The Gunpowder Plot : Teacher's Guide

The BBC have released a Teacher's Guide to the latest Adventure Game, The Gunpowder Plot, which is due for release at the end of this month.

The game has been designed, much as Doctor Who was originally designed, to contain specific learning elements and allows players to discover historical facts while playing with historical references and key objects woven in throughout the game. Children will get the chance to step back in time and interact with famous figures such as Guy Fawkes and discover what was happening at this important moment in Britain’s history.

The Teachers Pack aims to provide resources to help them explain the issues raised by the game. The pack has sections designed for use at different stages across the primary school and early secondary education.

It is being released in four parts with the first looking at The Plot available now. Further packs will deal with Childhood (Released 31st October), Crime and Punishment (Released 5th December) and London Life in 1605 (Released 10 January). The final section will encourage students to create a museum or exhibition piece for the whole school.

The first pack is split into four sections and focuses on four main learning questions:

• When and where did the Gunpowder Plot take place? 
• What was the Gunpowder Plot? 
• Who were the Plotters and why did they want to blow up the Houses of Parliament? 
• What really happened in November 1605? 

It contains 

• Introduction for teachers (1.32MB) Aims and Objectives 
• The Doctor’s Detectives(5-7 year olds) (3.31MB) The students will gain a basic understanding of the main events of the Gunpowder Plot, the people involved and its place in British history. 
• Deep Cover Time Agents (7-11 year olds) (4.59MB) The students will gain an understanding of the main events of Gunpowder Plot, the people involved and the Plotters’ motivations. 
• TARDIS Media Team (10-14 year olds) (1.81MB) The students will gain an understanding of the historical interpretations of the Gunpowder Plot within the political and religious context of the period.