Year 7 History Scheme of Work
Week
Enquiry question Lesson outcomes
Suggested learning
activities
Homework/ extension /
AFL
Resources / E Learning
Lesson series focus: the focus of this mini series of lessons is to equip students with the skills necessary for successfully completing the 1st year of the KS3
course in terms of familiarizing them with basic study skills, key technical terms and the importance of keeping an up to date glossary, the types of evidence
they will be using and the problems facing historians as they conduct their research
1
How can we find
out about the
past?
Students learn keywords
used in the ‘Medieval
Realms’ unit
Students learn about
different sources of
information including
primary and secondary
sources and the problems
historians encounter when
researching the past
Students complete
activities on related
worksheet with key words
such as ‘tithe’,
‘manuscript’ and ‘motte
and bailey’ and test each
other on their knowledge
Write a letter to the British
Museum explaining which
medieval artifact should
be ‘saved’ for posterity
due to its value as a
source of information on
the Middle Ages
Write up letters and email
best ones to a museum
curator
Worksheet available from
www.studyhistory.co.uk under
Year 7 Resources as are other
electronic resources and links
mentioned in this SoW
In particular use the starter task
entitled. ‘Key facts about the
Middle Ages – mill drill’, ‘How can
we find out about the past? –
presentation’ & ‘Key terms for
year 7 – activity sheet’
Lesson series focus: this next sequence of lessons, which will take up the remainder of term 1, focuses on the idea of conquest, how life changes as a
result of conquest, how leaders and governments seek to control newly-conquered territories and how people living in those territories respond. You are
encouraged to bring in other periods of conquest to make meaningful comparisons and contrasts, e.g. Roman imperial expansion, British overseas
conquests, modern political expansion, e.g. US foreign policy in the Middle East. This will help inform students’ understanding and also make links to modern
day events to demonstrate the relevance of what they are studying in History
3
What was life
like in AngloSaxon England
To learn about the social
and cultural conditions in
Anglo-Saxon England
Teacher could present
and explain the
information using the
Write a letter as if you were
a foreign visitor to AngloSaxon England. Use the
Electronic resources available as
mentioned from
www.studyhistory.co.uk also,
4
Who had the
strongest claim
to the throne of
England?
To assess the qualities
needed by a medieval king
to be successful and to
understand the reasons
why there were 3 key
claimants to the English
throne
To hold a ‘mini’ election in
class to understand
electoral processes
Powerpoint and reading
activity on the
Studyhistory website,
labeled, ‘Anglo-SaxonEngland – presentation’
and ‘Anglo-Saxon
England – reading
activity’
Students could produce a
TV / radio advert
encouraging people to
visit Anglo-Saxon
England
Group activity – students
given info about each of 3
claimants and share info
to complete a table
Students hold an ‘election
campaign’ to prove who
was the strongest
contender.
5
Why did William
win the battle of
Hastings?
To list the preparations the
Normans made for the
invasion
To understand the key
events of the battle of
Hastings
To explain the reasons for
William’s success
Watch Simon Schama’s
‘History of Britain’ on the
Norman Conquest and
use text books or
electronic resources to
list reasons for Norman’s
success and Harold’s
failure – you could do this
as a scales chart.
6
Norman castles
– how did they
keep people out
Compare the differences
between motte and bailey
and stone keep castles
Annotate two outline
drawings showing the
differences between
motte and bailey castles
success criteria to help
support and stretch
students in class
‘Contrasts and Connections, p.6667 and ‘Think History’ p.6-9
The sequence of lessons
builds towards the essay:
explain why William was
successful in winning the
battle of Hastings, with
each lesson being a section
(or topic paragraph within
the final essay)
Foe this particular lesson
students may put together
an election brochure / flyer
highlighting the strengths of
their claims and
weaknesses of opponents
Write a battle report on the
Battle of Hastings and
record it as a podcast for
students to peer assess
together
Students can reenact the battle on
the BBC history website at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/britis
h/normans/launch_gms_battle_ha
stings.shtml
Write an estate agent’s
brochure for Dover Castle.
