Skip to content
Oak National Academy
Oak National Academy
Teachers
Pupils
icon-background-square
New
New
Year 6

Exploring a historical scenario linked to ‘A Kind of Spark’

I can empathise with a character from a historical scenario and re-enact a scenario to better understand the characters’ motives.

Download all resources
arrow-right
Share activities with pupils
arrow-right
icon-background-square
New
New
Year 6

Exploring a historical scenario linked to ‘A Kind of Spark’

I can empathise with a character from a historical scenario and re-enact a scenario to better understand the characters’ motives.

Download all resources
arrow-right
Share activities with pupils
arrow-right
warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
View new resources
arrow-right

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Those executed or accused of witchcraft in Early Modern Scotland would often have been vulnerable people.
  2. We can use role play and drama to try and empathise with these characters.
  3. We also need to consider the motivations of their accusers.
  4. We should aim to remember that these were real people who suffered real persecution.

Keywords

  • Empathise - to get inside a character’s head

  • Dialogue - spoken words between two or more people

  • Re-enact - act out an event from the past

Common misconception

Pupils may struggle to respect the sensitivity of the subject matter.

Encourage pupils throughout to view the accused people as real people. You may want to refer to Addie's response to the school trip to help children understand this.


To help you plan your year 6 english lesson on: Exploring a historical scenario linked to ‘A Kind of Spark’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Encourage different interpretations of Maggie's story, which is not fully developed in the book. However, you may wish to discourage mention of torture in order to ensure children's dramas remain focused on characters' actions and feelings.
speech-bubble
Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

You need a copy of the 2020 Knights Of edition of ‘A Kind of Spark’ written by Elle McNicoll, illustrated by Kay Wilson, for this lesson.

content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Skip lesson video

Loading...

Starter quiz

Download starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Which historical event inspires Addie's campaign in 'A Kind of Spark'?
Scotland's past as an independent nation
the Scottish witch trials that occurred in the Victorian era
Correct answer: the Scottish witch trials that occurred in the Early Modern period
the present-day Scottish witch trials
Q2.
Which of the following were common beliefs in the Early Modern period?
Correct answer: God affects our daily lives
Correct answer: the devil affects our daily lives
religion is fairly unimportant
Correct answer: religion is very important
Q3.
What did the Church say was the cause of witchcraft?
illness
Correct answer: the devil
poisoning
bad thoughts
Q4.
What is the aim of Addie's campaign in 'A Kind of Spark'?
to get an apology to the accused people
to get a pardon for the accused people
Correct answer: to get a memorial for the accused people
to get a documentary made about the accused people
Q5.
Which of the following helps Addie to persuade the village to back her campaign?
Correct answer: telling her story and Bonnie's story
telling Maggie's story
giving statistics about the witch trials
Q6.
Which person does Addie feel is being treated most similarly to the way the 'witches' were treated?
Nina
Audrey
Addie herself
Keedie
Correct answer: Bonnie

Exit quiz

Download exit quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Which statements are true?
Correct answer: Witchcraft was punishable by death.
Everyone accused of witchcraft was executed.
Correct answer: Most of those accused were women.
Correct answer: The church linked witchcraft to the devil.
Q2.
Which best explains why Addie feels strongly about the witch trials?
She is opposed to execution as a punishment.
She does not believe in witchcraft.
Correct answer: She empathises with the women accused of witchcraft.
Q3.
Which of the following might have provoked accusations of witchcraft?
Correct answer: seeming different or living alone
Correct answer: making herbal remedies
being able to read well
Correct answer: 'cursing' people who you argued with
Q4.
How does Addie use Maggie's story to help her in 'A Kind of Spark'?
She tells the village meeting Maggie's story to persuade them to get a memorial.
Correct answer: She writes Maggie's name on her hand to inspire her to make her speech.
She writes Maggie's story on the fliers she hands out.
Q5.
Put the key points of Maggie's story, as we imagined it, in order.
1 - Maggie is bullied or picked on by people in the village.
2 - Maggie is accused of witchcraft.
3 - Maggie is arrested.
4 - Maggie is brought before the village council.
5 - Maggie eventually confesses to being a witch.
Q6.
When we're re-enacting a historical event, what are our priorities?
Correct answer: to empathise with the characters
to make the events seem funny
Correct answer: to imagine the dialogues they might have had
Correct answer: to show how they might have felt through our actions