New Game: Worst Jobs of the Industrial Revolution

Careers Advice: Victorian Style! An interactive, self-contained game designed to teach students about some of the worst jobs in Victorian 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 – a great way of spicing up a unit…

World War One: Section Redesign

World War One: New resources and structure I added several new resources to this page of the site, and decided it was getting unwieldy, so I have now broken it into two sections: Causes of World War One Course of World War One Each one of these is now structured by topic (so it reads…

The Black Death: Interactive Animation

Flash Animation – Spread of the Black Death Complete with tasks. Allows you to examine the spread of the disease month by month in cities around Europe.

The USSR under Stalin: New Worksheets

More resources on Stalin’s USSR uploaded: PowerPoint Presentation – By Mr. Fitzsimmons C. Economic Policies: Industry 1. Introduction and Overview [student worksheet] [teacher copy] [PowerPoint Presentation] 2. Debate on the causes, course and consequence of the 5-Year Plans [student worksheet] 3. Assessment of the 5-Year Plans [student worksheet] [teacher notes] 4. Industrial Policies: A comparison…

The Peasants’ Revolt: Running Dictation Exercise

Interactive Running Dictation Exercise – Consequences: The Peasants’ Revolt A running dictation exercise. Students should follow it up by producing a biased newspaper report from either a pro-revolt or an anti-revolt perspective.

The Black Death: New Resources

1. Introductory PowerPoint Go through each of the slides in this presentation, asking the students to raise their hands once they know what the connecting factor is between all the pictures. Then, go back through the presentation a second time elaborating on each picture to give an overview of the topic and engage student interest….

Stalin’s Purges: New Worksheets

1. Introduction to the Terror – including an investigation of the key characters 2. Causes of the Terror – economic, political, diplomatic 3. Who Killed Kirov? – a sourcework investigation leading to a debate 4. Key Events, 1936-38 – political, economic and military victims 5. The Trials of Kamenev, Zinoviev and Bukharin – transcripts and…

The USSR under Stalin: New Worksheets

Agricultural Policies: 1. What were Stalin’s Economic Objectives? [student worksheet] [teacher copy] [PowerPoint Presentation] 2. Collectivisation: Theory and Practice [student worksheet ] [teacher copy] [PowerPoint Presentation] 3. The Ukrainian Famine: Sources and Questions [student worksheet] [PowerPoint Show] 4. The Ukrainian Famine: Individual Research Task [student worksheet] 5. Collectivisation: How successful was it? [student worksheet] [teacher…

Life in the Medieval Village: New Games

Games designed to accompany the Time Machine Journey to the Middle Ages and The Peasants’ Year activities: Social Life in the Middle Ages – CannonBall Fun Game Social Life in the Middle Ages – Manic Miner Game Social Life in the Middle Ages – Wordshoot Game

The Trading Game

Uploaded The Trading Game – an interactive simulation designed to teach students about what continents trade which goods, and what sorts of factors can encourage or hinder international trade. Could be used as a follow-up to a study of the British Empire, or as a cross-curricular link with the Geography theme of Globalisation. I would…

World War One: Interactive Quizzes

Three new quizzes – each one with 74 possible questions! Manic Miner Quiz – Causes of World War One Wordshoot Quiz – Causes of World War One CannonBall Fun Quiz – Causes of World War One

GCSE Crime and Punishment: Worksheets

A Series of Crime and Punishment Worksheets donated to ActiveHistory by Cathy Warren: Defining Crime: (a) What are the different types of crime? (b) How and why do different periods define crime in different ways? (c) How are laws made? (d) Nature of Crime – Practice Questions Determining Guilt: How do we decide if someone…

GCSE Crime and Punishment during the Industrial Revolution

Crime and Punishment during the Industrial Revolution – Worksheet designed to be completed over a double lesson; students are given a series of crime case studies, and decide what punishments they would have given. These are then compared with punishments actually given at the time.

Stalin and the USSR: Worksheets for A2 / IB

A2 The Rise of Stalin – Collapsible revision notes Worksheets on Stalin’s Russia: 1. Divisions in the party before 1924 2. Who should succeed Lenin? 3. Lenin’s Testament 4. What were Stalin’s Economic Objectives? 5. Collectivisation: Theory and Practice 6. How successful was the policy of collectivisation?

