History and social studies
Analytical essay planner: causes of the First World War
Develop a historical argument that answers the question, supports claims with identifiable evidence and weighs an alternative cause before reaching a judgement.
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Teacher of History; Key Stage 3 History Coordinator
Joseph Turing
I want scaffolds that help pupils access a source at different reading levels while keeping the question and historical method intact.
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I teach History from Key Stage 3 to GCSE and coordinate the younger years’ curriculum. Our Year 9 local study examines post-war population change in the city, giving pupils a historical question rooted in place and evidence.
Document analysis is central to that work, but reading demands vary. I want scaffolds that help pupils access a source at different reading levels while keeping the question and historical method intact. The source should remain something to interrogate, not just a passage to extract a fact from.
After mock papers, feedback also has to be returned across many classes. I look for ways to make it timely and useful, so pupils can see the next step in their answer rather than receive a general judgement. Curriculum planning and assessment meet when the feedback points back to the reasoning History asks them to do.
How I approach a lesson
Use local sources to investigate post-war population change as a historical question.
Vary reading support while keeping document analysis rigorous.
Make mock feedback point to a specific next step in historical reasoning.
Templates I'd use with my class
Explore these templates and decide what fits your own setting.
History and social studies
Picture dictionary and vocabulary reference
Explain selected medieval England vocabulary, match historical terms with their meanings and use at least three terms in a short evidence-focused paragraph.
History and social studies
London is burning, 1666
Use source origin, purpose, content and historical context to make a supported judgement about how useful two accounts are for an enquiry.
History and social studies
The Space Race: timeline and significance
Sequence selected events from 1957 to 1969, calculate intervals and use stated criteria to support a judgement about historical significance.