THB's History Revision Tips
Exams are coming up, and I don't know about you but that gives me heart palpitations; but if you're not bricking it, you're not prepared enough! I've seen a handful of exam seasons in my time and I've tried and tested a few methods of revising for History exams. So let me share what's worked for me.
METHOD A; REVISIONCEPTION
Think of the film Inception; it's a dream within a dream within a dream etc. Think of this method as notes within notes within notes etc. Here's how you do it;
- Use textbooks to compile a complete revision guide. You shouldn't simply copy out texts; engage your brain and treat it as a comprehension task and make clear notes, you'll get more out of it that way! Divide the book into chapters based on the topic that they focus on. The notes should be fairly detailed.
- Then, write a more condensed version of these notes based along the same technique; effectively, cut out words to leave the bare information.
- Repeat until you have two or three pages worth of notes for your whole course/module. You can read them the morning of the exam and it should all come flowing back to you. It did for me!
METHOD B; THE READER
You definitely have to be a 'visual learner' for this, so it may not work for all of you. Nevertheless, you should all aim to read at least one book outside your textbook, particularly for A-Level. It'll help develop your understanding of topics enormously.
Effectively; find a book that covers most of your course (there's literally millions of history books out there covering all sorts of things, so there's no excuses saying that there's no book for your course). Then close read it - no skimming. Simple and effective.
If you're doing a degree, you obviously need to read more than one book!
METHOD C; MIND MAPPING
Not something I do extensively, but it helps an awful lot of people and thus is more than worthy of mention.
Make beautiful and colourful mind maps (the more simple they are the better; don't make a wall of text. Each end of a brand should have no more than five or six words on them) on each topic and pin them up directly above your bed; make them the first thing you see in the morning, and the last thing you see in the evening. Revision owns you now. Don't forget it.
METHOD D; INTERACTIVE REVISION
Ever heard of Prezi? No? Well you should do. It's like a more exciting version of PowerPoint, and the more exciting something is the better you will remember it.
Make yourself presentations on topics and then flick through them! It's a quick and simple way to make them.
A friend of mine was a bit of a wizard when it came to video production; he used to make these excellent revision videos (which he gave to my school, rather than making them open source on YouTube, so unfortunately I cannot share them). So if that's your thing, get creative!
--------
If you have anything else that you find helpful for history revision, @ me fam! I'll add them to the OP.
METHOD A; REVISIONCEPTION
Think of the film Inception; it's a dream within a dream within a dream etc. Think of this method as notes within notes within notes etc. Here's how you do it;
- Use textbooks to compile a complete revision guide. You shouldn't simply copy out texts; engage your brain and treat it as a comprehension task and make clear notes, you'll get more out of it that way! Divide the book into chapters based on the topic that they focus on. The notes should be fairly detailed.
- Then, write a more condensed version of these notes based along the same technique; effectively, cut out words to leave the bare information.
- Repeat until you have two or three pages worth of notes for your whole course/module. You can read them the morning of the exam and it should all come flowing back to you. It did for me!
METHOD B; THE READER
You definitely have to be a 'visual learner' for this, so it may not work for all of you. Nevertheless, you should all aim to read at least one book outside your textbook, particularly for A-Level. It'll help develop your understanding of topics enormously.
Effectively; find a book that covers most of your course (there's literally millions of history books out there covering all sorts of things, so there's no excuses saying that there's no book for your course). Then close read it - no skimming. Simple and effective.
If you're doing a degree, you obviously need to read more than one book!
METHOD C; MIND MAPPING
Not something I do extensively, but it helps an awful lot of people and thus is more than worthy of mention.
Make beautiful and colourful mind maps (the more simple they are the better; don't make a wall of text. Each end of a brand should have no more than five or six words on them) on each topic and pin them up directly above your bed; make them the first thing you see in the morning, and the last thing you see in the evening. Revision owns you now. Don't forget it.
METHOD D; INTERACTIVE REVISION
Ever heard of Prezi? No? Well you should do. It's like a more exciting version of PowerPoint, and the more exciting something is the better you will remember it.
