Victoria's accession to the throne
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe what happened when Victoria became Queen of the United Kingdom.
Key learning points
- In 1837, Victoria became queen when she was 18 years old.
- Victoria was very popular when she became queen; 400,000 people visited London for her coronation in 1838.
- She had little experience of how to rule the country and relied on her prime minister, who led the government, for help.
Keywords
Coronation - a coronation is an official ceremony where a king or a queen receives their crown
Prime minister - the prime minister is the leader of the government in the United Kingdom
Government - the group of people who pass laws and run the country are called the government
Law - a law is a rule that must be followed by everyone in the country
Common misconception
That a coronation ceremony is when a person becomes a monarch.
The person who is first in line to the throne becomes monarch the minute that the previous monarch passes away. It happens in an instant. The coronation is an official ceremony, held later where the monarch receives their crown in front of people.
Teacher tip
You could share video footage of the coronations of Queen Elizabeth II or King Charles III with the class to give them a better understanding of the grandeur and significance of the ceremony. Likewise, you can look at photographs of the size of the crowds in London for these events.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Queen Victoria ruled in Britain for than anyone had before.
Q2.As a child, Queen Victoria was...
Q3.What does the word ‘monarch’ mean?
Q4.What was the name of Victoria’s dog?
Q5.As a child, Victoria’s was very protective of her.
Q6.Choose the statements about Victoria’s childhood that are true.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In which year did Princess Victoria become the queen of the United Kingdom?
Q2.At a coronation, a king or a queen receives their....
Q3.How old was Victoria when she became queen?
Q4.What is a prime minister?
Q5.The Prime Minster that gave Victoria lots of advice was called…
Q6.Select all the statements that are true.
To help you plan your 2 history lesson on: Victoria's accession to the throne, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 2 history lesson on: Victoria's accession to the throne, 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.