Students peer assess each
other’s castle estate agent
Learning resources on castles at
www.studyhistory.co.uk in
particular the files entitled,
‘Norman Castles – presentation’
Fact sheets on three claimants
from www.studyhistory.co.uk
under Year 7 resources as well as
presentation, task sheet on how to
organise a hustings and voting
slips
Simon Schama, ‘History of Britain’
DVD (in video cupboard) as well
as reading activity entitled, ‘Battle
of Hastings, reading task’ or
‘Contrasts and Connections’,
p.68-77, ‘Medieval Minds’, p.42-7
or ‘Invasion, Plague and Murder’,
p.10-20
and how could
people get in?
7
How did the
Normans control
England?
Explore the changes the
Normans made to British
law and culture
Study the ways the
Normans used force to
establish their rule, e.g.
‘Harrying of the North’
8
How did William
govern Britain?
Describe and record the
structure of the feudal
system
Understand how the
Domesday survey helped
William to govern Britain
and stone keep castles
Conduct a ‘Changing
rooms’ role play to give a
motte and bailey castle a
makeover and turn it into
a Norman keep –
students should use as
much technical
vocabulary as possible,
e.g. crenellations, arrow
slits, portcullis,
garderobes etc.
brochures
and ‘Norman Castles – reading
activity’ also direct students to the
online castle activities at
www.activehistory.co.uk
especially these:
http://www.activehistory.co.uk/Mis
cellaneous/menus/Year_7/Castles
.htm
Use electronic resources
available on
www.studyhistory.co.uk
entitled, ‘Changes
introduced by Normans –
presentation’ and
‘Changes introduced by
Normans – activity sheet’
to list changes made by
Normans, e.g. forest
laws, Harrying of North,
castle-building, changes
in language and names
Role play activity in which
students are given power
in return for land and
duties and then record
the task as a diagram
Presentation on
Domesday survey and
then students write a
letter of complaint about
how they feel about the
impact of the survey on
their village. Use the
assessment grid (on
presentation) to
demonstrate what a
Students work through
different activities listed on
the activity sheet.
Differentiation by outcome,
with more able students
completing the ‘email’
activity at the end, in which
they imagine they are an
Anglo-Saxon villager
complaining about the
changes introduced by the
Normans
www.studyhistory.co.uk Year 7
resources, in particular the files
entitled, ‘Changes introduced by
the Normans – presentation’ and
‘Changes introduced by the
Normans – activity sheet’ also,
‘Contrasts and Connections’,
p.78-83, ‘Think History, p.72-4 as
well as earlier sections from p.47
Letter of complaint about
the Domesday survey
Re-enactment of the
commissioners visiting a
village
Electronic resources available for
this lesson including PowerPoints
and templates for feudal system
at www.studyhistory.co.uk in
Year 7 resources under heading
‘Domesday Book and Feudalism’
Search Domesday online at
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.u
k/domesday/
9
How can I write
a successful
essay on the
Norman
Conquest?
To develop essay-writing
skills, by peer assessing
sample student work and
by developing students
awareness of the
strategies used to helped
their writing, e.g. Task
sheets and methods used
for assessing their work,
e.g. assessment grids
successful letter should
include
Card sort reasons for
William’s success –
arranging them into a
‘Diamond 9’ format
Students brainstorm what
makes a successful piece
of extended writing and
then peer assess
examples of work
Teach explains how to
use task sheets, web
links and expectations
e.g. essay question,
paragraphing,
bibliography & weblinks
Students peer assess
examples of work and try
writing a topic paragraph or
a sample introductory or
conclusion paragraph
G&T students may wish to
have a go at writing a quiz
for the class on what has
been learned so far on the
Norman Conquest
Peer assessment materials
available in Year 7 section of
www.studyhistory.co.uk
Lesson series focus: the focus of this series of lessons is on why religion was so important to medieval people, by exploring how it filtered down to every
layer of society from the troubled relations between Church and state at the level of Archbishop Thomas Becket and King Henry II, to the role of ordinary
village priests in administering sacraments, local charity and providing a social focus for community life. Try to make links with modern society by asking who
provides many of the functions of the Church today in a more secular society. Make contrasts with societies, e.g. Iran and Iraq where religion still plays a vital
part in modern life and try to get students to think about why this might be so.
