Lesson video

Hello and welcome to today's history lesson.

My name is Mr. Merritt and I'll be guiding you through today's lesson.

So let's get started.

Today's lesson is called, "Saying goodbye and remembering a reign".

And by the end of today's lesson we'll be able to talk about how Britain changed during Queen Elizabeth II's life and why people remember her reign.

During today's lesson, we'll be using some keywords.

I'm gonna say these keywords now and leave a little space for you to repeat after me.

So our first keyword is funeral.

Our second keyword is reign.

And our third keyword is change.

Well done if you repeated it after me.

So a funeral is a ceremony to remember someone's life.

A reign is the time a monarch, a king or a queen rules.

And change is when things become different.

Let's see if you can spot these keywords as we go through our lesson today.

So the first part of our lesson that we're gonna start on now is looking at a funeral and national goodbye.

In 1926, Elizabeth was born and then in 1939, when she was just 13 years old, World War II began.

Just a year later when she was 14 in 1940, Elizabeth delivered her first radio broadcast, and then in 1953 when she was 27, Elizabeth was crowned queen.

In 1976, when Elizabeth was 50, she visited Canada for the Olympic Games.

And in 1977, when Elizabeth was 51, there was the first ever Commonwealth Day.

Sadly in 2022, Elizabeth was 96 when she died at Balmoral, and that's what we're going to be looking at first of all today.

Now in September, 2022, something very sad happens.

Queen Elizabeth II dies.

She was 96 years old and she died peacefully at her home in Balmoral Castle in Scotland with her family nearby.

She was the Queen of the United Kingdom, the UK for 70 years, making her the longest reigning king or queen in the history of the United Kingdom, which is a really extraordinary achievement.

Okay, let's have a quick check for understanding now.

So where was Elizabeth when she died?

Was she a, in London for the state's opening of parliament?

Was she b, at one of her homes in Balmoral Castle?

Or she c, on a visit to Canada?

Make your choice.

Okay, if you said b, at one of her homes, Balmoral Castle, then very well done.

That is the correct answer.

Now, after she died, many people wanted to pay their respects to Elizabeth.

Nearly 300,000 people traveled to Edinburgh and London to do this.

A few days later there was a state funeral for Elizabeth and over 1 million people traveled to London for Elizabeth's funeral, and millions more watched it on television at home.

The funeral was led by members of the armed forces from the UK and also from different Commonwealth countries.

Elizabeth was laid to rest at Windsor Castle alongside other members of her family.

Let's have a quick check for understanding again.

So I'd like you to put these events in the order in which they happened, starting with the earliest.

So event one, people paid their respects to Elizabeth in Edinburgh and London.

Event two, Elizabeth was laid to rest at Windsor Castle.

Event three, Elizabeth died peacefully at home in Balmoral castle.

And event four, Elizabeth's state funeral was attended by 1 million people.

So pause the video while you do this and I'll see you again in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back.

Hopefully you got okay with this little check for understanding.

So let's see what the correct order is.

So firstly it was event three.

Elizabeth died peacefully at home in Balmoral Castle.

Then it was event one.

People paid their respects to Elizabeth in Edinburgh and London.

Then event four, Elizabeth's state funeral was attended by 1 million people.

And finally, event two, Elizabeth was laid to rest at Windsor Castle.

Hopefully you got the order of those all correct.

Now, after Elizabeth death was announced, radio and TV stations all across the UK spent time talking about Elizabeth's reign and remembering the kind things that she had done throughout her long life.

Many people shared nice stories about Elizabeth focusing on things like her charity work and how kind and welcoming she was to all different people around the world.

Let's have another quick check for understanding, and I've got a statement there which might be true or false.

I'd like you to try and work it out.

So the statement is, over 1 million people attended Elizabeth's state funeral and millions more watched at home.

But is my statement true or false?

Make your choice now.

Okay, if you said that my statement was true, then very well done.

