This KS4 lesson explores Elizabethan exploration and its significance for England. Students begin with a retrieval starter linking to the Elizabethan ‘Golden Age’ before examining the role of Francis Drake and the wider Age of Exploration. Using images and guided questions, they investigate new technology such as galleons and consider the main motives behind exploration, including wealth, power, territory, and rivalry with Spain and Portugal.
The lesson then develops GCSE exam skills through an interpretation question, asking students to evaluate how convincing a historian’s view is about the importance of Elizabethan exploration. A clear “We Do / You Do” structure supports students in building confidence with interpretation skills required for the AQA specification.
The lesson includes:
Retrieval starter activity
Visual source analysis and guided questioning
Focus on Francis Drake and Elizabethan voyages
Motives for exploration (wealth, power, territory, rivalry)
Scaffolded GCSE-style interpretation practice
Ideal for AQA GCSE History – Elizabethan England, c1568–1603.
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