Teaching Activities

Try the following with your students:

1. Get students to plan any one of the additional questions using first a linear approach and then a mind map. They should then compare the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. Hopefully, they will come to realise that mind mapping will allow them to produce a more analytical, evaluative, focused and balanced response.

2. Ask students to write an answer to any one of the additional questions in just two sentences. This will get them to think about how to arrive at a solid but balanced judgement concerning a specific historical problem.

3. Ask students to write a question-specific mark scheme for any of the additional questions. They should do this by using their own knowledge, the Chronology and the generic mark scheme.

4. Provide students with one paragraph to an answer to one of the additional questions. Tell them that a typical paragraph should:
a) make a specific point
b) explain the point
c) contain supporting material for the explanation
d) contain evaluation of supporting material if appropriate
e) finish with a sentence that forms a link to the next paragraph.
Ask students to deconstruct the prewritten paragraph by identifying the different components outlined above. Numbers, letters and/or different colours (to underline/identify key words and sentences) can be used to do this.