Lesson video

Hello and welcome to today's history lesson.

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

So let's get started.

Today's lesson is called the Queen's Clothes Tell a Story, and by the end of today's lesson, we'll be able to describe how Elizabeth II's clothes during ceremonies and visits showed respect and told people about her duties.

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

So I'm gonna say the keyword and then I'd like you to repeat it after me.

So our first keyword is ceremony.

Our second keyword is respect.

Our third keyword is uniform.

And our final keyword is Commonwealth.

Very well done if you repeated those after me.

So a ceremony is a special event with important actions or rules.

Respect means when you look up to and admire someone.

A uniform is clothes for a job or a duty, and the Commonwealth is countries that work together in friendship, and most of them were once ruled by Britain.

Let's see if you can spot these words during the lesson today.

So for the first part of this lesson, we're gonna be looking at Trooping the Colour.

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

A year later, in 1940, when Elizabeth was 14, she delivered her first radio broadcast, which was incredibly brave of her.

And then in 1953, when she was 27, she was crowned queen.

So that's very exciting so far.

Let's find out what happens next.

Now, one of the main jobs that Elizabeth did as queen was to take part in ceremonies.

A ceremony is a special event with important actions or rules.

Some ceremonies happen regularly whilst others happen very rarely.

One ceremony that Elizabeth took part in almost every single year was Trooping the Colour.

Now Trooping the Colour is the name given to the ceremony that celebrates the king or queen's birthday.

It's not actually on their birthday, it just celebrates their birthday.

When Elizabeth was queen, it was called the Queen's Birthday Parade.

And some ceremonies, like Trooping the Colour, have been happening for a very long time, long before any of us were born.

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

So Trooping the Colour is also known as.

.

.

?

Pause the video whilst you have a little think.

Okay, if you said that Trooping the Colour is also known as the Queen's Birthday Parade, then very well done.

That is the correct answer.

Now, Trooping the Colour is a military parade that goes through London.

As Queen of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth was the head of the Army and the other armed forces.

As well as being a celebration for her birthday, one of Elizabeth's duties was to inspect the soldiers whose job it was to be her personal guard.

She checked that the Guards were ready to do their job of protecting her and the country.

The ceremony had been performed by other kings and queens of the United Kingdom for hundreds of years before Elizabeth was even born.

Let's have another quick check for understanding.

So what happens during Trooping the Colour?

Is it A: the flag of the United Kingdom is changed?

Is it B: the Army gets given new uniforms?

Or is it C: the Queen inspects the Army?

Have a think about your answer now.

Okay, if you said that what happens during Trooping the Colour, it was C, the Queen inspects the Army, then congratulations, that is the correct answer.

Now, Elizabeth joined the Army during the Second World War.

So she had a lot of respect for it.

To show her respect for the Guards, Elizabeth frequently took part in the Trooping the Colour ceremony personally.

She wore her Guard's uniform and she rode one of her favorite horses, which is called Burmese, as she led the Guards through London.

This made the Guards feel very proud because by wearing the same uniform as them, Elizabeth was showing she was one of them.

The ceremony was viewed by lots of people who either traveled to watch it in person or watched it on their televisions.

Trooping the Colour was a very fun ceremony for Elizabeth as there was lots of music and color and everyone had a good time.

Let's have another quick check for understanding now.

What would Elizabeth wear to the Trooping the Colour ceremony?

Would she wear A: a uniform?

Would she wear B: bright colors?

Or would she wear C: crown and jewels?

Make your choice now.

Okay, if you said that Elizabeth would wear A, her uniform during the Trooping the Colour ceremony, then very well done, that is the correct answer.

Right, let's have another quick check for understanding.

I've got an image on the screen and I'd like you to label it to explain what is happening.

And to help you out a little bit, I've done the first label for you.

So I pointed at Elizabeth and I said that Elizabeth is leading the Trooping the Colour ceremony.

So is there anything else you could add to this picture to show what's going on?

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

Welcome back.

Hopefully you had fun with that task.

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

So you might have said that Elizabeth is riding her horse and you might have also said that there are Guards behind her.

