Remembrance Day, 11th November, enables the school community to think about the tragedy of war, reflecting on how it can be avoided and how its victims should be commemorated and supported. It is nevertheless a challenge to provide a fresh assembly and follow-up materials every single year (and for every single year group). With this…
Month: October 2013
Time Machine to the Middle Ages, new location, worksheet, sounds and video
Newly updated with new locations, sound effects, video clips and associated worksheet, and the ability to add a class list so that students can be the starts of their own adventure! Students should start the investigation by playing this decision-making game for one lesson. They need to find the missing pieces of their time machine,…
Researching and presenting the origins of surnames of people in the school
What’s in a name? – Researching and presenting the origins of surnames of people in the school In this activity, students research the origins of surnames of people in the school. They then narrow this down to the names which originate from occupations, and present each of these in a PowerPoint slide with an accompanying…
The Suez Crisis (30 Question Quiz)
Another revision quiz designed to help students revise the Middle East Paper 1 depth study as part of their IB revision programme. I give students 10 minutes at the start of the lesson to try to complete the quiz. Anyone completing the quiz within the available time gets a score based on the amount of minutes left…
Medieval Castles, worksheet and video
I have put together an extension worksheet for the popular “Interactive Castle Building Simulation” based around a documentary video that can be found on YouTube. My plan is to set this as an extension / homework assignment, especially as my students are lucky enough to have a school trip to Carcassonne as part of their…
Why did Germany and her Allies lose World War One?
20 Question Factual Test: Why did Germany and her Allies lose World War One? This ‘gap fill’ test ensures that students end up with a useful revision aid covering the main socio-economic, political and military factors from the perspective both of Allied Strengths and Central Powers’ weaknesses. This test forms part of the detailed IB…
Teacher notes for the Franklin Expedition Mystery Unit
These teacher notes are designed to accompany the History Mystery on the Franklin Expedition (which opens up my studies with Year 9 Historians). The “ActiveHistory Mystery” approach is one which I use with Year 7, 8 and 9 at the beginning of the year. It provides an engaging start to the course, and the outcome…
Google Calendar for Educators
This calendar lists important annual events that might be commemorated in school lessons and assemblies. If you think any important dates are missing, please let me know using the feedback form. You can easily subscribe to this Google Calendar with the click of a button.
Year 7 History Skills: The Body on the Balcony EPISODE 2, the Mystery Deepens!
The Body on the Balcony EPISODE 2 – the Mystery Deepens! With their curiosity inevitably piqued, students are now presented firstly with a photograph of the scene (remember, this is a genuine historical event). They are encouraged to distinguish what they now know for a fact, what they can deduce, and what they speculate. They then move on…
