overview: Students produce or are given 9 pieces of information which they arrange in order in a diamond diagram. Examples: Arrange outcomes of the Treaty of Versailles from most successful to least successful; Arrange medieval jobs from highest status to lowest status; arrange historical figures from most significant to least significant. Taking it further: Students…
Overview of South Africa to 1948
Timeline of events to 1948 Students are provided with a detailed timeline of events which enable them to answer key questions about the development of South Africa before the formal establishment of apartheid in 1948. Part of the complete scheme of work to support the IBDP History “Rights and Protest” unit on Apartheid South Africa. Share…
“Takeaway Homework”
In a ‘Takeaway Task’, students are given the flexibility to design their own project assignment based on one cell, row or column of the table. The task is constructed so that the table in itself provides a useful overview of the topic (in this case, the Origins of the British Empire). When students are told that they will be…
“Factor Auction”
This is a great idea to get students to think more creatively about which factors are the most important to cover in their written work. I think I originally came across at a session by @MrsThorne at the SHP Conference (who informs me that the slide originally came from @JiveSpin – we’re a professionally incestuous…
Create a “Fakebook” Profile for a key character
When researching a key character, students could frame and present their findings by creating a fake “Facebook” profile using the Fakebook application at ClassTools. Using this tool, students can create a timeline of a person’s life, written in the first person and in the present tense (to help prevent ‘cut and paste’ syndrome). They can…
Creative Acronyms for Topic Revision/Introductions
For revision purposes, creating memory words, with each letter representing the first letter of another key word, is an effective way of getting students to reflect on factual information and construct an effective way of recalling a larger amount of information. At the start of a topic too, it can also be used as a…
“Create a Google Doodle to represent our topic”
At the close of a topic or as a revision exercise, ask students to design their own ‘Google Doodle’ to represent the essence of the subject. What symbols, colours, terms could they use? This is an idea from @littlestobbsy on Twitter. Share this:
PieChart Prioritisation
At the end of a unit of study about causation, ask students to divide responsibility between factors in an Excel template which automatically converts the percentage splits into piecharts; thereafter they have to explain their reasoning. Here’s an example where students had to reflect upon WHO and WHAT was most responsible for the First World…
Causation Diagram Template
The following image comes from an old textbook, and illustrates the respective importance of long, mid and short-term factors in causing World War One. I created a ‘blanked out’ version which I provide to students at the end of a topic and ask them to decide what factors they would place in the various spots in the…
Create a Subject-Themed Spotify Jukebox
I am a big fan of using music in my lessons. Sometimes this is simply some quiet classical music to help create a calm working atmosphere, sometimes though it is great to have subject-related songs playing as students come into the room or to provide some stimulating source material (e.g. by analysing the lyrics). I…
Create Bookmarks as Rewards
I designed a range of subject-themed bookmarks using an image editing program. I then printed these off in colour, laminated them and cut them out to give out to students as prizes for good work. They went down a treat! You can download my history-themed bookmarks, which look something like this: Share this:
“Only Connect!”
I have coded this brand new quiz generator based on the popular BBC Quiz game! Provide students with 16 subject-specific terms in a 4X4 grid. Teams have to re-arrange the grid into four horizontal lines of connected terms. They then have to explain the connection between the 4 terms in a fifth column in each row. Taking it…
“Guess What”
Great idea here from @PaulRoWilson. “It’s not guess who its guess what. Flexible topic revision with the facts coming from the student.” Share this:
6 Hats. 6 Interpretive Approaches.
Practical applications for the ‘De Bono’ Approach The teacher will take the role of someone with a “Green Hat” If they have not already been decided upon in advance in an assembly, they will choose (or ask the class to vote on) one of the numerous “Imagine a world” discussion points which are provided (or…
Create a tweet for a fictional/historical character
The “Twister” template allows you to create fictional “status updates” that can then be printed off for display purposes. Students could be asked What are the most important people in this topic? What was their most important moment within the topic? What would their comment be about it? What particular keywords would they use within…
QR Code Treasure Hunt
A QR-Code Treasure Hunt is a fun, simple way to get students using their mobile devices to continue learning outside of lesson time. Here’s how we set one up at the International School of Toulouse with some guidance on how to do the same with your own students using the QR Treasure Hunt Generator at ClassTools.net. Share this:
Design a children’s storybook
After studying a complex topic, challenge students to turn it into an illustrated storybook that can be understood by primary school students. Spend time in class talking through the main concepts, events and personalities that should be covered in a brief story. Consider too which images could be used to bring the subject to life….