Make yourself presentations on topics and then flick through them! It's a quick and simple way to make them.
A friend of mine was a bit of a wizard when it came to video production; he used to make these excellent revision videos (which he gave to my school, rather than making them open source on YouTube, so unfortunately I cannot share them). So if that's your thing, get creative!
--------
If you have anything else that you find helpful for history revision, @ me fam! I'll add them to the OP.
Scroll to see replies
Great tips! I got some more. @thehistorybore
Condensing Content/Speeding up revision:Source Questions:
You need to consider the following things:General questions to ask yourself:AS Level/A Level History Exam Answer Structure:
Condensing Content/Speeding up revision:
•
Summarise the content of each module on one sheet of paper and memorise this
•
Condense events into 3 bullet points (linking with the point above)
•
Make a list of significant events and their dates and highlight each one you manage to remember
•
Do every single past paper question
•
Plan your essays with bullet points within a minute
•
Time yourself when doing essays
•
Practice writing really fast
•
If you're struggling with content then go through a revision book.
•
If teachers tell you some sort of prediction I suggest you don't go by it and revise everything!
You need to consider the following things:
•
Purpose: What's the purpose of the source? (e.g. to inform, to describe etc.)
•
Author: Who's the author of the source? Does this make them biased in any way?
•
Nature: What type of source is it? (e.g. book, report, article etc.)
•
Date: When was it published? Does the date have any significance? Is it outdated?
•
Audience: Who was the audience? How did it impact them? [this one isn't neccessary]
•
How useful is the source?
•
Did the author/writer omit anything?
•
Is there any bias? -Why is there bias? How is it neutral?
Spoiler
Original post by undercxver
Great tips! I got some more. @thehistorybore
Condensing Content/Speeding up revision:Source Questions:
You need to consider the following things:General questions to ask yourself:AS Level/A Level History Exam Answer Structure:
Condensing Content/Speeding up revision:
•
Summarise the content of each module on one sheet of paper and memorise this
•
Condense events into 3 bullet points (linking with the point above)
•
Make a list of significant events and their dates and highlight each one you manage to remember
•
Do every single past paper question
•
Plan your essays with bullet points within a minute
•
Time yourself when doing essays
•
Practice writing really fast
•
If you're struggling with content then go through a revision book.
•
If teachers tell you some sort of prediction I suggest you don't go by it and revise everything!
You need to consider the following things:
•
Purpose: What's the purpose of the source? (e.g. to inform, to describe etc.)
•
Author: Who's the author of the source? Does this make them biased in any way?
•
Nature: What type of source is it? (e.g. book, report, article etc.)
•
Date: When was it published? Does the date have any significance? Is it outdated?
•
Audience: Who was the audience? How did it impact them? [this one isn't neccessary]
•
How useful is the source?
•
Did the author/writer omit anything?
•
Is there any bias? -Why is there bias? How is it neutral?
Spoiler
Excellent stuff
I've got a shed load of pages full of notes, I should condense it into 3 pages or do mind maps?
Original post by Niyi Aderounmu
I've got a shed load of pages full of notes, I should condense it into 3 pages or do mind maps?
How confident are you feeling with the content? It might not be necessary to do so.
However if you feel the need to, you can. Though, you've got to have a fast-pace as exam are around the corner and you need to practice past paper questions thoroughly before the exam.
this is amazing
thank you!!!!!!!!1
thank you!!!!!!!!1
Original post by undercxver
How confident are you feeling with the content? It might not be necessary to do so.
However if you feel the need to, you can. Though, you've got to have a fast-pace as exam are around the corner and you need to practice past paper questions thoroughly before the exam.
However if you feel the need to, you can. Though, you've got to have a fast-pace as exam are around the corner and you need to practice past paper questions thoroughly before the exam.
Original post by thehistorybore
Exams are coming up, and I don't know about you but that gives me heart palpitations; but if you're not bricking it, you're not prepared enough! I've seen a handful of exam seasons in my time and I've tried and tested a few methods of revising for History exams. So let me share what's worked for me.
