QR Code Treasure Hunt: The Events of the American Civil War

Print off these 20 QR codes and put them up around your classroom / school. Students have to answer as many questions as they can in the time available. The completed answers can be used to develop their individual research project stemming from the interactive simulation.

What should we call the American Civil War?

Students are presented with a long list of alternative names that have been used for the American Civil War. They organise these into suggested categories, compare their ideas with a partner, and then choose what they feel is the best alternative title.

What can we learn from the songs of the Civil War?

In this activity, students analyse the lyrics (and, if possible, listen to the music) of popular Confederate and Unionist songs from the civil war. They then have to produce their own civil war song to a civil-war era tune of their choice. Their objective is to produce a song which clearly explains the causes of…

Timeline Challenge: The Causes of the American Civil War

For this activity, organise the class 5 teams. Display the first event by clicking the button. All the students should copy this information into their worksheet. The first team can play for up to 10 points depending on their confidence. They have to not only identify the mistake in the account, but correct it. If…

History Mystery: The Causes of the American Civil War

This unit is in the form of an ActiveHistory Mystery. Through a roleplay, stimulus images and information slips, students formulate questions, speculate answers, then research for themselves to produce a report which is then peer-assessed against a standard markscheme. The full investigation takes 2 hours of classroom time and at least another hour of individual…

Interactive Simulation Game: The Events of the American Civil War

In this multiplayer interactive simulation, you will take the role of an advisor to either President Davis, or President Lincoln. You will be given a series of military, economic and political problems to deal with. Your first objective is to choose the course of action which you think your President took in real life (his…

GCSE Modern World History: Video

A 3-minute video I use to give Year 9 students an overview of the course. Further materials for Year 9 options discussions can be found here.

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”

History Mysteries: Lesson Plans, Worksheets and Markschemes

I’ve just launched a brand new section on the website called the “ActiveHistory Mysteries“. I have been trialling these with my own students this term and they have proven to be a big hit! If you try them out with your own students, and / or you have any ideas for other “mysteries” I could…

History Mysteries: The Franklin Expedition

The “History Mystery” approach helps students to formulate questions, work with primary sources, develop essay skills, and improve groupwork abilities. Through roleplay, picture analysis, written source evaluation, individual research and groupwork, students engage in genuine historical mysteries and produce a coherent and accomplished final report. I plan to develop a range of these exercises in…

History Mystery: The Franklin Expedition

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.

Worst Jobs in History: Victorian

This Victorian Worst Jobs in History simulation can be used as a stand-alone lesson, homework assignment or as part of a broader unit on “Was life Good or Bad during this particular period?”. The worksheet has basic activities for a 30 minute lesson, and extension tasks that could be followed up later.

Events of the French Revolution: Decision-Making Simulation

Part 2 of the French Revolution simulation. It is 1789. You are the French aristocrat, the Count of Camembert. You are an advisor to King Louis XVI of France. Your job is to give him good advice when he faces difficult decisions. The game is complete with sound effects and a worksheet.

Causes of the French Revolution: Decision-Making Simulation

A major update to this popular simulation, which now includes sound effects and improved playability. Students journey around pre-revolutionary France and provide advice to the King in the hope of saving his dynasty. Worksheets provided.

History in the Headlines

The latest “History in the Headlines“! This newsfeed is updated (almost!) daily. It provides a hand-selected digest of the automated newsfeed at ClassPress.net. This provides a great way of adding contemporary relevance to your classroom studies. Why not print some of the articles out and stick them on a news board? Or get your students…

Year 9 History Revision

A selection of quizzes and activities designed to help Year 9 History students revise the year’s work prior to their summer exams.

Origins of the British Empire

An example of how Xtranormal can be used as a learning tool: this project was produced as a homework project by one of my Year 9 students.

Year 9 History – Expansion, Trade and Industry

A new workpack to accompany the Coalbrookdale Interactive Census. This completely stand-alone workpack provides 5-6 hours worth of lessons and is a great way to develop sourcework analysis skills.

Napoleon Bonaparte: Hero or Villain?

Students conduct a “round robin” exercise, gathering information from their classmates after each student is given just one piece of information from this list. They then have to categorise their points and put them into a diagram using classtools.net.

The Tennis Court Oath

A role-play lesson. Students consider how they would have voted on each of the key issues discussed at the Tennis Court, then compare these to what was actually decided.

Causes of the French Revolution: Assessment

Students are provided with a list of possible questions for a GCSE-style test. In a subsequent lesson, the teacher should pick one question at random and the students write their answers in a timed exercise.

