Modern World c. AD 1900 - 1989
The following are a series of stand-alone lessons planned for specific topics. Unlike the other resources on the site, these do not rely on specific textbooks and do not necessarily form part of a larger scheme of work. All the resources needed for each lesson are given in a zip archive. All of the lessons have been tested with classes, however I would always recommend they are modified and adapted to suit your particular classes. If you have any comments on these or would like to let me know how they worked I would love to hear from you either through the contact form or via Twitter @AndAllThatWeb . If you have found any of these resources useful and would like to donate to keep the site free, please follow the link HERE.
First World War
Would You Join the Black Hand? (KS4)
This lesson looks at some of the tensions between Austria and Serbia/Bosnia. The final activity asks students to persuade Bosnian Serbs to join the Black Hand and fight Austria-Hungary. ![]()
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Why did the World go to War in August 1914? (KS3/4)
A straightforward causation exercise and a way of getting students to think through the longer term causes as well as the shorter term ones. A nice chance to look at different modes of explanation. ![]()
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Inter-War Germany
How did Hitler Affect the Youth of Germany? (KS4/5)
This lesson uses source materials to investigate the impact Hitler had on youth in Nazi Germany. ![]()
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Second World War
How Accurate is Dad's Army's Interpretation of the Home Guard? (KS3/4)
In this lesson students are asked to investigate the claims made by Dad's Army about the Home Guard during WW2 and then use evidence critically to evaluate these claims. Source evaluation and the testing of interpretations are key parts of this lesson. ![]()
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What was the Most Important Turning Point of WW2? (KS3/4)
In this lesson students are given 2 interpretations of key turning points in WW2. They are then asked to evaluate an interpretation by finding evidence which either supports or disproves it. Finally students consider the provenance of each interpretation before reaching a conclusion on the most important turning point. ![]()
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Cold War & Soviet Union
The Historiography of the Great Patriotic War (KS5)
In this short unit, students explore historical interpretations of the impact of the Great Patriotic War on the Soviet Union. They then use these to juxtapose and compare historians views using a "history dinner party" ![]()
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Design a Bond Villain - The Cold War Arms Race (KS3/4)
In this lesson students are given some background to the space and arms race then asked to design their own Bond villain, complete with evil, plot-revealing speech to play on the fears of a particular era in the Cold War. ![]()
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How did Khrushchev become the next leader of the USSR? (KS5)
Students look at the potential claimants for control of the USSR after Stalin's death. They then use the information to have a mock debate within the Politburo as to who should lead the USSR now that Stalin is gone. The resources give a brief overview of Khrushchev's time in power as well. ![]()
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The U2 Crisis Day by Day (KS4)
Follow the developing crisis of the U2 incident through newspapers from the time. A simple knowledge exercise but revealing the key parts of the story in psudo real-time to help students appreciate some of the shock caused by the crisis. ![]()
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Prague Spring: Why did Jan Palach Set Himself Alight in 1969? (KS4)
This investigation starts with Jan Palach's self immolation. Students are then asked to identify his motives for such an extreme action. The card sorting activity develops contextual understanding of the history of Czechoslovakia under Soviet rule. Students are then asked to develop a causal explanation for Palach's actions based on intentions, beliefs and context. ![]()
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