METHOD A; REVISIONCEPTION
Think of the film Inception; it's a dream within a dream within a dream etc. Think of this method as notes within notes within notes etc. Here's how you do it;
- Use textbooks to compile a complete revision guide. You shouldn't simply copy out texts; engage your brain and treat it as a comprehension task and make clear notes, you'll get more out of it that way! Divide the book into chapters based on the topic that they focus on. The notes should be fairly detailed.
- Then, write a more condensed version of these notes based along the same technique; effectively, cut out words to leave the bare information.
- Repeat until you have two or three pages worth of notes for your whole course/module. You can read them the morning of the exam and it should all come flowing back to you. It did for me!
METHOD B; THE READER
You definitely have to be a 'visual learner' for this, so it may not work for all of you. Nevertheless, you should all aim to read at least one book outside your textbook, particularly for A-Level. It'll help develop your understanding of topics enormously.
Effectively; find a book that covers most of your course (there's literally millions of history books out there covering all sorts of things, so there's no excuses saying that there's no book for your course). Then close read it - no skimming. Simple and effective.
If you're doing a degree, you obviously need to read more than one book!
METHOD C; MIND MAPPING
Not something I do extensively, but it helps an awful lot of people and thus is more than worthy of mention.
Make beautiful and colourful mind maps (the more simple they are the better; don't make a wall of text. Each end of a brand should have no more than five or six words on them) on each topic and pin them up directly above your bed; make them the first thing you see in the morning, and the last thing you see in the evening. Revision owns you now. Don't forget it.
METHOD D; INTERACTIVE REVISION
Ever heard of Prezi? No? Well you should do. It's like a more exciting version of PowerPoint, and the more exciting something is the better you will remember it.
Make yourself presentations on topics and then flick through them! It's a quick and simple way to make them.
A friend of mine was a bit of a wizard when it came to video production; he used to make these excellent revision videos (which he gave to my school, rather than making them open source on YouTube, so unfortunately I cannot share them). So if that's your thing, get creative!
--------
If you have anything else that you find helpful for history revision, @ me fam! I'll add them to the OP.
METHOD A; REVISIONCEPTION
Think of the film Inception; it's a dream within a dream within a dream etc. Think of this method as notes within notes within notes etc. Here's how you do it;
- Use textbooks to compile a complete revision guide. You shouldn't simply copy out texts; engage your brain and treat it as a comprehension task and make clear notes, you'll get more out of it that way! Divide the book into chapters based on the topic that they focus on. The notes should be fairly detailed.
- Then, write a more condensed version of these notes based along the same technique; effectively, cut out words to leave the bare information.
- Repeat until you have two or three pages worth of notes for your whole course/module. You can read them the morning of the exam and it should all come flowing back to you. It did for me!
METHOD B; THE READER
You definitely have to be a 'visual learner' for this, so it may not work for all of you. Nevertheless, you should all aim to read at least one book outside your textbook, particularly for A-Level. It'll help develop your understanding of topics enormously.
Effectively; find a book that covers most of your course (there's literally millions of history books out there covering all sorts of things, so there's no excuses saying that there's no book for your course). Then close read it - no skimming. Simple and effective.
If you're doing a degree, you obviously need to read more than one book!
METHOD C; MIND MAPPING
Not something I do extensively, but it helps an awful lot of people and thus is more than worthy of mention.
Make beautiful and colourful mind maps (the more simple they are the better; don't make a wall of text. Each end of a brand should have no more than five or six words on them) on each topic and pin them up directly above your bed; make them the first thing you see in the morning, and the last thing you see in the evening. Revision owns you now. Don't forget it.
METHOD D; INTERACTIVE REVISION
Ever heard of Prezi? No? Well you should do. It's like a more exciting version of PowerPoint, and the more exciting something is the better you will remember it.
Make yourself presentations on topics and then flick through them! It's a quick and simple way to make them.
A friend of mine was a bit of a wizard when it came to video production; he used to make these excellent revision videos (which he gave to my school, rather than making them open source on YouTube, so unfortunately I cannot share them). So if that's your thing, get creative!
--------
If you have anything else that you find helpful for history revision, @ me fam! I'll add them to the OP.
