History · Year 12

Active learning ideas

The Rise of Northumberland

Students often see succession disputes as abstract political maneuvering, but framing them through Jane’s brief reign and Mary’s popular rise makes the stakes real. Active learning lets learners step into roles, test arguments with primary evidence, and confront misconceptions by experiencing the uncertainty of 1553 firsthand.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• A-Level: History - Edward VI: The Mid-Tudor Crisis
• A-Level: History - The Tudors: England, 1485–1603

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

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 40 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Devise for the Succession

In small groups, students analyze the various versions of Edward's 'Devise'. They must identify the 'edits' made as the King's health failed and discuss whether the plan was the work of a 'dying boy' or a 'manipulative minister'.

Evaluate whether Northumberland was a 'wicked duke' or a capable administrator.

Facilitation Tip

During Collaborative Investigation, circulate and ask groups to point to the exact clause in the Devise that contradicts the 1544 Succession Act, reinforcing close reading of legal language.

What to look for

Facilitate a class debate using the prompt: 'Was John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, primarily a self-serving schemer or a competent administrator trying to secure England's future?' Ask students to cite specific evidence from the period to support their arguments.

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

Activity 02

• Simulation Game
• 50 min · Small Groups

Simulation Game: The Nine Days of July

Students role-play the events of July 1553. One group represents Northumberland in London, another represents Mary in East Anglia, and a third represents the 'wavering' nobility. They must track the shift in support as Mary's army grows and Northumberland's melts away.

Explain how Northumberland restored financial stability to the Crown.

What to look for

Provide students with a short list of Northumberland's actions (e.g., ending wars, selling Crown lands, enacting the Devise). Ask them to categorize each action as primarily aimed at restoring Crown finances, securing his own power, or advancing the Protestant cause, justifying each choice.

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

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 30 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Why did Mary win?

Students analyze the reasons for Mary's success. They discuss in pairs whether it was due to 'religious loyalty', 'hatred of Northumberland', or a deep-seated belief in the 'rightful Tudor line' and share their findings.

Analyze why Northumberland ended the wars with France and Scotland.

What to look for

Students write a two-sentence summary explaining why the 'Devise for the Succession' ultimately failed. They should include one reason related to legal challenges and one reason related to popular sentiment.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with the Devise to anchor the topic in evidence, then use simulation and discussion to humanize figures too often reduced to caricature. Avoid framing Northumberland solely as a villain or savior; instead, have students weigh actions against Tudor priorities like stability and finance. Research in history education shows that role-play and structured debate improve retention of complex causation chains.

By the end of these activities, students will articulate why the Devise failed and Mary succeeded, using both legal reasoning and popular sentiment. They will also distinguish between ambition and duty in Northumberland’s actions, grounding claims in period sources rather than modern labels like 'hero' or 'villain.'

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Simulation: The Nine Days of July, watch for students calling Jane an ambitious usurper.

  Redirect by having students read Jane’s own letters from the Tower, where she denies ambition and insists on obedience to the law, then ask them to re-evaluate her portrayal during the debrief.

• During Think-Pair-Share: Why did Mary win?, watch for students assuming widespread Catholic support alone carried Mary to power.

  Use the peer discussion to isolate legal legitimacy as a separate factor; provide excerpts from Protestant city petitions to Mary to show support transcended theology.

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Methods used in this brief

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