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.
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!”
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.
Henry VIII
Edward VI and Mary I
