Title: 20th Century Conflict

Key Question: Why do wars start? How and why did warfare change? What impact did war have on civilians?

Time allocation: 14 lessons (7 weeks)

Lesson LHS Content and Starter Main Plenary Homework and Resources 
Skill Focus Assessment
1. What was the Hand out books, Video clip from ‘days that shook the world’. Discuss why this one murder led Write a 
spark that set off expectations sheets.
the First World Copy title and aims.
Use Blue C.20 books P 7 to a war that killed X million. description of 
what we mean by Exercise books
War? Explain aims – Remind them we will be comparing causes of a ‘trigger’ or KS3 sheets to stick
Make the centre of three WW1+ WW2 ‘short term cause’ in
1 page mind maps for theLook at the events surrounding the murder – Read story on P7 Warm up cards
three key questions (see together. Why do you think this event led to WW1? – Discuss. Optional
above). Explain that Smartboard
these will be re-visited Show them the chain reaction sheet – (stick in) Blue C.20 books
through the year. Define trigger/ short term cause Chain Reaction
Sheet.
Who is to blame? Make sure they understand that Princip was a
terrorist, not part of the Serbian government
2. Why did Meaning of Introduce today’s aims – have looked at short term/trigger. Add to diagram – Why do wars Para – Using info 
Ferdinand’s death TRIGGER/SHORT TERM
cause the First cause
Today is LONGTERM CAUSES – what does this mean? Take
answers, discuss.
start. from today and 
last lesson, who or C20 Books
World War? Blue book P 4-6 FUSES : – Read through fuses one at a time. what do you think
For each one discuss and get students to explain WHY they was responsible
could have caused war –(raising tension, looking aggressive, for start of WW1?
threatening behaviour etc) After discussing each factor get them
to write their own summary of each one in the bombs!
3. Why did men Establish the two Introduce the key question (Why did men volunteer to risk their Distribute some more examples Design a 
volunteer to risk groupings of countries, lives in the First World War?). Get students to write this as the of propaganda – the posters. Get
their lives? and their relative military centre of a mindmap. Distribute the lyrics of ‘King and Country’ students to identify how they
recruitment
poster.

Figures on board
strength (see Smart (1 each). As a class listen to the recording of this song. As a persuade people to join up. Bar graph sheets
Notebook for figures) by class identify reasons why men volunteered. You may find it Either feedback as a discussion Lyric sheets
teacher talk and helpful to listen to the song again. Make sure that you use and or get them to write an answer. Smart Notebook
completion of bar graphs. define the words patriotism and propaganda. Set homework. (ideally)
Poster Pack.
4. How did boys end Students write an answer Watch the clip from the boy soldiers video. Write a letter to the government
up in the First
World War?
to the question ‘In 2006,
how old should you be Read through the Times article.
complaining about boy soldiers
in the First World War.

Video
before you are allowed to Times Article
join the army?’ Feedback In pairs complete these sentence for a boy soldier ‘I should be a AND/OR Handout
ideas before introducing soldier because…’ ‘I should not be a soldier because’ Smart Notebook
lesson question. Add to spider diagrams (ideally)
STRESS that the majority Feedback ideas. You could have a discussion of the rights and
of soldiers were of the wrongs of using children in war or you could start plenary early.
correct age.
5. What was trench The lesson needs to explain – What was Trench Warfare? Why Cut and stick exercise – Two short
warfare? did Trench warfare take place? The mechanics of a trench/
trench system and attacking a trench.
problems with attacking a
trench.
paragraphs – 
THEORY/REALITY Trench Warfare
on attacking a starter
Read through first half of worksheet – get students to copy the trench What is trench
diagram of a trench and complete the table – stick in the trench warfare sheet
system – discuss. Go through the theory of how attacking a Trench warfare cut
trench was supposed to happen. Give out ‘problems with
 attacking a trench’ sheet – Why might there have been and stick
problems with this theory? Discuss. Go through the reality BE Cut and stick labels
SURE THAT YOU HAVE EXPLAINED GOING OVER THE TOP in this
process.

