We've made suggestions for suitable links to GCSE courses, but this is not a complete list. For this key stage, all source material on Learning Curve can be used for teacher-devised tasks using original documents. Note: AQA GCSE courses refer to 2005 specifications.
There are 12 galleries in this exhibition. Three look at the period before 1450:
Were the Middle Ages lawless and violent?
Who was responsible for crime prevention in medieval England?
What were the purposes of punishments given by the courts in the Middle Ages?
Three galleries look at 1450-1750:
Did governments in this period decide what kinds of people were to be regarded as criminals?
Did methods of crime prevention change?
What was the purpose of punishments in the period?
Three galleries look at 1750-1900:
Did the Industrial Revolution lead to more crime?
What new crime prevention methods were set up to deal with changes in crime in this period and what were the problems?
What was the purpose of the punishments used in the period?
The final three galleries relate to the 20th century:
What was the most important factor affecting crime in the 20th century?
Did police work change dramatically in the 20th century?
What was the purpose of 20th century punishments?
Within each gallery there are case studies using original documents with transcripts. The most visual material is to be found in the Punishment Section 1750-1900, case study 3 on Victorian Prisons, which younger pupils might find more accessible.
Activities: each gallery has a worksheet, some source questions, and in some cases a game: Tug of War; Catch the Robber; The Watchman; Guilty or Innocent?
The gallery addresses this question: were the rich just as likely to catch cholera as the poor? There are a selection of sources and related questions.
This exhibition investigates the varied life of the British people 1906 to 1918, following the broad themes of contrast, contradiction and change. There are seven galleries:
Liberal welfare reforms, 1906-11
achievements of the Liberal reforms
early 1900s women's suffrage
gaining women's suffrage
civilians and war, 1914-18
propaganda, 1914-18
review and revision
Each gallery tackles a big question that is broken down into a number of case studies. These use a range of primary sources with related questions and additional exam practice questions. There is background information on the sources and a gallery worksheet. Further help exists in the form of document transcripts. Pupils would be advised to have access to a dictionary.
The 'review and revision' gallery is designed for pupils to test their understanding of the period.
This exhibition investigates the growth of political rights in 19th century Britain, with a general introduction on the political rights we share today. There are nine galleries on:
Radicals
Luddites
Captain Swing
Peterloo
The Great Reform Act
Chartists
Reform after 1850
White slavery
Suffragettes
Each gallery contains four sources with related questions and activities that can be accessed by clicking on each source. There are transcripts for the handwritten documents and relevant text links to a glossary.
The gallery addresses this question: how did the railways change the lives of people in Victorian Britain? There are a selection of sources and related questions. Pupils can play 'The Train' activity to get a steam train to the seaside.
The gallery addresses this question: were the rich just as likely to catch cholera as the poor? There are a selection of sources and related questions.
The gallery addresses this question: did the treatment of the poor improve after the Poor Law Amendment Act in 1834? There are a selection of sources and related questions.
This provides information about the census. It also shows how the census can be used to study local history. There is an activity based on a page of a census return that can be investigated by clicking on each of the columns. There are also two quizzes and an interactive investigation using material from the 1891 census.
This is a film archive containing clips from 20th century films on: Britain 1906-1918; the Abyssinian War; Home Front 1939-45; British Empire; Cold War; early 20th century Kent.
There are activities relating to some of the film clips, for example a task to write a soundtrack from a modern day perspective on early 20th century Kent and another to produce a commentary for a documentary on the Potsdam and Yalta Conferences, 1945. There is an opportunity for teachers to develop their own tasks from any clip in the archive.
This exhibition investigates the varied life of the British people 1906 to 1918, following the broad themes of contrast, contradiction and change. There are seven galleries:
Liberal welfare reforms, 1906-11
achievements of the Liberal reforms
early 1900s women's suffrage
gaining women's suffrage
civilians and war, 1914-18
propaganda, 1914-18
review and revision
Each gallery tackles a big question that is broken down into a number of case studies. These use a range of primary sources with related questions and additional exam practice questions. There is background information on the sources and a gallery worksheet. Further help exists in the form of document transcripts. Pupils would be advised to have access to a dictionary.
The 'review and revision' gallery is designed for pupils to test their understanding of the period.
This is an investigation into life on the home front during the Second World War. There are seven galleries:
preparations for war
evacuation
bombing of Britain
Empire home front
everyday life
women at war
spies
Each gallery is broken into various topics with sources and questions.
The visual material is accessible to all pupils with or without teacher input. There are worksheets, timelines and a glossary. There is also a diary facility so pupils can save, edit and access their work directly from the net. The gallery contains a video archive using clips from the Imperial War Museum on many of the topics. Some galleries have additional activities to play: Lights Out; Escape the Blitz; Shelter from the Blitz; Empire Home Front; Shopping in the War; Spy Catcher.