Interpretation Tracker
At the start of the lesson, ask students to write down their initial answer to a key question that is about to be considered further. Partway through the lesson, and then at the end of the lesson, ask them to repeat the process. Students then read the comments. How have our interpretations changed? Whose views…
Interpretation via Triangulation
It is always a interesting to compare and contrast the differing views of students on key questions. When the debate can be reduced to an either/or option (e.g. ‘success or failure?’, ‘hero or villain?’) this can be done most simply by students organising themselves along a continuum line. When the debate is based around three main interpretations,…
Simulation: Which 20th Century Dictator are YOU?
A stand-alone simulation to help students compare and contrast how single-party state rulers maintained power. Complete with accompanying self-study workpack to enable students to turn their findings into a rigorous essay. “You will be asked 10 key questions about how you would choose to run your imaginary dictatorship. As you proceed you will be given detail about…
Museum in a Box
I really like this idea from @ChrisWaterworth, who shared this nice picture of “Our school collection of Borrowers Homes” as a primary school project. This reminded me of the concept of a “Museum in a Box”, which would follow on neatly from the ‘Curate an Exhibition‘ task outlined in this earlier post. Once students had decided…
The Rise and Rule of Fidel Castro
A new study unit. The rise of Castro is best studied following completion of the ActiveHistory study unit “What are the most common methods and conditions that explain the rise of dictatorships?“, since that unit allows students to build up an overall theory about the nature of dictatorships that can then be tested against this…
Balloon Debates!
“You are in a hot air balloon that is losing height rapidly. It will soon crash into the side of a mountain because it is overweight. To prevent the certain death of everybody on board, only one person will be allowed to stay in the balloon!” Balloon debates are a great way of promoting research…
Rule of 20th Century Dictators Compared
The IB History examination encourages students to analyse not just the rule of individual dictators, but to compare them across different regions. THIS UNIT provides a rigorous, engaging and efficient way of doing so – firstly by considering one ruler, then comparing him to a second. It is designed to accompany the comparative study unit on the…
Google Hangouts for the Classroom: Quickstart Guide
“Google Hangouts” video conferences are a superb way of bringing fresh voices into the classroom from anywhere in the world. It was by using Google Hangouts that my students interviewed Professor Orlando Figes at Birkbeck University recently with great success. Best of all, by choosing ‘Hangout on Air’ you get your video published directly to…
Black Death End of Unit Projects
End of Unit Projects Option A: Group Task – Design a Boardgame “In this unit, which starts with a whole-class miming competition, you will design your own board game about the Black Death. Your game should try to show the spread, symptoms, cures and consequences of the Black Death. You will play each other’s games and…
Google Books for Student Research: 3 minute video guide
For extended essays, internal assessments and personal projects, Google Books is fast becoming an indispensable research resource for both teachers and students. I put this 3-minute guide together after making extensive use of Google Books during the research and writing of my forthcoming textbook on “Luther and the European Reformation” (available as from Easter 2015 from…
Make a Mask!
When conducting debates in role, get students to create a simple mask to add an extra dimension to the event. Use Google Images to locate an image of the character’s face. Copy and paste this into Word. Scale it up so it fits the available space. Print off on A4 and it will be roughly the…
Consequences of the Black Death
Consequences Video Clip: Consequences Hexagons Activity: Consequences of the Black Death This activity is approached through a ‘Hexagons’ approach which is outlined in detail here. Students cut up the hexagons and organise them in logical groups, with adjacent sides of hexagons indicating connections that are then explained around the diagram. The hexagons were created using the ClassTools.net Hexagons…
“Design a DVD Inlay”
As a way of consolidating or revising knowledge and understanding of a study unit, students have to design a DVD inlay for a fictional documentary film / biopic. They should give careful thought to the images to include, the cast list, the reviews, the ‘blurb’ at the back, and so on – using real DVD…
How to Establish a Whole-School Induction Project for Year 12
“Was World War Two a Period of Progress and Development?” For the past five years I have co-ordinated an intensive IB Induction project at my school here Toulouse. I am currently in the process of discussing how this can be developed and improved further with input and inspiration from my colleagues, and to help them…
NEW IB History Syllabus Curriculum Maps for 2015
The new IBDP History syllabus is very flexible, allowing for a wide combination of topics between the three exam papers (Sourcework, Standard Level Essays and Higher Level Essays). However, due to time constraints it is highly advisable to ensure as much overlap between the three papers as possible. With this in mind I have been…
“Guess the Stats”
To get students reflecting more closely on sources, it is a good idea to get the class to anticipate what they are going to say before showing them. The method by which this can be done with textual sources is the subject of this post. With statistics, this can be done in the form of…
Impact of the Black Death
Impact Video Clip: Immediate impact and reactions in Italy The Black Death Cardgame! The objective of each player is to get as many cards for their ‘role suit’ as possible. Peasants: should focus on collecting food (clubs) in order to establish a stable food supply. Merchants: should focus on collecting money (diamonds). Nobles: should focus on…
Podcast Research Project