10
Why was the
Church so
powerful in the
Middle Ages?
To study a Doom Painting
as the basis for
understanding the
‘superstitious’ powers of
the Church
To examine the different
roles of medieval priests,
both secular and religious
To acquire key technical
vocabulary to describe
medieval religious
buildings, furnishings and
practices
Starter: role play activity,
dim lights in classroom
and show image of
medieval doom painting
on the screen, getting
students to decipher the
image but also imagine
the classroom was the
church and how it might
appear to medieval
pilgrims or members of
the congregation
Main activity, students
read through the
information on different
tasks performed by a
medieval priest and get
Students imagine local
priest has died of plague
and they interview for a
new priest
Produce a job advert for a
new priest outlining the
skills the successful
candidate will have
G&T activity – ask member
of class to write to a local
abbey (e.g. St Augustine’s
Ramsgate) or local priest
and ask them to come into
lesson to describe modern
day roles of a priest
‘Think History’, p.101-105,
‘Contrasts and Connections’, 112118 and the reading activity
entitled, ‘Village priest – reading
activity’ as well as others in that
section including the presentation
for the image of the Doom
Painting and a card sort on the
role of a village priest
Task sheets for the job interview
activity are also available from
www.studyhistory.co.uk entitled,
‘Village priest interviews’
them to categorise the
different tasks, e.g.
social, religious, practical
and charitable
11
What was life
like in a
medieval
monastery?
Record the different parts
of a medieval monastery
and the different duties of a
typical monk
12
Why was Becket
murdered?
Examine the reasons why
the church was so
important
Study the causes of the
tensions between Becket
and Henry II
Study the results of
Becket’s death, e.g.
pilgrimage, Becket’s shrine
Starter – get students to
guess the meaning of
secret sign language of
monks
DVD on ‘Day in a Life of a
Monk’ with accompanying
question sheet which can
be downloaded from
www.studyhistory.co.uk
Alternatively, students
can undertake a source
investigation, ‘Who killed
novice John?’ in Think
History, p.106-112
Starter: set the room up
as a crime scene with
clues relating to Becket’s
murder, show students
picture and then read
through Edward Grim’s
account and ask students
to relate the clues to the
evidence in the picture
and text as well as
assessing which
evidence is most useful
and most reliable
Read an account of
Becket’s death e.g.
Counsell, p.58-65 and list
the reasons for tensions.
Evaluate which was the
most important.
Write an eyewitness
report of Becket’s death
Investigate the changes
Day in the life of a medieval
monk using the task sheet
to help students structure
their account, use the
success criteria on the
PowerPoint that
accompanies this lesson to
help support and stretch
students, in particular in the
use of technical vocabulary
and the range of places and
roles fulfilled by a medieval
monk
Powerpoint and picture of a
medieval monastery available
from www.studyhistory.co.uk see
also Think History, p.106-112 for
murder investigation
Produce a frontpage of a
newspaper from a given
perspective (either pro
Church or State) exploring
the causes and events of
Becket’s death
Newspaper frontpage template
and task sheet available from
www.studyhistory.co.uk under
Year 7 resources > Medieval
Church subsection ‘Becket’. This
includes task sheets and
presentation materials
that occurred to
Canterbury and the state
as a result of the death of
Becket, comparing
medieval descriptions
with Canterbury today
and examining why the
city and the cathedral
have changed
Lesson series focus: in this sequence of lessons explore with students who held power in the Middle Ages. Did real power lie with the king, the Church as
we saw above, the barons or indeed as the events of the Peasants’ Revolt might suggest with ordinary people – at least for a time. Explore the beginnings of
modern democracy through the Magna Carta and the origins of Parliament and make links to modern charters or democratic institutions such as the UN
Declaration on Human Rights or the European Union. Look at recent cases, where some of the ancient rights laid down by the Magna Carta have been
challenged, e.g. the right to trial by jury or how Parliament might be in need of yet further reform
13
Why did John
sign the Magna
Carta?
