John Franklin's lost expedition
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe John Franklin's attempt to discover the Northwest Passage.
Key learning points
- John Franklin was a British explorer and an admiral in the Navy.
- Franklin wanted to find the Northwest Passage, something that no one else had managed to do.
- Franklin's ships, the 'Erebus' & the 'Terror', were last seen waiting for ice to clear; none of the 129 crew survived.
- In 1859, a note was found that revealed the ships had been abandoned, stuck in ice, and that Franklin was dead.
Keywords
Navy - the ships and boats a country uses for fighting are known as the Navy
Pacific Ocean - the Pacific Ocean is the ocean between the Americas and Asia
Northwest Passage - the Northwest Passage is a northern sea route between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans
Common misconception
Pupils may think that the oceans are totally distinct, separate bodies of water.
Large bodies of water like oceans and seas are connected by smaller bodies of water like rivers. You can sail from one ocean to another.
Teacher tip
As we move into seafaring in the 19th century, we have more tangible records including actual photographs and copies of the signature of John Franklin. Use these to really bring John Franklin to life not as a character but as a human from the past.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of upsetting content
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Zheng He, John Cabot and William Adams were all...
Q2.A __________ was used to measure how deep the water was.
Q3.Ships have lots of ropes called...
Q4.Which of these is a tool for navigating ships?
Q5.Which continent lies to the east of Europe?
Q6.What tool can show you if you are travelling north, south, east or west?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Where was John Franklin from?
Q2.John Franklin joined the __________ when he was young.
Q3.People in the Navy mainly use...
Q4.The ‘Erebus’ and the ‘Terror’ were the names of…
Q5.Where did John Franklin want to explore most of all?
Q6.How do we know what happened to John Franklin?
To help you plan your 1 history lesson on: John Franklin's lost expedition, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 1 history lesson on: John Franklin's lost expedition, 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 William Adams and John Franklin unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.