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Overview

This unit is designed for Year 5 pupils and fully aligns with the National Curriculum for England: History Key Stage 2 requirements. It explores the Tudor period, focusing on significant individuals, society, religion, and change. Pupils will develop historical enquiry skills alongside chronological understanding and interpretation of evidence, meeting the following National Curriculum aims:

• Pupils should be taught about:
  • A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066.
  • Significant historical events, people and places in their locality.
  • Developing a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history.
  • Using a wide range of sources to ask and answer questions, and to understand historical interpretations.

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Learning Objectives (WALT Format)

WALT 1: Name and describe significant Tudor monarchs: Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, Elizabeth I.
Success Criteria:

• I can identify the main Tudor monarchs.
• I can describe key facts about each monarch’s reign.
• I can explain why each monarch is important in Tudor history.

WALT 2: Use historical evidence to form opinions on Tudor monarchs.
Success Criteria:

• I can examine primary and secondary Tudor sources.
• I can explain what the sources tell me about each monarch.
• I can give my opinion about the monarch based on evidence.

WALT 3: Explain the Tudor rise to power.
Success Criteria:

• I can outline the reasons why the Tudors came to the throne.
• I can sequence key events relating to Tudor succession.
• I can explain the importance of the Battle of Bosworth (1485).

WALT 4: Describe a turning point in British history – the creation of the Church of England.
Success Criteria:

• I can explain why Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church.
• I can describe how this change affected Tudor England.
• I can use historical terms like “Reformation” and “Church of England.”

WALT 5: Describe everyday Tudor life including homes, clothing, and wealth.
Success Criteria:

• I can identify differences between rich and poor Tudor lives.
• I can describe typical Tudor homes and clothes.
• I can explain how wealth affected Tudor people’s lifestyles.

WALT 6: Develop chronological understanding and sequence key Tudor events.
Success Criteria:

• I can create a timeline of major Tudor events.
• I can place events, people, and changes in the correct order.
• I understand how these events shaped Tudor England.

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Differentiation Strategies

• For SEND / Dyslexic learners: Use dyslexia-friendly printed sources (clear fonts, sans-serif, coloured overlays). Provide spoken summaries or video clips to aid understanding. Use graphic organisers and timelines with visuals.
• For EAL learners: Pre-teach key vocabulary. Use picture cards and sentence starters to support explanation. Offer bilingual support where possible.
• For less confident learners: Provide sentence frames, key fact sheets, and peer support. Use small group work to scaffold understanding.
• For advanced learners: Encourage extended writing, independent research on lesser-known Tudor figures (e.g., Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell). Use source analysis tasks asking for deeper inference and evaluation.

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Extension Activities

• Create a Tudor “newspaper front page” reporting a historical event (e.g., Henry VIII’s annulment).
• Write a diary entry as a Tudor person, imagining their daily life.
• Design and build a simple 3D Tudor house model with annotated features.
• Debate: “Who was the most important Tudor monarch?” using evidence.

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Dyslexia-Friendly Reading Options

• Use bullet points and short paragraphs.
• Highlight key words in bold.
• Use infographics, timeline visuals, and pictorial supports.
• Provide audio recordings or summarised videos of lessons.

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Individual Lesson Plans

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Lesson 1: Tudor Monarchs in Focus

WALT: Name and describe significant Tudor monarchs.
National Curriculum Links: History - KS2, Pupils should know about significant people including monarchs and their impact.

Activities:

• Starter: Show portraits of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, Elizabeth I (with laminated name cards).
• Main: Interactive group fact-finding using child-friendly tablets/books with dyslexia-friendly text about each monarch’s reign (5-minute focus per monarch). Groups present key facts.
• Plenary: Fill in a “Who Am I?” worksheet with clues describing each monarch.

Resources:

• Portrait cards, fact sheets, tablets/books, “Who Am I?” worksheet.

Assessment:

• Informal observation of group presentations. Accuracy of worksheet answers.

Differentiation:

• SEN: Fact sheets with images and simple sentences.
• Advanced: Research a lesser-known Tudor figure and share with class.

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Lesson 2: Making Opinions with Evidence

WALT: Use historical evidence to form opinions on Tudor monarchs.
National Curriculum Links: Develop understanding of historical interpretations and use evidence to make judgments.

