All parts of this site have been written or quality assured by Neil Thompson, who has vast experience of history teaching whether as OFSTED history inspector, the county history adviser to Hampshire primary and secondary schools or consultant and author for the BBC, DCSF and QCA.  Neil continues to support teachers by running national courses and works with teachers in schools.  He also runs school-based INSET and acts as 'virtual adviser' offering crucial support to new subject leaders.

• Free Outstanding lessons: well over 150 fully resourced actual lessons, judged Grade 1 by OFSTED criteria, regularly updated for KS1, KS2, KS3, GCSE and now A-level.

• Smart Tasks : shorter, enquiry-based activities for all key stages, focussing on P.L.T.S.

• Free Expert advice: covering all aspects of teaching, assessing and leading history at all key stages, written by subject specialist with deep knowedge gained through 18 years working as a Local Authority history adviser and carrying out over 60 inspections.

 

Free Outstanding lessons

Key Stage 1

Grace Darling
This is the first lesson in which pupils explore a new famous person - Grace Darling. The teacher sets up the enquiry using a slow reveal of the cover of Channel 4's beautifully illustrated book.  As you can see from the picture, parts of the image have been cropped to show only selected parts at any one time.  Using the clues provided in the picture, the children have to predict why they think Grace might have been famous. 

Want more? See brand new lesson in which pupils still image the different versions of Graces's rescue and work out why they are so different.

Florence Nightingale
Fighting Fit:  How Florence Nightingale improved the hospitals in the Crimea. Children will love the moving rats but will also enjoy annotating a painting on the interactive whiteboard.  This is one of a series of lessons on the topic. There is also a sample from a manageable '3 sides of A4 planner' for 6 key questions on Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole  that was produced in response to a request from a number of subscribers. To access the other 5 planning questions and all the other brilliant lessons and advice you’ll need to subscribe.

Seaside
How do we know what holidays were like 100 years ago? Designing an authentic Edwardian Seaside Poster. This KS1 history lesson uses the Mantle of the Expert approach to place pupils in role as historical advisers to a film producer.  Their job is to create an historically accurate poster which will trail the new film set on an Edwardian seaside beach. Please note that the complete lesson description and full set of resources can be obtained on the paid part of the site. (Side image of the seaside reproduced with kind permission of Heinemann education)

Mary Anning fossil hunter
This lesson moves from sequencing of images from the story, all provided in full colour, to asking children to make a human living graph to show the ups and downs of Mary's life. Great for thinking skills and developing emotional intelligence. (Side image from Stone Girl, Bone Girl by Laurence Anholt illustrated by Sheila Moxley is reproduced with kind permission of Frances Lincoln publishers)

Key Stage 2

Extending the website on Eric the evacuee
A highly engaging lesson in which pupils act as experts to extend the BBC children’s website on evacuation. But to do so they first need to role play a re-union of evacuees in which they reminisce about life during the Second World War. But was evacuation as happy as the BBC’s Eric the Evacuee suggests? Pupils grow to understand the reasons why we have so many photos of smiling evacuees when the reality was sometimes quite different.

The mystery of the empty Saxon grave.
This highly engaging lesson places pupils in the role of detectives. After a short briefing they have to work out the significance of the various clues found in the bodiless ship burial. They then use their deductive power to work out which of 4 suspects is most likely to have been the owner. All this is interspersed with a stunning British Museum slideshow and video clips. The lesson ends with pupils annotating an image of the Saxon king showing how they arrived at their conclusion.

The opening of Tutankhamun's Tomb: a reconstruction relay
Pupils have to travel down a tunnel of tables to see pictures of the inside of Tutankhamun's tomb. They must concentrate on memorising what they see as the gases inside the tomb only allow them 10 seconds before they must rush back and draw what they saw. This 'reconstruction relay' is guaranteed to enthuse even the most recalcitrant Y4 boy!

If life was so hard in Victorian cities, why did Wilf move his family there?
Using the history mystery cards provided, pupils try to make their own meaning as to why Wilf would take his family to an industrial city where life expectancy was so low.  The way pupils might think through the problem is fully discussed.  Having come up with their own explanation, pupils go into role as one of the five members of the family and articulate their hopes and fears.  They have to listen carefully to everyone's feelings so that they can complete a thought bubble for Wilf, his wife, and each of his children.

Henry VIII on the money (is still available to subscribers in the Teaching Life in Tudor Times section of the site)

 

 

 

Key Stage 3

Free at Last? How far had the Civil Rights movement come by 1963? 
Using the gallery approach students have to work out for themselves from a series of 8 photographs what each tells us about the methods used by Civil Rights activists. They then consult text books to caption the pictures and place them in chronological order.  The deeper learning happens when they create a living graph and compare how text books ascribe different degrees of significance to each event. 