Original post by thehistorybore
x
Great thread!
Original post by Black Rose
Great thread!
Cheers :3
Can anyone help me see the difference between Evidence and Explain in the PEEL structure, i always get confused, thanks 
Original post by WhitneyHouston
Can anyone help me see the difference between Evidence and Explain in the PEEL structure, i always get confused, thanks
Evidence is the information - e.g. In 1485 Richard III lost the battle of Bosworth.
Explain - show why this information is relevant. E.g. this date is significant, as once Henry VII was crowned as King, he moved the date of his reign to begin the day before the battle, thus showing Richard III as the 'pretender' and threat to the crown, and strengthening his own position as King of England.
I try to condense my notes onto quizlet. It's extremely helpful for dates and definitions especially, but is also helpful for everything else. The added benefit is that it's interactive so when you feel unmotivated, you can just go on quizlet's test section and try answer your own questions for half and hour. Also, my whole class has a google doc with essay plans on it, so we have every (sort of) possible question on there and a model plan for it. We all add to each others plans and make topic notes from them.
Original post by thehistorybore
Exams are coming up, and I don't know about you but that gives me heart palpitations; but if you're not bricking it, you're not prepared enough! I've seen a handful of exam seasons in my time and I've tried and tested a few methods of revising for History exams. So let me share what's worked for me.
METHOD A; REVISIONCEPTION
Think of the film Inception; it's a dream within a dream within a dream etc. Think of this method as notes within notes within notes etc. Here's how you do it;
- Use textbooks to compile a complete revision guide. You shouldn't simply copy out texts; engage your brain and treat it as a comprehension task and make clear notes, you'll get more out of it that way! Divide the book into chapters based on the topic that they focus on. The notes should be fairly detailed.
- Then, write a more condensed version of these notes based along the same technique; effectively, cut out words to leave the bare information.
- Repeat until you have two or three pages worth of notes for your whole course/module. You can read them the morning of the exam and it should all come flowing back to you. It did for me!
METHOD B; THE READER
You definitely have to be a 'visual learner' for this, so it may not work for all of you. Nevertheless, you should all aim to read at least one book outside your textbook, particularly for A-Level. It'll help develop your understanding of topics enormously.
Effectively; find a book that covers most of your course (there's literally millions of history books out there covering all sorts of things, so there's no excuses saying that there's no book for your course). Then close read it - no skimming. Simple and effective.
If you're doing a degree, you obviously need to read more than one book!
METHOD C; MIND MAPPING
Not something I do extensively, but it helps an awful lot of people and thus is more than worthy of mention.
Make beautiful and colourful mind maps (the more simple they are the better; don't make a wall of text. Each end of a brand should have no more than five or six words on them) on each topic and pin them up directly above your bed; make them the first thing you see in the morning, and the last thing you see in the evening. Revision owns you now. Don't forget it.
METHOD D; INTERACTIVE REVISION
Ever heard of Prezi? No? Well you should do. It's like a more exciting version of PowerPoint, and the more exciting something is the better you will remember it.
Make yourself presentations on topics and then flick through them! It's a quick and simple way to make them.
A friend of mine was a bit of a wizard when it came to video production; he used to make these excellent revision videos (which he gave to my school, rather than making them open source on YouTube, so unfortunately I cannot share them). So if that's your thing, get creative!
--------
If you have anything else that you find helpful for history revision, @ me fam! I'll add them to the OP.
METHOD A; REVISIONCEPTION
Think of the film Inception; it's a dream within a dream within a dream etc. Think of this method as notes within notes within notes etc. Here's how you do it;
- Use textbooks to compile a complete revision guide. You shouldn't simply copy out texts; engage your brain and treat it as a comprehension task and make clear notes, you'll get more out of it that way! Divide the book into chapters based on the topic that they focus on. The notes should be fairly detailed.
- Then, write a more condensed version of these notes based along the same technique; effectively, cut out words to leave the bare information.
- Repeat until you have two or three pages worth of notes for your whole course/module. You can read them the morning of the exam and it should all come flowing back to you. It did for me!
