* For younger students especially, please read the parental guidance notes below. I am happy to take mature students as young as 10 so long as parents have read and agreed to the parental guidance notes *

This 4 week self-paced class will be a fun and interactive introduction to the 6 wives of Henry VIII of England: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr. 

In the course the students will learn about various aspects of these women including their background and nationality, their views and influence, their fashions (surprisingly important!) and their larger than life personalities. We will examine the mental health and other health issues of Henry VIII that impacted his marriages. We will also think about the wives with a modern viewpoint and not just go with the standard history of these women that has long since overshadowed their extraordinary lives. For example- was Catherine Howard really so badly behaved or was she so neglected by the adults who were meant to look after her that she ended up being mistreated.

The class will be presented through Nearpod (no log in necessary- just click and play) and will include a video 'lecture' broken up with fun or intriguing videos, supporting resources, a multiple choice game and optional extension materials. The games will allow the students to reinforce what they have learnt and also make history learning fun! A fun fact sheet is provided for each of our Queens (and Henry!) and in addition there may be a crossword puzzle for those students who want to go the extra mile. Each week the students will be presented with 1-2 interesting discussion topics within the Outschool Classroom and are expected to add to the conversation with their fellow students. I am also available every day to answer questions or suggest further reading and learning sources on topics that are of particular interest.

The class is well structured and organised so that each week your learners will know exactly what is expected of them. All the classes, fact sheets, activities and discussion questions for the week will be posted at the beginning of the week under their unique topic headlines 'Henry VIII Content', 'Catherine of Aragon Content', 'Anne Boleyn Content' etc. so that it is easy for the students to navigate.

Week 1: A short introduction to Henry VIII- it is important for us to set the scene by learning a little about this powerful and conflicted man and king. 
Catherine of Aragon- King Henry's first wife. Katherine shaped the history of England and we will learn why her refusal to divorce Henry VIII brought England headfirst into a new religious age! Through our class on Katherine of Aragon we will also examine why it's important to learn about History from a variety of sources and mediums and why it's ok to mix popular historical fiction with other more factual sources.

Week 2: Anne Boleyn. Queen Anne deserves a whole week just to herself even though she was only "Anne of A Thousand Days". Was Anne really the home wrecking witch that Henry's men and many historians will have us believe? 

Week 3: Jane Seymour- the one who gave England the heir. But was she really Henry's favourite wife? How did his increasing mental health issues effect how Jane was remembered by the King?
Anne of Cleves- the German Princess and the 'ugly wife' as history would have us believe. It was a lot more complicated than that!

Week 4: Catherine Howard- the disloyal wife with low 'morals' or just a girl who had never been cared for? 
Catherine Parr- the obliging queen dowager (the widow of a king) or the one with the most political ambition?

Students do not need to have any specific knowledge before the start of the class but they are welcome and encouraged to contribute any prior knowledge or interest to the class for discussion. Student questions and knowledge in the classroom always lead to the best classroom discussions. I also love when learners disagree as it gives us all an opportunity to listen and learn! Don't be shy :) I love a good debate- don't agree with me on something? Great! Let me know so we can talk about it!

I never enjoyed learning history at school because of the way that it was presented to us- lecture style and based around wars and conflict. In university I discovered that by examining the lives of influential women throughout history I was able to discover a much more complex and interesting side to history which included social intrigue and powerful people behind the scenes. It is my firm belief that children will develop their own interest in history if they are allowed to experience it in a more 'storytelling' way without being bombarded with facts and dates that have to be memorized. My aim is to present the topic in a way that is fun and includes just the right balance of historical facts and social commentary.