The Domesday Book [2]: How useful is it?

This second worksheet encourages students to start thinking about “usefulness” as a sourcework concept by comparing the strengths and weaknesses of this source to that of the Bayeux Tapestry and (if they have studied it) the Luttrell Psalter.

The Feudal System

Students have to construct their own diagram of the feudal system based on examples in this powerpoint presentation. A sample piece of work from a former student is available here.

Hereward the Wake Cut ‘n’ Paste Activity

Use Word, Publisher and the net to reconstruct the story of this Saxon resistance fighter and produce their own report (c.1 hour in classroom, can be split into 2 sessions).

1066 Quiz

A new end-of-unit quiz for Year 7 students.

Castles Game

An updated version of the “Attack the Castle!” game for Year 7 Medieval Realms. 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! In this new version, students are asked factual knowledge questions as they progress, and then their…

Year 7 Medieval Realms: Was Life Good or Bad in the Middle Ages?

A new lesson plan to accompany the popular Time Machine Journey to the Middle Ages. Students are divided into two groups. The “Good” group approach their argument by producing a tourist brochure highlighting all of the great jobs, places and people in the town and the village. The “Bad” group instead write an angry letter…

Year 7 History Revision: Timeline worksheet

Revision of Events – A worksheet to accompany the newsfeed exercise; students are given a list of quick-fire events then have to choose 10 of them to place into a timeline to “prove” that the Middle Ages were either a good or a bad time to be alive.

Year 7 History Revision

A worksheet for Year 7 History Students of Medieval Realms. Students go through their notes on each of the key topics studied this year and decide which aspects suggest that life was “Good” during this period, and which aspects suggest life was “Bad”. They then write their findings up as an overall conclusion which distinguishes…

Place name challenge – knockout competition!

An optional lesson for Year 7 History. Students compete to see which group can come up with the most place names from a particular origin. Any repetition, hesitation or incorrect answers knocks them out of the competition.

Surnames from the British Isles – What do they tell us?

Year 7 Students research the origin of surnames of students / teachers in the school and either plot these on a Google Earth map (if the names originate from places) or in a Diamond9 Diagram from www.classtools.net to distinguish between high-status and low-status professions that existed.

Place names in the British Isles – What do they tell us?

A new worksheet for Year 7 History. Students are given advice on how to spot Celtic, Roman, Norman, Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon place names, research the meaning of some of the most famous places, then plot a whole series of them on a map to try to identify meaningful patterns.

Year 7 History: Medieval Realms Quizzes

A series of quizzes designed to be used as end-of-year history revision: Manic Miner: Medieval Realms Wordshoot: Medieval Realms Cannonball Fun: Medieval Realms Matching Pairs: Medieval Realms

Everyday Vocabulary – What does it tell us?

A new worksheet for Year 7 History. Why does the English language have so many German, French, Celtic and Scandinavian words within it? An original way of looking at the waves of immigration that have characterised British history in the past 1000 years.

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

Bayeux Tapestry Slideshow

View a series of Flash animations from the Bayeux Tapestry with analysis of their meaning. Designed to accompany the Year 7 History worksheet that comes with the Battle of Hastings Decision Making Simulation.

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…

Medieval Time Machine Newspaper Report

A new lesson plan / activity designed to consolidate knowledge after Year 7 history students have played the Time Machine Journey to the Middle Ages.

Year 7 History Skills – “People”

A new lesson plan / worksheet. Students brainstorm famous people from history, research one each in more detail, and conduct a lively balloon debate to decide on the “most important”.

Year 7 History Skills: “Time”

A new lesson plan / worksheet. Each student produces a timeline of their life and then a timeline of world events covering the same period. They also consider how different cultures measure time in different ways, and how Einstein showed that time itself can be slowed down!

Crime and Punishment in the Middle Ages

Crime and Punishment in the Middle Ages – A kinaesthetic history unit! Students start by considering how guilt was determined in the Middle Ages. They then engage in a role-play exercise where the class acts as a “jury” and the defence and prosection teams have to go through trial by water, battle and fire. Once…

Year 7 History Skills – “Historical Evidence”

A new worksheet / lesson plan. As a first homework, students produce a scrapbook of personal evidence consisting of photos, certificates, tickets and so on – but with no written explanation. In the follow-up lesson, the scrapbooks are swapped around and students have to deduce things about each other from the evidence that they have.

