So excited about our #historyteacher conference 'Teaching the United States in the Age of Trump' happening this Saturday 26th April - a joint endeavour between Nottingham @histassoc.bsky.social History Teacher Network, @uonsoe.bsky.social & @uonhumanities.bsky.social . The programme is packed!

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@richkhistory.bsky.social guess which lesson my Y9s were doing yesterday

Good way to find out that posting gif files doesn’t work on BlueSky yet

Tom Sims@tommole.bsky.social · 2y ago

Find the resources here: cutt.ly/VwGs9g11 The enquiry consists of 3 lessons - the first one is on the rise of Stalin. This is scene setting and gives our Y9s some context about the rise of Communism and the USSR. It follows on from their previous work on the First World War.

I got to teach one of my favourite lessons today, the story of Nina Lugovskaya. It's all told through extracts from her diary. Students were so captivated by her story and I now have a seven-strong waiting list to borrow my copy! I've shared the resources before on twitter, but will again below:

Lovely trip to Donna Nook today to see HUNDREDS of seal pups taking their first belly flops 🦭 🦭 🦭

I’ve joined the trickle/flood/stampede over at BlueSky. Same username (@tommole). I’ve not posted as much in the last year or so as Twitter has become so awful, so resolving that a new format will mean lots more sharing of resources and ideas. Please add if you’re there too!

A thread talking through our new scheme of work on abolition, beginning here with an intro to the TAST. Students learn about when and where the trade emerged, and analyse the role of different groups in the development of the trade. All resources here:

Making the most of @BruntsAcademy’s new library by spotlighting key texts and wider reading for our first half term, with recommendations from their teachers. These were dropped off yesterday and are already being discussed by our students!

A real pleasure to read my class’s homework postcards demonstrating to their parents what they have been learning about black British history. Looking forward to their contributions during Black History Month. Thank you to @Jmosley_history from whom I first saw this idea.

A huge double privilege to be able to present at #vSHP23 with @PartitionGroup's @MrsURizvi @pepe_hart about teaching Partition, and to bring the stories of three incredible people in Karam Singh Hamdard, Khurshid Begum and Haroon Ahmed to a wider audience.

A set of flashcards for the GCSE History Elizabeth unit. I find students like using flashcards but don't always include very useful information or use them effectively. I gave each student a set and talked them through effective strategies. Link here:

As part of a short enquiry on post-war migration, Y9 are looking at the local context (link: ). We start by looking at the data, before picking apart the limitations of this kind of source. Then, we look at two narratives of migrants' experiences... (1/2)

Fab session from @KatieAmery and @tenigogo_ at #HAconf23 on teaching African kingdoms. I loved the emphasis on the how the use of narrative reflects the African oral history tradition. And so many practical tips based around amazing enquiry questions. Cannot wait for this book!

I have a plan

GCSE Superpower Relations lesson on the collapse of the USSR, built around an extract from @VladislavZubok1's excellent book. Starting with @KatieAmery's 'judge a book by it's cover', then guided reading of some of the factors which led to the collapse.

The Sinatra Doctrine and collapse of communism in Eastern Europe for GCSE Superpower Relations. An analysis of events in each country, followed by a diagram showing the internal and external developments that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Resource:

A lesson on Gorbachev's 'New Thinking', looking at the features of glasnost and perestroika, and building to an 'explain two consequences' question activity. Lesson here:

GCSE History lesson on Reagan and the SDI, analysing a series of speeches and making inferences about Reagan's 'peace through strength' strategy, then investigating the events of the development of the SDI between 1981 and 1983. Resource:

Superpower Relations lesson on the consequences of the Soviet invasion, including the Olympic Boycott and the Carter Doctrine. Thanks again @DrElliottWatson for the really useful 'Drawn in 60 Seconds' video on the topic. Lesson resource here:

Ended a crazy fortnight by talking to @LiverpoolHopeUK trainees about our approach to teaching Empire, after TMHI with @JessWadsworth and a presentation on disciplinary literacy to @BatchMs’s TeachFirst trainees. All fantastic experiences but very glad to see the weekend…

Short thread of updated 'detente' lessons for GCSE Superpower Relations - starting with this lesson looking at the reasons for detente, and identifying the extent to which key events resolved the major issues of the era. Resources for all three lessons:

A couple of lessons on the causes and events of the Prague Spring for GCSE History - Superpower Relations. Made use of a nice template from @andyhassan1985 for the timeline activity. All KT2 resources here:

Hugely inspiring to listen to @KatieAmery at #TMHI talking about her oral history project on the Toxteth Riots. Always absolutely blown away when I hear Katie speak about the history experiences her students get, and so moving to hear how they feel about the project.

Consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis - summarising the different outcomes, and making a judgement about the extent they increased/reduced tension. Builds to a guided narrative account question response. Resource here:

The events of the Cuban Missile Crisis - considering how each of Kennedy's options addressed the pressures he was facing in 1962. Then a judgement of proximity to conflict. Again making use of the great 'Drawn in 60 Seconds' YouTube series. Link:

GCSE History lesson on the causes of the Cuban Missile Crisis for Superpower Relations. Students identify the causes of the Cuban Revolution, then use evidence to judge who holds the influence in Cuba at different stages between 1959-1962. Shared here:

Tried a new approach to tackle two things students normally struggle with the first time around - the details of the Hungarian Uprising, and narrative account Qs. Students gathered the info and organised it into a structure that replicates a NA question.

GCSE History lesson on Containment, Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan, built around a couple of @DrElliottWatson's brilliant YouTube 'Drawn in 60 seconds' videos. Resource link here: . Videos are here:

A lesson on the consequences of the Berlin Crisis of 1961 and the construction of the Berlin Wall. Students gather information then use that and a model response to explain two consequences of the crisis. Link here: