Free History Teaching Samples for KS3

How well do these cartoons cover the causes of World War One?

In pairs, Y9/GCSE students visit 9 different cartoons posted around the wall. They have to work out: a. Which cause is being ‘covered’ in each cartoon - sometimes two. b. Which causes are NOT covered. They are given a textbook diagram explaining the causes in the form of an...

Court of King Cholera: Where am I in the picture?

This activity works in two ways; it activates pupils’ prior knowledge in a fun way and raises questions about conditions at the time the chosen image, A Court for King Cholera was produced, i.e. September 1852. Students work in pairs. They are each given a copy...

Puzzle corner 3: the strange case of the missing slave

Pupils will find that this example of a black slave, painted out of an eighteenth century painting of a tobacco lord’s family, makes an intriguing starter to any lesson on the slave trade. They will enjoy ‘finding’ him in the portrait, thanks to 21st century...

Puzzle corner: The strange case of the steel helmet

A short intriguing starter activity for pupils presents them with a puzzle to solve. In the First World War, why did head injuries increase when the metal helmet replaced the cloth cap as part of the British soldiers’ uniform? The answer is not obvious at first sight...

Expert Advice: Key Stage 3 and 4 – Using the 4 Bs

Using the 4 Bs to encourage independence

You recognise the problem. No sooner have you set a piece of open-ended enquiry work with you initially as facilitator, than the hands go up. Please Sir/Miss, “How do I start?” “I don’t get this.” etc.

One department I...

Fit for purpose teaching Strategies at Key Stage 3

Personalising learning by establishing what students already know about a topic, before beginning teaching. Case study: Comparing students’ initial perceptions with their end-of-study study views of the First World War To build effectively on what students bring to the classroom, it is always useful to start a...

Battalion 101. Why did they shoot? A history mystery

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...

What can we learn about the Empire from a Christmas pudding?

This lesson starts with a simple fun activity, working competitively in teams to locate the source of ingredients for an Empire Christmas pudding using a world map to help. Pupils are then introduced to the changing nature of the empire in the inter-war years before...

What made runaway slaves successful?

This short enquiry enables pupils to come up with their own ideas about runaway slaves working from first hand evidence of adverts for the slaves ‘ arrest'. They work in pairs to come up with possible reasons why some slaves were caught and not others...

Free at Last? How far had the Civil Rights Movement come by 1963?

How far have Afro-Americans come in their struggle for equality over the last 160 years? With many schools operating a 2-year Key Stage 3 curriculum, it is important to offer a few quick overviews of topics you’d love to teach in greater depth, but simply...

What can we learn about medieval churches from the outside and inside?

This innovative lesson uses the gallery strategy in which pupils compare a range of fascinating colour images to discover what Doom paintings have in common. After annotating and captioning different individual scenes pupils compare their findings with text book summaries to see how much they...

Puzzle Corner 2: Analysing Victorian photographs: the puzzle of the Tredegar patch girls.

Beguilingly simple, but actually quite thought-provoking, this short smart task teaches pupils not to take things at face value - a key skill if they are to progress in history. In this example they are helped to understand that all is not what it seems....

Keystage 3 Free Samples

How well do these cartoons cover the causes of World War One?

Court of King Cholera: Where am I in the picture?

Puzzle corner 3: the strange case of the missing slave

Puzzle corner: The strange case of the steel helmet

Expert Advice: Key Stage 3 and 4 – Using the 4 Bs

Fit for purpose teaching Strategies at Key Stage 3

Battalion 101. Why did they shoot? A history mystery

What can we learn about the Empire from a Christmas pudding?

What made runaway slaves successful?

Free at Last? How far had the Civil Rights Movement come by 1963?

What can we learn about medieval churches from the outside and inside?

Puzzle Corner 2: Analysing Victorian photographs: the puzzle of the Tredegar patch girls.

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