Tsar Alexander II’s Other Reforms: Introduction

Students get into role as government advisors and consider the merits and drawbacks of various possible reforms. They take a class vote and they can then compare these ideas to what was ultimately decided to reach a deeper judgement on the value of Alexander’s reforms.

Short Term Causes of the French Revolution: Marie-Antoinette

The teacher should start by showing students this PowerPoint Presentation of stills from the Kirsten Dunst film to decide what impression is being created. They then use the worksheet to decide how accurate the interpretation actually is.

The Edict of Emancipation: Sourcework Analysis

Students read through the Edict of Emancipation of 1861 and use it to consider the motives and methods of Tsar Alexander II. In addition, students are asked to consider how he seeks to allay the fears of the nobility.

The Emancipation of the Serfs: Dangers

The benefits of Emancipation are obvious – so why did it take so long for the Tsars to carry out the programme, and why did the prospect generate so much opposition? This worksheet gets students in role to consider the possible drawbacks of various courses of action.

The Emancipation of the Serfs: Causes

Students consider the main problems facing Imperial Russia when Alexander became Tsar, and how each of these could be improved by the Emancipation of the Serfs. A good way of providing an overview of the situation, and of encouraging students to link factors.

Alexander II: An Introduction

Students consider accounts about the assassination of Tsar Alexander II to start considering why he was a figure who divides historical opinion.

Worst Jobs in History

A totally updated version of this interactive, self-contained game designed to teach students about some of the worst jobs available to young people in Victorian, Tudor and Middle Ages Britain. Simply answer a series of questions about your personality and preferences, and get a full description of your perfect working-class job. A workheet is provided…

Create a Map of Imperial Russia

In this worksheet, students are given a list of cities, regions and natural features in Imperial Russia, a knowledge of which is essential for an understanding of the topic. They then have to produce a labelled, colour-coded map which they will be able to refer back to throoughout their studies.

Transatlantic Slave Trade – Unit Starter

Students are presented with a series of images of objects, then of people from different continents, and have to deduce from this evidence what the next topic of study is likely to be.

Alexander III: 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.

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.

Starter Activity: Arguments of the Anti-Abolitionists

Students read an extract from the “Gentleman’s Magazine” of 1789 and underline all the arguments the writer puts forward in defence of the slave trade, the considers how these arguments could feasibly be challenged.

The Slave Trade – Test

Students are provided with a selection of possible questions in the GCSE Paper 1 format (a. Describe, b. Explain, c. Assess). They are told that one of these three-part questions will be set as the end of unit assessment – it is up to the teacher which to choose!

Conclusion: How was the Slave Trade Abolished?

Students are presented with a detailed timeline of the process of abolition, and then provided with four different tasks to choose from which will enable them to make sense of the information. Students can choose one or a combination of these tasks to complete.

The Balloon Debate – Who was the most important abolitionist?

Each student is allocated a different character to research and to produce a wiki about. The class then has a balloon debate over several rounds to determine the overall winner. The debate from students at the International School of Toulouse can be seen here.

Starter Activity: Methods of the Abolitionists

This PowerPoint provides students with an overview of the actual methods used by the real abolitionists. How do they compare with the campaigns the students came up with for Alan Sugartrader?

The Apprentice – A Campaign to Abolish the Slave Trade!

Alan Sugartrader of the good ship Amistrad leads the abolitionist movement in your local town. He has invited ambitious young businesspeople to come up with a brand new national campaign designed to generate support for the anti-slavery cause. Using a range of sources and a structured framework for preparation, groups of students have to produce…

Head2Head Worksheets

I have uploaded two worksheets to accompany the Head2Head Virtual Interviews. These are designed to work “off the shelf” and provide focus and direction to students conducting their virutal interviews with Hitler, Henry VIII, Martin Luther King, Dr. Fox and Stalin. 1. Newspaper Interview Task 2. Truth or Fiction Task

Life on the Slave Plantations [1] – Slave Narratives

Students are placed in role as a real-life slave and read a first-person narrative from this sourcepack. They are then interviewed by the class, who records their findings in an attempt to determine the sorts of punishments inflicted for different types of “crimes” on the slave plantations.

Runaway Slave Advertisements

This PowerPoint displays a series of advertisements for runaway slaves. Students are encouraged to read through each to deduce the sorts of conditions that slaves had to endure

The Art of JMW Turner: PowerPoint Starter

This powerpoint presentation encourages students to analyse two of Turner’s greatest paintings: The Slave Ship and The Fighting Temeraire. Each painting is a great comment on the British Empire and its Slave Trade. A good cross-curricular link!

IB History, new syllabus resources

A new page outlining how I plan to teach the new International Baccalaureate syllabus as from September 2008, complete with links and resources.

