History teaching resources on historical enquiry

Getting your students to ask their own questions and seek out the answers for themselves is a daunting task. Have a look at how other teachers have tackled it here ...

Looking for ideas to approach the key process of historical enquiry? Maybe some of these will provide the inspiration you're looking for!

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Living through lockdown: The history of the future

This resource was written to help KS3 history students consider  … read more

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KS3 | Historical enquiry | Modern World: 1900-present | Published: 21/04/2020 | From the resource collection(s): What is History? | Partnerships

What is this source useful for?

Y7 students use this template as an introduction to testing sources  … read more

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KS3 | Communicating about the past | Historical enquiry | Transition | Using evidence | Published: 12/03/2018 | From the resource collection(s): Evidence teaching tools | Source skills | What is History? | Teaching templates and tools

Command terms in history

A resource designed for Y7 students to introduce some basic  … read more

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KS3 | Communicating about the past | Historical enquiry | Literacy in History | Transition | Published: 25/09/2017 | From the resource collection(s): Literacy in History | Teaching templates and tools

Stalin and Stalinism: a source-based exercise

A challenging source-based enquiry into the nature of Stalinism  … read more

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KS5 | Historical enquiry | Modern World: 1900-present | Published: 03/10/2016 | From the resource collection(s): Russia 1917-91 | Stalin's Russia

Was the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki justified?

Students use a source pack to prepare arguments on either side  … read more

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KS3 KS4 | Historical enquiry | Published: 24/03/2015 | From the resource collection(s): Second World War

The revolutionary restaurant: a takeaway homework

A creative, independent homework task on the topic of protest  … read more

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KS3 | Historical enquiry | Published: 03/02/2015 | From the resource collection(s): Democracy and dictatorship

Source investigation into coal mining

Students make inferences from a selection of contemporary sources  … read more

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KS3 | Historical enquiry | Using evidence | Industrial Age: 1750-1900 | Published: 06/05/2014 | From the resource collection(s): Industrial Revolution

What did Medieval people believe caused disease?

This was designed as a KS3 activity but uses lovely illustrations  … read more

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KS3 KS4 | Historical enquiry | Thematic studies | Using evidence | The Medieval period: 1000-1500 | Published: 29/04/2014 | From the resource collection(s): Medicine & health

What problems faced James I?

A useful source-based exercise which could work as an introduction  … read more

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KS3 | Historical enquiry | Early Modern period: 1500-1750 | Published: 11/03/2014 | From the resource collection(s): The English Civil War | The role of the church in the Early Modern Period

What can you learn from research about life in a military hospital? (ICT task)

An ICT research task using one of English Heritage's Heritage  … read more

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KS3 | Historical enquiry | Modern World: 1900-presentPublished: 22/08/2013 | 

How was London affected by the Blitz?

A varied collection of activities to accommodate different learning  … read more

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KS3 | Historical enquiry | Using evidence | Published: 08/07/2013 | From the resource collection(s): Second World War

Were the gunpowder plotters framed?

An evidence based card-sort on the Gunpowder Plot for students  … read more

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KS3 | Historical enquiry | Using evidence | Early Modern period: 1500-1750 | Published: 20/06/2013 | From the resource collection(s): Power and conflict in the Early Modern Period

What happened to the princes in the tower? A History mystery!

A thinking skills activity which encourages students to grapple  … read more

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KS3 | Historical enquiry | Transition | Using evidence | Early Modern period: 1500-1750 | Published: 18/06/2013 | From the resource collection(s): Power and conflict in the Early Modern Period | Source skills

Research template

A framework designed to encourage students to select information  … read more

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KS3 KS4 | Historical enquiry | Published: 17/04/2013 | From the resource collection(s): Teaching templates and tools

Cholera mystery

An intriguing investigation in which students take on the role  … read more

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KS3 KS4 | Historical enquiry | Thematic studies | Industrial Age: 1750-1900 | Published: 28/11/2012 | From the resource collection(s): Medicine & health

Asking better questions in History

A resource to promote independent enquiry which helps students  … read more

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KS3 KS4 KS5 | Historical enquiry | Transition | Published: 12/09/2012 | From the resource collection(s): Literacy in History | Teaching templates and tools

Dunkirk mystery

A good introductory activity on events at Dunkirk, where students  … read more

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KS3 | Historical enquiry | Modern World: 1900-present | Published: 18/07/2012 | From the resource collection(s): Second World War

Why was the case of Jack the Ripper never solved?

Sorting cards, and suggestions on how to use them, to help answer  … read more

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KS3 KS4 | Historical enquiry | Thematic studies | Industrial Age: 1750-1900 | Published: 18/07/2012 | From the resource collection(s): Crime and punishment

Crime scene investigation

A detective-style investigation of the murder of Thomas Becket,  … read more

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KS3 | Historical enquiry | The Medieval period: 1000-1500 | Published: 18/07/2012 | From the resource collection(s): The role of the Church in the Medieval period