The London Grid for Learning (LGfL) has launched The M Room, an exciting new English and History resource for KS3 and KS4, giving exclusive access to secret World War II listening sites where the British Secret Service bugged high-ranking German military prisoners.
Produced in response to the revised secondary National Curriculum, The M Room specifically targets the revised Key Stage 3 History curriculum section ‘Challenges to Britain, Europe and the wider world from 1901 to present day’, picking up on the suggested focus of ‘the Second World War and the wartime leadership of Winston Churchill’, as well as the statutory requirement to cover the Holocaust at KS3. It also incorporates a series of lesson plans and activities linked to the KS3/4 Literacy and KS4 History curricula.
The resource features an interview with one of the original secret listeners (now aged 95) and extensive primary-source material from the Ministry of Defence, relatives of those involved, and The National Archives. The lead presenter and consultant to the project is the eminent historian Dr Helen Fry, who uncovered information about The M Room story that even the Ministry of Defence was unaware of.
The resource is designed to be used both as a class teaching tool and in an individual learner context. The structure of support material is specifically designed to meet the needs of History teachers working with Key Stage 3 and 4 pupils.
It is recognised that in the next few years, many non-specialist teachers will be required to deliver the History curriculum in a wide variety of unfamiliar contexts and on topics as they adapt to the revised National Curriculum. It is for these teachers that detailed lesson plans are provided, offering a complete support package to maximise the benefit of this digital collection.
However, the resource is equally designed to be of great value to the subject specialist, who may wish to use it in a disaggregated way. The availability of video embed codes and downloadable high-resolution images allows teachers who are familiar with learning platforms to enhance the material further by creating their own online learning pathways.
The resource is available on https://showcase.lgfl.org.uk/Summary_page/Content/mroom.aspx