Origins of the British Empire

Students have to copy and paste key details into the appropriate cells of a table which outlines who, why, where and how the British Empire developed. A great way of providing an overview of the growth of the British Empire.

Jack the Ripper Source Work

Maxi-sourcework assessment Complete with markscheme to test knowledge and understanding about the Jack the Ripper murders of 1888 (1 hour).

Other evidence about Jack the Riper

Students are presented with other key facts about Jack and use this to make their own deductions about the killer. These ideas can then serve as the basis for a lively discussion in class.

The Personality of Tsar Nicholas II

For IB / A-Level historians. Students should have a good understanding of the main issues and personalities relevant to the topic. This worksheet pushes things forward by considering the particular contribution of Tsar Nicholas II’s personality to the situation by looking at some primary source accounts and inviting students to form their own judgement.

What did Jack the Ripper look like?

In this worksheet, using witness reports from the crime scenes, students build up their own profile of the killer. How old was he? What social background? What witnesses can be trusted? Why are there such discrepancies between the witness reports?

The Geography of Imperial Russia [interactive]

For IB / A-Level historians. This task, which is best set as a homework exercise, involves getting students producing a map of Imperial Russia which highlights the range and location of nationalities, climates, time zones and natural resources. In this way they can reflect on the idea that maybe the problems of Imperial Russia were…

History Shop

It’s with a great sense of relief that I’ve finally launched the ActiveHistory History Store – a massive repository of history books, history CDs and history DVDs available from Amazon, organised by date period and by genre (historical fiction, popular history, history study books, history dvds). There are hundreds of resources available here which I…

Jack the Ripper – The Police Investigation

This worksheet introduces Charles Warren and Sir Robert Anderson, the policemen in charge of the investigation. Students consider a detailed list of the measures that could have been taken and try to deduce which ones were simply not possible at the time; which ones were possible but which were vetoed by the Home Office and…

An Overview of the Issues Facing Nicholas II in 1894

For IB / A-Level historians. This pack can be used by students following their completion of the simulation to produce a mindmap and / or a powerpoint presentation about the state of Russia when Tsar Nicholas II came to the throne.

Who were Jack the Ripper’s victims?

Students investigate the sad lives of each of Jack’s victims: Polly Nicholls, Annie Chapman, Lizzie Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly – and compare similarities and differences between them by construcing parallel timelines. Were these women to blame for the condition they found themselves in by 1888, or were they victims of the system?

What was the East End like in 1888?

In this worksheet, students are introduced to the terrible social conditions that prevailed in East End of London and make deductions about how these could have helped “Jack”. They are presented with a list of the problems and deprivations in the East End and consider how each would have helped the killer. They also analyse…

Black History – The Middle Passage – Simulation

Take on the role of a kidnapped young African in this simulation and see how well you can maintain your strength in the gruelling “Middle Passage” across the Atlantic in this decision-making activity. Complete with five different lesson plans. Part of an up-and-coming new Black History unit which I am currently developing which will be…

Causes of the Industrial Revolution

I have now added a new factual test to the popular “Horatio Ramsbottom: Victorian Entrepreneur” computer simulation. The game itself has also been expanded to include a new decision point relating to Brunel’s “Great Eastern” project.

Who was the most important person in the Industrial Revolution?

A balloon debate lesson plan and worksheet. Each student produces a single powerpoint slide as a key figure from the industrial revolution period explaining why “they” deserve to be remembered as the most important character overall. The debate which follows is a great way of encouraging students to link and prioritise different types of achievements.

Who was Jack the Ripper? – Simulation

Armed with the profiles that they have built up using the worksheet unit about Jack the Ripper, students go to this ActiveHistory Simulation which asks them a series of questions about what they think they now know about the personality and appearance of the Ripper. The computer then analyses their responses to present them with…

Video Worksheet [2]: Who were the top suspects?

This worksheet accompanies the final 20 minutes of the video available from Amazon. In this part of the documentary, the top suspects are suggested and the video narrator offers his own view on who the murderer was. This is a stimulating way of following the classroom debate and usually provides some lively discussion.

Coalbrookdale Interactive Census

I spent some time over half term completely rewriting the activities based around the Coalbrookdale Interactive Census of 1861. There is now a complete history lesson pack to accompany the searchable database, which I’ll be trialling with my own Year 9 students over the next two or three weeks. Hope you like it!

GCSE Crime and Punishment: New Resources page

Crime and Punishment Through Time – In response to member feedback, I added a brand new section to the site to cater for students and teachers following this popular SHP course.

SPLAT the Industrial Celebrity!

A brand new version of the popular game, now with a high score board – can you get onto the Hall of Fame with your historical knowledge?