What made runaway slaves successful?
Can you work out which runaway slaves were successful? A fun KS3 source enquiry, using original ‘adverts for capture'. Pupils are taken through a couple of examples in detail with the teacher modelling the thinkaloud approach so that they know the type of things to look for.  They then work collaboratively on a range of fascinating authentic documents to come up with their own ideas and suggestions.

Doom paintings. What can we learn about the importance of religion in medieval times from a study of Doom paintings?
This lesson is all about pupils looking for patterns and coming up with their own conclusions.  Pupils work in groups to investigate separate parts of one famous doom painting.  They then apply this knowledge to a range of other similar images which are displayed around the room.  What they are looking for are sufficient similarities to enable them to write ten sentences for a Wikipedia entry.  How does their account compare with the on-line version?

What can we learn about the Empire from a study of a Christmas pudding?  
Following an engaging activity in which pupils have to work out (with clues) where the ingredients for a 1932 Empire Christmas pudding came from, pupils look at what light a simple recipe sheds on the nature of empire.  Pupils are curious to know the answers to the questions raised and go on, in subsequent lessons, to attempt a class living graph showing the rise and fall of the British Empire.

Battalion 101: Why did they shoot? 
A fascinating enquiry into Nazi control. This lesson could be used as part of a Year 9 course or with the Germany module of Y10/11 SHP or Modern World. Students are confronted with moral issues and have to explain what prompted men to kill in the way they did - and the answer is not fear of reprisals. So what was it? Find out by working your way through this history mystery. I am grateful to Simon Harrison for extensively trialling, and then diamond-polishing the original lesson which makes a significant contribution to citizenship.

 

Key Stage 4

How have cartoonists portrayed the Liberals Old Age Pensions reforms?
This lesson takes a familiar cartoon but gives it an original twist. Instead of seeing the cartoon all at once, students see it in four separate parts, which in pairs they have to draw in turns. This helps them to focus on the details and just adds a touch of variety. Having quickly created their copy of the cartoon they then set about analysing it and writing their own expert caption.

Why was this First World War painting censored?
Students explore the reasons why Nevinson's painting Paths of Glory (© Imperial War Museum)appeared with censored written over it.

Prehistoric Medicine: Getting your GCSE course off to a good start
This highly engaging lesson makes really effective use of visual images from which students begin to draw sophisticated inferences.  They even get to hold a trephinned skull.  Not your average start to a GCSE course on the History of Medicine.

Just how important was Vesalius?
Students have to prepare a short to-camera presentation for a new TV programme about Vesalius.  Just how important was he?  Students are reminded of the B.A.D formula, stressing the need to look at the situation with anatomy BEFORE and AFTER Vesalius' time as well as what he did DURING the Renaissance.  They are presented with a copy of the Fabric of the Human Body which has been carefully cropped to slowly reveal parts of the front page.  With each revelation, students have to describe what they can see and then draw their own inferences.  To help them prepare for the interview, students have to win the Who Wants to be a Millionaire quiz offering four possible reasons why Vesalius deserves his reputation, which they have to prioritise.  Do their views accord with the text from the British Library?

Hoovers Rubbish (is still available to subscribers in the USA 1900 to 1990 section of the site)

 

A-level

Mussolini's foreign policy Active A level lesson on Mussolini's foreign policy in which students work in pairs to create living graphs, one showing the changing relationship between Mussolini Britain and France, the other Italy's relationship with Germany. Students compare their version with one in a popular textbook.

 

Smart Tasks

Key Stage 1

The Gunpowder Plot. Prove it using a gallery of images
One resource from a skilfully differentiated lesson placing pupils in the role of detectives that have to find evidence to back up statements that have been made about Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot. 
The Great Fire.
Can you help Tom and Jane put out the Great Fire?  Using an excellent new website from the Museum of London and project partners this lesson combines the very best of fascinating narrative and use of sources.  The children readily identify with the action involving the two children, but they also need to be able to use sources appropriately in order to help them put out the Great Fire.  A real gem of a resource imaginatively used.
Assessing Year 1 and 2 children’s understanding of how different going for a swim in the sea was 100 years ago.
Example of a highly usable short task to assess children's progress in understanding the past. 
What was it like at the seaside 100 years ago? From mime to movie.
Excellent cross-curricular approach linking History with Drama and ICT as pupils use evidence to reconstruct an Edwardian seaside scene and then film it.
Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole.  Who said it? / Who am I?
Short active task to see if children can distinguish between the contribution of Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole to nursing.

Key Stage 2

Can we use a Victorian census to solve the mystery of the famous family in the photo?  KS2 history lesson in which pupils use a census to work out who the people in the mystery photograph are, the first stage of working on more complex census data later.  All they have to go on is a 1891 census and 3 dying words of the only surviving relative!
Linking history with numeracy: a Tudor enquiry
More glass than wall. Pupils work out whether this is a fair description of the Tudor Palace Hardwick Hall.
Assessment of interpretations of Boudicca
One of the very popular short diagnostic tasks with mark scheme and examples of pupils work with commentary provided by OFSTED inspector.
History and literacy. Making sense of a letter from Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn
Can children search the text for words and phrases that prove the letter is a love letter?
 