METHOD B; THE READER
You definitely have to be a 'visual learner' for this, so it may not work for all of you. Nevertheless, you should all aim to read at least one book outside your textbook, particularly for A-Level. It'll help develop your understanding of topics enormously.
Effectively; find a book that covers most of your course (there's literally millions of history books out there covering all sorts of things, so there's no excuses saying that there's no book for your course). Then close read it - no skimming. Simple and effective.
If you're doing a degree, you obviously need to read more than one book!
METHOD C; MIND MAPPING
Not something I do extensively, but it helps an awful lot of people and thus is more than worthy of mention.
Make beautiful and colourful mind maps (the more simple they are the better; don't make a wall of text. Each end of a brand should have no more than five or six words on them) on each topic and pin them up directly above your bed; make them the first thing you see in the morning, and the last thing you see in the evening. Revision owns you now. Don't forget it.
METHOD D; INTERACTIVE REVISION
Ever heard of Prezi? No? Well you should do. It's like a more exciting version of PowerPoint, and the more exciting something is the better you will remember it.
Make yourself presentations on topics and then flick through them! It's a quick and simple way to make them.
A friend of mine was a bit of a wizard when it came to video production; he used to make these excellent revision videos (which he gave to my school, rather than making them open source on YouTube, so unfortunately I cannot share them). So if that's your thing, get creative!
--------
If you have anything else that you find helpful for history revision, @ me fam! I'll add them to the OP.
Do you think I can still follow Method A and make really simple summarised short and concise notes?
Or do you think it's not worth it with only 4 months / less left until exams?
Thank you
Absolutely! I've always used that method and it's always worked for me, starting in advance always helps but with the time left you should still be able to get plenty done! It gets easier to condense the information the more you go along.
Original post by Leia studies
Do you think I can still follow Method A and make really simple summarised short and concise notes?
Or do you think it's not worth it with only 4 months / less left until exams?
Thank you
Or do you think it's not worth it with only 4 months / less left until exams?
Thank you
Need some advice ASAP on History
Topic: Paper 1: breadths study with interpretations. Option 1H: Britain transformed (1918-97)
Basically I don't know how to revise effectively?
Do I use the textbook which is in chronological order ?
OR
Do I use the teaching packs my teacher also provided which are done according to themes (first labour govt, 2nd labour govt, social welfare) etc?
Which one will the exam focus on? (Chronological or thematic?
I'm really stressed and don't know which one to do?!
Which one do you think will work better in terms of for the exam...?
Help!
Topic: Paper 1: breadths study with interpretations. Option 1H: Britain transformed (1918-97)
Basically I don't know how to revise effectively?
Do I use the textbook which is in chronological order ?
OR
Do I use the teaching packs my teacher also provided which are done according to themes (first labour govt, 2nd labour govt, social welfare) etc?
Which one will the exam focus on? (Chronological or thematic?
I'm really stressed and don't know which one to do?!
Which one do you think will work better in terms of for the exam...?
Help!
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by Leia studies
Need some advice ASAP on History
Topic: Paper 1: breadths study with interpretations. Option 1H: Britain transformed (1918-97)
Basically I don't know how to revise effectively?
Do I use the textbook which is in chronological order ?
OR
Do I use the teaching packs my teacher also provided which are done according to themes (first labour govt, 2nd labour govt, social welfare) etc?
Which one will the exam focus on? (Chronological or thematic?
I'm really stressed and don't know which one to do?!
Which one do you think will work better in terms of for the exam...?
Help!
Topic: Paper 1: breadths study with interpretations. Option 1H: Britain transformed (1918-97)
Basically I don't know how to revise effectively?
Do I use the textbook which is in chronological order ?
OR
Do I use the teaching packs my teacher also provided which are done according to themes (first labour govt, 2nd labour govt, social welfare) etc?
Which one will the exam focus on? (Chronological or thematic?
I'm really stressed and don't know which one to do?!
Which one do you think will work better in terms of for the exam...?
Help!