Moving Here explores, records and illustrates why people came to England over the last 200 years and what their experiences were and continue to be. It includes an online archive of original material related to migration history from local, regional and national archives, libraries and museums and gives visitors to the site the opportunity to publish stories of their own experience of migration. The site features numerous resources designed specifically for schools.
This videoconference workshop is designed for those taking the Edexcel GCSE coursework on Jack the Ripper.
Through a study of original correspondence taken from the Metropolitan Police Letter Books and the 'Jack the Ripper' letters held here at The National Archives, students will investigate why the police were unable to catch the murderer.
This exhibition investigates the varied life of the British people 1906 to 1918, following the broad themes of contrast, contradiction and change. There are seven galleries:
Liberal welfare reforms, 1906-11
achievements of the Liberal reforms
early 1900s women's suffrage
gaining women's suffrage
civilians and war, 1914-18
propaganda, 1914-18
review and revision
Each gallery tackles a big question that is broken down into a number of case studies.These use a range of primary sources with related questions and additional exam practice questions. There is background information on the sources and a gallery worksheet. Further help exists in the form of document transcripts. Pupils would be advised to have access to a dictionary.
The 'review and revision' gallery is designed for pupils to test their understanding of the period.
This exhibition investigates the tragedy of the First World War, 1914-1918. It explores the causes of war the experiences of those who fought on its battlefields and how the Great War has been commemorated. There are six galleries:
The Great War: conflict and controversy
Why did Britain go to war in 1914?
The trench experience
Lions led by donkeys?
How has the Great War been remembered?
Why was it so hard to make peace?
In each gallery you will find a key question based on the sources within each case study and there is background material to help you study the sources.
This exhibition investigates the varied life of the British people 1906 to 1918, following the broad themes of contrast, contradiction and change. There are seven galleries:
Liberal welfare reforms, 1906-11
achievements of the Liberal reforms
early 1900s women's suffrage
gaining women's suffrage
civilians and war, 1914-18
propaganda, 1914-18
review and revision
Each gallery tackles a big question that is broken down into a number of case studies.These use a range of primary sources with related questions and additional exam practice questions. There is background information on the sources and a gallery worksheet. Further help exists in the form of document transcripts. Pupils would be advised to have access to a dictionary.
The 'review and revision' gallery is designed for pupils to test their understanding of the period.
What can you tell from this record? This snapshot focuses on Donald Campbell, a young Scottish man who joined the army in 1903. Find out what happened to him.
Learn about World War Two by using our animated maps and investigations containing original documents, film, photographs and audio.
Within each of the theatres of war listed below, you will find a number of investigations based on a different key question to be examined using primary sources. Worksheets and a glossary are available to support these activities. There are twenty investigations in total that can be seen at a glance in the World War Two exhibition's Index of Resources.
This is designed to help pupils handle documents and encourage them to ask the right sort of questions, cite sources to support their own judgements and draw conclusions. The documents relate to the British government's policy of appeasement, 1937-1938, and show how Eden and Chamberlain responded to the threats posed by Germany, Italy and Japan. There are guided questions to interrogate the sources. Students can type their answers onto a screen notepad and receive feedback in the form of on-screen marking.
This is an investigation into life on the home front during the Second World War. There are seven galleries:
preparations for war
evacuation
bombing of Britain
Empire home front
everyday life
women at war
spies
Each gallery is broken into various topics with sources and questions.
The visual material is accessible to all pupils with or without teacher input. There are worksheets, timelines and a glossary. There is also a diary facility so pupils can save, edit and access their work directly from the net. The gallery contains a video archive using clips from the Imperial War Museum on many of the topics. Some galleries have additional activities to play: Lights Out; Escape the Blitz; Shelter from the Blitz; Empire Home Front; Shopping in the War; Spy Catcher.
This exhibition contains galleries that examine a significant event in the life of these historical figures:
Winston Churchill and the bombing of Dresden
John Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis
Benito Mussolini and the invasion of Abyssinia
Joseph Stalin and the industrialisation of USSR
Harry Truman and the atomic bomb
Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement
Each gallery raises a series of questions that pupils can examine in the light of the sources provided. There are also report writing activities and worksheets within the galleries. The exhibition contains a glossary.
This exhibition investigates the tragedy of the First World War, 1914-1918. It explores the causes of war the experiences of those who fought on its battlefields and how the Great War has been commemorated. There are six galleries:
The Great War: conflict and controversy
Why did Britain go to war in 1914?
The trench experience
Lions led by donkeys?
How has the Great War been remembered?
Why was it so hard to make peace?
In each gallery you will find a key question based on the sources within each case study and there is background material to help you study the sources.
What can you tell from this record? This snapshot focuses on Donald Campbell, a young Scottish man who joined the army in 1903. Find out what happened to him.
Learn about World War Two by using our animated maps and investigations containing original documents, film, photographs and audio.
