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10 Essential Resources for History Teachers!

Transform your history classroom

Award-winning resources for history teachers and students aged 11-18.

ActiveHistory provides interactive simulations, self-marking quizzes, lesson plans, worksheets and multimedia activities designed by full-time history teacher Russel Tarr.

Build and deliver complete history courses with resources for classroom teaching, remote learning and independent study - from multimedia lectures to interactive games and historical simulations.

Trusted by history teachers worldwide for engaging, curriculum-focused resources.

World History teaching resources for the high school classroom: lesson plans, worksheets, quizzes and simulation games for KS3, IGCSE, IB and A-Level teachers.

ActiveHistory is updated so frequently with worksheets, interactive simulations and other resources that it's sometimes difficult to keep track!
Here are ten of the most popular FREE resources on the site (the ActiveHistory Gallery provides lots more ideas and resources).
To get full access to other resources available to subscribers, please sign up for a free trial.

Online Strategy Game: Why did the Union with the American Civil War?

This simulation will help you understand the events and outcome of the American Civil War. You can play for the Union, the Confederacy, or against an opponent. A detailed worksheet is provided.

American Civil War

Virtual Interview with Winston Churchill - hero or villain?

The unit is designed to be used with Year 9 students (13-14 years) but is easily adaptable to other contexts. It develops sourcework and essay-writing skills, and the outcome is a detailed, structured essay answering the key question "Was Winston Churchill a hero, or a villain?".


 

Dozens of History Display Materials

You may find the following resources useful for brightening up your classroom. I recommend that you print them off onto A3 and get them laminated!

History Podcasts: mega-database

This @activehistory project links to thousands of podcasts. It's part of the ActiveHistory 20th Century Research Project.

history podcasts

Interactive Simulation: The Origins of World War One

A great way of starting the unit: complete with a range of differentiated worksheets, this decision-making adventure really gets students thinking about the important people, themes and events.

Origins of World War One

New History: Headlines, Anniversaries, TV

All the latest history news, blog entries, TV and radio programmes - updated daily. RSS feed / Email digest options also available.

newhistory

Harvard Citation Generator

Other citation generators need YOU to do most of the hard work - and only look for books. This one searches for books, websites and films. All it needs is a web address or a title / author of a book / film.

Harvard Citation

History Teachers and Historians on Twitter

 A fantastic way of building up your professional learning network - thousands of history educators and professional historians for you to follow.

History Teachers on Twitter

Recommended History Books and DVDs

A searchable database of books and DVDs, organised by topic and period - plenty of ideas for inspiration!

Planning a World War One Battlefields Trip

These materials help teachers plan a trip to the World War One battlefields of the Somme and Ypres. There are two versions of the trip available. Each one comes with a detailed student workpack (plus teacher notes) which opens in Adobe Acrobat Reader. There is also a detailed itinerary for each trip which can be opened in Google Earth.

World War One Battlefields Trip

Plagiarism Checker

Simply copy an essay into the box and click 'submit' to get an instant plagiarism report.

plagiarism

 


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Featured History Simulations

Interactive decision-making games, AI interviews and immersive historical experiences designed to transform classroom learning.

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Latest Additions

New simulations, quizzes, lesson plans and classroom activities are added every week.

June 09, 2026
IBDP History > Paper 3 Guide and Resources for the new syllabus
I have produced a comprehensive new guide for teachers about the requirements of the new Paper 3...
June 05, 2026
IBDP History: Curriculum Maps
This page outlines two possible pathways through the IB History curriculum, each designed to balance...
June 01, 2026
IBDP History Internal Assessment new guide for 2028
I have created a comprehensive online guide to help students and teachers prepare effectively for...
May 29, 2026
ActiveHistory new logo and layout
After spending the past few weeks focusing on uploading loads of new content for ActiveHistory, I...
May 25, 2026
IBDP History > new Paper 2 Guide
As part of my new IBDP History Hub, I’ve designed a comprehensive new set of resources to...
May 17, 2026
ActiveHistory Podcast: Eisenhowers New Look in Foreign Policy
ActiveHistory Podcast: Eisenhower’s “New Look” in Foreign Policy This podcast...
May 13, 2026
ActiveHistory IBDP History Podcasts Update
ActiveHistory IBDP History Podcasts ActiveHistory provides a comprehensive range of podcasts based...
May 09, 2026
AI Historical Investigation Question Generator
Historical Investigation Question Generator AI-assisted historical inquiry and historiographical...
May 05, 2026
The IBDP Extended Essay: New Support Guide
The Extended Essay in History: First exams: 2027 The extended essay is a formal piece of academic...
May 01, 2026
Extended Essay: Initial Proposal Sheet from ActiveHistory
Extended Essay: Initial Proposal Sheet from ActiveHistory Part of the new Extended Essay support...
April 28, 2026
Extended Essay: Student-friendly mark scheme and rubric
Rubric / Marksheet Here is a student-friendly version of the IB mark scheme, combining the generic...
April 23, 2026
Student Support Guide: IBDP History Extended Essay
How to Structure your Extended Essay in History After your supervisor has commented on one full...

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Featured Publications

Practical classroom strategies, revision guides and history publications by Russel Tarr.

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