St Patrick and Christianity in Ireland
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe why Christianity grew stronger in Ireland in the 5th century.
Key learning points
- Although Christianity declined in Britain after the Romans left, it grew stronger in Ireland.
- Some people in Ireland had become Christian through contact with Roman Britain by the early 5th century.
- The actions of the Roman-British missionary, St Patrick, some time in the 5th century, spread the religion more widely.
- Risking martyrdom, he preached to the kings of north-east Ireland and set up churches.
- He recorded his life and missionary activities in his 'Confession' which is the main evidence we have for his life.
Keywords
Missionary - a missionary is a person sent on a religious mission, especially one sent to promote Christianity in a foreign country
Convert - to convert means when someone changes their religious faith or other belief
Martyr - a martyr is a person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs
Common misconception
It is widely believed that St Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland.
Christianity had reached Ireland through contact with Roman Britain and as a result some Irish people converted to the religion.
Teacher tip
Look into some of the myths and legends about St Patrick.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In what year did the Romans leave Britain?
Q2.What did the Anglo-Saxons believe in?
Q3.Woden was the god of .
Q4.What happened when the Anglo-Saxons settled in Britain?
Q5.At Lullingstone there was evidence of .
Q6.What does polytheistic mean?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Where was St Patrick born?
Q2.What was Patrick forced to be?
Q3.Patrick escaped Ireland because...
Q4.An angel told Patrick to return to Ireland as a ...
Q5.How do we know about St Patrick's life?
Q6.Match these keywords to their definitions
a person sent on a religious mission
When someone changes their religious faith.
a person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs
To help you plan your 5 history lesson on: St Patrick and Christianity in Ireland, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 5 history lesson on: St Patrick and Christianity in Ireland, 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 2 history lessons from the Britain after the Romans: how did Christianity survive in the British Isles? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.