British history

History

Secondary

A look at the first black people in Britain, and their impact

This KS3 black history lesson starter video looks at some of the black people who came to Britain centuries ago and the role they played in British society. There has been a black presence in England as far back as 211AD when Septimus Severus, one of the African roman emperors, died in York. Historian Tony Warner explains there were black people living in Britain in the 16th - 18th centuries, who were neither slaves nor servants. Throughout the centuries, there is evidence of independent and influential people of Caribbean and African descent in Britain. One record is from 1511, when a North African trumpeter was depicted on the Westminster Tournament Roll. He was probably employed by both Henry VII and Henry VIII. Black men and women made appearances in the diaries of Samuel Pepys and in 18th century portraits. Tony explains how by the late 16th century, trade had opened up between West Africa and Britain and Africans began to settle here, especially in seafaring places like Bristol, London, Liverpool and Glasgow. This classroom resource is designed for use with Year 7 to Year 9 classes, but can also be used with Key Stage 2 pupils.

Britain's Black History - Black Britons

How the popularity of coffee links back to British black history

Learn about the growth in popularity of coffee and its connections with black history in Britain, in this lesson starter for use with KS3 pupils. Historian Tony Warner shows how black history can be found in UK towns and cities. Here, he explains how in the 1700s, the busiest trading areas of most British cities had a high proportion of coffee houses. The popularity of coffee coincided with one of the darkest episodes in Britain's history, and Tony shows how there was also an increasing demand for sugar and tobacco, with British economic power relying on Triangular Trade, which included slave trading. Tony also explains how docklands, rivers or canals are often rich hunting grounds for evidence of connections with Africa and the Caribbean, in this easy-to-understand classroom resource for Year 7 to Year 9.This lesson starter is designed for use with Key Stage 3 classes, but can also be used with Key Stage 2 pupils.

Britain's Black History - Coffee Houses and the Slave Trade

A look at the origins of gold for KS3, tracing it back to Africa

Historian Tony Warner brings to light African and Caribbean influences on Britain, in this KS3 black history lesson starter on gold and Britain's financial history. Tony acts as a guide, showing how black history can be found in towns or cities throughout the UK, in this classroom resource. Most towns have a trading or financial area and evidence of black history is often very prevalent in these areas. Tony visits the Bank of England, feels the weight of a real solid gold bar, and talks about its origins. He explains how some of Britain's earliest trading power came from gold mined in Africa, in an easy-to-understand way for Year 7 to Year 9. One of the first British mass produced gold coins takes its name from the region of West African where much of the gold used to make the coin came from.This lesson starter is designed for use with Key Stage 3 classes, but can also be used with Key Stage 2 pupils.

Britain's Black History - Gold

Exploring the historical significance of African obelisks

This KS3 lesson starter on black history highlights the contributions of people of African and Caribbean descent to British landmarks. Historian Tony Warner uncovers African influences in a city square, here in the form of an obelisk. Tony examines the meaning behind this landmark, its ancient African design, and explains how they are often found at key locations around Britain, in an easy-to-understand classroom resource for Year 7 to Year 9 pupils. The original obelisks date back thousands of years to Africa, where they were placed outside temples, most likely as symbols of rebirth. They are often found in cemeteries and memorials.This lesson starter is designed for use with Key Stage 3 classes, but can also be used with Key Stage 2 pupils.

Britain's Black History - The Obelisk

A secondary history AST demonstrates his lesson planning

An AST demonstrates the process behind planning and delivering a post GCSE history lesson on Britain's relations with her colonies, and gives advice on planning lessons. AST Dr Robin Whitburn discusses the importance of identifying a key question in a lesson. For this lesson, Robin reveals that the key question is about British and African expectations of each other, and how were they expressed in illustrations. Robin's lesson starts with a lively opener, asking which African World Cup teams are former colonies of which European power. He allows for differentiation with standard, super and super upgrade categories of complexity. He then moves on to looking at historical illustrations and ask his students to decode the relationship portrayed within them. He completes his plan with a plenary on the expectations the Africans had about themselves. Sara Bubb, senior lecturer at the Institute of Education, also offers her advice on lesson planning.

Colonial History

Two professors views on the understanding of different wars

History teacher Lucia Harvey updates her own learning by discovering the latest thinking on two vastly different periods of war in history, both relevant to our modern world with hotly debated interpretations. Harvey talks to Cambridge professor Jonathan Riley-Smith about The Crusades, who believes there is a dangerously inaccurate public understanding of them. Riley-Smith goes on to state that this perception has been used to explain or even justify some of today's holy wars, and believes it is time for a re-think. Harvey also talks to King's College professor Andrew Lambert at the RAF Museum in London, about the recent debate on the Battle of Britain and the under-represented role of the Royal Navy.

The life of a British Auschwitz survivor, for KS3/KS4 history

Help Key Stage 3/4 history students discover the life of one of the few British Jews who were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during World War II. Leon Greenman, who died aged 97 in 2008, was a survivor from Auschwitz in 1945. His wife and child tragically died at the hands of the Nazis, and for the rest of Leon's life he was determined to warn and educate people about racism. Ruth-Anne Lenga from the Jewish Museum examines the artefacts found in Leon's house, including books, documents and notes from different stages in his long life.

Holocaust - In the House of a Survivor

See how Indian schools teach the history of the British Empire

With the British Empire being a Key Stage 3 history topic, this video looks at the other side of the coin by exploring how the subject is taught in India. The programme focuses on two of India's elite private schools and one of its new rural academies. The students display a sophisticated understanding of the issues and they passionately debate the pros and cons of British rule. We also look at the politics behind history teaching in India, and the controversy surrounding the publication of new thematic history textbooks, which are dominated by the influence of royal lineage.

India - Teaching Empire

Historical context is used to teach about continuity and change

Dan Lyndon's Year 9 class explore racism in both 1909 and the present, using case studies focusing on football to indulge Dan's belief that multi-cultural history should be central to the curriculum. Firstly the pupils study the case of Walter Tull, a black World War One officer and First Division footballer. Walter was subjected to racial abuse from the crowd at a Spurs versus Bristol City match in 1909, and was withdrawn from the game. As the lesson looks at continuity and change, the class also look at the friendly football match between Spain and England from 2004, where England's black players were abused with monkey chants from the crowds. The class are given the task of writing a match report on the events of the game, using historical facts.

KS3 History - Walter Tull - Race, Football and Black Britain 1909

Following Fahed and Javaad on their study of pioneer Walter Tull

Friends Fahed and Javaad are partners in their Year 9 history class project which looks at the life of black pioneer Walter Tull. Fahed and Javaad are followed for six weeks as they learn about the significance of Walter Tull, who was an orphan and the grandson of a slave, adopted by a mixed race family and later became a professional footballer. Walter was not only a pioneer for his football exploits, but also for breaking the army's colour bar by joining the Footballers' Battalion, which eventually cost him his life during the second battle of the Somme. But what relevance does Walter's story have to two lads from a London comprehensive?

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