Triumphs Show

The regular ‘Triumph Shows’ that feature in Teaching History offer a quick way for teachers to celebrate their successes and share inspirational ideas with one another. While the ideas are always explained in sufficient depth for others to be able to take them forward in their own practice, the simple Triumph Show format allows teachers to present individual activities or one-off events that have had a particular impact on their students. The website search function means that relevant ‘Triumph Shows’ can be identified in relation to particular substantive content or principles of planning, but simply browsing through the collection can also provide powerful inspiration and trigger new ideas. It might even inspire you to begin writing for Teaching History yourself – sharing a recent ‘Triumph’ is a great way to start!  

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  • Triumphs Show 121: 60th Anniversary commemoration of the end of WWII

    Article

    It’s early July 2004, and the history department of Harrogate Grammar School are chatting in the staff room enjoying a bit of spare time now that exam classes have disappeared. The subject of what the department will do next year when it comes to trips, speakers and special days comes...

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  • Triumphs Show 120.2: using role play to explain military history

    Article

    Julian Critchley demonstrates how role play can be used to explain military history.

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  • Triumphs Show 120.1 - Is music the answer to the Irish question in schools?

    Article

    Ian Ollerenshaw shares with us a way to help GCSE pupils understand the complexities of the ‘Irish Question’ and start to empathise with diverse perspectives. He uses a medium – music – that is familiar to teenagers, beginning with their own music before moving on to songs specifically about Ireland.

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  • Triumphs Show 119: bringing the big picture to life using a 3D rollercoaster

    Article

    In this edition of 'Triumphs Show' Kate Dacey demonstrates the effectiveness of visual stimuli in improving pupils' historical understanding. Dacey achieved this by using a 3D wall display to depict the turbulent period of the Reformation.

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  • Triumphs Show 117: Helping Year 9 to think and feel their way through the origins of the Holocaust

    Article

    Dave Woodcraft is passionate about engaging students and making them care about the past. He is unrepentant about wanting his lessons to have an emotional impact and a relevant, immediate appeal. To this end, he frequently uses modern parallels in his classroom to make the point that issues in the...

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  • Triumphs Show 116: A practical way of teaching the complexities of ‘The Troubles’ at GCSE

    Article

    Helping pupils to understand sectarian divisions in Northern Ireland is not easy. For pupils to comprehend the origins and complexities of ‘the Troubles’ they need a big picture. That big picture could be viewed as the interaction of three concepts: time, place and identity. If pupils can at least glimpse...

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  • Triumphs Show 113: How to make the Elizabethan Religious Settlement sufficiently complicated for Year 8

    Article

    This edition of the 'Triumphs Show' explains 'How to make the Elizabethan Religious Settlement sufficiently complicated for Year 8'.

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  • Triumphs Show 112: William Bent and family: a personal timeline of the Plains Wars

    Article

    Using the experiences of William Bent and his family in the 1860s, this resource was designed to develop different kinds of historical thinking. For example, it highlights what a turning point the Sand Creek massacre proved to be.

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  • Triumphs Show 111: Recreating 1930s Europe with the help of Year 9

    Article

    Sally Evans demonstrates how constructing a map of Europe can enhance pupils' understandings on the causations of World War Two.

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  • Triumphs Show 110: Would you sacrifice watching television for Great Britain?

    Article

    This lesson has worked well with higher ability whole classes and with smaller groups with Special Educational Needs. It is essentially a citizenship exercise. It encourages pupils to explore their own values, to justify these values through argument and, through discussion, to understand and accept that others might hold different...

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  • Triumphs Show 109: strengthening the quality and popularity of post-16 history

    Article

    Why is it, I wonder, that Rednock students enjoy their history so much and why have so many opted for the subject at ‘AS’ Level? This new course, designed to bridge the gap between GCSE and ‘A’ Level, has allowed a new calibre of student to enrol. The ability range,...

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  • Triumphs Show 108: Getting the whole school buzzing about history

    Article

    It was the brainwave of the English department to bring in a script writer to work with Key Stage 3 students of the full ability range writing the lower school production. This was too good an opportunity for the history department to miss.

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  • Triumphs Show 107: opening a new HA branch

    Article

    Heather Scott gives a detailed account of the opening of a new HA branch in West Yorkshire.

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  • Triumphs Show 105: Year 9s respond directly to 9/11

    Article

    Caroline Godsell describes the reactions and concerns of two Year 9 classes after the 9/11 attack.

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  • Triumphs Show 103: Using active learning to motivate GCSE groups

    Article

    Phil Smith demonstrates how active learning can motivate GCSE groups.

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  • Triumphs Show 102: communicating historical difference to children with literacy problems

    Article

    With the summer break stretching forth its welcome hand and the final lesson with my lowband Year 7 class looming, I wanted to ensure that the enthusiasm and dedication that this class had shown throughout the year was kept alive over the holiday period. We had been studying the Norman...

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  • Triumphs Show 101: enthusing Year 8 about Oliver Cromwell

    Article

    Heather Scott explains how a two week written project on Oliver Cromwell motivated and enthused a Year 8 class.

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