The Great Exhibition
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe what the Great Exhibition was and why it was significant.
Key learning points
- Many people in Victorian Britain were proud of new inventions that were introduced at that time.
- Prince Albert was one of these people; in 1851, he organised the Great Exhibition to celebrate new modern inventions.
- The Crystal Palace, a huge steel and glass building, was built for the exhibition.
- Albert invited inventors from all over Britain and the world to show off their inventions.
- More than six million people, roughly a third of Britain's population, visited the exhibition.
Keywords
Invention - an invention is something new that has never been created before
Modern - something to do with the present or current time is described as modern
Exhibition - an exhibition is a public show of art, crafts, products, or skills
Common misconception
Pupils may think that the Crystal Palace is still standing or that it can be seen or visited today.
The Crystal Palace was a temporary structure built for the exhibition. It was relocated and rebuilt in another part of London but was later destroyed by fire. The surrounding area was then named Crystal Palace to show how important the structure was.
Teacher tip
Many items we use every day and would struggle to live without were invented by Victorians. Pupils may be surprised to hear that the computer, phone, lightbulbs, heating, lawn mowers and even the first ice cream maker were all invented by Victorians.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Cities were not very polluted in Victorian times.
Q2.Historians know lots about changes during Victorian times because there are lots of…
Q3.Why did people move from the countryside to the city in Victorian times?
Q4.London looks like a very nice city in Gustave Doré’s picture “Over London By Rail”.
Q5.Who worked in factories in Victorian times?
Q6.A Victorian factory would have a very tall with lots of smoke coming out of the top of it.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the words to the correct meaning.
something to do with the present or current time
when someone makes something brand new from a clever idea
a public show of art, crafts, products or skills
Q2.Who organised the Great Exhibition?
Q3.The Crystal Palace, a huge steel and glass building, was built for the exhibition.
Q4.More than __________ million people visited the exhibition.
Q5.Albert invited inventors from all over Britain and the to show off their inventions.
Q6.Which of these were invented in Victorian times?
To help you plan your 2 history lesson on: The Great Exhibition, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 2 history lesson on: The Great Exhibition, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 1 history lessons from the Queen Victoria: how did Britain change during her lifetime? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.