6. What were the Trench Foot Poster on Source based group work with packs of resources and note Set and explain homework. Extended
problems with life board – How do you think taking
in the trenches? this injury was caused? .
Homework to
What to include ?– Use mind map encourage

Trench foot starter
Having discussed that trench foot was caused by simply being in as a basis. Structure, independenct Trench conditions
a trench, Introduce lesson and aims. presentation etc. research. booklet
Students should all be given resources and spend 20-25 minutes A survival guide to
looking through them – there are questions at the bottom of life in the trenches
each section that they should try to answer to keep themselves
focussed – they should make notes in the back of their books as
they go along.

Feed back and create a mind map on board with answers from
each group (put key question in the centre) Students should
copy into exercise book– 10-15 mins

7. Why did another Hitler – What do you Use Blue Books P Why does Hitler being aggressive None – due to
world war start in know?
1939?
Go through Hitler’s actions – Get them to explain how Hitler’s
actions come across using words like AGGRESSIVE,
and expansionist and
appeasement lead to war….?
Trench Survival
Booklet.

Blue C20 book
EXPANSIONIST, POWERFUL ETC. Put in mind map in ex books. Cartoon worksheet
Give out worksheet – explain that they need to read ‘What Source and
Britain and France did’ in pairs they should summarise each box questions
as simply as possible and put it in the space provided. Discuss
as a class what B+F did – NOTHING, TOO LITTLE TOO LATE
Explain that this was known as APPEASEMENT – write definition
into ex books and stick worksheet in.
8. Was Dunkirk a Source – Fill in questions Prepare for assessment source activity /background. Write down
triumph or a
disaster?
around it. Discuss
answers with class. Explain that this source is an opinion on the Battle of Dunkirk
definition of
Interpretation.

Dunkirk starter
and introduce aims – Was Dunkirk a triumph or disaster ? Why is From source Info and source
it difficult to tell? sheet- Why do sheets
Stick starter activity in book, draw table (you have master copy). people see Assessment source
The table has eight statements taken from source 2, students Dunkirk as a sheet
must examine which of these statements are backed up by the triumph?
evidence in source 1 and 3. They should tick, cross or put ?
Check results with class. What do the cartoons agree on? Why do some see
Disagree on? It should lead to happy/sad, triumph/disaster. it as a disaster?
Depends on
INTERPRETATION. Which view would
you prefer to take
Read info on sheet under ‘BLITZKRIEG’. Give out assessment for your
source sheet – go through and mark each source TRIUMPH assessment?
DISASTER. Why do these sources have different views? Can we
ever really tell whether it was a triumph/disaster?

9. Was Dunkirk a Prep for assessment – AS YOU USUALLY WOULD. Go through Assessment.
triumph or a
disaster?
expectations etc. Can start planning. 
Assessment
10. Was there a ‘blitz Students copy title and Powerpoint to show images of Blitz, get scale by comparison to Add to spider diagram
spirit’?
OR
aims.
Students try to write
Madjeski stadium. Adjectives to describe the milkman picture.
Come up with phrases the milkman picture is saying. Explain

 Why is it hard to down 10 adjectives to
know if there was describe the Dunkirk
a Blitz Spirit? evacuation.
that the photograph was staged. Plenary
Card Sort
Hand out cards of descriptions. Sort into yes and no continuum.
You could then go into a discussion of was there a blitz spirit
before moving onto the plenary.

OR you could get them to try to sort into most moving, most
important, raising the question of significance. You could also
reveal that all of the sources are from women/girls. You could
question the nature of the collection. This could become a
discussion of why it is hard to know or you could go onto the
plenary.
11. What was life like Group Work, source packs Each group will have two Extended
for people on the
‘home front’? This will involve taking down information about how civilians
minutes to feedback on what life
was like and how people’s lives
homework to
encourage

All year 9 books
were affected by war using a variety of textbooks and sources. were affected. independent Source Pack
research: How
Students should take notes on Bomb shelters, black outs, similar was life for
rationing, home guard, evacuation etc civilians in the
First and Second
World Wars?

I normally do battle of Britain, and a lesson on sheltering from the bombing. The home front generally seems an ideal topic for project work at home, perhaps as a follow up after talking
about how to use the internet effectively in the ‘Day to day’ lesson about reliability. It also needs to have the atomic bomb and therefore Pearl Harbor. Oh and this might be a good place to do
a lesson on different ethnic groups – eg Poles in Battle of Britain, Empire contribution ‘Was Britain alone in 1940?’ – good website for this is www.wewerethere.defencedynamics.mod.uk
Have resources for some of these things if you want.