The ability to select, prioritise, categorise and link evidence is a valuable skill that students learn in History. It is also highly transferable to other subjects. Using hexagons is a particularly simple and effective way of developing these skills. Read a detailed case study here. I have created an Online Hexagons Generator at ClassTools.net. …
Month: January 2015
Tic Tac Know
Great idea by @sallyluane: ‘Tic Tac Know’: Write a grid of keywords. Each student gets a point for each sentence they construct using all the words in a particular horizontal / vertical / diagonal line. Taking it further: Get the students to decide upon the words. If more than one student opts for the same…
Rival interpretations
To assess the causes, consequences or significance of an event, ask students to produce an answer from the perspective of one or more particular witnesses. For example, How would the Kaiser’s explanation of Origins of World War One differ from that of the British Prime Minister? How would Hitler explain his rise to power? How would this compare…
“Wheel of Life” Template
A simple, visual way to evaluate historical and literary characters from more than one perspective! Students choose a fictional or historical character to evaluate and write their name into the template. Decide on at least 4, but up to 8, ways to rate your historical/fictional character (e.g. loyalty, friendliness, intelligence, determination, tolerance – this is…
Causes of the French Revolution – Research and Presentation Task | Sample Presentation
Causes of the French Revolution Research and Presentation Task | Sample Presentation Students study some sample examiners’ markschemes for questions relating to the causes of the French Revolution to analyse what appear to be the central factors identified. They then watch a 30-minute video to develop their understanding further. They organise their findings under key headings, then each student…
TeachMeet, TeachEat, and much more besides…
Last week I flew out from Toulouse to London on Thursday afternoon with Estelle Ash and Simon Gregg for a busy weekend of events, meetings and great conversations with fellow educators. The full details of my trip are here.
Teacher Introductory PowerPoint – Causes of the French Revolution
Causes of the French Revolution Teacher Introductory PowerPoint A series of images designed to get students thinking firstly about what the topic for study is going to be, and then highlighting some of the key issues surrounding it – in particular, what the central causes of the French Revolution were, how far it delivered on…
Sourcework Skills Overlay Template
This resource is designed to help the analysis of sources. Print if off, cut out the central area, laminate the remainder – then place the source underneath and use a non-permanent marker to annotate as necessary!
Origins of World War One Sourcework Assignment Pack
Sourcework Assignment Pack 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. This forms part of the newly updated ActiveHistory Scheme of Work on the Origins of World War One.
The Rise of Stalin: A Sweet Roleplay Exercise!
The Rise of Stalin: A Sweet Roleplay Exercise! It is 1923. Lenin, leader of the Soviet Union, is close to death and the battle to succeed him is raging in the Politburo. Overview: This interactive exercise forms part of the ActiveHistory unit on Stalin’s Rise to Power. Students take the role of five key members of the Politburo…
Origins of World War One: Model answers and exam questions
End of unit exam-style structured question (there are also some model answers available in the teacher area – model answers[1] | model answers [2]) “Your teacher will choose one (a), one (b) and one (c) question from this extensive list of past questions for this test, which will take place in timed conditions next lesson. As homework, you should…
Mr. Men History: The Origins of World War One
Mr. Men History: The Origins of World War One “In this task we will convert the story of the outbreak of the war into a fairy tale. The background will be provided to you. Your job will be to tell the story of how events unfolded using your knowledge of key events”. This forms part…
Historiography: Quotes about the Origins of World War One
Historiography: Quotes about the Origins of World War One “A. For each quote, decide which theme it relates to: 1. Nationalism and Imperialism | 2. Alliance System | 3. Arms Race | 4. Colonial Rivalry | 5. July Crisis B. Circle off the best quote for each theme. Incorporate this into your summary sheet /…
PieCharts: Who was to blame for World War One?
PieCharts: Who was to blame for World War One? This self-updating Excel spreadsheet allows students to divide responsibility for the war between 6 countries in the form of a piechart, and explain their choices alongside. When printed off, these sheets form a colourful display and an interesting discussion point. This forms part of the newly…