Key Stage 3

Puzzle corner 1: the strange case of the steel helmet 
Why did deaths in the British Army increase when the steel helmet replaced the cap? 
Puzzle corner 2: analysing Victorian photographs.  The puzzle of the Tredegar patch girls
An excellent example of encouraging students not to take sources at face value.
Puzzle corner 3: the curious case of the missing slave
A fascinating example of the black slave painted out of a family portrait in the 19th century.
Court of King Cholera (with PowerPoint)
Simple starter annotation activity supported by a custom animated PowerPoint presentation.

GCSE

18th century surgery This quick activity asks students to explore the detail in Rowlandson’s cartoon called ‘Amputation’. They score one mark for each of the 10 labelled examples of relevant detail and 3 marks each for good inferences. If they can explain the purpose of the cartoon they score an extra 5. First to 20 wins. Accompanying PowerPoint, supported by teacher notes which give you all the detail you need to impress even the most able students!
Working out what the posters tell us about who voted Nazi? Students have to work collaboratively, against the clock to analyse a range of posters produced by the Nazi party in order to work out why people voted for Hitler. How far do the posters really explain the voters' motives? What other evidence would they use? Fully resourced with PowerPoint and teaching notes.
Opening up of the Western frontier by the railroads. A history mystery.  American West Mystery surrounding railroads and opening up of the west. Full lesson plan and PowerPoint to help thinking skills.
GCSE SHP Crime and Punishment: The Metropolitan police force in 1830 Very quick introduction to a cartoon from 1830. Using the slow reveal technique, each part of the cartoon is analysed in turn before considering the importance of date and purpose.
Marking the anniversary of the Wall Street Crash Students produce a pictorial guide and then compare their commentary with The Guardian's.
Using history of football to interest boys in Inter-war relations 1919-39. If you have ever found it difficult to motivate boys looking at the Inter-war years from 1919-39, why not try using this simple PowerPoint with photos and video clip to tell the story.
New GCSE Modern World USA: Thoroughly Modern Millie: How do we know this song is about Flappers? A quick musical starter
Using topical political cartoons to help with GCSE Modern World source analysis. This task adapted slightly from the one provided by Andy Butterworth, Bridgemary Community school, Gosport, engages students with analyzing a topical, fun cartoon and applying the same approach to one about the Treaty of Versailles.
New GCSE Modern World:  How popular was the Vietnam War?  Really effective starter in which students compare two photographs, raise five good questions and are provided with quick informative feedback.
New GCSE source enquiry. A Suffragette procession: comparing the evidence
British history source enquiry, suitable for SHP or Modern World. Whether you are studying the OCR unit, AQA or Edexcel you should find this activity helpful.
Attitudes of the US government to the native Americans: milking an image for meaning 
Students milk the meaning of an unusual image of white attitudes to the Native Americans.
Deciphering a Cold War cartoon, using the slow reveal technique  
Classic Stalin the birdwatcher cartoon which uses an animated PowerPoint to check all the internal clues have been grasped before explaining issues of provenance.
Medieval Medicine: What can we work out from the picture
Students are introduced to a woodcut image animated on a PowerPoint, one part at a time, encouraging prediction and thinking of part/whole relationships.

Expert advice

ADDED MAY 2011 KS1 Planning for a cross-curricular topic on Going to the Seaside.  A sample of fantastic NEW complete medium term planning showing how the Outstanding Lessons on the website link to the overall topic.  There are a lot of new activities and resources available to subscribers too.
KS1 Sample page of cross curricular planner on exciting new topic Mary Anning fossil hunter which links to the free outstanding lesson above in which children move from a human time line to creating a living graph. Excellent for thinking skills.
KS1 Cross-curricular planning advice, including a PowerPoint presentation on how to develop a cross-curricular topic on Man's First Moon Landing.

KS2 20 cool creative ideas / creative products for history. A unique set of some of the best learning activities seen in the last 10 years, including illustrations of the pupils at work and the materials they used.

KS3 Personalised learning in history at Key Stage 3. An interesting example of testing students’ prior learning and perceptions.
KS3&4 Using the 4 Bs to encourage independence How do you encourage your students to become more independent?  One teacher has developed a brilliant technique that really works - the 4Bs.  But what are they?

KS4 Latest advice on answering source-based questions in GCSE history. Just when you thought you knew it all, here are some great, fit for purpose, learning activities that have been seen to work, all carefully and systematically matched to GCSE question types and validated by Local Authority adviser and former OFSTED inspector of history. For all the suggestions click here SUBSCRIBERS ONLY
KS4 Raising GCSE attainment. Clear-cut advice from experienced inspector who has significantly improved history grades in the many departments he has worked with over the past ten years. Expert advice is accompanied by a wide range of case studies from heads of history explaining how they set about the task of successfully raising standards.