Queen Victoria's Empire Lesson Plans by Lisa Prososki Plan 2: A Victorian News Magazine Subject Areas: High School World History, Communication Arts, and Journalism Objective: Students will create a special feature news magazine that highlights Queen Victoria and her reign over England. Students will include stories about key events, people, and politics of the time. Students will use proper writing techniques when creating news and feature stories as well as editorials. Magazines will focus on different decades of Victoria's life from 1819 to 1901. Materials: Students should view the entire series "Queen Victoria's Empire". If this is not possible, they should view the key elements from each episode noted below. Students will also need access to the companion website and additional internet/library resources. Students will need access to a computer with a desktop publishing program such as Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Works, Pagemaker, etc. The project would be easiest to complete in a computer lab setting. Finally, be sure students have access to some method of binding their magazine together. This could be a 3 ring notebook, staples, a small plastic binder and binding machine, etc. Procedures: 1. Generate interest by asking students to think about a typical newspaper and the types of articles that usually get front page coverage. Direct the discussion so that students begin thinking about government, and how it is the topic of many news stories. The teacher can then facilitate a discussion about why the workings of government are so widely covered by the press and reported in such detail. Some questions or ideas to include in discussion might be: -Why do the people and policies of government get front page news coverage? -Why should the average person pay attention to this type of coverage? -How can the press affect the people and policies of government in a negative or positive way? -In what ways does the press shape public opinion about government and political leaders? 2. As discussion winds down, point out to students that written news reports available in newspapers and magazines were the primary source of information for people before the widespread use of radio and television. Thinking back to Victoria's rule, this would have been the case. People learned about the political activities and policies through reading the newspaper and discussing information. 3. Explain to students that during Victoria's reign there were several newspapers and periodicals that wrote articles about her and the activities associated with her reign. They include: Punch, The Penny Magazine, Fortnightly Review, Cornhill Magazine, Illustrated London News, The Graphic, and Pictorial Times. Have students look at several of these periodicals using the websites below. They should pay specific attention to the types of stories written, style of writing, and illustrations and political cartoons. Brown University Victorian Web http://www.landow.stg.brown.edu/victorian/victov.html Punch Magazine http://www.vassun.vassar.edu/~victstud/punchpage1.html Political Cartoons http://www.boondocksnet.com/cartoons/ Penny Magazine http://www.history.rochester.edu/pennymag/ Illustrated London News http://www.vassun.vassar.edu/~sttaylor/FAMINE/ 4. After students have had an opportunity to view the sites and become familiar with the content, facilitate a short discussion about what they noticed in terms of stories, writing style, political cartoons and illustrations, etc. 5. Show students the Queen Victoria website. Have them pay special attention to the section titled "Victoria's Realm". Here they should see a timeline that features key events from Victoria's reign. Tell students that Victoria's reign was a time of great change in England and around the world. Encourage students to watch for details about the events on the timeline as they view the series or selected portions of the series. 6. Before viewing begins, go over the Magazine Requirements Sheet with students so they will know what types of information they are looking for. Encourage them to take notes about key events they plan to write about in their magazines. Also, remind them that good news stories use the 5 W's and the H to present the facts. Finally, encourage students to make note of key people they may want to profile in feature or editorial articles that will appear in their magazines. This would also be a good time for students to decide or be assigned the decade they will be focusing on in their magazine. 