14
How powerful
were medieval
Parliaments?
Understand the problems
facing the monarch in the
early C13th
List some of the key
elements of the Magna
Carta
Understand the powers of
medieval barons
To chart the development
of Parliament during the
Middle Ages and assess its
powers and weaknesses
15
What was life
To study the living
Read Counsell, p.66-7
and list the problems King
John faced. Which was
the biggest threat to his
power?
Match some of the
elements of Magna Carta
to the problems
Create a timeline showing
the important
developments in the
history of Parliament
using ‘Contrasts and
Connections’, p.138-9
Complete a scales chart
assessing the powers
and weaknesses of
medieval parliaments
Look at the statements on
p.139 of ‘Contrasts’ and
discuss whether they
accurately describe
modern or medieval
parliaments’
Starter – show students
Write your own modern day
people’s charter
View an online version of Magna
Carta on the British Library
website
http://www.bl.uk/treasures/magna
carta/index.html
Read about Henry III and
King John and hold a press
conference with able
students taking on the roles
of King John and Henry III
to assess who was the
weaker king
Contrasts and Connections,
p.138-9 and ‘Medieval Minds’,
p.69-71
Play an example clip from
‘Invasion, Plague & Murder’, p.80-
like in a
medieval
village?
16
17
Why were towns
becoming more
important?
Why did so
many people die
conditions of people living
in medieval villages.
To understand the growing
importance of towns for
trade. To understand the
role of guilds in protecting
trade and looking after the
interests of their members
Study conditions in
medieval towns and level
picture of modern day
living (example on
PowerPoint
accompanying this
lesson) and ask them to
think about things that
would amaze medieval
time travelers
Read about conditions in
medieval villages and
gather information on
food, routines, jobs and
buildings
Write a ‘day in the life’ of
a medieval villager’
Starter – show students
picture of a medieval
town on accompanying
PowerPoint, entitled ‘Life
in a medieval town –
presentation’ on
www.studyhistory.co.uk
and ask them to record
the sights, sounds, noises
and smells they would
have encountered
Read about a typical
medieval town or city,
e.g. Ludlow in Contrasts
and Connections, p.108109 and list reasons why
towns grew in size and
importance
Read about the work of
medieval guilds and ask
students to assess who
provides the same
services in modern day
Britain.
Use the information from
Counsell, p.24-31 to
the archers or a modern
soap and ask students to
script and present a short
sample from a medieval
soap about life in a village.
Examples of work in the
students’ section of
website. Ask students to
peer assess their work
against the success criteria
on the power point
1, ‘Medieval Minds’, p.6-13,
‘Contrast and Connections’, p.905
Read about life in a
medieval town online at
http://www.britainexpress.c
om/History/Townlife.htm
and create a spider
diagram listing the types of
jobs, trades, crime and
punishment, health,
buildings and daily routines
Hold a job fair
Create a guild shield, with
rules for your guild
Job fair role play cards are
available from
www.studyhistory.co.uk under
‘Medieval Towns and Villages’ as
is the presentation PowerPoint
Produce a ‘My Story’ style
account of the Black Death
Task sheet for this activity is
available from
Powerpoint with success criteria
available on
www.studyhistory.co.uk under
‘Medieval Towns and Villages’.
See also
http://www.activehistory.co.uk/Mis
cellaneous/menus/Year_7/Mediev
al_Life.htm
See also the electronic resources
on this topic at
http://www.britainexpress.com/His
tory/Townlife.htm
And Active History as above
produce a structured
www.studyhistory.co.uk under
account of the causes,
‘Black Death’ as well as links to
arrival, effects and
sites of further research. Use
aftermath of the plague.
library for further resources on
Support this with DVD
Black Death and medieval towns
extract from Simon
as well as examples of ‘My Story’
Schama’s ‘History of
accounts
Britain’ series, which
includes footage of St
Additional sources of information
Leonard’s Church, Hythe
from ‘Think History’, p.172-3,
This could be as a table
‘Contrasts and Connections’,
which is written up as a
p.124-7 & ‘Invasion, Plague &
‘My Story’ style account.