You also might have said that Elizabeth is wearing the same uniform as her Guards.

Now if you picked up anything else that I haven't included there, then very well done, but hopefully you picked up some of the things that I've got there too.

Okay, let's go for our first task for today.

So I've got some little images on the screen in front of you there and what I'd like you to do is I'd like you to use these images to describe to your partner what Trooping the Colour is.

And I've also given you some sentence starters if you'd like to use them just to help you out a little bit.

So you could say, Trooping the Colour is a ceremony for.

.

.

Or Elizabeth wore.

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.

Or the ceremony included.

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.

If you want to use your own sentence starters there, you are more than welcome to do so.

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

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 using the crown and the birthday cake picture, Trooping the Colour is a ceremony for the King or Queen's birthday.

You might have looked at the uniform picture and said that Elizabeth wore her Guard's uniform to show respect for the soldiers during the ceremony.

Or you might have used the horse picture and said that the ceremony included Elizabeth riding a horse and leading the Guards.

Very well done for completing that task.

If your sentences look different to mine, that's absolutely fine as long as you've used the pictures and you've explained how they relate to Trooping the Colour, I'm sure your answer is perfectly good as well.

Let's have another task now.

So I'd like you to think how is your birthday celebration the same as or different from Trooping the Colour?

And I'd like you to explain your ideas to your partner, and I've got some sentence starters on the screen once again just to help you out with that.

So you could say they are the same because.

.

.

or that they are different because.

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.

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

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 they are the same because they both celebrate a birthday.

They are different because I have a party at home with my family and friends, but Elizabeth II had a big parade in London with soldiers and horses.

I can't imagine very many of us have that.

You could have also said that they are different because I have cake and the Trooping the Colour ceremony had soldiers marching and Elizabeth wearing uniform.

You might have some other similarities and differences in your answer and if you do, that's absolutely brilliant.

Very well done.

And one more task now.

I'd like you to think, why might Elizabeth want to inspect the Army?

And I'd like you to tell your partner your ideas.

When you are doing that, try and use some of the words that I've included on the screen as well.

So I've got there, duty, check, soldiers, protect, and Guards.

See how many of those words you can use in your answer.

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

Welcome back.

Hopefully you enjoyed that task.

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

So you might have said it was Elizabeth's duty to check on the soldiers because she was in charge of the Army.

She needed to see if the Guards were ready to protect her and the country.

And she needed to make sure they were doing their job properly.

Very well done if you've got some sentences that sound quite similar to mine.

If yours sound different, I'm sure that's absolutely fine, as long as you used those words in the previous screen and you fully explained why she'd want to inspect the Army, I'm sure you've got a great answer as well.

Okay, let's move on to the next part of our lesson now, which is a visit to Canada.

Now another important job that Elizabeth did as queen was to visit different countries.

Elizabeth visited over 100 countries when she was queen.

Absolutely amazing amount of countries that she visited.

Many of these countries were part of the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth is a group of countries that work together in friendship, and most of them, but not all of them were once ruled by the United Kingdom.

Lots of these countries still had Elizabeth as their queen, so she felt it was important to visit them so that they felt respected and included.

Let's have a quick check for understanding now.

What is the Commonwealth?

Is it A: countries that work together as friends and most of them were once ruled by Britain?

Is it B: countries that all use the same money as the United Kingdom?

Or is it C: countries that are very close to the United Kingdom on a map?

Choose your answer now.

Okay, if you said that the Commonwealth is A, countries that work together as friends and most of them were once ruled by Britain, then very well done, that is the correct answer.

When Elizabeth visited these countries, she paid special attention to the clothes that she wore.

Elizabeth always tried to wear bright colors so that she would stand out for people viewing her in the crowd.

She knew that many people traveled a long way to see her, so she tried to make it as easy as possible for them to spot her in the crowd.

She also thought carefully about the colors that she wore and tried to show respect to the countries that she visited by wearing colors that were important to them.

So for instance, when she visited Pakistan, a Commonwealth country, she wore a white and green evening dress because those are the colors of the flag of Pakistan.

