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 first appear. The task starts simply and then becomes complex. Initially, all students have to do is to annotate a copy of the 1868 painting of...

SMART TASK: Medieval medicine. What can we work out from the picture?

A smart task based on an original idea from Lorna Hunter, of Swanmore Technology College.

This deceptively simple example of a familiar technique takes students from the known to the unknown. They begin by annotating all they can see in the picture, available on...

SMART TASK Key Stage 4: GCSE SHP Medicine: 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...

Smart Task: How popular was the Vietnam war? What can we learn from just two photographs?

This simple starter uses just two contrasting photographs, one showing the popularity of Johnson’s policy towards Vietnam, the other opposition to it. How can we explain the difference? Students generate questions to ask about each source before being given the answers on the PowerPoint presentation. ...

Hoover’s rubbish: Roosevelt moves in

Students predict what pieces of departing Hoover's rubbish policies Roosevelt might be throwing out

This lesson on a fairly familiar theme approaches GCSE cartoon analysis in a different way. Instead of showing the students the cartoon they are to interpret, they are simply given an outline, without the detail and certainly without the text. Using their contextual knowledge students...

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...

Raising attainment at Key Stage 4

This section of the site contains four different types of advice. There is general advice, outlining factors that usually explain success at GCSE and a short paper entitled 'Smoking Out Underachievement'. Then there are five really interesting case studies of best practice. Each has...

Squeezing the sources dry: how to make the most of source work in GCSE history

The downloadable six page document on answering source-based GCSE questions: matching learning strategies to question type, summarises the best advice from the examination boards all in one place. It gives you the sort of hints you should be passing on to your history students,...

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...

Attitudes of the US government to the native Americans: milking an image for meaning

The simple PowerPoint presents students with an image which has six separate panels for them to investigate. Only by exploring each in turn can the true meaning of the document be established. Groups of three or four work on each and either annotate their own...

SMART TASK Key Stage 4: Working out what the election posters tell us about Who Voted Nazi

This simple task engages students in thinking for themselves why people voted for Hitler in the 1930s. It uses the simple but visually appealing medium of election posters. Students work in teams of three to see if they can be the first to find 6...

SMART TASK: A Suffragette procession: comparing the evidence

New GCSE 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. The activity builds on an initial idea from the revised Edexcel Teacher’s Guide for the new SHP GCSE course. ...

SMART TASK Key Stage 4 Deciphering a Cold War cartoon, using the slow reveal technique.

The interactive PowerPoint presentation of the famous Stalin’ The Birdwatcher’ cartoon encourages students to add layers of meaning as more and more of the cartoon is revealed. They then have to guess the date from the internal clues, before seeing a detailed animated version. Cartoon reproduced...

SMART TASK: Using topical political cartoons to help with GCSE Modern World source analysis

This task, available on the downloadable PowerPoint is adapted slightly from the one provided by Andy Butterworth, Bridgemary Community school, Gosport. It engages students with analyzing a topical, fun cartoon and asks then to apply the same approach to one about the Treaty of Versailles. ...

Vesalius’ claim to fame. Using the B.A.D formula to prepare for a BBC interview

The BBC is making a documentary on Renaissance medicine in which they have devoted two minutes to the work of Vesalius. Unfortunately, their Vesalius expert is ill and they thought it would be a neat idea to ask two well-informed students to stand in. Their...

Prehistoric Medicine: Getting your GCSE course off to a great start

This lesson was taught by Mike Herrity when Head of History at Wildern School, Hedge End, near Southampton. On an OFSTED inspection the lead inspector pronounced the lesson quite outstanding and was so convinced of the quality that she saw no more history lessons after...

Why was this World War One painting censored?

Students studying Britain during World War One, whether it be for AQA, OCR or Edexcel, need to know about censorship. This deceptively simple lesson asks penetrating questions which both engage and challenge. Students analyse one of Nevinson’s famous paintings, Paths of Glory, perhaps surprised that...

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...

GCSE Modern World history: 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 football to tell the story. This quick activity, supported by a fully illustrated PowerPoint (with photos and video clips), uses football to mark out...

Marking the anniversary of the Wall Street Crash

To mark the 80th anniversary of the Wall St. Crash in 1929, the Guardian produced a simple guide to the crash told using 9 photographs. Could students do the same and then compare their commentary to the one on the Guardian site In the featured...

Thoroughly Modern Millie: How do we know this song is about Flappers? A quick musical starter

Students are given the lyrics of a song about flappers (copy provided) and have to find 10 references that prove the connection. The first is done together as a whole class; the other 9 can be found quickly. To help students visualise what flappers look...

GCSE SHP Crime and Punishment: The Metropolitan police force in 1830: SMART TASK

This quick starter uses the slow reveal technique which encourages students to explore parts of a cartoon in a particular sequence, before revealing the whole. Using the animated PowerPoint presentation of a British Museum cartoon, students have to consider the significance of each part of...

Keystage 4 Free Samples

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

SMART TASK: Medieval medicine. What can we work out from the picture?

A smart task based on an original idea from Lorna Hunter, of Swanmore Technology College.

SMART TASK Key Stage 4: GCSE SHP Medicine: 18th century surgery

Smart Task: How popular was the Vietnam war? What can we learn from just two photographs?

Hoover’s rubbish: Roosevelt moves in

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

Raising attainment at Key Stage 4

Squeezing the sources dry: how to make the most of source work in GCSE history

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

Attitudes of the US government to the native Americans: milking an image for meaning

SMART TASK Key Stage 4: Working out what the election posters tell us about Who Voted Nazi

SMART TASK: A Suffragette procession: comparing the evidence

SMART TASK Key Stage 4 Deciphering a Cold War cartoon, using the slow reveal technique.

SMART TASK: Using topical political cartoons to help with GCSE Modern World source analysis

Vesalius’ claim to fame. Using the B.A.D formula to prepare for a BBC interview

Prehistoric Medicine: Getting your GCSE course off to a great start

Why was this World War One painting censored?

How have cartoonists portrayed the Liberals Old Age Pensions reforms?

GCSE Modern World history: Using history of football to interest boys in Inter-war relations 1919-39

Marking the anniversary of the Wall Street Crash

Thoroughly Modern Millie: How do we know this song is about Flappers? A quick musical starter

GCSE SHP Crime and Punishment: The Metropolitan police force in 1830: SMART TASK

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