Medieval Realms: KeyWord Challenge

A new end of unit quiz for Year 7. Put students into teams of 4-5. The first member of the first team sits in the “hotseat” with their back to the interactive whiteboard. The teacher uses the “Random Word Picker” at www.classtools.net to choose and display a word at random on the interactive whiteboard. The…

Medieval Images of Heaven / Hell

A worksheet, with 5 interactive exercises to accompany it. Students will label different features of various “doom” paintings, then print them off for display purposes. In the worksheet, they will produce a medieval sermon trying to bring alive the sights, sounds and smells of hell from their investigations.

1066 and the Battle of Hastings: Quiz

New History quizzes covering the events of 1066 and all that – Wordshoot, Manic Miner and CannonBall Fun all available, great for an end of unit factual test!

The Norman Conquest of 1066 – Key Places

A worksheet to accompany the Battle of Hastings Online Adventure. This activity focuses on the main places of 1066. You will have to label key countries on a map, and explain the significance of other places already labelled on the map.

Main Events of 1066 – Worksheet!

A new worksheet to accompany the interactive decision making adventure on the Battle of Hastings for Year 7 History students. This activity, based around the Bayeux Tapestry, helps you understand the main events of 1066. You are given a series of pictures from the Tapestry, and you explain them using the Flash animations in the…

Battle of Hastings Simulation: New 1066 Game!

This very popular Battle of Hastings Simulation for Year 7 History has been completely updated with new decision points, new Flash animations and three new worksheets! Students take on the role of King Harold and take a series of decisions which will determine whether they keep their throne or die a horrible death by the…

The Spread of the Black Death

A history worksheet to accompany the Flash Animation on the site. Students produce a written account about the Black Death, then a graph charting the progress of the Black Death, then produce a full written assignment about the Black Death as a homework.

William the Conqueror: Family, Friends and Enemies

Worksheet to accompany the Head2Head Virtual Interview: Students interview William to find out what other people helped and hindered his career. In the standard level task, they match names to the descriptions. In the higher level task, they also categorise these into “family”, “friends” and “enemies”.

How did William the Conqueror rule England?

Worksheet to acommpany the Head2Head Virtual Interview a. Timeline Activity: Students interview William to find out what events occurred on key dates in his reign. b. Essay writing: Students then use this information to assess whether William deserves to be remembered as a good King.

What sort of person was William the Conqueror?

Worksheet to accompany the Head2Head Interview. a. True or False?: Students are presented with key points about William the Conqueror and interview him to find out which of these are true, and which are false. b. Reflection: Students then assess what sort of a man William was, and whether he is likely to make a…

What happened in 1066?

What happened in 1066? a. Mapping Activity: Students interview William about the main events of 1066, and plot the main events he describes onto a map of Britain / France. b. Essay writing: Students use their knowledge to produce a written peice assessing whether William won the throne due to his skill, Harold’s mistakes or…

William the Conqueror – Virtual Head2Head Interview!

A brand new activity for Year 7 History students: A virtual interview with William of Normandy, with over 100 questions and answers. There are a couple of worksheets to accompany the activity at present, with more planned ready for a formal Autumn Term launch!

Key Stage 3 History Skills – PowerPoints

Two excellent PowerPoint Presentations for use in the history classroom generously donated to ACTIVEHISTORY by Mr. Richard Fitzsimmons: Communication at KS3 What is Chronology?

What should I DO to get into heaven?

This worksheet makes the point that getting into heaven, for medieval people, was a careers choice – pilgrim or crusader, monk or flagellant – which route would have suited you?

What should I BELIEVE to get into heaven?

This worksheet is a true / false questionnaire which helps students understand medieval theology. At the end of the exercise they will know whether they are on a Highway to Hell or a Stairway to Heaven!

Medieval Careeers Advice: Christian Style!

Are you on a Highway to Hell or a Stairway to Heaven? By playing This interactive simulation students will learn about (a) The beliefs and (b) The practices of medieval religion in an engaging way. The game comes complete with a worksheet.

SPLAT the Medieval 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?

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 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….

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

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…

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.