You are absolutely correct.

Let's have our first task for today.

So I'd like you to think what do you already know or remember about Elizabeth?

So think back to our previous lessons, talk to your partner about the things that Elizabeth is remembered for.

Pause the video while you do this and I'll see you again in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back.

Hopefully you enjoyed doing this task.

Let's think about some of the things you might have said then.

So you might have said that Elizabeth was born a princess, that she delivered a radio broadcast during World War II to help evacuees feel better, that she wore nice clothes to make other people feel included, like when she wore the colors of the Canadian flag when she visited Canada.

You might have said that Elizabeth did lots of traveling around the UK and to Commonwealth countries, and also that Elizabeth helped lots of people by supporting many charities.

If you've got anything else that's not on that list on the screen in front of you there, then really well done.

You've done really well to remember something else about Elizabeth, but hopefully you've got a few of those things on the screen in front of you there as well.

Let's have another task.

So what do you think is one of the most important things that Elizabeth should be remembered for?

I'd like you to tell your partner what you think is the most important thing.

And what's really fun about this task is that it's entirely your opinion.

So as long as you've got a good reason for why you think it's the most important thing, then it's gonna be a great answer.

I can't wait to hear what it is.

So I'd like you to use the following sentence starters to help you with this.

So you could say, "One of the most important things that Elizabeth should be remembered for is.

.

.

" "And this is important because.

.

.

" So pause the video whilst you complete this task and I'll see you again in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back.

And hopefully you enjoyed that task.

Let's think about what you might have said then.

So we can see that Jun on the screen there, he says that, "One of the most important things that Elizabeth should be remembered for is her charity work.

This is important because it's good to help people and the environment.

" That's a great answer, Jun.

Well done.

Jacob though says that, "The most important thing Elizabeth should be remembered for is how she made people feel special on her travels to different countries.

This is important because she made people feel included.

" That's another really good answer there as well, Jacob.

If you've got a different answer from Jun and Jacob, I'm sure that your answer is perfectly good as well, just as long as you've given a really good explanation for why you think whatever it is that you think.

Let's move on to the next part of our lesson now, which is looking at Charles becomes king.

When Queen Elizabeth II died, her eldest child, Prince Charles became King Charles III.

Charles's coronation happened in May, 2023 when he was 73 years old, making the oldest person to ever be crowned the king or queen of the United Kingdom.

So that's quite amazing.

Okay, let's have a check for understanding now.

Who became king or queen after Queen Elizabeth died and her reign ended?

I'd like you to tell your partner the answer.

So pause the video whilst you do that and I'll see you again in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back.

Now, if you told your partner that Elizabeth's son Charles became King Charles III after Elizabeth died and her reign ended, then very well done.

You've given the correct answer.

For many years, Charles had learned a lot from Elizabeth about what it meant to be part of the royal family.

Just like his mother, Charles has spent a great deal of time helping different charities.

He supports more than 800 charities, which is a huge number of charities.

Some of these he helped to create himself, such as the Prince's Trust.

Well now it's called the King's Trust.

Charles has also spent a lot of time trying to help the environment and he has written many books on the topic.

It is clear that Elizabeth's principle of being kind and helpful to other people and the environment, it will continue with her son.

Let's have a check for understanding.

So I'd like you to complete the sentence on the board with the missing words.

So just like his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III has supported hundreds of.

.

.

What's that missing word?

Say your answer now.

Okay, if you said that just like his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III has supported hundreds of charities, then very well done.

That's the correct answer.

Okay, let's go for another task now.

So what is one thing that is different about King Charles III compared to Queen Elizabeth II, but also what is one thing that's the same?

So have a little think about how old they were when they became king or queen and also what they like to do.

And tell your partner your ideas.

If you can come up with more than one thing, then that'll be absolutely amazing.

Pause the video whilst you complete this task and I'll see you again in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back.

Hopefully you got on well with that task.

