Love Island: Who should Queen Elizabeth I marry?

This fun and engaging lesson uses the popular TV series ‘Love Island’ theme to help students understand the problems Elizabeth faced whilst trying to pick someone to marry. She had to navigate several difficult questions including religion, money, the succession, international alliances as well as her personal feelings. This lesson is suitable for the full range of ability, but please review the video clips that have been chosen to fit the ‘Love Island’ genre before you show them to your students. These resources makes an excellent end of term lesson or a key focus for the GCSE depth study on Elizabeth I.

When you purchase this resource you will be able to download a twenty one slide PowerPoint which includes aims, objectives, differentiated outcomes, starters, plenaries, templates, information slides, historical sources, video links to YouTube and tasks and activities. to help drive the lesson.

The lesson begins with a snowballing starter before moving on to a review activity based around what Elizabeth I was looking for in a prospective husband. The PowerPoint then looks at the advantages and disadvantages of marriage for Elizabeth I as a way of setting the scene for the love island activity. Students are then introduced to the four main suitors via the love island theme. The following slides then include information and relevant video links from main stream movies to help them complete the summary sheet and form a judgement on the suitablity of each man as a prospective husband in preparation for activity 4. Next, using the ‘Love Island’ genre, students then have to write the script for a video diary for Elizabeth I, explaining who she would prefer to ‘couple up with.’ The following slides and historical sources look at why Elizabeth I decided not to get married in the end and why she cultivated the image of the ‘Virgin Queen.’ The lesson is then finally rounded off with an extended writing activity. For additional information, please refer to the preview information.

The aims and objectives of this lesson are:

Theme: Elizabethan England

• Know: Why was the issue of the succession and marriage so important?
• Understand: The arguments for and against Elizabeth getting married
• Evaluate: Elizabeth’s potential suitors and whether they were suitable.
• Skills: Source Analysis, Cause, Consequence & Collaboration

WILF – What Am I Looking For?

• Identify & describe: Why was the issue of succession and marriage important?
• Explain: The arguments for and against Elizabeth getting married
• Analyse: Elizabeth’s potential suitors and whether they were suitable.