The Great Plague of 1665

Active learning works for this topic because students need to grapple with human suffering, fear, and medical ignorance in a way that textbooks cannot capture. Moving beyond facts to role-playing, source analysis, and creative writing helps students connect emotionally and intellectually to the lived experience of the plague.

• Year 8
• History
• 4 activities
• 25 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Explain the prevailing theories about the causes of the Great Plague in 1665, referencing miasma and divine punishment.
2. Analyze the public health measures implemented in London during the 1665 plague, such as quarantines and house boarding.
3. Compare and contrast the social and medical responses to the Great Plague of 1665 with those of the Black Death in 1348.
4. Evaluate the effectiveness of 17th-century plague control strategies based on historical evidence.

Document Mystery

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Role-Play: Parish Emergency Council

Assign roles like physicians, magistrates, and citizens to small groups. Groups review source extracts on plague causes and propose measures, then present to the class for a vote. Conclude with reflection on effectiveness compared to modern methods.

Prepare & details

Explain how 17th-century people explained the causes of the plague.

Facilitation Tip: For the Parish Emergency Council role-play, assign roles with clear responsibilities so quieter students can contribute meaningfully within structured debate.

Setup: Groups at tables with document sets

Materials: Document packet (5-8 sources), Analysis worksheet, Theory-building template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Document Mystery

⏱ 35 min·Pairs

Timeline Comparison: 1348 vs 1665

Pairs create dual timelines using key events, responses, and death tolls from provided sources. Add annotations on similarities and changes. Share via gallery walk for peer feedback.

Prepare & details

Analyze what measures were taken to stop the spread of infection.

Facilitation Tip: In the Timeline Comparison activity, provide scaffolding by highlighting key events on both timelines to guide students’ focus toward demographic rather than raw death toll differences.

Setup: Groups at tables with document sets

Materials: Document packet (5-8 sources), Analysis worksheet, Theory-building template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Document Mystery

⏱ 30 min·Small Groups

Source Sorting: Plague Explanations

In small groups, sort printed quotes into categories like religious, medical, or supernatural causes. Discuss evidence for each and link to measures taken. Vote on most common belief.

Prepare & details

Compare the 1665 plague to the Black Death of 1348.

Facilitation Tip: During the Source Sorting activity, have students work in small groups to categorize explanations first by type (miasma, divine, astrological) before discussing overarching themes as a class.

Setup: Groups at tables with document sets

Materials: Document packet (5-8 sources), Analysis worksheet, Theory-building template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Document Mystery

⏱ 25 min·Individual

Diary Entry Simulation: Eyewitness Account

Individuals write a short diary entry as a Londoner, incorporating two sources and personal reactions. Pairs swap and peer-assess for historical accuracy.

Prepare & details

Explain how 17th-century people explained the causes of the plague.

Setup: Groups at tables with document sets

Materials: Document packet (5-8 sources), Analysis worksheet, Theory-building template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Teaching This Topic

Teach this topic by centering student inquiry around primary sources, which reveal the humanity and uncertainty of the time. Avoid presenting modern medical knowledge as an immediate correction, instead let students confront the limitations of 17th-century understanding through their own analysis. Research shows that when students actively debate historical decisions—like quarantine measures—they develop critical thinking and empathy, not just retention of facts.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students questioning sources, debating decisions, and recognizing the complexity of historical responses rather than accepting simplistic explanations. They should be able to articulate varied causes and measures while comparing primary sources with modern understanding.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Source Sorting: Plague Explanations activity, watch for students assuming all 17th-century Londoners believed the plague was solely caused by God's punishment.

What to Teach Instead

Use the activity’s source cards to redirect students toward the diversity of explanations by asking each group to share one non-religious cause their sources mention before moving to class discussion.

Common Misconception

During the Role-Play: Parish Emergency Council activity, watch for students concluding that quarantine measures fully stopped the plague.

What to Teach Instead

After the role-play, have students revisit the council’s debate notes to identify at least one flaw in enforcement or logic, then discuss how these flaws contributed to the plague’s persistence.

Common Misconception

During the Timeline Comparison: 1348 vs 1665 activity, watch for students assuming the 1665 plague was deadlier than the Black Death because of higher absolute numbers.

What to Teach Instead

During the gallery walk, ask pairs to note the percentage of population lost on each timeline and challenge them to explain why virgin soil epidemics made the Black Death proportionally more devastating.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After the Source Sorting: Plague Explanations activity, students write two sentences explaining one cause of the plague believed by 17th-century Londoners and one measure taken to stop its spread. They then write one sentence comparing the 1665 plague to the Black Death using data from their timeline work.

Discussion Prompt

During the Role-Play: Parish Emergency Council activity, assess students’ ability to justify quarantine measures by listening for evidence from primary sources, such as Pepys’ diary, and asking groups to cite specific quotes in their debate.

Quick Check

After the Diary Entry Simulation: Eyewitness Account activity, provide students with a short excerpt from a Bill of Mortality. Ask them to identify two types of causes of death listed and explain what this tells us about contemporary understanding of disease, using their source-sorting skills to categorize the causes.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge students who finish early to research and present an alternative public health measure from another era (e.g., cholera in 1854 London) and compare its rationale to 1665 responses.
• Scaffolding: For students struggling with the Source Sorting activity, provide a partially completed categorization sheet with mixed explanations and have them fill in gaps in pairs.
• Deeper exploration: Assign a creative writing task where students compose a newspaper editorial from 1665 advocating for or against a specific public health policy, citing evidence from Bills of Mortality or Pepys' diary.

Key Vocabulary

Miasma	An archaic theory that disease was caused by a noxious form of 'bad air' emanating from decaying organic matter.
Quarantine	A period of isolation imposed on ships or people arriving from infected areas to prevent the spread of disease.
Bills of Mortality	Weekly official reports in London that recorded the number of deaths and their causes, providing vital statistics during outbreaks.
Parish	A local administrative area, often centered around a church, which played a role in enforcing plague regulations and caring for the sick.