Study Boudicca’s rebellion. Consider life as a Celt under Roman rule and learn what went wrong that led to it. Sequence the events leading to the Battle of Colchester and use music and dance/drama to act this out. Finally, paint a portrait of Boudicca.

Session 1 The Queen of the Iceni

Objectives

History

  • Develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study - Boudicca’s rebellion against Roman Rule in Britain.
  • Learn about the Roman Empire and its impact/Romanisation of Britain.

Lesson Planning

Children think about what life was like in a Celtic tribe when the Romans were in Britain. They play a game to reinforce their knowledge.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To begin to understand what it was like to live in Roman occupied Britain in 61 CE before Boudicca’s rebellion and what benefits the Romans had brought to Celtic life.

Children will:

  • Understand what life was like for Celtic people in the days of Roman Rule.
  • Know some of the benefits the Romans brought after they invaded Britain.

You Will Need

  • A class set of worksheets
  • Prompt sheets
  • Pencils, pens and coloured pencils

Session 2 The death of King Prasutagus!

Objectives

History

  • Develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study – Boudicca’s rebellion against Roman Rule.
  • Learn about the Roman Empire and its impact/Romanisation of Britain.

English

  • Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debate.

Lesson Planning

Children learn about the events leading up to Boudicca’s rebellion and use a simple script to create a short drama depicting these events.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To understand the reasons why Boudicca led an uprising against the Romans in 60/61 CE.
  • To gain a deeper understanding of the Celtic rebellion, including motivations.

Children will:

  • Learn about the events leading to Boudicca’s rebellion.
  • Read and rehearse a play script, thinking about expression, gestures and body language.
  • Empathise with Boudicca’s feeling of anger and injustice towards the Romans.

You Will Need

  • Coloured highlighter pens

Session 3 Boudicca's rallying cry!

Objectives

History

  • Develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study – Boudicca’s rebellion against Roman Rule.
  • Learn about the Roman Empire and its impact/Romanisation of Britain.

English

  • Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role-play, improvisations and debate.
  • Assess the effectiveness of their writing and suggest improvements.

Lesson Planning

Children learn more about the events leading to Boudicca’s rebellion and write a rallying speech to be give by Boudicca to the Celts.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To understand the reasons why Boudicca led an uprising against the Romans in 60/61 CE.
  • To explore the events leading to the rebellion of Boudicca and to write a rallying speech to persuade.

Children will:

  • Learn about the events leading to Boudicca’s rebellion.
  • Write a powerful, impassioned speech for Boudicca to rally the tribe.

You Will Need

  • Whiteboard or flip chart and pens
  • A toy sword

Session 4 The Battle of Colchester

Objectives

History

  • Develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study – Boudicca’s rebellion against Roman Rule.
  • Learn about the Roman Empire and its impact/Romanisation of Britain.

English

  • Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debate.

Lesson Planning

Children learn about the battles fought between Boudicca and the Romans. Using soundtrack of Mornay’s dream, they perform a dance/drama of the Battle of Colchester.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To understand the way in which Boudicca’s rebellion came about and the speed and violence with which 3 Roman towns were captured.
  • To explore the Celtic uprising and gain a deeper understanding of its impact on the people who were there.

Children will:

  • Learn about the battles of Boudicca’s rebellion and the towns and cities burnt and captured.
  • Portray the battle in dance and drama.

You Will Need

  • Soundtrack: Mornay’s Dream - Braveheart
  • Access to a large space

Session 5 The story ends and the legend begins

Objectives

History

  • Establish clear narratives within and across the periods they study – Boudicca’s rebellion against Roman Rule.
  • Learn about the Roman Empire and its impact/Romanisation of Britain.

Art

  • Develop techniques, including the control and the use of materials and understand the historical and cultural development of their art form.

Lesson Planning

Children learn how Boudicaa’s rebellion ended and create a portrait of Boudicca showing her character as a warrior and a proud leader of her tribe’s people.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To understand the way in which Boudicca’s rebellion came to an end.
  • To paint an effective portrait of Boudicca using the description of her a Roman writer.

Children will:

  • Learn how Boudicca’s rebellion ended and understand her legacy in British history.
  • Paint a portrait of Boudicca to show her physical appearance and her personality.

You Will Need

  • Paints
  • Brushes
  • Water pots

Weblinks

There are no weblinks needed for this session.