Recent weeks have been the most difficult of our lives. On 1/6/2024 our daughter Lily Grace Fitzgibbon was born asleep. We’re grateful for the time we got to spend with her but our hearts are broken. We’re keen to keep Lily’s memory alive and support those who face what we have.

‘Clip sheets’ have become a staple for all Key stages. Closed questions to ensure key information is extracted, can be easily referred to after the lesson for revision and logistically a no brainer for cover. Simple but effective. #historyteacher ✅🎥

We’ve adapted our ‘Classwork Check Up’ sheet to a termly version. The whole year on one sheet! Mainly to reduce workload yet maintain standards. Verbal reviews, feedback and prompts take place daily but this acts as a defined milestone for both staff/students. #historyteacher

Mini whiteboards have been perfect for date and event recall. Interleaving with crime and punishment and Elizabeth whilst tackling Weimar Germany. Useful to have this format on the main board as a visual for questioning or to adapt as a written test. #historyteacher

Thoughts return to work after a great Summer and the arrival of another baby girl Lyla ❤️. Keen to be more organised and have seen HoD’s use departmental bulletins as one point of reference for info. I’m attempting a monthly version. We’ll see how long it lasts! #historyteacher

It’s been great having big A Level numbers. However, the mark load is 🤯, so it’s been whole class feedback all the way! Numbered points for strengths/improvements with student reflection, SPAG and mark scheme. E.g. strengths 1,3,4 and improvements 4,5. #historyteacher

Big steps taken with the Y9 Mao’s China SOW. Daunting to start with, but getting there via manageable chunks of content. Vital that students have a knowledge of what underpins the culture and outlook of a current global superpower. #historyteacher

Edexcel History Paper 1! Best resource for this late hour is the ‘if faced with, respond with’ question stem sheet. Quick explanations on how to access the marks/structure responses and which paper you’ll find each question on. Good luck! #historyteacher docs.google.com/file/d/1x2D1…

Busy times! Therefore, icons for ‘Do Now’ recall tasks are a no brainer. Students recall requested knowledge/provide an explanation. Reflection on answers follow with discussion and questioning. Once completed, students have a ‘one point of reference’ sheet. #historyteacher

Re-running our Paper 2 Elizabethan Society and Superpower Relations revision session tomorrow. Complete focus on skills and application of knowledge to question stems. All students then sent the ppt as ‘one point of reference’ for further revision. #historyteacher

Returning to a lot of KS3 assessment. ‘Revision Recall Rows’ have become a solid initial task pre summative assessment to help students organise their thoughts and build confidence. No pressure to answer all of the questions but an immediate accessible format. #historyteacher

Our shift to A3 assessments for Y7 has really helped progress and engagement. Shorter yet concise responses to build confidence with skills/content whilst maintaining rigour around knowledge and chronology. #historyteacher

Next round of ‘Progress Points’ ready for Spring 1 Y7-9. The addition of these midpoint assessments to our curriculum has really helped tackle misconceptions early doors as well as drilling down into the spelling and definitions of key terminology. #historyteacher

Consistently using ‘REC’ once we have reached the end of a key topic, event or concept. Students begin with basic recall (R), this is then extended (E) via an explanatory response and then teacher led chunking (C) to ensure key aspects are understood and embedded. #historyteacher

Recently, encouraging knowledge centred conversations has been a challenge. I tried a visual format of ‘Discuss and Describe’. Students, using the icons connected to knowledge from a previous lesson/prompt Q’s, discussed Stalin in pairs, then wrote a description. #historyteacher

Incline knowledge recall has become a go to ‘Do now’ task/starter for quick retrieval and a settled start. All students have questions they can immediately access but difficulty develops with confidence. Moving from multiple choice Q’s to short written answers. #historyteacher