Now a quick check for understanding here.

What colors is Elizabeth wearing in this image?

And why do you think she might be wearing these colors?

Pause the video whilst you think about that and I'll see you again in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back.

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

So you might have said that red and white are the colors on the Canadian flag.

And if you notice, there's some flags in the background of this image, and that's the flag of Canada.

Very well done if you saw that.

So Elizabeth is wearing red and white to show respect to the people of Canada.

Very well done if you got that answer correct.

One Commonwealth country that Elizabeth spent a lot of time in was Canada.

Elizabeth visited Canada more than 20 times, which is a huge number of visits.

In 1976, she visited because Canada was hosting the Olympic Games and Elizabeth's daughter, Princess Anne was taking part, which must have been amazing for her.

In 2010, Elizabeth celebrated Canada Day, which is the day that Canadians celebrate the creation of their country.

Elizabeth wore a bright red dress and white hat and gloves, which are the colors of the Canadian flag.

As we can see in the image on the screen there, this showed the Canadian people that she had a lot of respect for them.

Right, let's have another quick check for understanding now.

So why did Elizabeth wear red and white clothes on a visit to Canada?

Is it because A: these are Elizabeth's favorite colors?

Is it because of B: these colors will make Canadians feel proud?

Or is it because of C: everyone has to wear these colors in Canada?

Make your choice now.

Okay, if you said that Elizabeth wore red and white clothes on a visit to Canada because B, these colors would make Canadians feel proud, then very well done, that is the correct answer.

And another quick check for understanding.

What type of clothes would Elizabeth wear on a visit to a Commonwealth country?

Would she wear A: a uniform?

Would she wear B: bright colors?

Or would she wear C: her crown and jewels?

Make your choice now.

Okay, if you said B, bright colors, then very well done, you are absolutely correct.

Okay, let's have another task now then.

So I've got the flag of Canada on the screen in front of you there and I'd like you to explain why did Elizabeth wearing red and white in Canada show respect?

Have a little think about that question.

Pause the video whilst you're doing that and I'll see you again in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back.

Hopefully you got on fine with that task.

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

So you might have said that Elizabeth showed respect by wearing the special colors from Canada's flag.

Red and whites are important colors to Canadian people, and when she wore their colors, they knew she cared about their country.

Very well done if you answer it bears some similarity to what I've got on the screen here as well.

Let's go for another task now then.

I'd like you to imagine that Elizabeth was going to visit New Zealand.

The New Zealand flag has red, white and blue on it.

So what color clothes do you think Elizabeth might have worn and why do you think she might have worn them?

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

Welcome back.

Hopefully you enjoyed that task.

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

So we can see on the screen here that Alex thinks that "Elizabeth might have worn blue because it is a special color on the New Zealand flag.

This would've made the people of New Zealand feel proud and important.

" That's a good answer, Alex.

We can also see that Laura thinks "She would've worn white or red from the New Zealand flag and this would be respectful because she's wearing colors that are special to New Zealand.

" That's another very good answer, Laura.

If your answers are similar to Alex's and Laura's, then really well done, you've done very well indeed.

Let's move on then to our next part of the lesson, which is looking at the State Opening of Parliament.

Now another important ceremony that Elizabeth took part in regularly was the State Opening of Parliament.

Parliament is where the leaders of the country meets to make new laws, which are rules that everybody in the country must follow.

The State Opening of Parliament is the ceremony that marks beginning of a new year of law-making.

This ceremony has taken place for many, many years.

It is a tradition that has been passed down through time.

Let's have a quick check for understanding now.

So in Parliament, the leaders of the country make new.

.

.

Is it A: laws for the country?

Is it B: clothes for the queen?

Or is it C: cakes for parties?

Choose your answer now.

Okay, so if you said that, in Parliament, the leaders of the country make new, A, laws for the country, then congratulations, that's the correct answer.

And another quick check for understanding now.

I'd like you to fill in the blank in this sentence.

So, laws are- <v ->that everyone in the country must follow.

</v> What's the missing word there?