Let's think about what you might have said then.

So you might have said that one thing that is different is the age that became king or queen.

Elizabeth was 27 when she became queen, but Charles was 73 when he became king.

That definitely is different.

One thing that is the same is they both helped people through charity work.

That's a really good similarity there as well.

If you've got any other similarities and differences, then really well done.

You've worked very well on that.

Let's move on and look at our next part of the lesson, just looking at how Britain has changed.

Now, Elizabeth had a very long life and lived through an incredibly interesting time.

The 96 years that Elizabeth was alive saw one of the fastest periods of change in all of history.

Entertainment and technology are very different today compared to what they were like long ago when Elizabeth was a child.

When Elizabeth had her coronation, televisions were quite rare.

However, because Elizabeth made the decision to have her coronation televised, the number of people who owned a TV in the UK doubled.

That's amazing.

Since then, TVs have become very common, even though how they are used has changed.

The creation of the internet has meant that people no longer have to watch whatever is on a particular channel, but can instead stream anything they like whenever they like, which is amazing.

The invention of mobile phones means that people can now watch television wherever they like to.

So TV has changed an extraordinary amount throughout Elizabeth's life.

Okay, let's have a check for understanding now.

So I'd like you to choose the correct word to complete sentence that's on the screen.

So Elizabeth's lifetime saw one of the, is it fastest or slowest periods of change in human history?

Make your choice now.

Okay, if you said that Elizabeth's lifetime saw one of the fastest periods of change in human history, then very well done.

You are absolutely correct.

And another check for understanding.

I'd like you to put the technologies in order of when they were invented.

So start with the earliest.

So which came first?

Was it the internet?

Was it television?

Or was it mobile phones?

Which one came after?

And which is the most recent of those inventions?

So pause the video whilst you complete that and I'll see you again in just a moment.

Okay, if you said that the first thing to be invented was television followed by mobile phones and then the internet, then very well done.

That's the correct answer.

Other forms of technology have changed a lot as well.

In the past, most people in the UK did not own a car.

Today most households have at least one car.

Other things that we see as normal today such as central heating, fridges and washing machines were very uncommon when Elizabeth was born.

There have been plenty of other changes that Elizabeth saw as well.

Fashions have changed the type of clothes that people wear.

Medicines have improved the lives of poorly people and a mix of different cultures have changed the types of music we listened to amongst many other things.

It's been a very exciting period of change that we've seen since Elizabeth was born.

Okay, let's have a check for understanding again.

So I'd like you to circle the changes that Elizabeth saw during her lifetime.

So on the screen we've got, there are more cars, there are fewer airplanes, there are more people living in the United Kingdom, there are fewer houses in the United Kingdom, there are fewer dishwashers, and there are more washing machines.

So pause the video whilst you complete this and I'll see you again in just a moment.

Okay if you said that there are more cars, there are more people living in the United Kingdom and there are more washing machines, then very well done.

Those are the changes that we've seen during Elizabeth's lifetime.

Perhaps one of the biggest changes that Elizabeth saw during her lifetime was the people that made up the United Kingdom.

The number of people living in the world is much greater today than it was 100 years ago.

And this is true of the UK as well.

As well as there being more people in the United Kingdom, there is also a greater variety of people living here compared to when Elizabeth was a child.

People from all over the world, including from Commonwealth countries, came to live in the United Kingdom and helped the country to grow and change.

Elizabeth would've been very happy to see people from all over the Commonwealth working together to help themselves and those around them.

Let's have a check for understanding.

And I've got another statement which might be true or false.

So the statement reads, "The number of people living in the United Kingdom decreased during Elizabeth's lifetime.

" Is that statement true or is it false?

Make your choice now.

Okay, if you said that my statement was false, then you are absolutely right.

That is a false statement.

But why is it a false statement?

Have a little think about that.

