Stories from Parliament
The Fire of 1834: Design the Palace – KS2
Curriculum areas: Art and Design, English
Speaking, English Writing
Aims:
· To explore the story of the Fire of 1834 and react creatively
· To provide a context for learning about the different groups within Parliament
· To explore how to design for purpose
· To provide a framework for pupils’ to develop their ability to select ideas and
explore different materials to use in their own work
· To develop pupils’ ability to assess their own designs critically and suggest
improvements to develop their own work further
Plan
Play the Fire of 1834 Stories from Parliament episode to your class. www.parliament.uk/education/teaching-resources-lesson-plans/fire-of-1834/
Explain to the class that after the Palace of Westminster was destroyed by the Fire of 1834, a Royal Commission (Government investigation) was appointed to find a designer for the Palace. They held a public competition and many architects and designers submitted designs for a new Palace of Westminster.
Ask the class to produce their own design for a part of the new Palace of Westminster as if it were being redesigned today. This could be an art work, a detailed plan, or even a model.
Explain that they could design an area for one of the following:
· The House of Commons chamber
· The House of Lords chamber
· Or re-design the surviving Westminster Hall for the general public to use
Outline each of these areas and the work that takes place within them. You may also want to show images of them to the class. Some suggested places to find further information and images are included in this document.
You might also want them to consider:
· The materials they would use
· Size
· How it will be used (e.g. how people will enter and use the space)
The Fire of 1834
When everyone has finished their design, divide the class into groups of no more than five students. In their groups ask each student to take it in turns to explain their designs, focusing on:
· The reasons behind their design
· How the area will be used by the people it has been designed for
· What they like most and least about their design
· Are there any problems they can see in their design?
· Is there anything that they would change about their design?
Further development
Aim: To develop pupils’ ability to employ persuasive arguments and set out an appropriate letter for the intended recipient
Ask the class to write a letter to the Royal Commission. Explain that this letter will need to have clear reasons why the Royal Commission should choose their design for part of the new Palace of Westminster.
Key elements of letter:
· The ability to employ persuasive arguments
· A key grasp of the purpose of the Palace of Westminster
· The ability to set out an appropriate letter for the intended recipient
Useful images and information
See the interactive map of the Palace of Westminster for a helpful illustration and further breakdowns of these areas: www.parliament.uk/visiting/online- tours/virtualtours/
Historical images of the Palace before the fire of 1834 can be found on the
Parliament website: www.parliament.uk/worksofart/collection-highlights/buildings
For images of Westminster Hall see Parliament’s Flickr website.
www.flickr.com/photos/uk_parliament/sets/72157606364068829/with/2701153814/
Curriculum links
England and Wales KS2:
Art - (1.a) Record from experience and imagination, to select and record from first- hand observation and to explore ideas for different purposes, (1.b) question and make thoughtful observations about starting points and select ideas to use in their work, (3.a) compare ideas, methods and approaches in their own and others' work and say what they think and feel about them, (3.b) adapt their work according to their views and describe how they might develop it further (5.a) exploring a range of starting points for practical work [for example, themselves, their experiences,
images, stories, drama, music, natural and made objects and environments]
English Writing (development task only) - (1.a) Pupils should be taught to choose form and content to suit a particular purpose [for example, notes to read or organise thinking, plans for action, poetry for pleasure], (1.c) use language and style that are appropriate to the reader, (1.d) use and adapt the features of a form of writing, drawing on their reading, (1.e) use features of layout, presentation and organisation effectively, (6.a) how written standard English varies in degrees of formality [for example, differences between a letter to a friend about a school trip and a report for display.
Northern Ireland KS2:
Art and Design - Students should be enabled to engage with observing, investigating, and responding to first hand experiences, memory and imagination; collect, examine and select resource material to use in the development of ideas; evaluate their own and others’ work and how it was made, explain and share their ideas, discuss difficulties and review and modify work to find solutions; use a range of media, materials, tools and processes such as: drawing, painting, printmaking, malleable materials, textiles and three-dimensional construction, selecting which is appropriate in order to realise personal ideas and intentions.
English Writing (development task only) - Students should be able to write for a variety of purposes and audiences, selecting, planning and using appropriate style and form; express thoughts, feelings and opinions in imaginative and factual writing.
Scottish Curriculum for Excellence:
Art and Design - Students should be able to develop and communicate their ideas, demonstrating imagination and presenting at least one possible solution to a design problem (EXA 2-06a). Students should be able to choose ways to create images and objects using a variety of materials (EXA 0-02a).
