A Fun, Free Magna Carta Lesson Plan
Good teachers have long known the value of repetition to promote learning — these days, it’s often called spiral review — but with modern technology, it can be a really enjoyable class activity! Short, fun videos provide teachers with a way to cycle back through material each time it’s relevant — all without students getting bored!
One such video that I strongly recommend is the Horrible Histories song “Magna Carta 800 Years” available on the CBBC channel on YouTube. The song has a catchy tune and the lyrics are jam-packed with information about what the Magna Carta said in 1215 and how the document has become relevant time and again in the 800 years since its first adoption by an English monarch. If your curriculum includes the Magna Carta, I highly recommend this video (you can find a link at the end of this post)!
The video was produced by the BBC for the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, back in 2015. Since it celebrates the Magna Carta’s importance over this time span, it can be useful in history classes at several distinct points:
- Obviously when studying the Magna Carta / Middle Ages
- When covering the English Civil War / Charles I / Oliver Cromwell era
- When studying the U.S. Constitution
- When examining the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights
All of these “Magna Carta matters” markers are covered during the video.
Personally, I see nothing wrong with using the video at all 4 points during the school year. It’s short enough to show over and over and it makes for a great reminder to students that the things they learned earlier are still relevant to the history unfolding later. And as they watch the video multiple times over the course of the entire school year, their understanding of the Magna Carta’s significance should grow, right along with their knowledge about the events related to its growing influence.
This, in my opinion, is the true value of repetition in history classes. It’s not just to help students recall factual information. It’s to help them see connections among the historical events they have studied. It’s to increase depth of knowledge. The Magna Carta 800 Years video can really help students make those connections, helping them see the spread over time of constitutional concepts such as rule of law and human rights. It can do this best, however, if students see it at key points during the school year, not just when they first learn about the Magna Carta.
Free Magna Carta Video Worksheet
To help teachers really get the most out of this fabulous “Magna Carta 800 Years” video, I’ve created a video worksheet and posted it at my store on Teachers Pay Teachers. The price is right — it’s one of my “forever free” resources!
This free Magna Carta worksheet packet includes lots of resources to help teachers use the video effectively in class:
- Worksheet with 18 free response questions in video order, along with one critical thinking task
- Above worksheet again, but this time with time stamps showing students exactly where in the video each question’s answer can be found. This can be a helpful resource for differentiating the lesson for students that need more assistance.
- Detailed answer key with teacher notes to provide additional context and information
- Extended learning opportunities with instructions and links to additional videos that can help students master even more about the Magna Carta
- Lesson plan ideas to give you lots of options about different ways in which you can use the video worksheet. It doesn’t just have to be “watch the video, fill out a worksheet.” There are loads of easy ways to mix it up, and they all require very little prep!
You can download this free 13-page teaching resource on “Magna Carta 800 Years” by clicking on the image below!
The Value of Repetition
Just to clarify one thing — while I would definitely show the video at key points throughout the school year, I wouldn’t have students completing the worksheet over and over.
I would assign the worksheet just once, the first time the video was used. Afterwards, I’d just review the questions and answers out loud with them each time I showed the video.
Looking for More Great History Video Lessons?
Crash Course, available for free on YouTube, has entire series devoted to history topics. I’ve made video worksheets for many of its series, including every episode of Crash Course World History Seasons 1 and 2 now! If you aren’t familiar with Crash Course, I urge you to check it out as soon as possible. Just click on any of the cover images below, and when you reach the resource description, scroll through it to find the link to YouTube. This link will take you straight to the playlist page for the Crash Course series that matches my worksheet pack!
Or click the links below:
- Crash Course World History Worksheets Seasons 1 and 2 Bundle
- Crash Course World History Worksheets Season 2 Bundle
- Crash Course World History Worksheets Season 1 Bundle
And as promised, here is the link to the Horrible Histories song video,
Magna Carta 800 Years, available for free on YouTube!
As always, I wish you happy teaching!
greathistoryteaching 