7. Students are now ready to view the series or selected portions. Key portions are noted below by episode, time cues, and beginning quotations. As students view the series, the teacher should stop and facilitate discussion about key people and events as needed. Episode 1: 27:17 to 39:08 "In 1845 Britain was a global superpower." (section describes conflict over the Corn Laws and profiles Disraeli and Gladstone) Episode 2: 8:07 to 21:00 "This feeling coincided with new inventions..." (section describes how Indian and British cultures clashed, profiles Azimullah Khan) 24:08 to 32:13 "In March, 1854, the British fleet sailed for the Black Sea..." (section describes the Crimean War, Charge of the Light Brigade) 32:21 to 51:47 "The British agents of the East India Company..."(section describes uprising of Indian and subsequent fighting and massacres, and finally, peace agreement) Episode 3: 4:38 to 15:51 "In the Victorian mind, nowhere was the civilising mission..." (section describes Livingstone's missionary work, slavery of Africans, discovery of Victoria Falls) 16:40 to 19:30 "In the House of Commons..." (section describes Disraeli and his views) 25:03 to 27:40 "Victoria began by liking Gladstone..." (section describes k Gladstone and his views) 28:07 to 31:55 "David Livingstone had returned to his Dark Continent." (section describes Livingstone's expedition to find Zambezi River trade route) 38:28 to 49:13 "The Suez Canal was to drag Britain..." (section describes conflict between Disraeli and Gladstone) 49:31 to 53:14 "Livingstone had returned to Africa..." (section describes Livingstone's final mission) Episode 4: 2:46 to 22:48 "There is a saying among the Arabs..." (section describes conflict with The Mahdi and story of Charles Gordon) 25:02 to 43:04 "Gladstone's fall from power..." (section describes Cecil John Rhodes quest for riches, tricking of Lobengula, and founding of Rhodesia) 47:49 to 50:57 "But this joy would soon turn to..." (section describes Boer War and its effects on Victoria) 8. After viewing is complete, students should begin work on their magazines. Be sure to distribute the Magazine Evaluation Sheet before students begin. This will let them know specifics about what is expected from the magazine. Allow students 5-7 work days to complete the project. 9. Once the magazines are complete, students should choose their favorite article and share it with the class. This could be done in small groups or as a class. Assessment Suggestions: 1. Use the Magazine Evaluation Sheet that is provided to assign a letter grade to each student's magazine. 2. Modify the Magazine Evaluation Sheet to allow for student or peer feedback about the quality of the work. Extension Activities: 1. Victorian England has been portrayed in many different popular representations such as books, plays and musicals, films, etc. Some works to explore might include: Oliver, A Christmas Carol, and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (book, musical, or movie versions) , the movie "Mrs. Brown", and the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. Give students the opportunity to read or view one or more of these representations and compare it to what students learned from the series "Queen Victoria's Empire" as well as the research they did for the magazine projects. 2. Rather than creating individual magazines, have students use a television news magazine format to create a 30 minute video presentation about Queen Victoria. Students would need to work in groups to create scripts, scenery, and costumes. Students could choose to present their program as if it were taking place in the present, or they could leap through time and present the stories as if they were taking place during the Victorian Age. The teacher and students could work together to develop evaluation criteria for the programs. 3. Have students research the same time period they were assigned for the magazine, only this time they should look for local, regional, and state activities and news items of the time. They could then compare what was happening in England and what was taking place in their part of the U.S. National Standards: This lesson addresses the following national content standards found in the McRel Standards Database at http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/ Historical Understanding Standard 2: Understands the historical perspective. Level 4 (Grade 9-12) 1. Analyzes the values held by specific people who influenced history and the role their values played in influencing history. World History Standard 33: Understands the causes and consequences of the agricultural and industrial revolutions from 1700 to 1850. Level 4 (Grade 9-12) 5. Understands the relationship between improvements in agriculture, population increase, the rise of the textile industry, the enclosure movement, urbanization, and industrialization in 18th-century England. 7. Understands how and why industrialization developed differently in Britain than it did on the continent. Standard 36: Understands patterns of global changes in the era of Western military and economic dominance from 1800 to 1914. Level 4 (Grade 9-12) 3. Understands the influence of European imperial expansion on political and social facets of African and Indian society. 