The following task is one that I set for my IB students during the first half term break. Although it can be set at any point, it’s a great way to get them thinking about possible Internal Assessment topics early on in the course. It also requires each student to deliver a classroom presentation. Share…
Weimar Germany Decision Making Simulation – 1921-29
Weimar Germany Decision Making Game – Part 2: 1921-29 This comprehensive decision-making simulation is now complete with follow-up factual test, the answers for which can be shared with students using this online presentation. This simulation is a great way of introducing or revising the issues surrounding Weimar Germany in the years 1921-29. Each of the 7 key decision points…
Cures for the Black Death
Cures Video Clip: Medieval Medicine Cures and Precautions [plus teacher answer sheet] “Historians think that almost half the population of Europe died in the Black Death. The lowest scoring 50% of the class in this exercise will become ‘casualties’. The teacher will count upwards and you should sit down on the floor when your score is reached. The…
“Leaderboard Challenge” for ‘Fling the Teacher’
During revision time I start every lesson with a ‘Fling the Teacher’ quiz on the topic to be covered in that lesson. Prior to the lesson, I warn students what the topic will be so they can revise. At the start of the lesson, I outline the main task for the lesson so they know…
“Design a new page for your textbook”
Students identify an aspect of the topic that is not covered in sufficient detail in their standard level textbook. They then have to produce a page or a double-spread in the same style of the textbook covering that particular topic area, complete with sources, questions and other tasks as appropriate. Thanks to @BSB_Humanities for the…
Sourcework Anticipation Task
After knowledge of a topic has been developed, provide students with a written source addressing a key question relating to the topic, but with key details deleted. Students can then work alone or in pairs to anticipate how the source will look when complete. How will the author explain his points? What evidence will he use to substantiate…
Causes of the Black Death
Causes Causes of the Black Death [plus primary sources] “Your teacher will be in role as the local magistrate who has called an emergency meeting to discuss the arrival of the Black Death in our village. The magistrate will read out an account from one of his contacts about what they think has caused the Black Death. Decide where…
Students design a Hollywood Film about the study topic
A great way to get students familiar with the key events of a historical person’s life and consider concepts of significance. Stage 1: Start by outlining the central task [themify_box style=”purple comment rounded” ] You are a Hollywood director producing a film about [person / topic]. You will produce a poster advertising your film, including: –…
Image Wipe
Provide students with an image with key details partly obscured. Ask them to anticipate what might be going on, when and where it comes from, and any other relevant questions (see image slideshow for ideas). Then uncover the image and ask them the same questions again. Finally, ask them to speculate about what happened before /…
Symptoms of the Black Death
Symptoms Video Clip: Arrival of the Black Death in England Symptoms of the Black Death [plus teacher answer sheet] “Imagine a local tradesman has arrived in your village and has fallen ill: you realise with horror that he has brought the Black Death into your village! (a) Number these symptoms from [1] (the first) to [9] (the last)….
“Open Me” Display Pieces
When producing a display poster summing up several ideas, students should identify a ‘cover image’ for each main part of the piece. This should be ‘lifted up’ to expose the written detail. See the image for an idea of how this works. Taking it further: An even simpler method is to take a piece of A4,…
Spread of the Black Death
Spread of the Black Death Spread of the Black Death Students use this animated map to draw their own conclusions about where the disease started and spread to, and which areas were most affected. Video Clips: Arrival of the Black Death in [1] Italy and [2] France These two video clips provide extra detail about the spread of disease across…
Design a Cartoon
For a homework exercise, get students to design a political cartoon to illustrate one key aspect of the topic from either a negative or a positive perspective. No words allowed. In a subsequent lesson, the pictures are swapped around and each student answers the question “What is the message of this cartoon?” using the framework…
The Black Death – Introduction
Introduction “What’s the Topic?” – Introductory PowerPoint This series of images is designed to get students thinking about what the next topic might be. Complete with explanatory teacher notes. Starter Video: Overview of the Black Death This online video clip [2m] provides a great flavour of the topic to get students interested! The Black Death…
Challenge Grid
A simple twist on a factual test. Colour code different questions in a grid by difficulty. Students choose which questions to answer in the time available and get scored accordingly. An idea originally shared by @MsLiddell. Share this:
Black Death – Revamped, Relaunched, New Resources!
The Black Death is a popular subject of study with students. This self-contained scheme of work contains a strong role-play element built around a diary that builds up over several lessons. There is also a fantastic cardgame exercise built into the unit and an interactive, self-marking end of unit assessment along with other opportunities to create a boardgame, have a keyword…
Living Graph
A “Living Graph” encourages students not only to select the most important events within a topic, but also to rate them (over time) against criteria such as success and failure, strength and weakness, significance and insignificance. Stage 1: Brainstorm: Ask students, working individually or in pairs / small groups, to identify what they consider to be…
Silent Discussion
This is a great way of getting students to conduct some close reading of detailed sources. The lesson is framed around a key question for investigation (which could be about causes, consequences, significance…), and then carefully selected sources are placed at different points around the room. Students move between the sources in pairs, in silence, annotating and…
Modern Makeover: Where would they be now?