I can't say for certain as I'm not a marker, and I've got no idea what the exam boards want these days but I believe you'd be more likely to get a better understanding/come up with meaningful and original arguments by looking thematically. Anyone can rote-learn a chronology but the mark of a true history essay is a sustained argument and a well balanced consideration of the appropriate source material. Sorry if the answer is a bit vague, I did my A-Levels about five years ago now so I'm not in touch with what's required - happy to answer any specific questions on technique you may have!
First of all have a read of this thread, as well as this one. These aren't History specific but should give you some ideas.
I revise things differently for different topics.
If you're doing A Level History, you will probably have a big thematic unit that covers a large stretch of time? For that unit, one of the biggest challenges is to connect up the events across that massive time frame into themes. To do this I got some A3 paper and made a mindmap of all the major historical events in that big period. I then colour-coded them according to different themes (e.g. actions of US presidents, actions of campaigners, etc.). Some events will conform to more than one theme. What you can then do is use that mindmap in a number of different ways. I use to write essay plans for how I would answer questions about different themes within that unit.
Another revision method, perhaps for some of your more in-depth units is comparing the causes and the consequences of the main events in History. What caused the Great Reform Act? What were the consequences of it? You might want to do this in a table format and give yourself 3-4 bullet points in each box. This also acts as an essay plan in progress. You may be asked about some of the causes of women receiving the vote (for example), you could extend this revision task by taking your 3-4 bullet points and turning them into an essay plan for an exam response.
You could also do something similar (or extend what you've already got) for the idea of historical significance. Pick the 8 biggest events in one of the units you're studying. The exam might ask you to explain the significance of the Reichstag fire in the rise of the Nazi party. Or they might set it up as a debate: How far do you agree that the Reichstag fire was the most significant event in Hitler's rise to Fuhrer?. For revision, use your list of 8 events, come up with at least 2 reasons that make it significant to the historical narrative you're looking at. You could then do my favourite thing, and turn those responses into an essay plan.
If you want to practice writing any of these essays then you can do. Make sure to be strict with yourself on time. After you've written the practice essay, don't look at it for at least 5 days. After 5 days, print off a copy of the generic mark scheme for your specification, and mark the essay yourself. After 5 days you will have had enough time to detach yourself from that piece of work emotionally - so be critical. Where could you have improved? Have you ticked all the things you need to score on in the mark scheme? Where were the opportunities to be clearer? Or hit more aspects of the mark scheme?
This self-reflection and self-assessment is how you really improve.
I revise things differently for different topics.
If you're doing A Level History, you will probably have a big thematic unit that covers a large stretch of time? For that unit, one of the biggest challenges is to connect up the events across that massive time frame into themes. To do this I got some A3 paper and made a mindmap of all the major historical events in that big period. I then colour-coded them according to different themes (e.g. actions of US presidents, actions of campaigners, etc.). Some events will conform to more than one theme. What you can then do is use that mindmap in a number of different ways. I use to write essay plans for how I would answer questions about different themes within that unit.
Another revision method, perhaps for some of your more in-depth units is comparing the causes and the consequences of the main events in History. What caused the Great Reform Act? What were the consequences of it? You might want to do this in a table format and give yourself 3-4 bullet points in each box. This also acts as an essay plan in progress. You may be asked about some of the causes of women receiving the vote (for example), you could extend this revision task by taking your 3-4 bullet points and turning them into an essay plan for an exam response.
You could also do something similar (or extend what you've already got) for the idea of historical significance. Pick the 8 biggest events in one of the units you're studying. The exam might ask you to explain the significance of the Reichstag fire in the rise of the Nazi party. Or they might set it up as a debate: How far do you agree that the Reichstag fire was the most significant event in Hitler's rise to Fuhrer?. For revision, use your list of 8 events, come up with at least 2 reasons that make it significant to the historical narrative you're looking at. You could then do my favourite thing, and turn those responses into an essay plan.
If you want to practice writing any of these essays then you can do. Make sure to be strict with yourself on time. After you've written the practice essay, don't look at it for at least 5 days. After 5 days, print off a copy of the generic mark scheme for your specification, and mark the essay yourself. After 5 days you will have had enough time to detach yourself from that piece of work emotionally - so be critical. Where could you have improved? Have you ticked all the things you need to score on in the mark scheme? Where were the opportunities to be clearer? Or hit more aspects of the mark scheme?