7. Understands African resistance movements against the British during the period of European imperial expansion. 12. Knows the causes and impact of the Indian Uprising of 1857. Language Arts Writing Standard 4: Gathers and uses information for research purposes. Level 4 (Grade 9-12) 2. Uses a variety of print and electronic sources to gather information for research topics 3. Uses a variety of primary sources to gather information for research topics Viewing Standard 9: Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media. Level 4 (Grade 9-12) 1. Uses a range of strategies to interpret visual media. 2. Uses a variety of criteria to evaluate informational media Magazine Requirements Sheet Name:______________________________________ Date:_____________ Your magazine should provide readers with a comprehensive look at Queen Victoria and her reign during the decade you are assigned to write about. Collect your research from the video series, the companion website, and other internet and library resources. Helpful websites are listed for you below. As you prepare your articles and layouts, keep in mind the types of stories, writing style, illustrations, and political cartoons you saw when you looked at the archived copies of periodicals of the time. Refer back to the sites as needed, focusing on entries specifically from the time period you are covering. Imitate the writing style and features that were prevalent as you are completing your project. Women's History: Queen Victoria http://royalty.about.com/aboutuk/royalt/msubvic.5b.htm Site contains a number of sections that relate to key advisors, people, and events. Specific sections to look at include: "Victoria's Advisors.2", "Victorian Imperialism. The Boer War", "Victoria's Industrial Revolution", and "Victoria Princess and Queen". Queen Victoria: Images of Her World http://www.btinternet.com/~sbishop100/ This is a collection of over 200 photos of Victoria, her life, major events, and people associated with her. Queen Victoria's Empire http://www.pbs.org/empires/victoria/ "Queen Victoria's Empire" companion website Your magazine should contain all of the following. These are minimum requirements. 5 news stories about major events relating to Victoria's reign during the designated decade 1 feature story on Queen Victoria 2 feature stories about other important political figures 1 editorial related to Victoria or another politician 1 map showing Queen Victoria's Empire in some way 1 political cartoon focusing on Victoria or another politician 1 picture/graphic to accompany each news, features, and editorial stories Bylines for all stories Captions for all pictures, cartoons, and maps Dateline for all stories A cover featuring a date, a title, highlights of the magazine's contents, and a picture of Queen Victoria Below you will find lists of key people and events to profile in your stories. It is not all inclusive. See you teacher for other ideas you have. George Stephenson Prince Albert Isambard Kingdom Brunel Benjamin Disraeli William Ewart Gladstone Joseph Paxton Thomas Waghorn Azimullah Kahn William Russell David Livingstone John Brown General Charles Gordon Cecil John Rhodes Industrial Revolution in England Building of the Crystal Palace The Great Exposition The Corn Law Controversy The role of the East India Company in India's settlement/takeover Crimean War Accusations that Prince Albert was a spy Charge of the Light Brigade The Great Mutiny Massacre at Kanpur National Day of Humiliation Death of Prince Albert Livingstone's missions/assignments Slave trade in Africa Expansion of Victoria's Empire Acquisition of the Suez Canal Victoria becomes Queen-Empress of India The Mahdi and Charles Gordon: Conflict in the Sudan Cecil John Rhodes road to riches The formation of Rhodesia Conflict with the Matabeles Discovery of gold in Africa Victoria's Diamond Jubilee The Boer War Queen Victoria's death Magazine Evaluation Sheet Name:___________________________________ Magazine Requirement Includes 5 news stories Includes a feature story on Queen Victoria Date:___________________ Possible Points 25 5 Includes 2 additional feature stories 10 Includes 1 editorial related to Victoria 5 Includes 1 map of Victoria's Empire 10 Includes 1 political cartoon 10 Includes 1 picture/graphic for each news, feature, and editorial story 10 All stories include bylines 5 All stories include datelines 5 All pictures, cartoons, maps, and graphics include captions 10 Includes a cover with -date -title -highlights of magazine's contents -picture of Queen Victoria 2 5 5 3 All stories and contents are historically accurate 50 There are no errors in spelling, grammar, capitalization, punctuation, or usage 25 Points Earned Magazine is appealing -uses color well -has user friendly layout -text is readable (size) -pictures match stories -is bound appropriately 3 3 3 3 3 Total Teacher Comments: Student Comments: Parent Comments: 200