Overview: After studying a historical character, students have to superimpose their face onto an appropriate modern scene / character and explain their choice. Taking it further: Some students should focus on producing positive impressions, other negative – in other words, some images are designed to work as propaganda, whilst others could have been produced by their…
Why did Events in the Gulf Matter?
Why did Events in the Gulf Matter, c.1970-2000? This page is currently a work in progress. This is the compulsory 20th Century Option for the iGCSE sourcework paper for students taking the examination in Summer 2016. I will be teaching this topic to my own students in Year 11. By then, this page will consist…
Students design a cover image for their topic packs
Overview: When you provide your students with a printed work pack, or even if they have their topic notes in a ring binder with separators, ask them to decide upon an appropriate cover image with an explanation of its relevance directly underneath. The image here shows examples from my Year 10 students, who produced front…
IB History Revision – The Arab-Israeli Conflict: Eighteen Big Questions!
The Arab-Israeli Conflict: Eighteen Big Questions! Each person in the class will be given a number. When your number appears, treat this as an indication that you are producing a YES argument if you are the first number listed, and a NO if you are the second. Discuss/debate your ideas in pairs, and also reach…
Speech-bubble PostIts onto paintings / photos / cartoons
Overview: Provide students with a photograph of a particular moment in history, then ask them to write speech-bubble PostIt notes to imagine what the characters might have been saying to each other. Taking it further: For cartoons, students have to provide a caption. This works even better if the cartoon has an original caption that it can…
Middle East Revision: Higher Level, 1979-2000
Eight Key Events 1979-2000: Research, Comparison, Conclusions [there is also a completed teacher version] “Different people in the class should produce a research piece on an event outlined in one row of this table, then share them with the group so that everybody is able to complete their grid. When the table is completed, use it to…
“Keyword Challenge” revision game
Overview: This is a simple game which is a great way of rounding off a unit and revising important dates, concepts and people. It is particularly effective just before students have to produce some written work making effective use of key terms. Instructions Put students into teams of 4 or 5. The first member of the…
IB History Teachers Debate: Is it true that Israel was a state created as a result of terrorism?
IB History Teachers Debate: Is it true that Israel was a state created as a result of terrorism? IB History Teachers have their own Facebook Group where they discuss their views on issues relating to topics that we teach. In December 2014, its members debated the answer to the above question. This worksheet contains their…
Timeline Jigsaw
Overview: Provide students with a list of events running down the page. To the right of the events are two columns as so: Event My Guess Correct Answer Difference William has himself crowned as King of England Edward the Confessor dies Harold Godwineson swears to support William as the next King of England In “my…
Interpretation Exercise – Complaint Letters v. Advertising Blurb
Overview: After playing the Middle Ages Time Machine Adventure at activehistory.co.uk, Sidney wrote a complaint letter to the Time Travel Holiday Agent about her experiences. One half of the class wrote similar complaint letters focusing on the negative dimension; the other half wrote travel brochures focusing on the positive experiences! Examples: This approach can work for any…
Curate a Museum Exhibition
Provide students with a range of images relating to the topic. They imagine they are curating a museum exhibition on four separate walls. How will they categorise the images into four categories? How will they caption them? Examples: Portraits of Napoleon, Stalin or other dictators with a penchant for propaganda. Images of the Middle Ages. Images…
Source Evaluation Overlay Template
Overview: This template is designed to be placed over a written or visual source and provides a scaffolding framework to help students develop source work evaluations skills. Taking it further: Ask students to focus on the issues highlighted in the left-hand column first and make annotations as appropriate. Then they swap with a partner, read…
Causes of the French Revolution – Model Essay: “What were the Causes of the French Revolution?”
Causes of the French Revolution Model Essay: “What were the Causes of the French Revolution?” (teacher password required) A sample essay which I wrote myself in timed conditions for the benefit of my students. Part of the comprehensive ActiveHistory materials on the Causes, Events and Legacy of the French Revolution. Share this:
Peer Assessment Slips
When conducting group work, there is always a danger that certain students might take a bit of a back seat and let their teammates do all the work. To avoid this, provide the students in advance with a ‘peer assessment’ slip. At the end of the lesson / project, each student should complete the slip by…
Causes of the French Revolution – Keyword Checker: “What were the Causes of the French Revolution?”
Causes of the French Revolution Keyword Checker: “What were the Causes of the French Revolution?” Students can run their essay through this tool prior to handing it in (and the teacher can also do so in the marking phase) to provide a quick check of which key terminology has been used in the essay. Part…
