English Civil War Battles

The English Civil War

The aims of this lesson are to analyse the Battle of Marston Moor and evaluate how the New Model Army won the battle, as well as to question if Parliament decided to kill the king from the start.

Therefore this lesson comes in two parts.

This first lesson focuses on how the two sides fought in the Civil War.
Students learn about the musketeers and pikemen, before analysing their role in the Battle of Marston Moor.

The students take on the job of Oliver Cromwell and make key decisions to win the battle, gaining points as they go along.

However they must be careful not to make mistakes and lose the battle with catastrophic consequences for Parliament and the New Model Army.

The second part of the lesson looks at an alternative view of the Civil War. Was the decision taken to kill the King early on, or did Parliament arrive painstakingly at this decision over time.

Students plot this on a graph before reaching and justifying their own conclusions, using some argument words for help if required.

A lightbulb is posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning.

The resource includes retrieval practice, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.