Diamond 9: Consequences of the Peasants' Revolt

This outstanding lesson has been developed in challenging schools and field tested in the classroom over many years, aims to enhance students’ critical thinking skills during the exploration of the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381. Suitable for students across all ability levels, this versatile resource serves as a starter, plenary, revision tool, or assessment activity, with a particular focus on challenging high-achieving students who require stretch and challenge.

Following a short presentation, students engage in a diamond 9 activity to categorize consequences into ‘short’ and ‘long term’, before deciding which four were the most important or historically significant. Designed to cater to a diverse range of learners, this lesson includes supportive writing frameworks and thinking skills review tools to guide students in their decision-making processes and foster meaningful discussions and critical thinking.

When you purchase this resource, you will be able to download two fully editable office documents, a Word document containing the diamond 9 activity and a supporting PowerPoint presentation. Both have also been uploaded as PDFs. The PowerPoint contains aims, objectives, differentiated outcomes, information slides, historical sources, starters, templates, writing frames, tasks and activities. Meanwhile, the Word document includes nine diamond shaped cards which include a sellection of ‘short’ and ‘long term’ consequences of the Peasants’ Revolt. Once students have cut the cards out, they are set three tasks including:

1. Remove any reasons that you don’t think are important. Record and explain why you have removed them.
2. Sort the remaining diamonds to show which are ‘short’ or ‘long’ term consequences. Record and explain your reasons.
3. Make a smaller diamond shape using the four most important consequences of the Peasants’ Revolt. Record and explain your reasons.

At each stage students should be feeding back to their group or the class and explaining their choices. The discussion and explanation around the choices that they have made are critical in helping them develop not only their critical thinking skills but their understanding of the topic.

Please see the detailed preview for more information. The aims and objectives for this lesson are:

Theme: Medieval Society
Know: What happened after the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381?
Understand: Which changes were ‘short’ and ‘long’ term consequences?
Evaluate: Which consequences were the most significant?
Skills: Source Analysis, Cause, Consequence, Change & Continuality.

WILF – What Am I Looking For?
Can You Describe: What happened after the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381?
Can You Explain: Which changes were ‘short’ and ‘long’ term consequences?
Can You Evaluate: Which consequences were the most important?