This self-reflection and self-assessment is how you really improve.
Original post by thehistorybore
Exams are coming up, and I don't know about you but that gives me heart palpitations; but if you're not bricking it, you're not prepared enough! I've seen a handful of exam seasons in my time and I've tried and tested a few methods of revising for History exams. So let me share what's worked for me.
METHOD A; REVISIONCEPTION
Think of the film Inception; it's a dream within a dream within a dream etc. Think of this method as notes within notes within notes etc. Here's how you do it;
- Use textbooks to compile a complete revision guide. You shouldn't simply copy out texts; engage your brain and treat it as a comprehension task and make clear notes, you'll get more out of it that way! Divide the book into chapters based on the topic that they focus on. The notes should be fairly detailed.
- Then, write a more condensed version of these notes based along the same technique; effectively, cut out words to leave the bare information.
- Repeat until you have two or three pages worth of notes for your whole course/module. You can read them the morning of the exam and it should all come flowing back to you. It did for me!
METHOD B; THE READER
You definitely have to be a 'visual learner' for this, so it may not work for all of you. Nevertheless, you should all aim to read at least one book outside your textbook, particularly for A-Level. It'll help develop your understanding of topics enormously.
Effectively; find a book that covers most of your course (there's literally millions of history books out there covering all sorts of things, so there's no excuses saying that there's no book for your course). Then close read it - no skimming. Simple and effective.
If you're doing a degree, you obviously need to read more than one book!
METHOD C; MIND MAPPING
Not something I do extensively, but it helps an awful lot of people and thus is more than worthy of mention.
Make beautiful and colourful mind maps (the more simple they are the better; don't make a wall of text. Each end of a brand should have no more than five or six words on them) on each topic and pin them up directly above your bed; make them the first thing you see in the morning, and the last thing you see in the evening. Revision owns you now. Don't forget it.
METHOD D; INTERACTIVE REVISION
Ever heard of Prezi? No? Well you should do. It's like a more exciting version of PowerPoint, and the more exciting something is the better you will remember it.
Make yourself presentations on topics and then flick through them! It's a quick and simple way to make them.
A friend of mine was a bit of a wizard when it came to video production; he used to make these excellent revision videos (which he gave to my school, rather than making them open source on YouTube, so unfortunately I cannot share them). So if that's your thing, get creative!
--------
If you have anything else that you find helpful for history revision, @ me fam! I'll add them to the OP.
METHOD A; REVISIONCEPTION
Think of the film Inception; it's a dream within a dream within a dream etc. Think of this method as notes within notes within notes etc. Here's how you do it;
- Use textbooks to compile a complete revision guide. You shouldn't simply copy out texts; engage your brain and treat it as a comprehension task and make clear notes, you'll get more out of it that way! Divide the book into chapters based on the topic that they focus on. The notes should be fairly detailed.
- Then, write a more condensed version of these notes based along the same technique; effectively, cut out words to leave the bare information.
- Repeat until you have two or three pages worth of notes for your whole course/module. You can read them the morning of the exam and it should all come flowing back to you. It did for me!
METHOD B; THE READER
You definitely have to be a 'visual learner' for this, so it may not work for all of you. Nevertheless, you should all aim to read at least one book outside your textbook, particularly for A-Level. It'll help develop your understanding of topics enormously.
Effectively; find a book that covers most of your course (there's literally millions of history books out there covering all sorts of things, so there's no excuses saying that there's no book for your course). Then close read it - no skimming. Simple and effective.
If you're doing a degree, you obviously need to read more than one book!
METHOD C; MIND MAPPING
Not something I do extensively, but it helps an awful lot of people and thus is more than worthy of mention.
Make beautiful and colourful mind maps (the more simple they are the better; don't make a wall of text. Each end of a brand should have no more than five or six words on them) on each topic and pin them up directly above your bed; make them the first thing you see in the morning, and the last thing you see in the evening. Revision owns you now. Don't forget it.
