The Magna Carta

This was a lesson designed for a mixed ability Y7 class. The purpose of this lesson was to simultaneously teach source analysis skills whilst also teaching the reasons for the Magna Carta. (I received an Outstanding for this lesson in an observation).

Starter: Students need to complete the differentiated questions on the board about Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn. (There is a success criteria on the following slide).

Main:

(i) - After getting three students to read the information on slide 4, students will need to take the barons worksheet and move around the classroom find the information in the barons information A3 sheets (these are a series of opinions from the barons about what they think of King John and the state of England). This sheet is differentiated as the second column is an extension for those who finish quickly, as is the bottom box.

(ii) - Think, pair, share. Students need to consider the questions on the board (if you wanted to, you could alter this into a mini-debate.)

(iii) - Two possibilities on the board, students need to vote on what they think the Barons did. Once revealed, you could ask the students why they think that option was chosen. (Get the students to read the information on the board.

(iv) - Show the information about the Magna Carta as a prelude to what could be taught in a subsequent lesson.

(v) - On mini-whiteboards, get the students to write down what they think a source is. Then go through the examples on the board about what a source actually is. Then explain how we use a source with the next slide.

(vi) - Nature; Origin; Message; Purpose - Explain this to students and how this is an easy and foolproof way of assessing a source. You could add your own example as a model.

(vi) - Using the source packs, students need to collect a NOMP sheet and work in pairs or 3s to NOMP the 3 sources.

(vii) - Bring the students back to focus. This will be the self-assessment section. There is another success criterion upon the board that they can mark against their own.

(viii) - Once the students have completed this, they can attempt the questions on the reverse of the sheet. The students will need to be shown and have the provenance slide explained to them:
Lower Ability - Answer Source A
Middle Ability - Answer Source A & B
Higher Ability - Answer all 3 sources.

Plenary: Students need to use their mini-whiteboards to test each other on what they have learnt today.