Active History: Games for Kids

The Tudors

 
 
 
 

Tudor HistoryHenry VIII

Henry VIII is covered in a dedicated page on this website.


Queen Mary TudorEdward VI and Mary I

1. Picture Analysis: The Tudor Portrait Mystery
Students analyse a famous picture to determine its message.

2. Decision Making Game: Walking the Mid-Tudor Tightrope!: A decision-making game in which students take on the role of an advisor to King Edward VI. Designed for A-Level / IB, but of potential use for younger students.

3. The Lady Jane Grey Plot: A "Codebreaking" activity in which students decipher a secret message sent following the death of Edward VI. Serves as an introduction to the crises facing Mary I.

4. Does Mary deserve to be known as "Bloody"?: A worksheet based around the short clip from the feature film "Elizabeth" which shows the execution of Latimer and Ridley. Type in "latimer ridley" into www.youtube.com to find the clip!


Elizabeth IQueen Elizabeth Tudor

a. The Circumnavigation of Francis Drake: A Google Earth spectacular!

1. The Circumnavigation of Sir Francis Drake
This is a major unit of study in its own right, with a comprehensive Google Earth Tour and five possible worksheets which could be divided between a classroom of students.

b. Why did Spain decide to invade England in 1588?

1. Analysis and Revision: The Elizabethan Religious Settlement
It would be good to start this lesson with the clip from "Elizabeth" showing the burning of Latimer and Ridley to remind students of the divisions caused by religion - but of course it is a "15" certified film, so this is not possible...So, in this worksheet, students simply assess whether each part of the settlement was Catholic, Protestant or both. This is good revision of the Reformation unit, and gives students a sound understanding of what the Church of England stands for.
Homework / Extension: Students could be asked to produce an illustrated depiction of the new Church designed to explain to the illiterate majority of the population how it is set up. Alternatively, the class could be broken into three groups, so that one group could produce a poster about the Elizabethan Church, one could provide a poster about the Catholic Church, and one could provide a poster about the Puritan Church. The teacher should close the lesson by saying that “Both the Catholics and the Puritans (strong Protestants) hated the settlement. The Pope promised that any Catholic who killed Elizabeth Tudor would be guaranteed a place in heaven! As a result all Catholics were declared possible assassins and would be executed for treason. Many hid in the famous “Priest Holes” in country houses (e.g. Boscobel). Elizabeth also set up the Secret Service under Francis Walsingham to root out spies!”

2. Sourcework: Elizabethan Pirates - Drake and Raleigh
A ripping yarn, which it would be a shame to overlook! Directly after this, I have to resort to history teacher stereotype and show students the Blackadder Episode: "Potato", which is a fantastic spoof of the voyages of discovery.

3. You be the Judge! - Mary Queen of Scots
Students consider the life and actions of Mary, and decide for each piece of evidence whether she deserves to be executed, imprisoned or freed. This feeds into a lively class debate and verdict, which can be compared to the one actually reached and this primary source account of the execution.

Extension / Homework: Students could:
(a) Watch the excellent 30-minute episode on "The Babbington Plot" from the Simon Singh series "Codebreakers". They could make notes on Tom Phillips, Al-Kindi, Anthony Babbington and Francis Walsingham*.  AND / OR:
(b) Complete this codebreaking worksheet - The Babbington Plot: Secret Codes!
(c) Complete the Fling the Teacher Quiz on Mary Queen of Scots.
*Please note that for copyright reasons I am not permitted to copy this and send it through the post, so please don't ask!

4. Running Dictation Exercise: The Spanish Armada
Students have to scribble down as much information as they can from the interactive news feeds, then use it to
(a) Produce a biased newspaper report from either a Spanish or an English perspective in three sections - cause, course, consequences AND / OR:
(b) Produce a written piece deciding whether the Spanish Armada failed due to (i) Luck, (ii) English Skill or (iii) Spanish Mistakes
Note: It is a good idea to brainstorm some "good" and "bad" words on the board prior to starting the written report so that students don't keep repeating the same points. After the reports are finished, you can then have a "knockout" competition where each student has to give a "good" word in turn, without repetition or hesitation. Students sit down when they are "out" and the winning student gets a merit. The same game can be played for "bad" words. It's a nice way of building up vocabulary!

5. Portraits as Propaganda: Symbolism in Picture Sources
This activity build on well from The Ambassadors and the Tudor Portrait Mystery Exercises. Students consider the tools used by artists to represent different policies, emotions and personality traits in individuals, using the famous "Armada Portrait" as a starting point. They then use what they have learned to produce their own colourful "Royal Portrait" of themselves, which can then be used for display purposes.


End of Unit Interactive Tests on The Tudors

Interactive quizzes on this topic [tips]
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History in the News for The Tudors

1. The historical Rough Guide to everywhere: 16th century book mapping major cities is reprinted | Mail Online  
2. King Henry VIII's Madness Explained : Discovery News King Henry VIII's Madness Explained
3. A medieval mural depicting Henry VIII has been uncovered by a couple renovating their home Angie Powell, 57, and her husband Rhodri, 56, uncovered the 20ft wide, six ft high, wall painting as they peeled back wallpaper and mortar from their grade II listed home.
4. The 16th century diagrams that detail the world's first nose job But details of the world's first ever nose jobs show how it's not as modern as you might imagine. A 16th century book detailing one of the earliest rhinoplasty operations came to light when it was sold at auction.
5. Unique battlefield gun discovery on Towton battlefield FRAGMENTS of what could be the earliest known battlefield guns have been unearthed by treasure hunters near Tadcaster.
6. Painting of Henry VIII's 'Lost' Palace For Sale It was among Henry VIII's grandest undertakings: a castle to outshine the castle of his rival, King Francois I of France. And so it was named "Nonsuch," as in no other palace could ever equal its magnificence. But, after taking eight years to construct, the Nonsuch Palace would end up standing for less than 150 years. In the 1680s, the grand estate fell into disrepair and was lost to history.
7. Stamp-sized Elizabeth I miniatures to fetch £80,000  
8. Items from Henry VIII's Mary Rose revealed for first time  
9. Vatican Reveals Letter on Henry VIII Papal Plea  
10. Henry VIII 'turned into a tyrant' by his own annus horribilis  

 

 

 

 
 
 
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