51ºÚÁÏ

This is a complete unit exploring the history of the reception of witches and witchcraft.

It is intended to take around 16 lessons, however you can use and adapt as needed.

Overview:

• The unit opens with aims and outcomes, clearly stating these in I will/ I can statements for students.
• Students will then briefly touch on two classical witches: Circe and Medea, before comparing them with the images/ perceptions of witches in the Middle Ages.
• Students will then look at how the development of Christianity created a deep-seated fear of witches and encouraged persecution.
• They will continue through history, before arriving at the 16th century.
• There they will learn about changes to the law in terms of dealing with witches, and how this was perpetuated by literature.
• They will consider texts such as the Malleus Melificarum and King James VI’s Daemonologie.
• They will study 5 real cases of witch trials before progressing briefly onto the Salem Witch Trials.
• Finally, students will be involved in an interactive witch trial - they will use the information they take from this to produce a pamphlet either denouncing the witch or the verdict.

The Interactive Trials:

• 5 separate trials are included, with scripts and character prompts.
• By design, this would require involvement from other class teachers so the trials can run concurrently.
• However, they can be adapted to suit the needs of your classroom. If you do not have other classes to draw on, consider utilising the scripts to build your own witch trial with your class instead.

Included in this pack are:

• The complete PowerPoint
• Witch Fact Files (for the real case study)
• Two forms of an Close Reading task - a Level 3/4 version and a differentiated version. Both include Marking Instructions.
• Salem Trials Source Analysis Worksheet
• Five Trials: each one has a script and collection character prompts.
• Pamphlet Scaffold

I am using this to progress my class on to study Salem by David Calcutt, but this would work brilliantly as a standalone unit too.

Please leave a review if you like this unit of work!