History at key stage 3 (Year 8)
Unit 8: The civil wars was England 'turned upside down' in the seventeenth century?
Section 1: Why was 1649 a year of reckoning?
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Objectives |
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- a narrative of events 1642-8
- how different defeated groups were dealt with in 1649
- to begin to make a connection between the political conflict of these years and conflicting ideas about how society should be organised
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Activities |
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Outcomes |
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Children: |
- Describe in the broadest of outlines the story of the civil wars 1642-8. A timeline may be appropriate.
- Focus on 1649 as a year of reckoning, as the winners of the civil wars demonstrated their power over the losers.
- Tell three graphic stories: the sombre scene at Whitehall as Charles I is beheaded in public, the drama at Burford church as the leaders of the Leveller mutiny are shot dead by firing squad, and the killing of Irish Catholic civilians at Drogheda and Wexford. Pupils make brief notes of the main points.
- Use each violent incident to identify different ideas about power.
Who should have power? How much should they have? Should the king share power with Parliament?
- Pupils examine the narrative of the stories (either as a whole class or in groups), compare these with their notes and look for indicators of the different views held by the protagonists in the events of 1649.
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- analyse the relationship between the events of 1649 and the conflicting ideas about how society should be organised
- listen for a specific purpose, note the main points and consider their relevance and validity
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Points to note |
- The teasing out of underpinning ideas should be kept as simple as possible:
- Parliamentarians v Royalists
- Catholics v Protestants
- that there were divisions among the winners
- how Cromwell dealt with the opposition
- Language for learning: pupils could identify key vocabulary, distinguishing between everyday and subject-specific uses of words.
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This unit is divided into sections. Each section contains a sequence of
activities with related objectives and outcomes. You can view this unit by
moving through the sections or print/download the whole unit.
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