This lesson follows on from the previous lesson. It picks up events around the time of the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660. Causation is at the heart of the lesson. Students are tasked with working out whether the Restoration of the Monarchy can be attributed to anger with the[…]
This lesson is centred on some interpretations work. It gives the students an opportunity to develop their ability to critique the viewpoint of an established historian. Students are presented with the views of historian Steven Shapin. Shapin argues – quite controversially – that there was ‘no such thing as[…]
This enquiry takes as its inspiration the growing field of ‘emotion history’. Proponents of which study everyday objects, as a way of finding out more about the people of the past. In the lesson, students work in groups to dissect four early modern objects: a snuff-box a stone monument a[…]
Download this free substantive knowledge test for this unit on ‘revolutionary’ England. It fits perfectly into the diverse year 8 curriculum – just sign up as basic member. It tests your students’ core knowledge from this 7 lesson enquiry. The second page shows you the teacher answers. Use it alongside[…]
This written diverse assessment gives your year 8 classes the chance to consider how the changes in this period affected ordinary people. This fits with good assessment practice at KS3. First, students are reminded of the work of Eamon Duffy who wrote about how the villagers of Morebath experienced the[…]
Here is the ‘big story’ of this intriguing unit on Early European exploration and colonisation. Overviews really help your pupils to make sense of your curriculum and see the big picture So why not use this big story in your first lesson to give your students an overview before they[…]
Download this knowledge organiser for this original unit of the HRC Year 8 Diverse Curriculum. The unit focuses on early European exploration and colonisation. It answers the big question: What impact did early European exploration and colonisation have on indigenous people? This knowledge organiser gives your students all of the[…]
This lesson provides an introduction to the unit, by way of a study of the voyages and activities of Christopher Columbus. Students are first presented with the front cover of historian David Stannard’s book American Holocaust. They are asked to make inferences from the cover (including the emotive title) about[…]
This lesson aims to develop students’ understanding of life in the Aztec Empire before the arrival of the Spanish. It seeks to correct some widespread misconceptions about the apparent disorganisation, brutality and lawlessness of the empire. It draws upon the account of Bernal Diaz del Castillo, Spanish writer whose descriptions[…]
This lesson is centred upon an incredible and evocative contemporary source: the Codex Azcatitlan. The Codex Azcatitlan was produced soon after the Spanish arrived in – and subsequently colonised – the Aztec Empire. In the lesson, students are encouraged to recognise the huge value of this source, due to the[…]
This enquiry is centred around the removal or theft of a statue depicting a little boy from a park in Mexico City in 2010. The whole statue shows Hernán Cortés, Malintzin and their son Martin. It is the portion depicting Martin that has been removed, presumed stolen. Students’ task[…]
This lesson develops students’ understanding of the second-order concept of consequence. Students are asked first to speculate about the possible impacts or consequences of Spanish colonisation of the Aztec Empire. Then, they learn more about different aspects of life that were altered or transformed by the Spanish arrival. They use[…]
This lesson is focused on the consequences of the Spanish colonisation of the Americas. It helps to underline the significant benefits that the Spanish derived from their governance of such a large region after 1492. The lesson is centred around a mapping activity. Students must first locate the key conquests[…]
This enquiry focuses on the consequences and long-lasting impact of Spain’s huge ‘New World’ empire. Spain was one of the first European powers to develop a large overseas empire. Although many countries that came under Spanish control gained their independence in the 19th century, the impact of Spanish influence was[…]
This lesson builds on the previous enquiries in the unit by exploring the contributions made by early English explorers. The second-order concept focus is on similarity and difference. Students work towards being able to compare the strengths and weaknesses of the Spanish and English ‘empires’ in the 16th and[…]
This lesson follows on from the previous enquiry, focusing on why it took the English so long to establish their own overseas colonies in the Americas. It takes a classic ‘causation’ format, presenting students with two competing arguments or interpretations, and providing evidence to help students decide which argument is[…]
This enquiry explores one of England’s earliest attempts to establish an American colony. You know the one. The one that was led by a group of Puritans escaping persecution under King James I. In the lesson, students employ criteria to judge the colony’s success, considering evidence from a range of[…]
Download this free substantive knowledge test for this unit on early exploration. It fits perfectly into the diverse year 8 curriculum – just sign up as basic member. It tests your students’ core knowledge from this sequence of lessons. The second page shows you the teacher answers. Use it alongside[…]
This assessment focuses on the concept of consequences. The assessment task is to write a series of three diary/journal entries from the perspective of a traveller to the Americas, documenting the impact over time of the Spanish/English exploration and colonisation of the region. First your students must focus on the[…]
Here is the big story of this unit focusing on how migration impacted on Early Modern England. It takes a completely different perspective on Early Modern English history. The role of the overview in the curriculum is crucial as it allows your students to see the big picture of a[…]
Here you can download the knowledge organiser for the year 8 unit on migration to Early Modern England. This is part of the HRC Year 8 Diverse Curriculum. The unit focuses on migration to Early Modern England. It answers the big question: How did migration impact on Early Modern England?[…]
This lesson serves as an introduction to the unit. Use it after the overview task. It offers an overview of the factors that led to the migration of four key groups from the early modern period. The Huguenots, ayahs and lascars from India, Africans, and Roma people all migrated to[…]
This lesson zooms in on the experiences of one ‘migrant’ from the period – Diego the Circumnavigator. Diego was enslaved by the Spanish. He escaped, and went on to work in Francis Drake’s crew during their circumnavigation of the globe. Diego’s story illuminates the expanding opportunities for travel and exploration[…]
This lesson charts the changing experiences of black migrants living in England. It gives students the chance to ‘meet’ various individuals who lived and worked as part of a community in the years 1500-1700. They are introduced to the Tudor trumpeter John Blanke, silk-weaver Reasonable Blackman and ex-slaves Jonathan Strong[…]
This lesson delves into the experiences of the second main migrant group to be considered in this unit: the Roma people. In the lesson, students first study the ways in which Roma people were depicted by ‘outsiders’ (non-Roma people) in paintings. Then, how they were treated by the authorities in[…]
This lesson follows on from the previous lesson in the unit by focusing on the story of Jamie Macpherson. Macpherson was from a Roma background. His mother was Roma, whilst his father was a Scottish landowner. At the age of just 25 Macpherson faced execution as a criminal. Students’ task[…]
This lesson takes as its focus the Indian men and women who migrated to England. They worked for British companies and families as they tried to make a future for themselves. In the lesson, students take part in a game called ‘Journey to England’. They compete in small groups to[…]
This lesson uses an engaging format to help familiarise students with the Huguenots. Huguenots were a large group of Protestant migrants who arrived in England during the 1700s, following religious persecution in France. In the lesson, students ‘tour’ the Spitalfields area using an interactive map. They ‘visit’ a number of[…]
Download this free substantive knowledge test for the Early Modern Migration Unit. It fits perfectly into the diverse year 8 curriculum – just sign up as basic member. It tests your students’ core knowledge from this unit including substantive concepts as well as general facts. The second page shows you[…]
This assessment focuses on the concept of consequences. The assessment task is to create a poster, infographic or digital presentation commemorating the impact of at least one of the four migrant groups we have studied in this unit (black migrants, Roma people, Indian migrants or Huguenots). Students’ completed piece of[…]
