The 1916 Rising
Claire Daly
CS7067
Part A: Introduction
The learning experience outlined in the design document focuses on teaching information in relation
to the 1916 Easter Rising to a class of Sixth Class primary school pupils. The pupils are familiar with
the key events of the 1916 Rising, having covered them in depth in previous school years. This
learning experience aims to explore alternative elements of the Rising.
The project will take the form of a flipped classroom. I wanted to use a flipped classroom to make
the most of instructional time with students and to focus on developing a deeper understanding of
topics. Students will be assigned a topic to research for 30 minutes as a homework assignment. The
following day, they will engage in group work designed to develop problem-solving, independent
research and teamwork. The topics covered will include Signatories of the Proclamation, Locations of
the Rising, Music of the Rising, Events of the Rising, Life in 1916 and Survivors of the Rising.
The learning experience will present pupils with a variety of primary sources using various types of
multimedia. Children will work in groups of four using the Jigsaw method of cooperative learning.
Each student’s part is essential for the completion and understanding of the project. Each lesson will
be broken into four segments, and one child will study each segment. Temporary ‘expert groups’ will
be created, with one student from each jigsaw group joining others who have been appointed to the
same segment. Pupils will have studied their designated topic as part of a ‘flipped classroom’
homework assignment. Students will discuss and research the main elements of their segment.
Students will then rejoin their original group and present what they have learned about his or her
segment to their peers.
At the end of the six-week learning unit, each group will create a video ‘documentary’. The
documentary will consolidate what the pupils have learned over the course of the learning
experience.
Differentiation is catered for by using a variety of teaching approaches (group work, individual
enquiry) and a variety of sources (oral sources, video sources and documentary sources).
Curricular Strand:
Politics, Conflict and Society
Strand Unit:
1916 and the foundation of the state
Part B: Analysis
Instructional Goals
 Contribute to the production of a collaborative ‘documentary’ detailing information
about the 1916 Rising
 Analyse the influence that the 1916 Rising had on the people of Ireland
Instructional Analysis (what they need to know)
 The pupils have an understanding of how to use a computer to surf the internet and
have created group presentations in the past.
 What are the skills required by the students to get to the end point in the instructional
goals
 What are the steps in the process
Analyse Learners and Context (what they currently know)
 The learning experience will take place in a mixed ability, co-educational Fifth Class in
primary school. Prior to commencing the learning unit, students have studied the 1916
Rising and know some information surrounding the period it occurred and social and
political reasons behind the Rising. Before beginning the instructional unit, an
introductory video will be shown to activate prior knowledge and revise the key ideas.
 The Primary School History Curriculum aims to introduce pupils to key figures and
personalities, explore attitudes and motivations and explore the influence of political
changes on the lives of Irish people.
 Where are your learners now? (This allows definition of the skills gap)
Performance Objectives
 Identify bias and conflicting attitudes in documents and sources from 1916
 Acquire some knowledge of the major personalities, events and developments during
the 1916 Rising
 Begin to develop an appreciation of the ‘mind-set’ of former generations
 Explore, discuss, and compare the attitudes, beliefs, motivations and actions of
individuals and groups of individuals in the past
Part C: Design
Environment
Describe the environment the learning will take place in.
 I chose to use blended learning for the implementation of this project. The Primary
School History Curriculum places particular emphasis on the ability to ‘Work as a
Historian’ when engaging in historical enquiry. For this reason, I am eager that pupils
will have the opportunity to explore physical evidence and artefacts such as
newspapers and letters. The learning experience will combine online research with
the exploration of first hand documents and sources.
 The learning experience will involve conducting independent research using a
combination of online resources. The online sources give pupils access to primary
sources that comprise of oral sources, video, newspaper reports and letters.
Introduction and Orientation
This could include an overview of all or some of the following:
 Course Introduction
- As an introduction, children watch an introductory video to briefly revise 1916
topic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cew_ZLgi3Cc
-
Class will compile a KWL chart outlining previous related knowledge surrounding
the topic and generate questions that they would like to answer.
- Children will be split into groups based on ability, with each topic designed to
match pupil’s individual capability.
Course Outline
Orientation Activity
Help Function
Technical support
- Each member in the group of four will be assigned a role of responsibility. A
child who the teacher deems to be computer literate will be assigned the role of
‘Technical Expert’. Should a group member have difficulty with an aspect of
technology, he/she will consult their Technical Expert. Failing this intervention,
the class teacher will be consulted.
Academic Support
- A Padlet platform will be created for all class members. If a pupil is having
difficulty or needs a question answered, he/she can post a question on the
group Padlet and the class teacher will respond and offer support.





Outline Syllabus
Describe in detail the learning content and activities you will construct. This should include a
discussion and justification of your choice of technologies.
Learning Activities (Learning Material, Discussion and Activities)
 Introduction
- Topic 1 – The Signatories of the Proclamation
Using the National Library of Ireland’s online resource, each group member will
choose a signatory to conduct research on.
(http://www.nli.ie/1916/1916_main.html)
-
Topic 2 – Key Locations of the Easter Rising
Using Google’s interactive 1916 resource, each group member will explore one of
four key locations of the Rising.
https://dublinrising.withgoogle.com/welcome/
-
Topic 3 – Music of the Easter Rising
Justification: As a teacher of pupils of varying abilities, I was keen to introduce an
element of music to avoid an over reliance on text-heavy sources – particularly for
pupils who are struggling readers. This also caters to pupils who favour auditory
learning styles.
Each member will listen to and explore the lyrics of rebel songs that were sung
during the time leading up to the Rebellion of 1916.
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/easterrising/songs/rs02.shtml)
-
-
Topic 4 – Events of the Rising
Each group member will read and study a designated press article from 1916.
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/easterrising/newspapers/index.shtml)
Enquiry Questions:
Is the newspaper account biased? Why/Why not?
-
Topic 5 – Life in 1916
Each group member will study one of four letters from 1916
(http://letters1916.maynoothuniversity.ie/featured-letters) The letters will give
pupils the opportunity to investigate what life was like in 1916 and provide a
biographical background to the Easter Rising.
-
Topic 6 – Survivors of the Rising
Each group member will watch a 10 minute snippet of a video from the RTE
archives based on the survivors of The 1916 Rising.
(http://www.rte.ie/archives/exhibitions/1993-easter-1916/2017-survivors/)
To guide learning, pupils must aim to answer the following questions when
watching the videos:
What role did he/she play in the Easter Rising?
What was his/her motivation to take part in the Easter Rising?
What was it like to live during 1916?
What question would you like to ask him/her?
What one thing do you admire about him/her?
-
Other Learning Resources/External Links:
-
http://www.mrobroin.stcronans.ie/ireland_1916-1923.html
http://www.seomraranga.com/2012/02/the-easter-rising/
http://www.theirishstory.com/2011/04/22/the-easter-rising-%E2%80%93-a-briefoverview/#.VsIVrvmLTIU
http://resources.teachnet.ie/dhorgan/2004/index.html
Assessment
Describe and justify the chosen assessment. Why is it appropriate? Does it match your
Learning Outcomes? Does it make sense in the context of your chosen strategy?
 Assessment Requirements
 Task 1 Assignment
 Task 2 Assignment…
Bibliography
See http://www.tcd.ie/Library/support/referencing.php for referencing support.