History · Year 12

Active learning ideas

Court Factions: Seymour vs. Howard

Active learning works for this topic because the Seymour-Howard rivalry unfolded through specific actions and decisions rather than abstract ideas. Students need to trace tangible evidence, like the Dry Stamp’s use or Howard heraldry, to grasp how factions manipulated power in real time.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• A-Level: History - Henry VIII: Government and Faction
• A-Level: History - The Tudors: England, 1485–1603

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 40 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Dry Stamp Mystery

In small groups, students research what the 'Dry Stamp' was and how it was used to sign royal documents. They must discuss the implications of the reformist faction having control of this stamp during the King's final illness.

Explain how the Dry Stamp allowed the reformist faction to gain control.

Facilitation Tip

During Collaborative Investigation: The Dry Stamp Mystery, assign clear roles so students analyze different documents (e.g., letters, inventories) and report back to the group.

What to look for

Ask students to write two sentences explaining how the Dry Stamp was used to gain an advantage. Then, have them list one specific action Catherine Parr might have taken to survive court politics.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Simulation Game
• 45 min · Small Groups

Simulation Game: The Fall of the Howards

Students role-play the events of December 1546, when the Earl of Surrey was arrested for treason and his father, the Duke of Norfolk, was sent to the Tower. They must identify the 'mistakes' made by the Howards and how the Seymours exploited them.

Analyze why the Howard family fell from grace in 1546.

Facilitation Tip

For Simulation: The Fall of the Howards, provide a simple role sheet outlining each faction’s goals and key players to keep the scenario focused.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'If you were a member of the Howard faction in 1546, what specific evidence would you look for to prove the Seymour faction was undermining you?' Guide students to consider documents, rumors, and shifts in royal favor.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Catherine Parr's Survival

Students analyze the 1546 plot to arrest Queen Catherine Parr for heresy. They discuss in pairs how she managed to talk her way out of it and what this reveals about the 'gendered' nature of power at the Tudor court.

Evaluate how Catherine Parr navigated the dangers of the court.

Facilitation Tip

In Think-Pair-Share: Catherine Parr's Survival, give pairs a short list of survival tactics to discuss before sharing with the class.

What to look for

Present students with a short, fictionalized scenario of a courtier seeking favor. Ask them to identify which faction (Seymour or Howard) the courtier is most likely aligning with and why, based on the faction's known goals.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by grounding lessons in primary sources and factional timelines. Avoid overemphasizing ideology; instead, highlight how factions exploited Henry’s declining health and personal household. Research suggests students retain more when they see power struggles as a series of calculated moves rather than inevitable events.

Successful learning looks like students explaining how factional strategies shifted power, identifying key turning points, and using evidence to justify their reasoning. They should also recognize that Henry VIII’s authority, not just ideological clashes, shaped outcomes.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Investigation: The Dry Stamp Mystery, watch for students who assume the conservatives lost because their ideas were unpopular.

  Direct students to examine the Earl of Surrey’s heraldry in the faction documents. Ask them to explain how Surrey’s arrogant display of the royal coat of arms in his own heraldry became a personal insult to Henry, leading to the faction’s downfall.

• During Simulation: The Fall of the Howards, watch for students who believe Henry VIII was a passive 'puppet' of the factions.

  Have students focus on Henry’s final purges in the simulation’s debrief. Ask them to identify moments when Henry’s personal authority, not factional pressure, determined outcomes, such as his sudden order to arrest the Howards.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Simulation Game
• Think-Pair-Share