Activities:

• Starter: Discuss what evidence means in history. Show examples (letters, portraits, paintings).
• Main: Analyse two contrasting sources about Henry VIII’s personality (e.g., royal portrait vs. a critic’s writing). Use a simple evidence table.
• Paired discussion: Pupils form opinions about Henry VIII.
• Plenary: Share opinions and “vote” (thumbs up/down) on statements like “Henry VIII was a good king”.

Resources:

• Copies of simplified sources, evidence tables, voting cards.

Assessment:

• Completed evidence tables and participation in discussion.

Differentiation:

• SEN: Simplified texts with picture cues. Verbal discussion supported by teacher.
• Advanced: Explore contradictions in sources and explain any bias.

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Lesson 3: Tudor Rise to Power

WALT: Explain the Tudor rise to power.
National Curriculum Links: Understanding significant turning points and succession in British history.

Activities:

• Starter: Show a simple timeline leading up to 1485.
• Main: Storytelling of the Battle of Bosworth and its consequences using role play. Pupils act out roles (Richard III, Henry Tudor).
• Sequencing task: Arrange event cards from War of the Roses to Henry VII’s coronation.

Resources:

• Event cards, role cards, timeline poster.

Assessment:

• Sequencing task accuracy and participation in role play.

Differentiation:

• SEN: Fewer event cards, use picture clues.
• Advanced: Write a short explanation of why Henry Tudor’s win was important.

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Lesson 4: The Church of England - A Turning Point

WALT: Describe the creation of the Church of England as a turning point.
National Curriculum Links: Study of religious change and impact in Tudor period.

Activities:

• Starter: Discuss what a church is and its role in people’s lives.
• Main: Read a dyslexia-friendly story about Henry VIII’s break with Rome. Pupils create a cause/effect flowchart.
• Class discussion: Why did Henry break from the Catholic Church?

Resources:

• Story booklet, cause-effect flowchart template.

Assessment:

• Completed flowchart and contribution to class discussion.

Differentiation:

• SEN: Use pictures to support understanding.
• Advanced: Write a short paragraph explaining how this change affected ordinary people.

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Lesson 5: Everyday Tudor Life

WALT: Describe everyday Tudor life (homes, clothing, wealth).
National Curriculum Links: Understanding social history and difference between rich and poor.

Activities:

• Starter: Show images of Tudor homes/clothing. Vocabulary shared aloud.
• Main: Group jigsaw: each group researches either homes, clothing, or wealth (using dyslexia-friendly texts). Groups create posters.
• Show & Tell: Present posters to the class.

Resources:

• Image packs, fact sheets, poster materials.

Assessment:

• Quality and accuracy of posters.

Differentiation:

• SEN: Provide templates with sentence starters.
• Advanced: Compare Tudor life to modern life in a written paragraph.

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Lesson 6: Sequencing Tudor History

WALT: Develop chronological understanding and sequence Tudor events.
National Curriculum Links: Chronological knowledge, placing events in order.

Activities:

• Starter: Recap key Tudor events learned.
• Main: Create a large classroom timeline with key events (Battle of Bosworth, Henry VIII’s reign, Church of England, Elizabeth I’s rule). Pupils add captions/pictures.
• Independent task: Complete worksheet putting Tudor events in order.

Resources:

• Large timeline display, event caption cards, worksheets.

Assessment:

• Accuracy of event sequencing on worksheet and timeline contribution.

Differentiation:

• SEN: Provide a partially completed timeline.
• Advanced: Add lesser-known Tudor events with dates.

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Final Notes for Teachers

• These lessons are designed to be interactive, multisensory, and inclusive to engage all learners and meet statutory requirements.
• Use formative assessment throughout to check understanding and adapt support.
• Integrate visual aids and varied reading materials to support dyslexic and SEND pupils.
• Encourage curiosity by connecting Tudor history to pupils’ lives (clothing, homes, religion today).
• Foster higher-order thinking through evidence evaluation and chronological reasoning.

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This unit offers a rich, engaging exploration of the Tudor period in line with the UK National Curriculum Standards for History – perfect to build solid foundations of historical understanding for Year 5.