History · Year 12

Active learning ideas

The Catholic Threat: Jesuits and Seminary Priests

Active learning works for this topic because it challenges students to separate the Catholic threat from the Puritan challenge, two distinct but often confused movements. By engaging with primary sources and role-play, students see how Puritans operated within the Church of England, not outside it, and why their ideas threatened Elizabeth’s authority.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• A-Level: History - Elizabeth I: Religious Challenges
• A-Level: History - The Tudors: England, 1485–1603

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 45 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Puritan Grievance List

In small groups, students analyze the 'Admonition to the Parliament' (1572). They must identify the specific 'complaints' (e.g., the use of the ring in marriage, the power of bishops) and discuss why Elizabeth saw these as a 'threat' to her own royal authority.

Analyze how the arrival of the Jesuits changed the nature of English Catholicism.

Facilitation Tip

For Collaborative Investigation, assign groups specific grievances to research and present so students see the breadth of Puritan demands across multiple parishes.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Was the government's harsh treatment of seminary priests justified by the perceived threat they posed?' Ask students to consider evidence from the period, including the Papal Bull of Excommunication and the activities of Jesuit missionaries, to support their arguments.

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

Activity 02

• Simulation Game
• 50 min · Small Groups

Simulation Game: The Prophesying Debate

Students role-play the 1576 conflict between Elizabeth and Archbishop Grindal. Grindal must defend the 'prophesyings' (clergy study groups) as a way to improve the church, while Elizabeth must explain why she fears they are 'breeding grounds' for radicalism and 'disobedience'.

Explain why the government treated seminary priests as traitors rather than heretics.

Facilitation Tip

During the Simulation, assign roles with clear objectives but no predetermined outcome so students grapple with the complexity of the prophesying controversy.

What to look for

Provide students with a short primary source excerpt, perhaps a letter from a lay Catholic describing the risks of attending Mass or a government report on the capture of a priest. Ask them to identify two specific challenges faced by Catholics or the government during this period.

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

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 30 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Defeated by 1603?

Students analyze the state of Puritanism at the end of the reign. They discuss in pairs whether Whitgift's 'Three Articles' had 'crushed' the movement, or if it had simply 'gone underground' to wait for a new King.

Evaluate how successful the 'survivalist' Catholicism of the laity was.

Facilitation Tip

In Think-Pair-Share, provide a short paragraph summarizing Whitgift’s crackdown so students have concrete context for their discussion.

What to look for

Students write one sentence explaining why Jesuits were seen as a greater threat than earlier Catholic missionaries, and one sentence explaining how lay Catholics adapted to survive.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by emphasizing the legal and political framework first, then layering in the social and religious dynamics. Avoid framing Puritans as 'extremists'—instead, highlight their popularity and the threat their ideas posed to the hierarchy. Research shows students grasp the nuances better when they analyze primary sources alongside secondary interpretations, so pair Whitgift’s articles with excerpts from Puritan pamphlets.

Successful learning looks like students recognizing Puritans as reformers inside the church, not separatists, and understanding why Elizabeth and Whitgift responded so harshly to Presbyterian ideas. They should also grasp the political stakes of the 'No Bishop, No King' argument and the risks faced by both Catholics and the government.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Investigation: The Puritan Grievance List, watch for students assuming Puritans were a separate sect. Redirect them by asking groups to identify which grievances target church practices versus outright rejection of the Church of England.

  During Collaborative Investigation, have each group present their top three grievances and ask the class to categorize them as 'internal reforms' or 'external separations' to highlight that most Puritans sought change from within.

• During Simulation: The Prophesying Debate, watch for students oversimplifying Elizabeth’s opposition as personal dislike. Redirect them by providing a copy of the 'No Bishop, No King' quote and asking how Presbyterian church governance threatened her authority.

  During Simulation, pause the debate to display the 'No Bishop, No King' quote and ask students to explain how Presbyterian elders would undermine Elizabeth’s control over the church hierarchy.

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Methods used in this brief

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