Session Plan
This is a year 8 lesson that I do about symbolism in Tudor portraits. As an Arts College we
are conscientiously trying to include cross curricular arts work in every module at KS3.
The dressing up is the best part of this lesson but it does not need to be difficult. You will
need to get hold of an Elizabethan-ish dress, does not need to be fantastic but should be
big enough that the average sized student could put it on over school uniform. Getting
objects for the symbols is easy I use things like cheap plastic pearls; a peace of plain
fabric I have drawn eyes and ears on with a felt tip; fur fabric; my modern kitchen sieve;
and a globe borrowed from geography. Anything that you want but is not possible to have
as an object (e.g. Rainbow, Phoenix, Pelican etc) print and cut out they can then be stuck to
the dress with double sided tape.
Learner Prior Knowledge
 Who were the Tudors?
 The Reformation
 The Reigns of Edward and Mary
Key Question or Focus:

How did Elizabeth I use symbolism to show her subjects what she was like?
Objectives:

To understand that Tudor Portraits are full of symbolism

To show that by understanding this symbolism historians can learn about the image
Elizabeth wanted to portray.

To develop group work and problem solving skills
Intended Outcomes: At the end of the lesson students will be able to:




Pick out some important symbols from a well known portrait of Elizabeth.
Decide what symbols they would use in order to show Elizabeth in a certain way.
Understand why Elizabeth was so conscious of her image.
To come to an agreement when working in a group.
Assessment: Learning will be assessed by
 Input into class discussion
 Group decision on symbols to use for own portrait.
Reminders:
Dressing up! Need Elizabethan dress and bag of symbolic objects.
Time
Activity
Outcome
Starter show a PowerPoint of some common symbols that
the students will know. Get them to shout out or write
down what they mean. Explain that they know what these
symbols mean because they see them all the time. In the
same way Tudors used symbols to show things they wanted
to tell their subjects. Just as they did not need telling
what the symbols meant the Tudors would also know what
these symbols stood for.
Introduces
the theme of
the lesson.
Ensures that
the students
know the uses
of symbolism.
PowerPoint of
common symbols
(no smoking,
toilets, speed
camera, school
logo, etc.)
As a class look at one picture of Elizabeth to pick out
symbols (I use the coronation portrait) try to get the class
to think of the message of the portrait rather than just
pick out the symbols, they may need pointing towards some
of the less obvious ones.
Models what
the class will
have to do in
their group
work
Picture of
Elizabeth
Symbolism guide
(I photocopy this
onto A3 to make it
clearer)
In small groups look at a portrait and pick out the symbols,
identify what they mean and try to come to a conclusion
about what the message of the painting is. (I have
produced a simple sheet to fill in to support this). After 5
mins rotate the pictures so that each group has a
different one. Do as many times as you wish (3 or 4 is
enough to give them an idea of the different portraits
without them losing focus)
Students
study
portraits to
understand
the image
Elizabeth
wanted her
subjects to
see.
Several A4
portraits of
Elizabeth
Good ones are:
The sieve portrait,
The Ditchley Portrait,
The Pelican Portrait,
The Pheonix Portrait,
The Rainbow Portrait,
The Ermine Portrait,
The Peace Portrait,
The Armada Portrait.
Large copies of many of these can be found at
http://courses.essex.ac.uk/lt/lt361/images/Elizabeth%20
portraits/Images_Elizabeth
Dressing up! (This is the fun bit!) Give each group a “letter
from Elizabeth” explain that the groups need to organise a
new portrait of Elizabeth for the reason given in her
letter. They need to decide which symbols they will use
and why.
Each group (or groups may need to double up due to time)
then chooses a volunteer to be Elizabeth. They then put on
the Elizabethan dress. They rest of the group explain
which symbols they are using and get “her” to pose for the
portrait. I then take a photograph to use for a display
(with their permission!). The other groups can advise or
disagree with what they are putting on.
Practice at
looking beyond
the obvious
with picture
sources
Gives students
the
opportunity to
show what
they have
learnt.
Resources
Symbolism guide
Table to fill in
(optional: Large
clock on board so
students can see
how much time the
have)
Letters (I tea
stain these and tie
them with a red
ribbon.)
Elizabethan dress
Bag of symbolic
objects
Camera!