Medieval Village: Year 7 Adventure Game Updates

Time Machine Journey to the Middle Ages In response to member feedback, this popular activity has now been completely re-programmed to contain a whole raft of new features, including: a. Quiz questions throughout the game (which each student will only have to answer the first time they visit a location) b. Additional sound effects (even…

Early Modern European History: Worksheets and PowerPoints

Uploaded a series of PowerPoint Presentations kindly offered to the site by Mr. Fitzsimmons: Counterfactual History The League of Nations to 1930 Witchcraft Trials in Scotland Tudor Monarchs Phillip II and Elizabeth I Revolts in the Reign of Phillip II William the Conqueror Also, two PDF Worksheets from the same source: Charles V Phillip II:…

History Quizzes: New Developments

Uploaded a new Medicine Through Time game to Wordshoot; CannonBall Fun and Manic Miner Developed the Manic Miner Game to make the initial levels a little easier after feedback from members.

GCSE, A-Level and IB History Quizzes: Manic Miner!

Uploaded fresh “Manic Miner” games: The Era of World War Two Jack the Ripper The English Civil War The Renaissance The Treaty of Versailles Life in the Trenches The Liberal Governments, 190618 International Relations, 191939 The Causes of the Protestant Reformation The Life of Martin Luther Referenda and Democracy Pressure Groups Political Parties Germany in…

The Middle East Crisis

Yr9 The Middle East Conflict 5 Possible Outcomes a new worksheet.JigsawTable Exercise Possible outcomes of the Middle East Conflict

History Games: AS / A2 / IB History

Cannonball Fun Quizzes a. Russia under Alexander II b. Russia under Alexander III c. Russia under Nicholas II Wordshoot Quiz a. Russia under Alexander II b. Russia under Alexander III c. Russia under Nicholas II

Stalin and the USSR: Worksheet and Quizzes

Worksheet Comparison of the Stalin, Khrushchev and Brezhnev Eras: A useful revision aid in the form of a Cloze exercise; designed to be used with the CannonBall Fun Quiz or the Historical Wordshoot Game.

Nazi Germany – Quiz and Worksheets

Why did Hitler Become Chancellor of Germany? A complete one-hour lesson plan, designed to be used with this PowerPoint Presentation and this interactive quiz.

Phillip II of Spain: Worksheets

AS / A2 New Editable Worksheet Resources on Philip II   1. Philip II’s Foreign Policy[1]*   2. Philip II’s Foreign Policy[2]*   *All courtesy of Richard Fitzsimmons

Elizabeth I and the Tudor Regime: Work sheets

New Editable Worksheet Resources on Elizabeth I 1. What Constrained Elizabeth’s Foreign Policies?*   2. Elizabeth’s Relations with Spain*   3. Elizabeth’s Relations with Scotland*   4. Elizabeth’s Relations with France*   *All courtesy of Richard Fitzsimmons

Emperor Charles V: Worksheets

New Editable Worksheet Resources on Charles V   1. Charles V’s Foreign Policy*   2. Charles V and the German Protestants*   2. Charles V and the Holy Roman Empire*   2. Charles V and the Habsburg-Valois Conflict*   *From Richard Fitzsimmons

Government and Politics: Pressure Groups

Site Redesign Redesigned the AS Government and Politics Pages. AS Government and Politics: Pressure Groups AS Government and Politics: Pressure Groups Why do Pressure Groups succeed or fail? 1. What are the differences between parties and pressure groups? 2. Why is it sometimes so difficult to distinguish between parties and pressure groups? 3. How can…

The Catholic and Counter-Reformation: Worksheets

1. Introduction and Overview 2. The Papacy: Positive agents of reform? 3. The Council of Trent: (a) Background to the meetings 4. The Council of Trent: (b) The Decrees 5. The International Impact of the Counter-Reformation 6. Propaganda and Censorship in the Counter-Reformation

Medieval Castles: Interactive Simulation!

Castles: Defence and Attack A game of strategy: Spend your budget on your choice of features, then read a story of how your castle fares when faced with attack! Complete with worksheet and extension activities.

Stalin, Khrushchev and Brezhnev

Created a new page on Khrushchev and Brezhnev, and uploaded some worksheets: 1. Overview of the key figures Online exercises in Word Editable Timeline of Brezhnev’s Life The Brezhnev Era: “Big Sleep” or “Developed Communism”? [Synoptic] 1. Venn Diagram: Comparing Stalin, Khrushchev and Brezhnev

Causes of the French Revolution: Interactive game

Decision Making Adventure Game: The Causes of the French Revolution Would you have been able to help Louis XVI keep his throne? A major interactive decision making game for use in the history classroom, complete with a worksheet. Just log students onto a computer, and away they go!

