Learning objectives

To enable pupils to start bringing together the different pieces of evidence. This should include a defence of the
traditional interpretation (of Victorians being cruel) as well as evidence that suggests different conclusion about Victorian attitudes to crime and punishment.

To construct a paragraph if they are producing the Washing Line Essay.

To select appropriate images to support their paragraphs.

To experiment using cutting and pasting, text boxes.

 

Possible teaching objectives

There is a choice of two final activities for this enquiry (essay or exhibition). Both are designed to consolidate the work pupils have done: looking at the traditional interpretation of the Villainous Victorians, other less harsh treatment of Victorian individuals, reformers, and pupils' conclusions.

 

 

Washing Line Essay

Five articles of clothing can be cut out of large pieces of coloured sugar paper and these will be five different paragraphs (e.g. t-shirt, trousers, dress, sweater, underpants, large sock).

You should give serious consideration as to which pupils are allocated to which paragraphs. For instance the more able should be given the conclusion, as this requires them to explore why the traditional interpretation is the prominent one. The popular interpretation is perhaps the easier of the five paragraphs and should be allocated to the weaker in the class.

It is worth beginning each paragraph for pupils so that they are very aware of what each paragraph should be about. If pupils are not familiar with a model of paragraph construction then the P.E.E. formula could be introduced:

• Point - The first sentence of your paragraph should tell me the point of the paragraph. What is your paragraph about?
• Examples - Back up your paragraph by including lots of good examples. These will help support your point.
• Explain - Then take each example and explain not just what it is but how it backs up your point. This should link it to the question you are answering.

 

Were the Victorians cruel?

1. Introduction. Setting out the subject of the essay. This will look at the traditional interpretation, evidence to support this, less harsh Victorian punishments that defy the traditional view, Victorian reformers, and a conclusion.
2. Popular interpretation of Victorian crime and punishment. This can explain the Villainous Victorians interpretation and supply evidence to support this view from what pupils studied in the first session.
3. Paragraph examining less harsh punishments, explaining why this does not support the traditional view.
4. This will discuss the Victorian reformers like Fry, Shaftsbury and Barnado.
5. A conclusion that will summarise why the traditional view is the popular one, and then develop the idea why this view is not always supported by the evidence. Can pupils reach a conclusion of their own as to whether Victorians were cruel? This will take account of all the evidence they have encountered during the enquiry.

The teacher can peg out onto a line at the front of the classroom the final essay and ask each group to read out their part of the essay in order.

 

Pupils could be invited to examine where each paragraph has used the P.E.E. structure.

2. ICT Exhibition

• Pupils design an exhibition for a museum about Victorian crime and punishment.
• Their exhibition should have four sections. One will be the traditional interpretation of cruel Victorians, the second will be the less harsh side to punishment, the third a look at Victorian reformers and finally a section explaining why the traditional interpretation of Villainous Victorians fame is the one most people identify.
• Each section should include a space for an image that best represents that section and some text explaining the image and why it was chosen.
• Produce a bank of images as a Word Document that pupils can cut and paste to produce their exhibition.
• The pupils' final product of four images and text can be printed out.

 

Learning outcomes

• Both activities are designed to encourage pupils to think beyond the traditional interpretation and question why this had developed.
• They also weigh up all the evidence presented thus far
  to examine the flaws in the traditional interpretation of
  Victorians.
• They will have structured their thinking into historically valid paragraphs.

 

Resources

• Washing line essay writing frames and
  prompts.

Resource 2