Useful Features for History Teachers
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Quick reads full of facts and great ideas for your next history lesson!
- WW2The Second World War, the largest and most savage conflict to date in the history of the world, began in 1939 and ended officially in 1945. Still within living memory, this war saw the entire world fighting for peace, freedom and an end to the tyranny of German allied expansionism. After the First World War… Read more: WW2
- The First World WarHow did the assassination of one man lead to the greatest war the world had ever seen? By its end, nine million soldiers and seven million civilians had died in the most extensive, violent and world-altering conflict that had ever been seen in history. At the time the Great War, as it was known, was… Read more: The First World War
- The Victorian AgeThe Victorian Age Along with the Tudors, this is probably the most iconic age of Britain. So many of our current moral and ethical standards come directly from the Victorian era, and the older ones among us may remember talking to real Victorians in our grandparents and great grandparents. Beginning in 1837 with her ascension… Read more: The Victorian Age
- The Golden Age of PiracyFrom the south China seas to the Mediterranean, pirates availed themselves of poorly protected cargoes, earning riches and notoriety in the process. Famous names like Captain Kidd, “Calico” Jack Rackham, Bartholomew Roberts, Henry Morgan and of course Edward “Blackbeard” Teach struck fear into the hearts of sailors tasked getting their cargoes safely home. Piracy has… Read more: The Golden Age of Piracy
- The Tudors and Queen Elizabeth 1Probably the most iconic period in British history, the Tudor dynasty was the beginning of what we call modern Britain! The Tudors, and their immediate successors the Stuarts, brought us ideas, literature, art and architecture, and concepts of Britishness that still pervade our culture today. It was the time of Henry VIII, his six wives,… Read more: The Tudors and Queen Elizabeth 1
- The Medieval PeriodThe Norman conquest The Normans won the Battle of Hastings, but was it all fun and games from then on? Imagine having to move to a new country, learn a new language, and all the while worry about whether the English peasants were looking to kill you in your sleep! How do you even know… Read more: The Medieval Period
- VikingsThe Vikings With a reputation for fearsome bloodshed and vicious acts, the Vikings thundered out of Scandinavia in the late 8th Century AD and cut a swathe across most of Europe for the next 300 years. Britain was an easy target – wealthy, busy fighting amongst themselves and with too much confidence in the natural… Read more: Vikings
- The Anglo Saxon periodThe Anglo Saxon Period The period from the end of Roman occupation to the Battle of Hastings (circa 410 – 1066AD) is often sadly overlooked when studying history. Most modern books of Kings and Queens, for example, start with William the Conqueror, and forget that England had been ruled by a single monarch for over… Read more: The Anglo Saxon period
- Ancient RomeThe Romans and the Britons The Romans brought the biggest change to Britain since the last ice age, taking an island of warring Celtic iron age tribes and turning them into part of the vast and civilised Roman Empire. Of course it didn’t always go smoothly! Arriving first in 55BC under Julius Caesar, but being… Read more: Ancient Rome
- Ancient Greece
The birthplace of democracy, philosophy, medicine and mathematics, Ancient Greece was a culture that had enormous influence. Its legacy infiltrates every aspect of our modern life, down to the language we use to describe it. Ancient Greece is classed as the period from around 1300BC to 600AD, although the Classical Age, which we all picture… Read more: Ancient Greece - Ancient Egypt
Egyptian Influence It’s strange to think that even in the 1800’s most of Egypt’s treasures still lay under metres of sand. The nature of the landscape kept the ancient tombs and temples hidden from view until they started to be re-discovered by both the French and English during the Napoleonic wars. Artifacts brought back by… Read more: Ancient Egypt - Welcome to Prehistory!
Prehistory is generally defined as the period of human history before writing had been invented, of course that means very different things in different parts of the world. The Stone Age begins with the invention of stone tools around 3.3 million years ago, before Homo Sapiens had even evolved! Humans (as in Homo Sapiens), only emerged… Read more: Welcome to Prehistory! - 8 Facts About Bronze Age Britain
While the Bronze Age was buzzing in the Mediterranean and Middle East, it’s easy to forget Bronze Age Britain. Ancient history’s middle child is too often ignored in favour of its better known siblings, the Stone and Iron ages. But so much of what we think of as British today comes directly from the Bronze… Read more: 8 Facts About Bronze Age Britain - 6 Teaching Ideas for a Historical Christmas
Celebrate the holidays with these 6 teaching ideas inspired by Christmas through history. From the Romans to the Victorians, Christmas celebrations have always been festive and filled with wonder, and sometimes downright weird! - 8 Stone Age Facts That Will Get Children Thinking
From Neolithic technology to Neanderthal toys, here are 8 great conversation-starters and teaching ideas to get children talking about the Stone Age.