Previous | 
Snapshots project complete!
It's been a huge chunk of work but every single one of our 53 lessons has now been given a fresh new look. Almost all of them have had their text nipped and tucked in one way or another. We've made curriculum links clearer, fixed external links, done away with some questions that made even our brains hurt (never mind the poor year eights) and added lots more images.
Most importantly, in addition to improved teachers' notes, every snapshot now includes a PDF version making it much easier to print out all the documents for use in the classroom, should you wish.
This new site is one of our most powerful resources yet, allowing students to investigate the 20th century from the heart of the British government.
The Cabinet Papers includes a range of interactive modules focusing on post-war Britain and the 1930s, including the genesis of the Welfare State and the National Health Service, as well as the General Strike and the history of the Trade Union movement. All the modules are built to A level exam specifications.
In addition the site features a powerful writing frame tool to improve essay technique, maps, information on every British government since the First World War and the complete text of every Cabinet Paper from 1915 to 1978.
The Past Masters team investigate the Treaty of Troyes. Supposed to bring an end to the Hundred Years War was it a diplomatic victory for Henry V or was it not worth the paper it was printed on? Hear medieval chroniclers alongside the text of the treaty as the team try and get to grips with the complex politics of the 15th century.
As always drop us an email if you've got a topic you think we should cover in a podcast or if you're interested in booking one of our masterclass sessions.
Schools Learning Zone from Victoria County History
Victoria County History has launched its Schools Learning Zone which offers teachers free access to units of work backed by the research of professional historians. The materials have been tested in schools and aim to show students how their local history is linked to wider historical events.
The site includes downloadable teachers’ packs include indoor and outdoor activities, timelines and other historical resources for Key Stages 1-4, the lesson plans are linked to National Curriculum learning outcomes for each unit of work. New resources will be added throughout 2009, take a look.
We've been beavering away on this over the last few months. We've now got some exciting new ideas about how the site is going to fit together to make all the resources much easier to find and we're now expecting the site to launch for (roughly) the start of the new academic year in September so watch this space.
In the meantime we want your views on the redevelopment. What do you like about the current Learning Curve? What don't you like? How could things be improved? Drop us an email at education@nationalarchives.gov.uk
The National Archives has set up a photostream on Flickr to help share our collections more widely. You can see our images at http://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalarchives/ and we encourage students and teachers to comment, annotate and tag the images. We'll be adding new pictures every week.
We also want your images of The National Archives. Our Flickr group is at http://www.flickr.com/groups/nationalarchives/ and we'd love to see images you might have taken of your visit here or pictures of our documents.
You might also want to check out our YouTube channel. We'll be adding lots more videos over the next few months.
April
1st April 1918: Formation of the Royal Air Force. Aeroplanes were still in their infancy, so how could the Germans bomb Britain?
5th April 1955: Prime Minister Winston Churchill announces his final resignation to his Conservative Cabinet. What did he say and what was their reaction?
15 April 1945: British forces liberate Belsen concentration camp. What did the soldiers who entered find?
May
3rd May 1926: Britain's only General Strike begins paralyzing industry but lasting only nine days. How did the trains run on time?
8th May 1660: Restoration of King Charles II. But how close did England come to readopting his dad in 1646?
17th May 1865: Thomas Cook runs the first transatlantic package holiday. (His original, less exciting outing was to a Loughborough temperance rally in 1841.) How did the Victorians have fun?
June
4th June 1832: Great Reform Act passed. People had been agitating for reform for decades - sometimes violently. So what made 1832 different?
8th June 1929: Margaret Bondfield becomes Britain's first female cabinet minister, only fifteen years after suffragettes were on hunger strike in prison for the vote. But should militancy get the credit for the change?
16th June 1487: Henry VII defeats Lambert Simnel at Stoke in what is often seen as the last battle of the war of the Roses. Many of Henry's troops hung back, wary of fighting on the losing side but the battle was later portrayed as a great victory. Did clever propaganda run in the family?
If you wish to receive an email alert whenever there is a new edition of this news page, please contact us.
For a free guide on Learning Curve and ICT in history, download our updated Teacher’s booklet
.
