About this unit

Expectations

Resources

This unit centres on Victorian crime and punishment.

While some factual knowledge about crime and punishment in
the period forms an essential component, the main focus is
on testing the validity of the popular interpretation that
Victorians were cruel, by reference to original evidence and information about famous reformers.

This unit was originally taught in a day of school time but could also be taught across a
sequence of lessons. There is scope to adjust some of the teaching activities to take account of time constraints in different schools.

By the end of this unit:

Most pupils will have: understood that Victorians can be seen as cruel and harsh by reference to original evidence; that this interpretation of Victorian crime and punishment can also be challenged by reference to original evidence; contributed to a hot seating exercise on Elizabeth Fry; selected, organised and deployed information while contributing to a structured account in answer to the question “Were the Victorians cruel?” or selected organised and deployed information to design an ICT exhibition presenting interpretations of Victorian crime and punishment.

Some pupils will not have made such progress and will have: understood that Victorians can be seen as cruel and harsh; that this interpretation of Victorian crime and punishment can also be challenged; contributed in a limited way to a hot seating exercise on Elizabeth Fry; contributed in simple terms to a structured account in answer to the question “Were Victorians cruel?” or contributed to in a limited way to the design of an ICT exhibition presenting interpretations of Victorian crime and punishment.

Some pupils will have progressed further and will have: understood that Victorians can be seen as cruel and harsh by reference to many examples of original evidence; that this interpretation of Victorian crime and punishment can be challenged by reference to other examples of original evidence; taken a lead in the hot seating exercise on Elizabeth Fry; sophisticatedly selected, organised and deployed information in a sophisticated way while contributing to a structured account in answer to the question“ Were the Victorians cruel?” or organised and deployed information in a sophisticated way to design an ICT exhibition presenting interpretations of Victorian crime and punishment.

Resources include:

• Victorian style adult
  props.
• Images of Victorian
  child criminals.
• Information about
  Elizabeth Fry from
  BBC website:
  “ Famous People”.
• Sentence starters
  for a washing line
  essay.
• Images associated
  with Victorian crime
  and punishment.

It is helpful if pupils:

• have studied aspects of life in Victorian Britain before completing this unit.
• are familiar with the idea that historical interpretations can vary, depending on their purpose and
  audience e.g. films, books etc.