METHOD D; INTERACTIVE REVISION
Ever heard of Prezi? No? Well you should do. It's like a more exciting version of PowerPoint, and the more exciting something is the better you will remember it.
Make yourself presentations on topics and then flick through them! It's a quick and simple way to make them.
A friend of mine was a bit of a wizard when it came to video production; he used to make these excellent revision videos (which he gave to my school, rather than making them open source on YouTube, so unfortunately I cannot share them). So if that's your thing, get creative!
--------
If you have anything else that you find helpful for history revision, @ me fam! I'll add them to the OP.
Wow very wise, but I really need help with this question, I have no clue what to write and I'm failing History. Thank you!
Question 3 d – Up to 4 marks of the total for part (d) will be awarded for spelling, punctuation, grammar and use of specialist terminology. – 30 minutes (16+4 marks)
(d) How far do you agree with Interpretation 1 about the effectiveness of the Night of the Long Knives for helping Hitler secure power in 1934?
Explain your answer, using both interpretations and your knowledge of the
historical context.
Interpretation 1:
The greatest threat came from within the Nazi Party... Rohm as leader of the SA,was a genuine threat to Hitler's own position as leader. Rohm was the commander of a very large organisation of men whose members were increasingly violent and out of control... Moreover, Rohm favored a 'second revolution'... which would lead to more socialist policies. The purge was also the result of a power sturggle (between Rohm and) leading Nazis, like Herman Goering, the leader of the SS.
Interpretation 2:
The smoothness with which the murders of 30 June were carried out is powerful proof that no Rohm plot was imminent. There was no resistance encountered anywhere. Many victims unsuspectingly surrendered voluntarily, believing it was a big mistake. The only shots fired were those of the executioners.
Original post by CuriousSeeker
Wow very wise, but I really need help with this question, I have no clue what to write and I'm failing History. Thank you!
Question 3 d – Up to 4 marks of the total for part (d) will be awarded for spelling, punctuation, grammar and use of specialist terminology. – 30 minutes (16+4 marks)
(d) How far do you agree with Interpretation 1 about the effectiveness of the Night of the Long Knives for helping Hitler secure power in 1934?
Explain your answer, using both interpretations and your knowledge of the
historical context.
Interpretation 1:
The greatest threat came from within the Nazi Party... Rohm as leader of the SA,was a genuine threat to Hitler's own position as leader. Rohm was the commander of a very large organisation of men whose members were increasingly violent and out of control... Moreover, Rohm favored a 'second revolution'... which would lead to more socialist policies. The purge was also the result of a power sturggle (between Rohm and) leading Nazis, like Herman Goering, the leader of the SS.
Interpretation 2:
The smoothness with which the murders of 30 June were carried out is powerful proof that no Rohm plot was imminent. There was no resistance encountered anywhere. Many victims unsuspectingly surrendered voluntarily, believing it was a big mistake. The only shots fired were those of the executioners.
Question 3 d – Up to 4 marks of the total for part (d) will be awarded for spelling, punctuation, grammar and use of specialist terminology. – 30 minutes (16+4 marks)
(d) How far do you agree with Interpretation 1 about the effectiveness of the Night of the Long Knives for helping Hitler secure power in 1934?
Explain your answer, using both interpretations and your knowledge of the
historical context.
Interpretation 1:
The greatest threat came from within the Nazi Party... Rohm as leader of the SA,was a genuine threat to Hitler's own position as leader. Rohm was the commander of a very large organisation of men whose members were increasingly violent and out of control... Moreover, Rohm favored a 'second revolution'... which would lead to more socialist policies. The purge was also the result of a power sturggle (between Rohm and) leading Nazis, like Herman Goering, the leader of the SS.
Interpretation 2:
The smoothness with which the murders of 30 June were carried out is powerful proof that no Rohm plot was imminent. There was no resistance encountered anywhere. Many victims unsuspectingly surrendered voluntarily, believing it was a big mistake. The only shots fired were those of the executioners.
Original post by 04MR17
How far have you got with your answer?
I havn't got anything, I literally have no clue.
Original post by CuriousSeeker
I havn't got anything, I literally have no clue.
Quick Reply
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