Murder’, p.62-9
Task sheet available
online to ensure students
NCA resources are also available
include key historical
from department website under
references
‘Black Death section
Alternatively, conduct the
National Curriculum
assessment under timed
conditions in class
Examine the causes of
Read p.74-77 of Counsell Write an obituary for Tyler
Counsell, Medieval Minds and
18
Why did the
peasant
unrest
and
list
reasons
why
or
John
Ball
alternatively
www.studyhistory.co.uk
peasants revolt?
Analyse the differences
peasants were upset.
produce a newspaper front
Newspaper templates can be
between accounts of
Rate them out of 5.
page of the murder of Watt
downloaded from the ‘Templates’
Tyler’s death
Produce a timeline of key Tyler, presenting the events section of the website
events of Peasants’
from either the King’s or the Also useful is ‘Contrasts and
Revolt.
peasants’ perspective
Connections’, p.140-3 which
Study the different
explores the events in newspaper
accounts of Tyler’s death
format, too.
and identify differences
and reasons for such
differences.
Lesson series focus: this mini sequence of lessons is intended as an overview of work covered in the first half of the course, with students working in groups
and getting to grips with one of the most challenging concepts in history, the idea of significance. Use Counsell’s definition of significance on the
accompanying PowerPoint, but really encourage students to develop both presentation skills and the case for why their event should be worthy of the title
‘Most significant’. Good opportunities for links with modern issues to demonstrate the ongoing significance of medieval events
Understand the meaning of Use Counsell’s definition
Poster presentation and
Resources for this task including
19
What was the
‘significance’
in
history
of
5
‘r’
for
significance
–
essay:
‘What
was
the\most
the presentation PowerPoint and
most significant
Work in groups to present
available on ppt.
significant event of the
task sheet as well as
event of the
a case for a significant
accompanying this series middle ages’
supplementary writing frames and
during the Black
Death?
of medical provision
Understand the origins of
the plague and the reasons
it spread so quickly
Study the symptoms’ of the
plague and attempts to
cure it
Study the impact of the
plague on society, e.g.
freedom of villeins to move
and charge higher wages
Middle Ages?
event
Write an essay on which
event was most significant.
of lessons. Work in
groups on a given event
and present your case.
Students vote on most
convincing presentation
using historical detail and
communication skills as
criteria. Task sheet
available.
Write up results as an
essay, sampling
examples of different
students’ work to assess
what a successful essay
should include.
assessment grids if you wish to
develop this work as a written task
are in the ‘Key skills’ section of
the History Department website
Good starting point for research is
http://www.historylearningsite.co.u
k/england_medieval.htm
Lesson series focus: although the central topic is the English Reformation, the focus of the lessons should look at the concept of change, the extent and
pace of change over the sixteenth century. Examine the reasons for initiating changes in religious practices, how far the Tudor Church moved away from
traditional religious practices towards the new Protestant faith and the impact of change on ordinary people, e.g. the incidence of recusancy.
20
21
Meet the Tudors
Understand the
background to events
which lead to the
accession of the Tudors,
i.e. Wars of Roses, battle
of Bosworth
Highlight the key
achievements of each
monarch
Reasons for break with
Rome.
Comparing changes
between Protestantism and
Catholicism
Elizabethan Church
settlement.
Create a timeline of
change for C15th
England. List reasons
why the Tudors came to
power.
Students produce poster
presentations on given
Tudor monarchs outlining
their successes and
failures. Students assess
and vote on most
successful Tudor
monarch.
Role play activity
examining reasons for
Henry’s divorce/
Write and Agony Aunt
style letter giving advice
on Henry’s problems.
