English Reformation: Henry VIII, Edward, Mary, Elizabeth I (Notebook Pages)
We really enjoyed studying English Reformation. The kids were intrigued by Henry VIII, his wives and children! In the 1500s, the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope. It was during the reign of Henry VIII that Protestantism took hold in England. Henry’s marital problems and desire for a male heir led to a turbulent (often bloody) time in England.
This is a continuation of our long unit on the Renaissance and Reformation (long because we have done other history units in between!).
We spent quite a bit of time learning about the history of England in the 1500s and early 1600s.
As we started off this portion of our unit, we went talked about some of the earlier history of England: the Houses of Lancaster and York, especially about Richard III and his role in the death of the two Princes. (That way, the kids had some background about the historical plays written by Shakespeare who we talked about later in this unit.)
I created a packet of materials and the kids went over these notebook pages. We also read a number of books and watched a a couple of movies:
English History 1500s: English Reformation, Henry VIII and his Successors
What history books did we use for this unit? In addition to a few non-fiction books from the library we read the chapter about the English Reformation in the Story of the Renaissance. (affiliate link) Our family has used all of Suzanne Strauss Art’s history books and have found them really accessible for upper elementary and middle school. We also a few chapters from a Child’s History of the World (affiliate link) the style of this is conversational/casual. It is great for my youngest who is in 3rd grade. My other two listened along, but you may or may not like it as it tells history as a story. Finally, we also use a history textbook called World History Patterns of Civilization by Prentice Hall. (affiliate link) I used this textbook when I taught high school history and have been using bits and pieces of it with the kids for a couple of years now. Sometimes I have them read it on their own (I bought copies for my two older kids) and sometimes I read it aloud and discuss things wi
We watched quite a number of movies and documentaries along with this unit. As with any movie/DVD be sure to preview these to see if there are scenes you’ll want to skip and to make sure they work for your family.
As we learned about Henry VIII and his wives, we watched portions of the DVD The Six Wives of Henry VIII. (affiliate link) It’s a long series, so you probably wouldn’t watch all of it, but my kids really enjoyed the parts we did watch.
We also watched Lady Jane (available on Amazon Prime) (affiliate link)(be sure to preview it to be sure you’re comfortable with the entire movie. This is a “Hollywood romance,” but my kids felt for Lady Jane and Gilford Dudley.). This is not a historically accurate movie, but it is well-done enough that I thought it was worth spending time watching. (I’ve always loved this movie.)
We also watched Elizabeth (affiliate link)(with Cate Blanchett). It was nominated for 7 academy awards. I would highly recommend it.
We watched a BBC documentary Bloody Queens Elizabeth and Mary. This was one I found on youtube. This explained the relationship between Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart of Scotland (not “Bloody Mary” — ie. Mary I, Henry VIII’s daughter). Elizabeth had Mary Stuart imprisoned for 18 ½ years. Eventually Mary was tried and found guilty of plotting to assassinate Elizabeth and was executed. Mary’s son, James I, succeeded Elizabeth to the throne.
As we moved into the Elizabethan Age, we spent some time reading the Usborne Stories from Shakespeare. (affiliate link) My kids *loved* these – and we wound up reading the entire book! I thought they were well done. They are abridged versions of the stories and do not have any of the famous monologues/lines of Shakespeare. Nevertheless, I do *highly* recommend this book. It was *such* a great introduction to Shakespeare for my kids. (currently ages 9, 11, 13) They *begged* me to read more — and now say that they ♥love♥ Shakespeare!
We watched a couple of Shakespearean plays, they were fine but they weren’t quite good enough to recommend to you. If I find something in the future I’ll let you know. 🙂 (If you have some good suggestions, I’d love if you dropped me a note!)
These notebook pages are included in our 90+ page European History 1500-1750 Packet on the Renaissance, Reformation, Age of Absolutism, Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment. See more details below!
This set of notebook pages is included in our European History Packet. See more about the entire packet below!
European History Packet 1500-1750 Renaissance, Reformation, Age of Absolutism, Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment
What is in the European History Packet? You will find a detailed list of what is in this packet at this post: European History Packet. Here is a Quick Preview of the European History Packet so you can see what is included.
Here is a Quick Preview of the European History Packet so you can see what is included.
How do I purchase this packet? When you click on the Buy Now button below, it will take you to Paypal. You can use a credit card rather than PayPal by clicking on the grey button (just below the blue button). Upon receipt of payment you will immediately get a link to download this pdf in your browser. You will also receive an email from SendOwl Downloads which will give you a link to download. (Check the email linked to your PayPal account.) Of course, if you have any issues just email me at — liesl at homeschoolden dot com. You can also reach me by using the contact form. ~Liesl
This packet is 90+ pages. At the beginning of each section, I have a cover page that gives you an overview of what we did and how we used the materials provided.
This packet is $6.99.
$6.99
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You might want to check out the geography packet on famous British landmarks. It has some famous sites like the Tower of London and more! You’ll find the link to this packet here:
We also took a detour during this unit and studied the Age of Exploration. You can find out more about that packet here:
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~Liesl
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