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Lesson 5 of 6
  • Year 2

Sophia Duleep Singh, the princess who fought for women to have the vote

I can describe how Sophia Duleep Singh fought for women’s right to vote.

Lesson 5 of 6
New
New
  • Year 2

Sophia Duleep Singh, the princess who fought for women to have the vote

I can describe how Sophia Duleep Singh fought for women’s right to vote.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Sophia Duleep Singh was a princess who chose to stand up for fairness instead of living a quiet royal life.
  2. She joined the Suffragettes, a group of brave women fighting for women to have the right to vote in Britain.
  3. Sophia helped the movement by marching, speaking out, and selling Suffragette newspapers across London.
  4. She took risks for fairness, even when some people disapproved, because she believed women deserved a voice.
  5. Her actions helped change the law so that women could vote, leaving a legacy of courage that inspires people today.

Keywords

  • Vote - when someone can vote, they are allowed to make a choice about who runs the country

  • Fairness - treating people equally and making sure everyone has the same chances

  • Suffragettes - a group of people who wanted women to have the right to vote in Britain

Common misconception

Some pupils may think that Sophia won women the vote all by herself.

Remind pupils that many brave women worked together for many years to win the right to vote, and Sophia was just one important part of that team.


To help you plan your year 2 history lesson on: Sophia Duleep Singh, the princess who fought for women to have the vote, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Freeze Frame: Palace vs Protest - groups create freeze-frame scenes showing a moment from Sophia’s palace life and a moment from her activism. Others guess which is which and explain the contrast.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Why did Marie Curie collect strange rocks in her laboratory?

because she liked their colours
because she sold them to earn money
Correct answer: because she wanted to find invisible energy inside them

Q2.
Henri Becquerel noticed that a strange mark appeared on the when he placed a special kind of rock near it.

Correct Answer: photograph, photo, image

Q3.
Match each word to its correct meaning.

Correct Answer:energy,power that makes things work

power that makes things work

Correct Answer:laboratory,a place for scientific experiments

a place for scientific experiments

Correct Answer:scientist,a person who learns about science and carries out investigations

a person who learns about science and carries out investigations

Q4.
How did Marie and Pierre Curie work together after they got married?

they became teachers in Poland
they opened a shop selling rocks
Correct answer: they worked together studying rocks

Q5.
Why was Marie so excited about finding radium?

It made rocks lighter and easier to break.
Correct answer: It was a new element with powerful invisible energy.
It was shiny and helped her decorate the laboratory.

Q6.
What lasting effect did Marie Curie’s discoveries have on the world?

Correct answer: They changed medicine and still help millions today.
They created new colours for photographs.
They stopped scientists from studying energy.

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Sophia wanted to have the same chance to help choose the people who made the laws.

Correct Answer: women, girls, women and girls, ladies, everyone

Q2.
Starting with the earliest, sort these events into time order:

1 - Sophia is born in England.
2 - Sophia visits India.
3 - Sophia joins a group fighting for the right to vote.

Q3.
What does the word vote mean?

Correct answer: to choose the leaders who make a country’s rules by marking a paper
to always follow the orders of a king or queen without question
to march in the streets for fairness with banners and signs

Q4.
Why did people notice Sophia when she joined the Suffragettes?

she owned many horses
Correct answer: she was Queen Victoria’s goddaughter
she wore the brightest clothes
Correct answer: she was an Indian princess

Q5.
Which of these statements are true about Sophia’s actions?

Correct answer: She believed women deserved a voice.
She chose a quiet, comfortable palace life.
She stopped helping the Suffragettes after.
Correct answer: She took risks even when some people disapproved.

Q6.
Who helped change the law so women could vote?

Correct answer: many people working together, including Sophia
Queen Victoria
Sophia alone