Students complete a
table identifying the
Write an obituary for a
given Tudor monarch
Good overview and image
galleries to be found at :
http://tudorhistory.org/
Agony Aunt letter giving
advice on Henry’s marriage
problems.
www.bbc.co.uk/tudors
Christine Counsell, ‘Changing
Minds’
Resources for this section on the
Tudors can be found in Year 7
resources under the subheading,
‘Tudor Religion’
22
Was the Church
in need of
reform?
Students review their
knowledge of monasteries
and medieval religion and
examine whether under the
Tudors religious practices
were in need of reform
23
How far did
Edward VI
change the
Church?
Understand the changes
Edward VI made to Church
services and furnishings.
Acquire specific technical
vocabulary to describe
changes, e.g. rood screen,
altar, communion etc.
different problems Henry
faced, including love,
money, power and
religion
Read about the state of
the Church in the early
16th century, e.g. in
‘Societies in Change’,
p.26 and compile a
scales chart showing
evidence the Church was
serving the needs of
communities and
evidence it was in need of
reform. At the bottom of
your chart write a
judgement on whether
the Church was in need
of reform.
Review the roles of
monasteries, and study
sources, e.g. in ‘Societies
in Change’ p.30 which
suggest the monasteries
were in need of reform.
Study pictures of
Protestant and Catholic
Churches and familiarize
students with technical
vocabulary before asking
them to ‘Spot the
differences’ between the
two and list the changes
made under Edward.
Start a table with students
highlighting changes in
Bible, services,
leadership of Church and
furnishings to cover the
reigns of Henry VIII to
Edwards
Role play activity, using the
role cards on the
Department website
conduct a investigation into
5 monasteries and decide
which should be closed
down first
‘Societies in Change’, p.28-31 as
well as role cards in the ‘Tudor
religion’ section of
www.studyhistory.co.uk , where
you will also find presentations to
accompany the work on the
condition of the Church and the
Dissolution of the Monasteries
Role play – Church
makeover. Using the format
of ‘Changing Rooms’
students give a traditional
church an Edwardian
makeover describing all the
changes that have been
made. Ask students to peer
assess role plays on the
strength of technical vocab
and historical details
In the Tudor reformation section,
there is the template for a
‘Spelling test’ which would provide
a useful end of topic homework as
well as a way of concept checking
technical vocab. Images of
changes to churches can be
found on the department website
under file entitled, ‘Edward VI –
presentation’ or in ‘Societies in
Change’, pp.26 & 31
24
25
How ‘Bloody’
was Mary?
What was
Elizabeth’s
‘Middle Way’?
Understand the changes to
the Church in Mary’s time,
and assess the reasons
why Mary may have been
popular or unpopular with
ordinary people. Unravel
the myth behind ‘Bloody
Mary’ myth and a popular
nursery rhyme about her
To assess how successful
Elizabeth’s approach to
religion was.
Starter – card sort,
Catholic or Protestant.
This can either be done
on tables or by asking
students to move to
appropriate sides of the
room
Study events in Mary’s
life using the PowerPoint
accompanying this lesson
and draw up two lists of
why Mary might have
been popular and
unpopular with ordinary
people. Update tables
started previously
showing changes to
English Church
Study the changes
Elizabeth made to the
English Church and
complete the last section
of your chart. Students
may wish to colour code
or draw a line through the
chart showing the rises
and falls of Protestantism
in C16th.
Read ‘Societies in
Change’ p.34-5 to assess
the extent of change to
religion noticed by
ordinary people in the
village of Melford
Produce an obituary on
Mary, but written from a
Catholic perspective. Using
the insert tool in Word add
comments from a
Protestant reader of the
obituary explaining what
they would have
disapproved of. Use the
success criteria on the
PowerPoint to challenge
and support students. Ask
students to investigate the
meaning behind the nursery
‘Mary, Mary quite contrary’
PowerPoint presentation
accompanying this lesson can be
found in ‘Tudor religion’ section
entitled, ‘Mary, Mary quite
contrary – presentation’.