Within each of the theatres of war listed below, you will find a number of investigations based on a different key question to be examined using primary sources. Worksheets and a glossary are available to support these activities. There are twenty investigations in total that can be seen at a glance in the World War Two exhibition's Index of Resources.
This is designed to help pupils handle documents and encourage them to ask the right sort of questions, cite sources to support their own judgements and draw conclusions. The documents relate to the British government's policy of appeasement, 1937-1938, and show how Eden and Chamberlain responded to the threats posed by Germany, Italy and Japan. There are guided questions to interrogate the sources. Students can type their answers onto a screen notepad and receive feedback in the form of on-screen marking.
What did the British find when they entered Belsen concentration camp? This snapshot is based on a report on camp conditions and photographs of the camp guards.
This exhibition contains galleries that examine a significant event in the life of these historical figures:
Winston Churchill and the bombing of Dresden
John Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis
Benito Mussolini and the invasion of Abyssinia
Joseph Stalin and the industrialisation of USSR
Harry Truman and the atomic bomb
Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement
Each gallery raises a series of questions that pupils can examine in the light of the sources provided. There are also report writing activities and worksheets within the galleries. The exhibition contains a glossary.
This exhibition contains six galleries that investigate the causes and effects of the Cold War. Using a wide of range of sources, including film, pupils can explore these galleries:
Did the Cold War really start in 1919-39?
How strong was the wartime alliance, 1941-45?
Who caused the Cold War?
How did the Cold War work?
The nuclear game
How close was it?
Was Vietnam a turning point in the Cold War?
Within each gallery there are case studies using original sources with questions.
Pupils will also find timelines, notes on the sources, document transcripts and a worksheet for each case study to help them organise their work. Pupils have an opportunity to create their own exhibition on how the Cold War worked (gallery 4). There are text links to a glossary and an Archive Section that has extended versions of the sources used in the case studies. The exhibition features the Nuclear Bunker in Essex with a tour using stills.
What did the British find when they entered Belsen concentration camp? This snapshot is based on a report on camp conditions and photographs of the camp guards.
Learn about World War Two by using our animated maps and investigations containing original documents, film, photographs and audio.
Within each of the theatres of war listed below, you will find a number of investigations based on a different key question to be examined using primary sources. Worksheets and a glossary are available to support these activities. There are twenty investigations in total that can be seen at a glance in the World War Two exhibition's Index of Resources.
This is designed to help pupils handle documents and encourage them to ask the right sort of questions, cite sources to support their own judgements and draw conclusions. The documents relate to the British government's policy of appeasement, 1937-1938, and show how Eden and Chamberlain responded to the threats posed by Germany, Italy and Japan. There are guided questions to interrogate the sources. Students can type their answers onto a screen notepad and receive feedback in the form of on-screen marking.
For the last 400 years Britain has played a key role in the world - mainly because of its empire. There are three galleries in this exhibition that explore:
the rise of the British empire;
living in the empire;
the end of the empire
Within the galleries, there are case studies on the empire in Africa, Australia, North America, India and Ireland, using a wide range of sources.
The visual material is accessible to all pupils with or without teacher input. Pupils will enjoy the challenge of the 18th and 19th century language evident in the hand written sources. There is help in the form of document transcripts and simplified versions. Pupils would be advised to have access to a dictionary.
Activities: each gallery contains a selection of quizzes, worksheets and source questions. A glossary and a set of simple maps can be accessed within all galleries.
This exhibition contains galleries that examine a significant event in the life of these historical figures:
Winston Churchill and the bombing of Dresden
John Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis
Benito Mussolini and the invasion of Abyssinia
Joseph Stalin and the industrialisation of USSR
Harry Truman and the atomic bomb
Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement
Each gallery raises a series of questions that pupils can examine in the light of the sources provided. There are also report writing activities and worksheets within the galleries. The exhibition contains a glossary.
This exhibition contains six galleries that investigate the causes and effects of the Cold War. Using a wide of range of sources, including film, pupils can explore these galleries:
Did the Cold War really start in 1919-39?
How strong was the wartime alliance, 1941-45?
Who caused the Cold War?
How did the Cold War work?
The nuclear game
How close was it?
Was Vietnam a turning point in the Cold War?
Within each gallery there are case studies using original sources with questions.
Pupils will also find timelines, notes on the sources, document transcripts and a worksheet for each case study to help them organise their work. Pupils have an opportunity to create their own exhibition on how the Cold War worked (gallery 4). There are text links to a glossary and an Archive Section that has extended versions of the sources used in the case studies. The exhibition features the Nuclear Bunker in Essex with a tour using stills.
What happened at Little Rock Central High School? What were the results of the civil rights campaign in Birmingham? What was the March on Washington? How did people view Martin Luther King after his death? There are two activities on the following: the March on Washington and Martin Luther King's contribution to civil rights.
