Keystage history

Y6 pupils play film detectives to learn about government propaganda SMART TASK

Using a short Ministry of Information film, which last just 8 minutes and can be accessed online here (please note…

Mayan civilisation – KQ6 – Additional information – Why did 90% of Maya ‘disappear’ around 900AD?

This article comes largely from the Historical Association website https://www.history.org.uk/primary/categories/934/module/8747/resource-sharing-hub-key-stage-2/9839/non-european-society Around 900AD, most of the Maya disappeared from the historical…

KS2 Islam -Today is anniversary of start of Building of Baghdad

If you are teaching Islamic civilization at KS2 you might like to watch a short podcast which looks at the start…

Brief 10 question diagnostic assessment task for KS2 Ancient Egypt

Pupils have to answer 10 fairly open ended questions for which answers are provided reflecting the knowledge and understanding outlined…

What history skills should we be developing?

It is often helpful have a short list of key historical skills which is neither too daunting nor too convoluted….

Spanish Armada: 430th anniversary- great lessons to enjoy for KS2 and 3

Those of you teaching the Spanish Armada at KS2 or 3, will know that today is the 430th anniversary of…

Teaching Stone Age to Iron Age at KS2 : Building your confidence

This excellent website offers you a very short, reliable summary of all the key points you need to teach to…

Trump’s woeful ignorance of own country’s Cold War history

I know we shouldn’t be surprised when Trump commits another faux pas, but I can’t help admitting that my hackles…

Teaching KS3 History: Significant world society/issue

Area 7 of the new National Curriculum for history makes it mandatory for schools to teach at least one study…

Why did President Truman drop the atomic bombs in August 1945? A study in interpretations SMART TASK KS3

This is a well-covered topic and most of you will already have your own favoured approach. For that reason I…

Fighting Fit. What did Florence do to improve the lives of the soldiers when she arrived in the Crimea?

In this lesson children compare the appalling conditions in the hospitals on Florence’s arrival at Scutari. With the help of…

Planning for teaching Ancient Greece KS2

The main foci throughout this planner are: Ideas, Beliefs, Attitudes (especially the role of women); Way of life (contrasting Athens…

Using drama to teach the Gunpowder Plot at KS1: a big hat, a lantern and a sleeping guard

You may choose to use drama for any number of reasons. You might simply want to recap the story. Perhaps…

Ignorant minister Nick Gibb says history teachers don’t use textbooks

Nick Gibb climbed on his hobby horse again this week and criticised teachers for not using textbooks more. The replacement…

Bringing GCSE Crime and Punishment right up-to-date

Latest statistics prove invaluable when making comparisons across time Today, fewer than 5% of street robberies and burglaries are being…

Great new GCSE Crime and Punishment resource

Some of the world’s first police mugshots have been revealed showing criminals caught more than 150 years ago, including the…

Ancient Greece – KQ1 Part 1 – How can we possibly know so much about the Ancient Greeks who lived over 2,500 years ago?

Any study of ancient Greek society must begin with an appreciation of the physical features of Greece. Landform and climate…

Only 1 in 50 children can spot fake news-teach them history

According to a survey published today only 1 in 50 primary pupils have sharp enough critical skills to detect fake…

Ancient Greece – KQ1 Part 2 – Theseus and the Minotaur: Is there any evidence for the legend?

This KS2 smart task places pupils in the role of detectives trying to prove that the legend of Theseus and…

Ancient Greece – KQ1 Part 2 – Background information

This short article provides some background information to support your teaching of Key Question 1 Part 2. Set the lesson…

Ancient Greece – KQ2 Part 1 – What can we work out about everyday life in Ancient Athens?

There are three distinct parts to Key Question 2 but each centrally based around the need for pupils to use…

Ancient Greece – KQ2 Part 2 – Ancient Greek vases: the answer lies on the pot

This KS2 history lesson, in which the decoration of a Greek pot is slowly revealed, features two cracking activities designed…

Ancient Greece – KQ2 Part 3 – What was life like for women in Ancient Greece?

This simple lesson on life for women in Ancient Greece, based around a PowerPoint presentation, makes an excellent contribution to…

Ancient Greece – KQ3 Part 1 – Why was Athens able to be so strong in the 5th and 6th century BC?

