Lenin’s Russia: Article Published in History Review

My article on “Lenin’s Rule of Russia” is published in this month’s edition of History Review (Sep. 2006). If you use my lesson bank of resources and worksheets on this topic, you will find this a really valuable addition to your scheme of work! Share this:

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”. Share this:

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. Share this:

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! Share this:

Head2Head Interview with Hitler: Completely updated!

The Virtual Interview with Adolf Hitler has now been completely updated and rewritten. His ‘brain’ is now 50% bigger than before, which means he answers more questions, in more detail, and with more accuracy. It has been a gigantic project, but hopefully you will now find he is more ‘intelligent’ than ever! Share this:

Causes of World War Two: Google Earth Tour / Worksheet

Google Earth Tour Causes of World War Two, 1919-39: An animated flyover A Google Earth tour, complete with a worksheet, designed to teach students about the main events, but also to encourage them to reflect on the shifting pattern of international alliances. [note: needs Google Earth to be installed!] Share this:

Middle East Conflict: Google Earth Tours

One from a Palestinian Perspective, one from an Israeli Perspective. Produced by Year 9 students at the International School of Toulouse. Click Here to see their work and the reasoning behind it. Share this:

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. Share this:

IB History: New web addresses

You can now reach the IB History resources on this site directly through the web addresses www.ibhistory.net, www.ibhistory.org, www.ibhistory.org.uk, www.ibhistory.co.uk. Over the coming months I hope to develop this area of the site substantially, maybe even turning it into a separate IB History website (hence the purchase of the web addresses) Share this:

IB History Curriculum Map

I have put together a Curriculum Map for IB History, designed to help teachers planning their course for the first time. This is how we teach the syllabus at the International School of Toulouse, and it might give you a few ideas. Share this:

Google Earth for Historians: Searchable Database

I have just created a searchable database of 175 resources in Google Earth. You can search by year group, topic or resource type. If you know of any other links that could be added, please let me know! Share this:

Drake’s Circumnavigation: Google Earth Flyover

I have just put the finishing touches to a Google Earth Flyover of Sir Francis Drake’s Circumnavigation of the Globe. The activity comes complete with 6 worksheets which you can pick and choose from to use with your classes: 1. Structured Questions about Drake’s Circumnavigation Students answer a series of questions based around a viewing…

Virtual Interview with Adolf Hitler: Major Update!

The Virtual Interview with Adolf Hitler, recently updated with a custom-made 3D face, is currently being updated with 300 new questions submitted by members over the past few months. This will obviously take a couple of weeks, so if no other updates appear during that time, then this is the reason! The final activity, when…

Testimonies Page

I have added a testimonies page from satisfied customers – a very big thank you to everyone who offered comments! There are still some more to add, which I’ll do next week. Share this:

Activities Index

I have put together a brand new page for the Interactive Games and Activities on the site, listing the most popular four activities per year group. Share this:

Running Dictation Exericse: The Siege of Constantinople, 1453

Perhaps the defining reason why the Renaissance took off in Italy, the Siege of Constantinople is also a great story. This activity gets the narrative across in a suitably exciting way. Complete with suggested classroom / homework activities. Share this:

Head2Head with Hitler: The Brain is Growing

I have just launched the first part of the new Head2Head Hitler interview – he is barely in power, but he already has 100 things to say! If you are interested in checking out this “work in progress” then click here. Share this:

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? Share this:

Liberal Britain: Simulation adventure

This popular game, central to the GCSE history syllabus, has been reprogrammed to run more smoothly in the Firefox browser. Several pages have been amended to add extra detail in response to visitor feedback. Share this:

World War One Simulation: Life in the Trenches

This simulation allows students to take on the role of an ordinary soldier and take a series of decisions covering the whole period 1914-1918. I have streamlined the programming of this popular activity so that it should now run more quickly and provide more detailed feedback to students studying this central modern history topic. Share…

Tsarist / Revolutionary Russia

I have recently updated and improved these pages with several new additions. The old section, which was becoming unwieldy, has now been split into two sections: (a) Tsarist Russia under Alexander II and Alexander III (b) Revolutionary Russia under Nicholas II and Lenin Share this:

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? Share this:

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! Share this:

Why was the Church so important to people in the Middle Ages?

This worksheet is designed to make the point that the Church was not all about praying and hymns, but was the social hub of medieval life. Students will design an attractive poster highlighting all the fun activities offered by the Church. Share this:

Virtual Tour Around Tsarist Russia – Official Launch

I have finally launched a brand new decision-making game about Tsarist Russia on the Eve of World War One This simulation is designed to teach students all about the strengths, weaknesses, successes and failures of Tsarist Russia on the eve of World War One. You take on the role of Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii, a professional photographer…

Head2Head with Henry VIII – Major update

The Head2Head Interview with King Henry VIII has now been updated with a custom-made 3D face. Many thanks to subscribers for enabling me to pay OddCast, the American software corporation, to design this great new addition to the site. I hope the kids enjoy it! Share this:

Stalin Head2Head Interview: Custom-made 3D face!

Thanks to www.oddcast.com for designing (and site members for funding) the creation of a custom-made 3D face for the Head2Head Interview with Josef Stalin. At last, the dictator’s moustache can be seen in all its Georgian glory! Share this:

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. Share this:

Historiography: Hitler’s Role in World War Two

A fascinating but rather complex historiographical debate, which I have aimed to simplify for students using this worksheet. The debate is initially distilled down to the AJP Taylor / Trevor-Roper clash, which is then broken down into its constituent arguments, and students are then invited to research the views of other historians in more detail….

Digital Video: Why and how can we use it?

A brand new article of mine, which is published in this week’s issue of the TES. Using The International School of Toulouse as a case study, it investigates how digital movies can be produced by students as a way of developing historical knowledge and skills. Share this:

Splat the Stalinist!

A brand new game designed for IB / A2 History students, designed to teach them about the significance of key characters of the period – how many can you SPLAT in 60 seconds? Share this:

SPLAT the Cold War 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? Share this:

Using Video in the History Classroom

This article of mine is published in the latest issue of History Review and offers some creative ideas on how to use video in the classroom as well as methods of digitising VHS and DVD resources for use through whiteboards and projectors. Share this:

A Virtual Tour around Tsarist Russia

I am currently working on a Virtual Tour Around Tsarist Russia, in which students will be able to learn all about the national minorities, political parties, economic development and key characters of Nicholas II’s Empire. It’s taking a bit of work, but I hope to have in launched within the next couple of weeks! Share…

SPLAT the Weimar Republic Figures!

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? Share this:

SPLAT the Nazi!

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? Share this:

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? Share this:

SPLAT the Interwar 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? Share this:

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? Share this:

SPLAT the Tudor!

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? Share this:

Weimar Germany Decision-Making Game – Part 1: 1918-21

This simulation is a great way of introducing or revising the issues surrounding Weimar Germany in the years 1918-20.The game is designed to “run itself” with minimal teacher preparation. Each of the 5 key decision points covers a different issue. By working through the activity and completing the worksheet, students will learn about the diplomatic, economic, social and political problems faced by the Republic, and consider how successfully the Republic dealt with them.

USSR under Stalin: New Worksheets

Why did the USSR win the Great Patriotic War? Designed to follow on from the interactive exercise. Students drag and drop factors to make connections and write up their findings. A series of worksheets: 1. Stalin’s USSR: 1945-53 – Industrial and Agricultural recovery? 2. Stalin’s Legacy: Did he corrupt or fulfil Lenin’s vision? 3. Stalin’s…

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. Share this: