GCSE Edexcel History Resource Banks: Paper 2

These packs provide a wide range of innovative and stimulating classroom activities designed specifically to cover key topics for the 2016 Edexcel GCSE specification! Each resource contains 20–30 ‘pick-up-and-go’ activities that fit into your lessons and develop vital historical skills.

This is no ordinary resource pack – it really is excellent value for money

D Taborda, Deputy Head & Customer
A wide variety of activities for students…
  • Each core activity covers a clear specification point and in specification order – develops students’ knowledge and understanding of the period in a logical way
  • Extension ‘discussion points’ challenge students and develop second-order historical concepts – vital for accessing top marks in the exam
  • Four types of keyword activity for every topic with student-friendly definitions for each term – help build confidence and familiarity with need-to-know figures and events
  • Timeline activity provides a fantastic visual overview of the time period ¬– great at both the start and end of the course!

The resource will prove very useful in consolidating knowledge as well as developing research skills

N Stanley, Teacher & Peer Reviewer
… that fit in easily with any lesson!
  • Clear teacher instructions for each task including suggested timings – easy to apply in the classroom
  • Most activities need no preparation – perfect for cover lessons or starter and plenary tasks
  • Answers provided, great for AfL or instant classroom feedback!

What do teachers say about this resource? (6508)

Very unique – I don’t think that I have seen a resource like it before... [Contains] a huge amount of activities in order to keep students engaged in what can be a difficult topic to grasp... It is so vast, this is no ordinary resource pack – it really is excellent value for money.

D Taborda, Deputy Head & Customer

This is an extremely detailed resource with a huge variety of topics available to be selected by class teachers. Given that this is the new specification, this is a god-send as it helps to break up the monotony of simply ‘chalk and talk’ lessons and gives students a range of different ways in which to access the content... This has been well written and will be an asset to any Teacher who uses this to aid their teaching.

D Taborda, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Does what it says on the tin. It contains a range of different activities covering the different parts of the syllabus. There are a combination of activities designed to get students being creative, alongside those designed as scaffolds for note-taking. Particularly useful for weaker pupils who need plenty of scaffolding and would struggle to access textbooks.

P Johnson, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Very good for lower ability students. Simple tasks, suitable for revision. A lot of time and effort has gone into producing this resource. It matches the specification knowledge requirements. There are some exam like assessment activities provided. Very much liked the timeline activity. Like that it provides answers for teachers who are new to the topic.

L Judson, HoD & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (6405)

I really like this resource pack. It seems well designed and thorough. This is the best resource I have reviewed so far... A very accessible set of resources to cover what is a challenging topic. This will save time, but it is more than just a set of sheets to save time, it is a really useful way into some of these topics... I think it is a really good resource made by someone who understands this topic and how to design clear resources.

B Armstrong, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

I was happy with the variety of activities presented to the learners. The resource will prove very useful in consolidating knowledge as well as developing research skills. The strength of this excellent activity is in the requirement for learners to think about the significance of the responses.

N Stanley, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (6476)

This is a helpful resource for those new to not only the Anglo-Saxon content but to Edexcel history questions. I love that there is a variety of activitiesI love the answers section which is useful especially to new teachers and non-specialists as well as a quick reference for more experienced history teachers! The discussion points are great for more gifted students.

D Childs, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

A neat resource which provides a number of activities for students to be extending their knowledge about Anglo-Saxon and Norman England. There are a variety of tasks which cover the specification as best as possible with a large number of accessible tasks for those who have SEND requirements. Overall, it will certainly save some teachers' time when planning parts of their lessons.
I like the task which asks for strengths and weaknesses for the successor to Edward the Confessor - this is important as it gets students thinking carefully about why the Witan made the choice they did and what pros/cons each candidate had.
I like the 'Castle' task - it may be simple but the students need to understand why the Norman Castles were unlike anything that had been seen in England before and what their purpose was.
Revolts 'Causes and Consequences' are good - an important part of the course as students need to understand the link between the two.
There are a range of activities which start with very accessible to more difficult tasks such as evaluations, sorting activities, evaluating strengths and weaknesses. A lot of the ground is covered and students will be well tested throughout the resource. It provides them with a good overview of what is expected and engages the students during what can be a dry topic. It keeps it interesting.
Having looked at the specification, it does carefully match what is required so students do not feel as though irrelevant material has been included.

D Taborda, Deputy HoD & Peer Reviewer