History topic of the month
Our history team have put their heads together to come up with some topics highlighting significant moments of diversity and inclusion throughout history. We think you and your Key Stage 3 students will find these topics interesting and we hope they will help to generate some stimulating discussion in your classroom.
Every month we will provide a downloadable worksheet featuring information about the topic and discussion questions to help get the conversation going, as well as a poster for your classroom.
May 2021: Sophie Scholl (1921-1943) and the White Rose
May 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sophie Scholl. In 1942, Sophie and her brother, Hans (born 1918), were students in Munich. Along with a few other close friends, they were members of a small, non-violent, anti-Nazi group called the White Rose.
The White Rose printed anti-Nazi leaflets and distributed them in Munich, and other German towns and cities. Sophie and the other White Rose members faced huge risks opposing the Nazi regime. They knew they would be executed if they were caught. Despite the danger, they felt they had to make a stand against an oppressive and evil regime. They hoped to inspire others to oppose the Nazis.
Find out more:
April 2021: Toussaint Louverture "The Father of Haiti"
In the entire history of the world there has only been one slave revolt that created a new country. That was the revolt against the French in the colony of Saint Dominique, which became the country of Haiti.
This revolution was inspired by Toussaint Louverture, a former slave who became a general, leader and finally martyr. His life changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of slaves. Today he remains an inspiration to millions.
Find out more about the amazing life of Toussaint Louverture:
March 2021: Empress Matilda - England's forgotten Queen
To celebrate International Women's Day as well as Women's History Month our History Topic of the Month features a determined, intelligent and proud woman - the Empress Matilda (c. 7 Feburary 1102 - 10 September 1167). So who was the Empress Matlida? Download our worksheet and poster to find out about her struggle for power in the very male dominated medieval period.
February 2021: Alan Turing (1912-1965) and LGBTQ+ persecution
February is LGBTQ+ History month and an opportunity to shine a light on the stories of people throughout history who have been discriminated against unfairly due to their sexual orientation.
This month our History Topic of the Month tells the story of Alan Turing, a pioneering English mathematician and computer scientist, who had a huge impact on the twentieth century. He is best-known today for his work cracking the German Enigma code during the Second World War, work that saved millions of lives. But, rather than being honoured by the country he helped save, Turing died forgotten and disgraced. Why? Because as well as being a genius, Turing was gay at a time when his sexuality was a crime.
Special feature: The Life of Dr Harold Moody
The Life of Dr Harold Moody, written by Stephen Bourne, celebrates one of history's forgotten heroes, despite being regarded by some as the UK’s equivalent of Dr Martin Luther King Jnr, for his significant contributions towards the fight for racial equality in the UK.
Pearson is proud to have worked with Stephen Bourne to produce a new online version of his original booklet, The Life of Dr Harold Moody, to raise awareness of the life and achievements of Dr Moody. This eBook is freely accessible for schools to download, and includes discussion points for use with your KS2 and KS3 classes.
January 2021: Four Great Inventions of China
The Chinese New Year of 2021 falls on Friday 12 February, so the history team has taken a look at four great inventions that were first made in China: paper, the compass, printing and gunpowder! We have created a downloadable worksheet and poster that you can use at home or at school.
December: Mansa Musa (c.1280-c.1337) and the Mali Empire
The end of the year is just around the corner but before you go on your well-deserved end of year break our History Topic of the Month is on Mansa Musa (c.1280-cc.1337) a powerful African King and the Mali Empire which was situated in what is now known as West Africa.
Find out more about this fascinating topic by downloading the worksheet and poster for your classroom or homework.
November: Votes for Women!
With world attention on the results of this month's US election, the history team thought that 'Votes for Women' and their struggle to be represented was a fitting topic.
Download the interactive worksheet
Download the worksheet printable version
This worksheet includes an overview of women's struggle to gain the vote in the USA and the UK, as well as discussion questions, and links to useful articles that your students can use to do some more research.
This poster is for your classroom and will help you to explain how women finally achieved the vote in the USA and the UK.
October: Windrush
We are delighted to bring you our first history topic of the month. This month it is Black History Month. However, at Pearson, we believe that diversity and inclusion should not be confined to a single month but a crucial and ongoing part of everything that we do.
Our first topic is on Windrush and post-war immigration to Britain.
This worksheet contains an overview of Windrush, as well as discussion questions and useful links, so your students can find out more about this interesting topic.
This poster is for your classroom and will help you to explain the situation of many migrants who came to Britain from the West Indies on the ship called the Empire Windrush in 1948.