Choose your answer now.

Okay, if you said that laws are rules that everyone in the country must follow, then very well done, that's the correct answer.

Now, during the State Opening of Parliament, the ceremony is very serious.

So Elizabeth's clothes had to be very serious as well.

She generally wore a large crown, a heavy robe, and lots of bright jewelry.

This uniform was worn to show how important she was and that she was deserving of respect.

Let's have another check for understanding now.

What clothes would Elizabeth wear for the State Opening of Parliament ceremony?

Would she wear A: a uniform, B: bright colors, or C: her crown and jewels?

Make your choice now.

Okay, if you said that Elizabeth would wear her crown and jewels, C, for the State Opening of Parliament, then very well done, that's the right answer.

And another check for understanding now.

I've got a true or false statement.

Elizabeth only chose her clothes to look nice.

Is that true or is that false?

Make your choice now.

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

Well done.

But why is that a false statement?

Have a little think about why that statement is false.

Okay, if you said that my statement was false because she chose her clothes to show respect and duty,, then well done, that is absolutely the correct answer.

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

So I've got some sentences on the screen in front of us here and I'd like you to read each sentence and then circle to say whether these sentences are true or false.

So sentence A is that Elizabeth wore a crown, robe and jewelry to the State Opening of Parliament.

Is that true or false?

Statement B says that Elizabeth wore jeans and a T-shirt to Parliament.

Is that true or false?

Sentence three is that she wore these special clothes because Parliament is an important place.

Is that true or false?

And our final sentence sentence D says that Elizabeth's uniform showed she was important and should be respected.

So is that statement true or false?

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 fine with that task.

Let's see what the correct answers are.

So statement A, Elizabeth wore a crown, robe and jewelry to the State Opening of Parliament.

That's a true statement.

Statement B, Elizabeth wore jeans and a T-shirt to Parliament.

That's a false statement.

She didn't wear those clothes.

Statement C, she wore these special clothes because Parliament is an important place.

That's a true statement.

And statement D, Elizabeth's uniform showed she was important and should be respected.

That is also a true statement.

Very well done if you got those statements correct.

Let's go for another task now.

Do you take part in any ceremonies or traditions?

If so, what are they for and what do you do?

And how do they make you feel?

And I'd like you to share your ideas with your partner.

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

Welcome back.

Hopefully you got on fine with that task.

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

So we can see on the screen there that Jacob says that he "takes part in my nursery graduation ceremony.

It was a nice way to say goodbye to my key workers.

I wore a funny hat and my key worker said nice things about me.

I felt happy about going to big school but also a bit sad.

" Maybe you've taken part in a ceremony like that too and you can understand how Jacob feels.

We can also see that Aisha says that one of her family traditions "is that we celebrate Eid every year.

We get up early and go to the mosque to pray.

Then we visit our relatives and give cards and presents to each other.

It makes me feel really happy and excited because I get to see my cousins and eat special food.

" Maybe you take part in special ceremonies like Aisha does as well.

And let's go for one more task.

I'd like you to explain how Elizabeth used clothes to show that she cared about and respected other people.

I'd like you to either say or maybe even write your answer, but I'd like you to try and include these words: colors, countries, uniforms, ceremonies.

See how many of those words you can include in your answer.

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

Welcome back.

Hopefully you got on well with that task.

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

So you might have said that Elizabeth dressed in colors that were important to the countries that she visited and she wore uniforms that showed she understood that the ceremonies she was in were important.

Very well done if you've got an answer like that too.

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

What have we learned?

Well, we learned that Elizabeth used her clothes to send messages.

We also learned that sometimes she wore uniforms to show everyone that she was part of something, like when she wore her Army uniform for the Trooping of the Colour.

And sometimes Elizabeth wore her crown and jewelry to show that she was important and deserving of respect.

And we also learned that sometimes she wore bright colors that meant something to the people she was visiting.

This showed that she respected them and wanted them to feel included, especially if she was visiting Commonwealth countries.

Thank you very much for joining me today.

I hope you've enjoyed yourself.

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

Bye-bye.