English writing (development task only) - Students can consider the impact that layout and presentation will have on a reader, selecting and using a variety of features appropriate to purpose and audience (LIT 3-24a). Using real and imaginary situations, they can share experiences and feelings, ideas and information in a way that communicates their message (LIT 0-26a)
The Fire of 1834:
Newspaper
Exercise – KS3
Curriculum areas: Art and Design, English
Speaking, English Writing
Aims:
· To explore the story of the Fire of 1834 and react creatively
· To provide a context for learning about the Fire of 1834 and the building and institution of Parliament
· To explore the use of different types of language and writing appropriate for an intended audience
· To develop students’ ability to write for purpose and audience
· To develop students’ ability to employ persuasive arguments
· To support students’ ability to empathise with people in different situations and with different viewpoints
· To develop students’ ability to create an appropriate newspaper article
Plan
Play the Fire of 1834 Stories from Parliament episode to your class. www.parliament.uk/education/teaching-resources-lesson-plans/fire-of-1834/
Ask the class to write an article for a national newspaper about the fire. Start by discussing what the purpose of a newspaper article is (retelling events with the purpose of informing and entertaining the intended audience).
Explain that the article should outline the facts of the fire including:
· Times and dates
· How the fire was started
· The names of the key people involved
· How it was stopped
· The consequences of the fire
(See our Fact file for key information: www.parliament.uk/education/teaching- resources-lesson-plans/fire-of-1834/ )
Discuss who the intended audience of a national newspaper article would be and how this will affect the type of language they should use when writing.
Explain that the article needs to both convey the key facts of the incident and attract people to read it. It should hold their interest by using formal language in an imaginative way.
To diversify the range of tasks, you could ask your students to write the newspaper article as an eyewitness report from a variety of different characters such as the Prime Minister, the Clerk of Works, the palace workmen, James Braidwood or Mrs Wright, detailing their experience and interpretation of events. Each article should outline the different experiences and views of each character i.e. the Clerk of Works defending his choice to burn the tally sticks. The style of each article should be adapted to fit the individual experience of the character and reflect their point of view and concerns effectively. Students should consider the purpose, the intended audience and the different types of language to use in each article.
Further development
Divide the class into pairs. Try to avoid pairing two people who have explored the same character in their eye witness report. Explain to the class that they will each be adopting the character they have written about in their eyewitness report and will role play a discussion of the fire in their pairs. Explain that they will each take it in turn to be their character whilst the other acts as the newspaper reporter.
Instruct the newspaper reporter to ask questions to find out the following from the character:
· The key facts of the fire (what the character knows e.g. when how they found out about the fire)
· Who they think is responsible for the fire
· What role did they play in the fire (e.g. discovering the fire, fighting the fire, watching from afar)?
· How do they feel about the Palace being burnt down?
Key elements of letter:
· The ability to employ persuasive arguments
· A key grasp of the purpose of the Palace of Westminster
· The ability to set out an appropriate letter for the intended recipient
Curriculum links
England and Wales KS3:
English Writing - Making informed choices about effective ways to communicate formally and informally (1.1e), using imagination to convey themes, ideas and arguments, solve problems and create settings, moods and characters (1.2c), generate and harness new ideas and develop them in writing (2.3c), adapt style and language appropriately for a range of forms, purposes and readers (2.3d), structure their writing to support the purpose of the task and guide the reader (2.3g), develop logical arguments and cite evidence (2.3m), use persuasive techniques and rhetorical devices (2.3n), use different kinds of forms such as articles and letters conveying opinions (3.3e), and move beyond their current situation and take on different roles and viewpoints (4.3d).
English Speaking & Listening - Pupils should be able to present information and points of view clearly and appropriately in different contexts, adapting talk for a range of purposes and audiences, including the more formal (2.1a), use a range of ways to structure and organise their speech to support their purposes and guide the listener (2.1b), use dramatic approaches to explore ideas, texts and issues (2.1j)
Northern Ireland KS3:
English - Students can engage through language with their peers and with fictional and real-life characters and situations to explore their own emotions and develop creative potential. They can develop the ability to use language effectively in communicating with, and relating to, others, and can explore the use of language and imagery in conveying and evoking a variety of powerful feelings. They can also write and present in different media and for different audiences and purposes.
Scotland Curriculum for Excellence:
English Writing - Students can consider the impact that layout and presentation will have on a reader, selecting and using a variety of features appropriate to purpose and audience (LIT 3-24a). Using real and imaginary situations, they can share experiences and feelings, ideas and information in a way that communicates their message (LIT 0-26a). Considering the type of text they are creating, they can independently select ideas and relevant information for different purposes, and organise essential information or ideas and any supporting detail in a logical order, using suitable vocabulary to communicate effectively with an audience (LIT 3-26a / LIT 4-26a). Students can convey information, describe events or processes, share opinions and persuade readers in different ways (LIT 1-28a / LIT 1-29a), and can create a convincing impression of their personal experiences and reflect upon their responses to the changing circumstances to engage a reader (ENG 4-30a). Listening and Talking - Students can identify and discuss the purpose, key words and main ideas of the text, and use this information for a specific purpose (LIT 1-
04a). Can show an understanding of what I listen to or watch by responding to and asking different kinds of questions (LIT 1-07). Can use material to develop an informed view, by learning to recognise the difference between fact and opinion (LIT
1-08a).