Growing population in Elizabethan England
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the growth of the English population in the later 16th century and explain the impact of the growth.
Key learning points
- The population of England was growing in the 16th century.
- Urban areas grew more rapidly than rural areas.
- Changes to land use in rural areas meant less food was being grown.
- There was a relationship between population growth and poverty.
Keywords
Rural - rural refers to the countryside
Urban - urban refers to towns and cities
Subsistence - subsistence is the act of maintaining oneself at a most basic level
Common misconception
Farmers will not starve because they grow their own food.
Poor harvests can put a great deal of strain on the amount of food a farmer can grow, even food for subsistence.
Teacher tip
Find out the population of your own town in order to give students some context regarding the rate of population growth in England at this time.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the words with their definitions.
is the state of being extremely poor.
buildings occupied by a community of monks living under religious vows
an act of armed resistance against a government or leader.
Q2.Why do people at the time and today regard Elizabeth’s reign as a ‘Golden Age’? Select all of the correct answers.
Q3.What does referring to the Elizabethan period as a ‘Golden Age’ fail to take into account?
Q4.Why did unemployment increased dramatically as the 16th century progressed? Select all of the statements that are correct.
Q5.What happened to London's population over the Tudor period (1485-1603)?
Q6.Which two countries experienced large-scale rebellions linked to poverty in the 1590s?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1. means the act of maintaining oneself at a most basic level.
Q2. refers to towns and cities.
Q3.Which two reasons explain the population growth England experienced during the 16th century?
Q4.The name of the fastest-growing city in England between 1500 and 1600 was .
Q5.Which of the following two statements accurately describes how the Elizabethan ruling elite viewed vagabonds?
Q6.Which of the following statements describes the impact of population increase in urban areas?
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: Growing population in Elizabethan England, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: Growing population in Elizabethan England, 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 Life in Tudor England: was there a 'Golden Age' for the poor? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.