History · Year 12

Active learning ideas

The Challenge of Mary Queen of Scots (Arrival)

Active learning works for this topic because Mary’s arrival forced Elizabeth into impossible choices that demand student analysis of evidence, perspective-taking, and risk assessment. By engaging with primary sources and role-play, students move beyond textbook summaries to confront the real dilemmas faced by Tudor decision-makers.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• A-Level: History - Elizabeth I: Mary Queen of Scots
• A-Level: History - The Tudors: England, 1485–1603

• 25–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 45 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Casket Letters

In small groups, students analyze the 'Casket Letters', the evidence used to link Mary to the murder of her husband, Lord Darnley. They must debate whether the letters were 'genuine' or 'forgeries' and discuss how Elizabeth used this ambiguity to keep Mary in prison without a trial.

Explain why Mary Stuart was a more credible threat than previous pretenders.

Facilitation Tip

During Collaborative Investigation: The Casket Letters, assign each group a distinct interpretive lens (e.g., forensic, political, religious) to prevent all students from reaching identical conclusions too quickly.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are an advisor to Elizabeth I in 1568. Present three distinct options for dealing with Mary Stuart's arrival, outlining the potential benefits and risks of each.' Facilitate a class debate on the most prudent course of action.

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

Activity 02

• Simulation Game
• 50 min · Small Groups

Simulation Game: The Queen's Council, 1568

Students role-play a council meeting following Mary's arrival. They must brainstorm the 'pros and cons' of four options: execute her, restore her to the Scottish throne, send her to France, or keep her in 'honorable' captivity. They must try to reach a consensus while Elizabeth remains undecided.

Analyze how Mary's presence galvanized English Catholics.

Facilitation Tip

In the Simulation: The Queen's Council, 1568, circulate with a timer visible to all groups to maintain urgency and realism in their deliberations.

What to look for

Provide students with a short primary source excerpt describing a Catholic reaction to Mary's arrival. Ask them to identify two specific phrases that demonstrate how her presence galvanized opposition and explain their significance in 1-2 sentences.

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

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: A Credible Threat?

Students analyze Mary's claim to the throne. They discuss in pairs why Mary was a more 'dangerous' threat than previous pretenders (like Warbeck) and share their findings with the class.

Evaluate whether Elizabeth's treatment of Mary in the 1560s was legally justifiable.

Facilitation Tip

For Think-Pair-Share: A Credible Threat?, provide sentence stems on tables to support students who struggle to articulate their reasoning about Mary’s legitimacy.

What to look for

On an index card, students should write one sentence explaining why Mary Stuart was a more credible threat than previous pretenders. Then, they should list one specific consequence of her being held in England.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers approach this topic by framing Mary’s arrival as a historical ‘pressure test’ for Elizabeth’s governance, not just a dramatic event. Avoid oversimplifying Elizabeth’s actions as indecision, instead using sources to reveal her calculated avoidance of precedent. Research shows that role-play and source analysis help students grasp the long-term stakes of a single decision, which is critical for understanding Tudor politics.

Successful learning looks like students recognizing the complexity of Mary’s role as both victim and conspirator and articulating why Elizabeth’s inaction was strategic rather than weak. Evidence of understanding includes clear arguments about risk, motive, and consequence in their discussions and written outputs.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Simulation: The Queen's Council, 1568, watch for students assuming Elizabeth wanted to execute Mary from the start.

  Use the simulation’s final vote tallies and written justifications to highlight how Elizabeth’s ministers pushed for execution while Elizabeth resisted, pointing to her belief in the ‘sacred’ nature of monarchy as documented in their debate notes.

• During Think-Pair-Share: A Credible Threat?, watch for students portraying Mary as an ‘innocent victim’ of Elizabeth’s jealousy.

  Have students examine the Babington Plot evidence during their pairs to identify Mary’s active role in conspiracies, then ask them to revise their initial characterizations based on primary source details provided in the activity.

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Methods used in this brief

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