See also ‘Societies in Change’,
p.32
‘Societies in Change’, p.34-5
Lesson series focus: in this min depth study students examine the polices and personality of Elizabeth and build up a rich and varied picture of the society
of the time. The aim is to investigate whether the Elizabethan Age truly deserves the label ‘golden’. If you have time, students can also produce a society
magazine in the style of ‘Hello’ or ‘OK’ based on Elizabethan society. This enables them to draw on the work undertaken during the visit to Penshurst Place.
26
Who should
marry the
To understand the
importance of royal
Starter – mill drill, key
facts about the reign of
Write a polite rejection letter
as Elizabeth explaining why
Task sheet and links for reearch
to be found on
27
28
Queen?
marriages for political and
religious reasons. To
assess the strengths and
weaknesses of claims by
rival suitors. To consider
why Elizabeth perpetuated
the myth of the ‘Virgin
Queen’ and never married.
Why was Mary
Queen of Scots
beheaded
To learn about events in
Mary’s early life and
identify the reasons why
Elizabeth ordered her
execution. To understand
why it was such a difficult
decision for Elizabeth to
take
Who was
responsible for
the defeat of the
Spanish
Armada?
To understand the factors
which led to the defeat of
the Spanish Armada in
1588 and assess whether it
was truly an English victory
or a lucky accident
Elizabeth.
Show students pictures of
modern marriages and
ask them to consider why
people marry today
compared with the past.
Hold and Elizabethan
‘speed dating’ session
using the role cards in the
‘Age of Elizabeth’ section
of the department
website.
You may wish to start this
lesson with a description
of Mary’s execution and
compare it with a visual
source for accuracy, as a
hook for the rest of the
lesson on the events of
her life. Read about
Mary’s life and itemize
the reasons why
Elizabeth ordered her
execution, as well as the
threats she faced for
doing so, e.g.
‘Renaissance, Revolution
& Reformation’, p.56-7 or
using the ppt. that
accompanies this lesson.
Give students a range of
cards and ask them to
break them into
categories, e.g. political,
religious, personal. Now
sort the cards into two
piles showing whether the
Armada’s defeat was
down to Elizabeth and
her navy or other factors.
Ask students to reach a
you have turned down each
of the candidates
www.studyhistory.co.uk
Ask students to imagine
they are Elizabeth and
writing the death warrant for
Mary. Use the template on
the department website and
create a warrant which
explains your reasons for
having Mary executed. Use
the success criteria to help
support and stretch
students in the class.
Students may enjoy decoding
letters used in the Babbington Plot
– see the picture resource
entitled, ‘Mary’s Coded Letter’
Use the DVD, ‘Battlefield
Britain – the Spanish
Armada’ by the BBC to
supplement students’
knowledge of events
BBC DVD; resources on
www.studyhistory.co.uk as well as
the interactive map on the School
History website:
http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/les
sons/armada/map.htm
Go online and try the BBC History
spy game to review key facts
relating to Mary Queen of Scots at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/britis
h/tudors/launch_gms_spying.shtm
l
29
30
31
What kind of
student was
Elizabeth I?
To investigate Tudor
education and past times
and assess how clever
Elizabeth might have been
What did
Elizabeth look
like?
To examine the way
Tudors, in particular
Elizabeth, used portraits as
propaganda and to clearly
understand what that term
means
Tudor society
magazines
To give students
opportunity to draw on
class knowledge and
independent research to
produce a project on the
‘Golden Age’ of Elizabeth.
To enable students to
judgement on the key
question on the basis of
their knowledge.
Starter – ask students to
discuss which subjects
they enjoy studying.
Contrast these with the
typical subjects studied
by Elizabeth using the
timetable on the
accompanying portrait.