Okay, if you said that my statement was false because there are more people in the world today and more people living in the United Kingdom, including from different parts of the world and Commonwealth countries, then you are absolutely correct.

Very well done.

If your answer's slightly different to mine, but you've still got the general idea, then that's a good answer as well.

Very well done too.

Let's go for another task now.

So I'd like you to look at the two pictures on the next slide.

One of them is from the start of Elizabeth's reign and the other is from the end of her reign.

And I'd like you to think, what differences can you see between the two pictures, but also what has stayed the same?

So some things do you to think about.

You can think about fashion, cars, buildings, roads and technology.

You can think about other things as well if you can.

Discuss your ideas with your partner.

So here are the two pictures.

We can see the one at the start of Elizabeth's reign and we can see the one at the end of Elizabeth's reign.

So pause the video whilst you complete this task and I'll see you again in just a moment.

Okay.

Welcome back.

Hopefully you enjoyed that task.

Let's think about what you might have said then.

So you might have said, "One thing that is different is that the photo from the start of Elizabeth's reign is black and white and the photo from the end of her reign is in color.

Another thing that is different is that the people in the photo are wearing different types of clothes.

" Yes, they are.

Very well done if you spotted those things.

"One thing that is the same is that there are still cars on the road, although the cars do look different.

Another thing that is the same is that the buildings are still made outta bricks.

" So well done if you manage to spot some similarities and some differences and really well done if you found some different ones than I found as well.

Let's go on to our next task.

So I'd like you to think of something that has changed during Elizabeth's life and do you think it was an important change?

So I'd like to write or say an answer using these sentence starters.

"One thing that changed during Elizabeth's life is.

.

.

" "This is an important change because.

.

.

" Alternatively, if you think the thing that you pointed out is not important, that's fine as well.

Explain why you don't think is a very important change?

I've got some pictures on the screen just to give you some ideas if you need them.

But pause the video now and I'll see you again in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back.

Hopefully you got some well with that task.

Let's think about what you might have said then.

So Aisha has said, "One thing that changed during Elizabeth's life is TVs.

This is an important change because lots of people watch TV today, but at the start of Elizabeth's reign, not many people even had a TV.

" That's a really good point to make there, Aisha.

Lucas says, "Another thing that changed is there are are lots more people living in the United Kingdom.

This is also important because new people can help the country to grow bigger and better.

" That's a great point as well, Lucas.

Very well done.

I bet you've got some really good points as well that you've made and some really good explanations as to why they're important.

Okay, let's go for our next task now.

So I'd like you to match each action to how Elizabeth created change during her long reign.

So the actions we've got are her radio broadcast, the coronation on TV, the fact that she visited Commonwealth countries and that she supported charities.

And the changes that these led to was that it helped ordinary people feel included in the ceremony, it helped people and the environments, made evacuees feel less lonely and it made people feel valued and proud.

So match Elizabeth's action to the change that it created.

Pause the video whilst you do this and I'll see you again in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back.

Hopefully you've got somewhere with that task.

Let's see what the correct answers are.

So Elizabeth's radio broadcast made evacuees feel less lonely.

Her coronation on TV helped ordinary people feel included in the ceremony.

When she visited Commonwealth countries, it made people feel valued and proud.

And when she supported charities, it helped people and the environments.

Hopefully you got those answers correct as well.

Okay, let's sum up today's lesson then.

What have we learned?

So we learned that Elizabeth died in September, 2022.

Even though she is no longer alive, we remember her life in service.

We learned that her state funeral was viewed by millions of people who watched it on TV or traveled to London to see it in person.

We also learned that her eldest child, Charles, became King Charles III after Elizabeth died.

We then learned that Elizabeth was the longest reigning king or queen in the history of the United Kingdom.

And finally we learned that her reign saw huge changes across almost every aspect of society.

Thank you very much for joining me today.

I hope you enjoyed yourself.

I hope you learned something and I hope to see you again next time.

Bye-bye.