Origins of the First World War Arms Race & Fisher’s Reforms to the Navy

One lesson from a series of 3 allowing students to develop their knowledge of how the Royal Navy developed during the 19th century and how this eventually led to HMS Dreadnought. The role of Admiral Fisher in encouraging the construction of these ships, the Arms Race it led to and then the final, but inconclusive, clash at Jutland in 1916.

These lessons provide vital context to the origins of the First World War.
Each lesson works well as a stand alone lesson but each lesson builds on the context of the former.

The lessons are constructed as follows:
1. Origins of the Arms Race – Fisher’s Reforms to the Royal Navy
a. Navy post-Trafalgar, context slides (teacher talk and debate)
b. Historian quote question and discussion x 2
c. Video extract and questions
d. 7 Reform Factors and Table completion activity
e. Letter home to family on the reforms
f. Plenary: Reading comprehension task

2. HMS Dreadnought and the Arms Race
a. Historiography task and questions
b. HMS Dreadnought special features label task
c. Video extract and questions
d. PEEKA Paragraph writing x 2 – with peeka template and Dreadnought fact sheet.
e. Plenary: Reading comprehension task

3. The Battle of Jutland, 1916
a. Keyword recap writing task
b. Context slides (teacher talk and debate)
c. Video extract and questions x 2
d. Describe the conditions task
e. Eye witness source table (with 6 eye witness accounts)
f. Who won? – debate prompts
g. Jack Cornwell reading comprehension task.

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