Was the Cuban Missile Crisis the closest the World ever came to nuclear war? Allow your students to investigate this question using protest songs, desk-top timelines and Geese.
How close did the Cold War come to Nuclear War?
Lessons
Was the Prague Spring another Hungary?
Similarity and difference is a key second order concept. Yet how often do we really teach it? Well, in this enquiry we compare the events of the Prague Spring with the Hungarian Uprising. You start by re-capping / recalling all your class can about Hungary. Next, your students sort out[…]
What were the consequences of the Prague Spring?
This enquiry looks at the consequences of the Prague Spring. It should be taught just after the enquiry which compares the the Prague Spring with the Hungarian Uprising and looks for similarities and differences. Your students will recall the events of the uprising, critically evaluate and categorise the aftermath of[…]
How real was Detente?
Starting with the historic The Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) conducted in July 1975 where USSR and American space men met and worked together, this enquiry covers the détente period of the 1970s while asking students to evaluate the degree to which this was a genuine period of “thaw” in the Cold[…]
Who was to blame for the Second Cold War?
The aim of this enquiry is for students to reach a conclusion about which side was to blame for the so-called Second Cold War- which ended the détente period of the 1970s. Starting with a graph showing US military spending 1950-1990, can your student’s use their knowledge to explain why spending[…]
Why were the people of Berlin able to dismantle the wall?
This enquiry uses the classic mystery enquiry approach to work out why the Berlin Wall came down. It requires students to come up with their own ideas and justify them using evidence. The stepped approach also reveals the evidence to them in stages allowing the story of fall of the wall[…]
Did Gorbachev kill the Soviet Union?
Mikhail Gorbachev has been viewed in the west as a heroic and bold reformer. But, in Russia many still view Gorbachev with contempt. Was it Gorbachev’s reforms that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union? Was the Soviet Union and its economy so out dilapidated that the collapse of the Soviet Union[…]
Why did the Soviet Union invade Afghanistan in 1979?
The aim of this enquiry is for students to be able to explain why the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979. It will train students in building causal explanations, in making links between causes and in reaching conclusions about key causes. This lesson is also vital as preparatory work for[…]
What were the consequences of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan?
This enquiry helps your students analyse the consequences of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. First they recall their knowledge about the invasion. Next they use a ripple diagram which allows for examination of both temporal consequences (immediate, mid and long term) as well as the consequences for Afghanistan, for US/Soviet relations[…]
Vidal Sassoon mystery: What was Vidal up to in the 40s and 50s?
As you know we love an enquiry led mystery. This short enquiry has all of the characteristics of a classic. The personal story of a celebrity hairdresser. A dark secret, hypothesising, the dripping in of evidence, the use of an interpretation which has evidence omitted. Neil and I taught this[…]
How much had really changed for women by the end of the 1960s?
This enquiry focuses on women in the 1960s and gets students to do some sophisticated thinking about change and continuity. Your class are tasked with working out how convincing an interpretation is. They categorise information that relates to employment opportunities, fashion, politics and finances. They develop a great overview understanding[…]
Why did American soldiers shoot at My Lai?
This fascinating enquiry gives your students an opportunity to tackle the big question of why US soldiers participated in the 1968 massacre at My Lai. What makes civilised men behave in such a barbaric and uncivilised manner? Starting with Paul Hardcastle’s 1985 hit, your students work out what the song suggests the[…]
The Falklands Syndrome: What were the consequences of the Falklands War?
This enquiry gets students thinking about some of the long-term consequences of the Falklands War. It introduces them to the war itself through a satirical illustration by Raymond Briggs, before sharing an interpretation by the writer Anthony Barnett. Barnett famously referred to the ‘Falklands Syndrome’ when describing British feelings of[…]
Black Britain: Was Lord Kitchener Right? Was London the ‘Place to be’?
Was Lord Kitchener’s recording of his now famous song about London an accurate view for the Windrush generation?
How much difference did Scarman make to the lives of Black Britons?
Starting with the The Specials’ Ghost Town, this lesson examines whether Lord Scarman’s1981 report made any difference to the lives of Black Britons.
A Radio Discussion about the history of Black Britain
Rather than essay writing, try this great end task: a radio panel show on Black Britain post-1945. Your class are the expert witnesses.
