Life During The Troubles

Active learning works because this topic demands empathy and perspective-taking. Students move beyond abstract dates to confront human stories, and kinesthetic activities like mapping and role-play make the emotional and physical realities of daily life during The Troubles tangible and memorable.

• 6th Year
• Voices of Change: Ireland and the Wider World
• 4 activities
• 35 min–50 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze primary source accounts to explain the daily challenges faced by children during The Troubles.
2. Compare and contrast the impact of sectarian divisions on community life in Belfast and Derry/Londonderry.
3. Evaluate the effectiveness of Peace Walls in achieving security versus fostering division.
4. Explain the psychological impact of constant threat and checkpoints on family routines.
5. Synthesize information from various sources to present a personal narrative of a child living through The Troubles.

Gallery Walk

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Eyewitness Accounts

Display 8-10 primary sources like childrens' drawings, diary excerpts, and photos around the room. In small groups, students spend 5 minutes per station noting daily impacts on routines and safety, then share one key insight in a whole-class debrief. Follow with a graphic organizer to compare Catholic and Protestant experiences.

Prepare & details

Analyze how the conflict affected the daily routines and safety of families.

Facilitation Tip: During the Gallery Walk, position yourself near one poster to monitor engagement and be ready to prompt students with questions like, 'What emotion stands out in this account?'

Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter

Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Fishbowl Discussion

⏱ 40 min·Pairs

Pairs Mapping: Peace Walls Impact

Provide maps of Belfast or Derry. Pairs research and mark Peace Wall locations, noting construction dates, purposes, and effects on community access and play areas. They add annotations from survivor quotes and present findings to the class.

Prepare & details

Compare the experiences of children growing up in different communities during The Troubles.

Facilitation Tip: For the Pairs Mapping activity, circulate to listen for pairs justifying their wall placements with evidence from their readings or discussions.

Setup: Inner circle of 4-6 chairs, outer circle surrounding them

Materials: Discussion prompt or essential question, Observation notes template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Fishbowl Discussion

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Role-Play Simulation: Daily Routines

Assign roles as children from different communities facing a curfew or riot alert. In small groups, act out decisions on school, play, or family safety, then debrief on common and unique challenges using a reflection sheet.

Prepare & details

Explain the purpose and impact of 'Peace Walls' on urban landscapes.

Facilitation Tip: In the Role-Play Simulation, stop the activity after five minutes to ask each pair to share one adjustment they made to their routine and why.

Setup: Inner circle of 4-6 chairs, outer circle surrounding them

Materials: Discussion prompt or essential question, Observation notes template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Fishbowl Discussion

⏱ 35 min·Whole Class

Whole Class Timeline: Personal Stories

Co-create a class timeline of Troubles events interwoven with 5-6 anonymized childrens' stories. Students contribute excerpts via sticky notes, discussing how conflict altered birthdays, friendships, and holidays.

Prepare & details

Analyze how the conflict affected the daily routines and safety of families.

Facilitation Tip: During the Whole Class Timeline, write student contributions on the board in real time to model how personal stories build a broader historical narrative.

Setup: Inner circle of 4-6 chairs, outer circle surrounding them

Materials: Discussion prompt or essential question, Observation notes template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Teaching This Topic

Teachers should anchor discussions in primary sources to ground empathy in evidence. Avoid framing this topic as solely political; emphasize the mundane disruptions that made up daily life. Research shows that when students hear children’s voices directly, they’re more likely to challenge stereotypes and recognize shared humanity across divides.

What to Expect

Success looks like students shifting from generalizations to specific details when describing individual experiences. They should use evidence from sources to explain how conflict disrupted routines, and they should articulate differences between communities without oversimplifying shared human responses.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Gallery Walk: Eyewitness Accounts, students may assume the Troubles only affected adults. Watch for...

What to Teach Instead

During the Gallery Walk, circulate and ask groups to point out specific lines that show how children’s schooling, play, or family routines were disrupted, reminding them that headlines often obscure these personal details.

Common Misconception

During the Pairs Mapping: Peace Walls Impact, students may assume all Peace Walls were built for the same reason. Watch for...

What to Teach Instead

During mapping, ask pairs to compare their maps and note differences in wall placement, then refer them to source quotes about security versus segregation to clarify varied purposes.

Common Misconception

During the Role-Play Simulation: Daily Routines, students may assume experiences were identical across Catholic and Protestant communities. Watch for...

What to Teach Instead

During the role-play, pause to ask each pair to identify one rule or restriction that felt unique to their assigned community, using the simulation cards to prompt specific examples.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After the Pairs Mapping: Peace Walls Impact activity, provide students with a map of Belfast or Derry/Londonderry and ask them to draw one Peace Wall and write two sentences explaining its purpose and one consequence for daily life in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Discussion Prompt

After the Whole Class Timeline: Personal Stories activity, facilitate a class discussion using the prompt: 'Imagine you are a 10-year-old living in Belfast in 1975. What is one specific change to your daily routine that the conflict has caused, and how does it make you feel?' Use student responses to assess their ability to connect personal stories to emotional and practical impacts.

Quick Check

During the Gallery Walk: Eyewitness Accounts activity, present students with three short, anonymized quotes from individuals who lived through The Troubles and ask them to identify which quote best illustrates the impact of sectarianism on daily life and explain their reasoning in one sentence.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask students to research a Peace Wall that was recently removed or modified and present how its absence has changed community interactions.
• Scaffolding: Provide sentence starters for the role-play, such as 'I used to be able to... but now I have to...' to help students articulate changes.
• Deeper exploration: Have students interview a family member or community member about how they remember changes in their neighborhood during this period and compare responses in a short reflection.

Key Vocabulary

Sectarianism	Hostility or discrimination based on religious or sectarian affiliation, a key driver of The Troubles.
Internment	The imprisonment of suspected political opponents without trial, a measure used by security forces during the conflict.
Peace Wall	Physical barriers built in Northern Ireland to separate Catholic and Protestant communities, intended to reduce sectarian violence.
Curfew	An order requiring people to remain indoors between specified hours, often imposed during times of civil unrest.
Paramilitary	An organization that is formally constituted as a military force but is separate from the regular armed forces, often involved in political violence.