A comprehensive pack of sources and questions in the style of GCSE/IGCSE examinations, designed to be printed off at the beginning of the unit and used as homework exercises over the course of several weeks.
Month: February 2011
20 years ago (28 Feb. 1991) The Gulf War ended – a ceasefire came into effect at midnight.
The Gulf War ended – a ceasefire came into effect at midnight – for more, click here.
60 years ago (26th Feb. 1951): The U.S. Constitution’s 22nd Amendment: this limited the President to two terms in office.
For more on this topic, click here.
The Suez Crisis: Roleplay Exercise
The Suez Crisis: Roleplay Exercise “In this exercise you will take on the role of a French / British / Israeli civil servant. Each of you will develop a particular area of expertise to share with the rest of the group. The group as a whole will have to decide on some key courses of…
Historical Anniversaries for March 2011
150 years ago today (4th March 1861) Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the 16th President of the USA 75 years ago today (7th March 1936) Adolf Hitler ordered his troops into the demilitarised zone of the Rhineland, breaking the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Pact 20 years ago today (14th March 1991) The ‘Birmingham…
Plagiarizr: Free plagiarism detector for teachers
I have developed a new plagiarism checker – simply COPY and PASTE an essay into it, click “check” and then you will get a full breakdown of any plagiarized phrases, with direct hyperlinks to trace where the text was taken from.
The Growth of Political Opposition in the Reign of Alexander II
After this starter activity based around a short story by Turgenev, I hand out a detailed handout outlining the growth of political opposition in the reign of Alexander. Students are encouraged to turn this into an illustrated mindmap. As an extension activity students could complete this worksheet based around Michael Bakunin’s “Catechism for a Revolutionist”
25 years ago (20th Feb. 1986): The USSR launched the Mir space station.
“The Soviets have opened a new phase in space exploration with the launch of the world’s biggest space station, Mir. The successful launch of Mir comes just over three weeks after the American space shuttle Challenger disaster, in which seven astronauts died….more“
150 years ago today (18th Feb. 1861): Jefferson Davis inaugurated as President of the Confederate States
Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War [more]
The Suez Crisis of 1956 – Background: The Palestinian Refugee Problem after 1948
Background: The Palestinian Refugee Problem after 1948 As a recap on the events prior to 1956, students use their textbooks to learn more about Al-Nakba (“the catastrophe”) for the Palestinians. There are teacher notes available for this activity.
40 years ago (15th Feb. 1971): Britain adopted the decimal currency.
For more on Decimal Day, click here.
Mysterious Manuscript’s Age Determined
No one has figured out how to read the enigmatic Voynich Manuscript, but now we know how old it is.
Finns to revive beer from 19th century shipwreck
Finnish scientists are analyzing a golden, cloudy beverage found in a 19th century shipwreck at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, hoping new beers can be modeled on an ancient brew.
The League of Nations in the 1920s: Revision Notes
A new Telescopic Topic created using the facility at www.classtools.net.
Sourcework assignment Pack: Causes of World War One
A comprehensive pack of sources and questions in the style of GCSE/IGCSE examinations, designed to be printed off at the beginning of the unit and used as homework exercises over the course of several weeks.
Timeline of Middle East events, 1914-1939, plus factual test
As part of my ongoing project to upload teacher notes for all major units over the course of the year, I’ve added a completed version of the timeline, and a factual test / completed teacher answers to this page. Much more to follow…!
Tuviah Friedman, Tireless Pursuer of Nazis, Dies at 88
In the months before and after the end of World War II, Tuviah Friedman tirelessly hunted Nazis as part of a militia in liberated Poland, and he reveled in his nickname, the Merciless One.
Why did Israel win the war of 1948-49?
Analysis: Why did Israel win the war of 1948-49? Working with a partner, students cut up these slips and then organise them under headings of their choice. Some of the slips may be arguments, whereas others may be substantiating detail you can use to back up these arguments. They should aim for 3-5 categories of…
Horrible Histories: The best laughs are on children’s TV
CBBC's Horrible Histories triumphed over its adult counterparts at the British Comedy Awards – and rightly so, says Gerard Gilbert
A medieval mural depicting Henry VIII has been uncovered by a couple renovating their home
Angie Powell, 57, and her husband Rhodri, 56, uncovered the 20ft wide, six ft high, wall painting as they peeled back wallpaper and mortar from their grade II listed home.
Are Revolutions Contagious?
Like a virus, revolt has spread rapidly over the last few weeks from Tunisia to Egypt, with additional riots and protests in nearby Jordan and Yemen and rumblings that Syria may be next. As alarming as the spread of uprisings might be, the recent chain of events echoes numerous periods of discontent that stretch back more than 200 years.
Victorian Entrepreneur Game – now with leaderboard / new worksheets
I’ve updated the Horatio Ramsbottom game with a simpler worksheet, a second test, a leaderboard and new questions.
Keyword checker: A tool for developing essay skills
I’ve been getting fed up with my IB students not incuding all of the topic keywords / terms in their essays. So I’ve just finished writing this program which checks how many keywords have been included with the click of a button. I’ll be encouraging students to run their essays through this before handing them…
History Mystery: The Princes in the Tower
An ActiveHistory Mystery. The “History Mysteries” lessons are designed as stand-alone projects which each last 3-4 hours. Through engaging historical topics, they teach skills of research, groupwork, structured writing. There is a standard teacher lesson plan and student record sheet / markscheme for each activity.
“Twister” – Create a “Tweet” from a fictional/historical character
This new 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…
