Tsar Alexander III

I provide here two approaches to studying this unit. The first one is much more punchy and engaging: the teacher takes on the role of the Tsar, and the students as his ministers. Over several hours the 'reformers' and the 'reactionaries' debate the issues whilst the teacher uses the 30-slide presentation to guide the debate and inform students about what has actually been decided. It's a great way to maintain student interest and engagement throughout a unit which might otherwise be rather abstractly academic.

Approach 1: Roleplay Unit (recommended - based around this 30-slide presentation)

Student Resources (Tsar Alexander III)

> Debate Preparation		Word Document	0.08MB
> Debate Record Sheet		Word Document	0.05MB
> End of the Reign		Word Document	0.08MB
> Comparison to AlexII		Word Document	0.47MB
> Keywords for essay		Word Document	0.04MB
> Timeline		Word Document	0.05MB

Teacher Resources (Tsar Alexander III)

> ROLEPLAY PRESENTATION		Weblink	0MB
> Factual Test		Word Document	0.26MB
> Factual Test-Alternative		Word Document	0.13MB
> Comparison to Alexander II		Word Document	0.07MB
> Model Essay by Russel Tarr		Word Document	0.05MB

Approach 2: Worksheet-Based

1.	An Introduction to Tsar Alexander III's Reign An overview of the upbringing and the personality of Tsar Alexander III. To what extent will his personality and politics equip him to be a good ruler of 19th Century Russia?	Tsar Alexander III
2.	In-Depth Analysis of the Alexander III's Reign [interactive] Students make notes from this interactive newsfeed exercise and then organise their findings into various themes and categories using this worksheet. By so doing they start to formulate a view as to how far Alexander's reputation as a reactionary is deserved.
3.	Primary Sources and Questions The next stage is to conduct some in-depth research based around primary sources from the time which cover some of the big themes: politics, education, the famine, the pogroms. These sources come complete with questions and discussion points to further understanding.
4.	A Comparison of Alexander II and Alexander III: Research and Essay Planning Exercise With the main research now completed, students should begin the process of comparing Alexander III to his father. Is it really fair to say that Alexander II was a reformer, and Alexander III a reactionary? This worksheet enables students to start organising their thoughts and provides a suggested essay framework.
5.	The End of Alexander III's Reign This final worksheet covers the last days of Alexander III and invites students to offer some closing judgments about his reign.
6.	Keyword Checker: Compare and Contrast the reigns of Tsar Alexander II and Tsar Alexander III [interactive] 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.

Interactive quizzes on this topic [tips]
Play your Dates Right: Alexander III	Fling the Teacher: Alexander III	Splat! - Alexander III

Interactive quizzes: Tsar Alexander III [tips]
Manic Miner: Tsar Alexander III	Wordshoot: Tsar Alexander III	CannonBall Fun: Tsar Alexander III	Matching Pairs: Tsar Alexander III