Elizabeth I's later years
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain why the last years of Elizabeth's reign were more difficult.
Key learning points
- The growth in importance of the gentry caused a great deal of change in English society.
- There was a growth in literacy rates and expansion of arts during the Elizabethan 'Golden Age'.
- Elizabeth faced a lot of factionalism in her government at a time of bad harvests and growing unemployment.
- Tyrone rebelled against Elizabeth in Ireland.
- Elizabeth faced a rebellion from the Earl of Essex.
Keywords
Golden Age - a Golden Age is a time of peace, prosperity and plenty
Gentry - the gentry are people of good social position, specifically the group below the nobility in position and birth
Factionalism - factionalism is the splitting of a group into factions, or smaller groups, which have slightly different ideas
Monopolies - monopolies is the term given to the exclusive control of the supply of products or services
Common misconception
The Elizabethan period was a 'Golden Age'.
Whilst there were many positives that came about during the Elizabethan era, many people suffered from poverty and starvation.
Teacher tip
Make it clear to students that, although much of English history focuses on London and its inhabitants, the rest of the country was often experiencing very different conditions.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
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.What is an 'alliance'?
Q2.Complete the name of this English sailor, hated by the Spanish: Sir Francis ...
Q3.What is the name given to a person or an armed ship allowed by a government to attack and steal from other ships at sea?
Q4.In what year did the Spanish Armada set sail to try and invade England?
Q5. What was the name of the main battle during the Armada expedition?
Q6.Match the example to the factor which helped to cause the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
Philip II placed an inexperienced admiral in charge
fire ships broke the defensive formation
fierce storms wrecked many ships
the army and navy were unable to meet up
fast, manoeuvrable ships could fire cannons from distance
fierce storms prevented an earlier invasion
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which social class grew in power during Elizabeth's reign?
Q2.Which of the following is a reason why Elizabeth's reign has been called a Golden Age?
Q3.What name is given to the type of houses the gentry built during the Elizabethan period?
Q4.How much did the population grow by during the Elizabethan period?
Q5.Which country was the Nine Years War, or Tyrone's Rebellion, fought in?
Q6.What year was Essex's Rebellion?
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: Elizabeth I's later years, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: Elizabeth I's later years, 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 3 history lessons from the Elizabeth I: why has Elizabeth been represented so differently? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.