Suffragettes, Suffragists and the Vote

GCSE British Depth Study, 1906-18: New worksheet What were the arguments for and against female suffrage? A  combination of general points and primary sources – excellent follow up activity to the interactive exercise. Women and the Vote: Sourcework exercise Complete with markscheme.

England under Protector Somerset and Edward VI

A2 England Under Protector Somerset – New worksheets and Resources: Interactive WordShoot Quiz England Under Protector Somerset Worksheets 1.  Timeline of the Reign For reference / revision purposes.     2. Key Figures of the Reign Complete with a task.     3. Introduction: England in 1547 76kb 4. Somerset: Character and Style of Government…

John Calvin and Calvinism

Khrushchev: The “Secret Speech” of 1956 WorksheetCalvin and Calvinism – worksheets A negative introduction (pictorial propaganda) A positive introduction (hagiographical propaganda) Civil Government in Geneva Was Church and Civil Government in Geneva a strength or a weakness for Calvin?

Running Dictation Exercises

Running Dictation Exercises: The Middle East Conflict The Latter Stages of World OneWordshoot Quiz “High Stalinism”: Politics and Culture

The French Revolution: Worksheet unit

Yr8/9 Completed uploading the worksheet unit on The Causes of the French Revolution, designed to be taught over three weeks. The complete unit now looks like this:     Interactive Exercises 1. Interactive Exercise By C. Warren at Rochester Girls’ Grammar 2. Interactive Running Dictation: The Fall of the Bastille An innovative activity designed to…

Head2Head Interview with Josef Stalin!

Head2Head Virtual Interview with Josef Stalin! A major new project: type questions and through artificial intelligence and a massive database, Stalin responds to your queries! With almost 200 responses, 150 suggested questions, and text-to-speech fully enabled, this promises to be a great addition to the site.

Time Machine Journey to Renaissance Florence

;Decision-Making Game: Time Machine Journey to Renaissance Florence A major new decision-making game: journey around the landscape of Renaissance Florence learning about the key events, characters and concepts of the period. Complete with a choice of four differentiated worksheets and a follow-up wordshoot quiz.

Gladstone and Disraeli: History Quizzes

Play Your Dates Right New interactive quizzes uploaded using the new format: The Life and Career of William Ewart Gladstone, 1809-98 The Life and Career of Benjamin Disraeli, 1804-81

The Storming of the Bastille

Interactive Running Dictation. This first example is on the subject of the Storming of the Bastille, and develops note-taking skills by bombarding them with a series of fast-moving news feeds accompanied by illustrations. I’d welcome members’ feedback on this activity – could it be improved? what other topics would lend themselves well to this approach?

Remembrance Day: ActiveHistory at the top of The Guardian’s website list!

ActiveHistory tops Guardian Education section’s “Critic’s Choice” list for Remembrance Day! FREE: The ActiveHistory “Life in the Trenches” Simulation is described in the following terms: “…a wonderful simulation of life in the trenches…it covers what life was like for the ordinary soldier – such aspects as food, lice, trench-foot, censorship and poison gas. There are…

Stalin’s Soviet Union: Quizzes

A2 New Wordshoot Quiz The Purges in the Era of Stalin New Worksheets Stalin’s Terror: What were the effects? Stalin’s Terror: The Process Winds Down

Reformation Woodcuts

Uploaded a brand new interactive exercise about Reformation Woodcuts, complete with Worksheet.

Stalin and the USSR – A-Level / IB History

The Soviet Union Stalin’s Terror: Causal Links, illustrated with examples Stalin’s Terror: Who Killed Sergei Kirov? Stalin’s Terror: The Show Trials – Overview Stalin’s Terror: The Show Trials – What was said?

The Henrician Reformation: Work sheets and resources

The Henrician Reformation Opposition to the Schism Sourcework: Opposition to the Schism The development of Parliament in the reign of Henry VIII The Reformation in Europe Erasmus and Humanism Other key humanists

Stalin and Communism: Work sheets for A-Level and IB History

USSR under Stalin What were Stalin’s Economic Objectives? Collectivisation: Theory and Practice 27/09/04 A2 New Worksheet – USSR under Stalin How successful was the policy of collectivisation? 25/09/04 A2 New Worksheets – USSR under Stalin Stalin and Industrialisation How successful were the 5-Year Plans?

Roots of the Cold War: Ideas (Ideological Differences)

Students complete each sentence in the table by trying to explain how capitalist / communist ideas could be defended, then produce an diagram / poster designed to illustrate the main differences between capitalism and communism.