As well as recapping Athens’ natural advantages (coastline to trade by sea, expand into colonies and capture slaves) and their…

Ancient Greece – KQ3 Part 2 – The Battle of Marathon. A history mystery

This lesson on the Battle of Marathon makes a major contribution to pupils’ thinking skills. They are presented with a…

Ancient Greece – KQ3 Part 3 – comparing six contrasting interpretations of the original Marathon run

Interesting session comparing six contrasting interpretations of the original Marathon run, followed by analysis of which to believe and understanding…

Ancient Greece – KQ3 Part 3 – Additional Information – 10 Things Your Pupils Need To Know About Pheidippides ’Marathon’ Run

1. Herodotus makes no mention of the run from Marathon to Athens The principal source for the battle of Marathon…

Ancient Greece – KQ3 Part 4 – Consequences of the battle of Marathon: Bells and whistles – Smart task

Really fun lesson called bells and whistles in which team have to make the appropriate sound depending on whether the…

Excellent short video on Hardwick house for your enquiry on Tudor homes

Although designed for GCSE students i have watched the 3 minute video a number of times and its perfect for…

Ancient Greece – KQ4 Part 1 – role play on building the Parthenon

This full lesson is a role-play activity looking at Greek democracy in the context of the rebuilding of the Parthenon….

When outstanding is not outstanding

Ofsted’s director of corporate strategy, Luke Tryl, said yesterday: “What we can’t tell is if the levels of education in…

At last OFSTED is seeing sense with its lesson observations

For 7 of the most miserable years of my professional life, I had to carry out OFSTED inspections. Not because…

KS1 pupils’ work on Great Fire and Florence Nightingale assessed

You have told us that you need more help on assessment at KS1. So we have now gone beyond principles,…

How to get high quality written answers from your KS2 pupils

As we all know, developing pupils’ extended written answers requires structures preparation. Pupils need to develop their own thinking on…

Gove’s reply to my letter criticising his inane proposals for NC history,sent via my MP

You might be interested in Gove’s response to my criticism of the new NC proposals, sent via my local MP….

Gove’s attacks on ‘infantilised’ history teaching: sign of desperate man

Gove ridiculous lampooning of a couple of Russell Tarr and the Historical Associations’s suggested learning activities for history has all…

Top Tips for teaching….Stone Age to Iron Age

Stone Age to Iron Age The British Isles has been populated by humans for 750.000 years but only became an…

What have the Anglo-Saxons ever done for us? Some KS2 answers

If you asked Michael Wood what the Anglo-Saxons ever did for us he would give a very full and erudite…

Using data to improve history teaching and learning at Key Stage 1

Given that there is no subject-specific data on history at KS1 this might seem a strange inclusion on the site. …

History teachers take lead in helping pupils spot fake news

Learning to identify fake news online requires a set of skills and knowledge that help you evaluate information. You also…

Fun anachronism-spotting activity set in 1796, for GCSE History of Medicine

Most anachronism activities used in schools are the rather naff ones put before Y7 pupils in an introduction to What…

Outstanding new KS2 Tudor Britain planner now available

If any of you have been waiting for the new up-dated Tudor planner, you can now request it via email…

Transported for defacing this bridge in the 1820s

Transportation; what questions can we raise and answer from the statistics?

This is the first of two lessons on transportation and owes its genesis to an idea from Richard McFahn when…

SMART TASK: A history puzzle – Opening up of the Western frontier by the railroads. A history mystery

This history puzzle focuses on a well-known painting, Across the Continent, but one which is actually more puzzling than might at…

SMART TASK: Why were mining towns such lawless places?

This is a very straightforward, yet highly effective task which asks students to distinguish between the generic and the specific,…

The likely impact of the Railroad: time for de Bono’s thinking hats and some creative products

Students are taken back to the year 1860 before there was a transcontinental railway. They are asked to speculate about…

Was the life of a cowboy really so adventurous?

This lesson draws heavily on the ideas of Sarah Herrity, Advanced Skills Teacher, Wyvern Technology College, near Winchester. It moves…

Who went west and why?

This lesson worked really well with lower attaining Y10 students who had already studied the Plains Indians and the contact between…

Teaching GCSE History: Changing Warfare (Edexcel)

This SHP option, offered by Edexcel only, builds on the success of the A2 paper for which colleges such as…

Teaching GCSE History: Media Through Time

Your best place to start is undoubtedly the AQA scheme of work which offers learning foci for each of the three strands….

Keystage history

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