Tudor Banquet: 13 Historical Tudor Figures, actions, legacy, relationships, problem solving and historical reasoning

This product is a creative look at teaching the Tudors with the main objectives being:

• Understanding the need for Henry VIII to make Britain powerful and rich
• Knowledge of how religion was changed under the rule of Henry VIII
• Reasons for so many marriages from the perspective of Henry VIII
• The achievements of Elizabeth I and her role in changing attitudes towards women in the Tudor court
• Know the influential figures who supported/challenged the reign of the Tudor King

The main activity is to provide a seating plan for a banquet being held by Henry VIII. On the guest list are 12 influential Tudor figures ranging from Henry's six wives, his three children, the Pope, Oliver Cromwell and Thomas Wolsey. Students must work out, with Henry sitting in the middle, where will the 12 guests sit?

• Who will sit closest to Henry VIII and why?
• Who will sit furthest to Henry VIII and why?

A full lesson plan is included for the teacher to structure the lesson in a clear and progressive way. To begin with, students can work independently, in pairs or in groups and are given a pack of 12 Guest Profiles. The children will need to find out (through using a range of non-fiction sources) different pieces of information to inform their views on where each historical figure should sit, linked with their relationship with Henry VIII and the legacy of their actions on the Tudor period. They will need to find out the following information:

• Born and Died
• Reasons for death
• Country of birth and religion
• Job Title and details of their responsibilities
• Achievements, impact on Tudor period
• Relationship with Henry VIII

Through discussion, students will start to formulate a seating plan in their minds. At this point, provide the children with the 13 Table Name Labels for them to start sorting and arranging the seating plan.

Once completed, each group should be able to justify who sits where and why. Further discussions will occur if their are differences in positions as groups can share further evidence they have found which could challenge the decisions made by other groups.

All in all, this activity - which can take up to a day - provides a very in-depth study of the Tudors in a seemingly simple activity.

Our students loved this activity, and we are currently developing further banquets for them to apply the skills of research, discussion and persuasion using evidence which they gained from this product. They particularly enjoyed the extension activities included in the lesson plan!

We hope that your students enjoy this product to. Simply purchase, download, print and go! Non-fiction resources/internet access is required to support research of the 12 key figures.

Great to start a topic, ideal to review the Tudors!

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Best wishes

INSPIReducation