Explain aspects of
Elizabeth’s education and
personality and ask
students to write a report
on Elizabeth
Starter – show students
two pictures of Elizabeth
and ask them to assess
which she would prefer to
tease out the idea that
she used portraits to
present a certain image
of herself
Identify the different ways
in which the Tudors could
communicate with their
people and assess which
would be most effective
Study a famous Tudor
portrait, e.g. Armada
portrait to unpack its
meaning and explore the
use of iconography
Starter – bring in
examples of society
magazines and discuss
what makes them popular
with readers. Explore the
techniques and
presentational styles
Ask students to finish
reports on Elizabeth for
homework and then bring
them in to peer assess
using the success criteria
on the accompanying
PowerPoint
Powerpoint entitled, ‘Young
Elizabeth – report writing task’
Ask students to produce a
visual guide to one of
Elizabeth’s portraits and
record it using Photostory
Detailed descriptions of Tudor
portraits can be found at
http://www.marileecody.com/eliz1images.html
See also, ‘Renaissance,
Revolution and Reformation, p.523
An example of a Tudor portrait,
‘Rainbow Portrait’ can be found
on the department’s website
See also, ‘Societies in Change’,
p.40-1
It may be useful for
students to conduct the
Tudor webquest as
background research to this
task on the department’s
website or explore some of
the interactive tasks at
Task sheet as well as
accompanying presentation can
be found in the ‘Age of Elizabeth’
section of the department website
Weblinks available here:
http://www.studyhistory.co.uk/We
enhance presentation and
ICT skills using picture and
word editing software
used. Link this to the
Golden Age of Elizabeth
and using the task sheet
explain how students are
to create their own
magazine packed with
interviews and features
on Elizabethan society
http://www.activehistory.co.
uk/Miscellaneous/menus/Y
ear_8/Tudors.htm
blinks/Resources,%20weblinks,%
20index.htm#year7
Lesson series focus: this last sequence of lessons is intended to offer students an introduction to the Civil War. The key theme to explore is causation, in
this case of the Civil War. Was the conflict the result of personal failings in Charles and his style of government or were there long term factors such as social
and religious change that inevitably would have led to conflict whoever was head of government? You may wish to make links with modern civil wars, e.g.
Bosnia or Afghanistan and see if any parallels can be drawn between events both in terms of their causes and the impact on the civilian populations.
What were the
causes of the
civil war
Long and short term
causes
Personality of Charles I
Different sides: Royalists
and Parliamentarians
33
Were women
the weaker
vessel?
Role of women in C17th
England
Conditions in England
during the Civil War
34
Cromwell, Hero
or Villain?
Study life of Cromwell.
Evaluate his successes
and failures.
Consider the problems in
making judgments on
earlier cultures or periods
32
Compare visual and
textual accounts of
Charles’s execution and
consider reasons for
differences.
Students study different
factors and create a
spider diagram, colourcoding different types of
causes e.g. economic,
social, political and
personal. Students
evaluate which was the
most important factor.
Put Charles on trial and
hold a class debate.
Students study primary
and secondary accounts
of role of women from
Counsell, p. 32-39 and
p.74-83
Storyboard Cromwell’s
life or create a timeline.
Create a scales chart
showing the successes
and failures of his life.
Hold a class debate on
If you have time to
complete this at this point in
the year you may wish to
set the essay: ‘Why did civil
war break out in England in
1642?’
Task sheet with writing frame
available from history website.
Write a letter to a husband
who is away fighting during
the civil war to describe
conditions at home and
your changing role
Timeline / storyboard.
Judgment paragraph
summing up the points of
the class debate.
Counsell, ‘Changing Minds’
Counsell, ‘Changing Minds’, p.6473
Cromwell Association website;
Counsell, ‘Changing Minds’, p.804
35
Why was the
monarchy
restored
Effects of Civil War.
Reasons for Restoration.
Personality of Charles II
whether Cromwell
deserves to be labeled
hero or villain.
Students list the reasons
for inviting the return of
Charles II and evaluate
the most important.
Teacher explains life
under the court of
Charles II and students
decide which aspects
would have angered/
pleased Royalist /
Puritans
Write a speech inviting
Charles II back to
England, including the
worries you may have in
restoring the monarchy.
Speech to Charles II
Explore sections on Stuarts on
Channel 4 microsites website.