E-Day
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E-Day Topic Resource Page
Grade 1 Topic
Victorian England
Brief Overview/objective:
To learn about the English monarchy and Great Britain in the 19th century. To learn about
Queen Victoria and the Victorian Era – the ways it was both similar to and different from today
in its resources, culture, lifestyle and social practices. This unit is to set the context and
historical background for the Beatrix Potter Day that 1st grade will hold within a few weeks.
After completing this Enrichment Day, the students will be able to:
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Locate England on a map, and identify the colonies controlled by Great Britain during the
Victorian Era.
State the years of Queen Victoria’s birth and death.
As a class, be able to identify at least:
1. three historical events that occurred during Queen Victoria’s lifetime
2. three inventions during the Victorian Era
3. three changes in life due to the Industrial Revolution
4. five qualities that are identifying marks of the Victorian Era
5. at least 2 books that are set in the Victorian Era
***Please see information below for content to be covered during this lesson***
(This lesson requires more guidelines as it lays the foundation for an in-class unit. Please
research well, be creative, have fun… but cover the material presented below.)
Resources in workroom:
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Victorian England 3-ring binder- Includes lesson plan notes, time line resources, pictures, and
recommended/ required activities.
On-line resource for your preparation:
www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Queen-Victoria
Information/ concepts/ teaching methods for your lesson:
Informing Ideas/ Biblical Concepts (note verses as applicable)
1. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Ephesians 6:1
*Victorian families had very distinct roles for each member of the household.
2. Even a child is known by his actions, whether his conduct is pure and right.
Proverbs 2:14
*Great importance was placed on teaching proper deportment.
3. Honor your father and mother. Ephesians 6:2
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E-Day Topic Resource Page for
Victorian England
*Children of middle and upper class families were cared for by hired nannies
and governesses and spent little time with their parents, but they had great
respect and reverence for their mothers and fathers.
4. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the
poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with
princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. 1 Samuel 2:6-8
5. *In Great Britain, where there had been only two classes of people; nobility and
commoners, there emerged a new middle class. The Victorian middle class
enjoyed wealth as a result of the Industrial Revolution.
6. Visit orphans and widows. James 1:27
*Not everyone prospered through the Industrial Revolution. Terrible living and
working conditions were endured by many families. Charity work, both private
and organized, became necessary to relieve suffering.
Habits for life: Habit of Obedience, Habit of Attention, Habit of Self-Control
Content to be presented:
A. Overview of Victorian Life
1. Named after Queen Victoria of Britain (1837 to 1901, 64 years)
2. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
a. England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland
b. British Empire ruled 1/4 of the world population
c. Empire included China, India, and other colonies
3. Change brought about by the Industrial Revolution
a. More than half of Britain's people lived in small villages or on farms at the beginning of the
Victorian Era.
b. By 1901, most people had moved into towns and cities.
c. Population increased from 16 million to 37 million.
d. Increased need for jobs, clothes, food, housing.
e. People worked in factories, offices, and shops.
f. Terrace houses (row houses) were constructed for workers' families. They were small: two
rooms up and two rooms down.
g. Piped water, indoor toilets, gas lights, telephone, electricity, steam engine railways,
steamboats, underground rails, trams, police force, postage stamps and mail delivery,
invention of many machines and household "gadgets" (Refer to attached Timeline of
Inventions)
h. Almost every household had servants.
4. Family Life
a. Victorian Gentlemen
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Victorian England
b. Victorian Ladies
c. Victorian Children
-The Nursery
-The Nanny
-Clothing
-Food
-Playthings and Amusements
-The Children's Hour: Time with Parents
-Education
--The Governess
--The Boarding School
d. Examples of Victorian Family Life in Popular Literature
-Mary Poppins
-Alice in Wonderland
-The Secret Garden
-The Little Princess
-Oliver Twist
-The Prince and the Pauper
Materials or Resources:
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Globe
World Map,
Map of Great Britain,
Victorian Timeline (Victorian Station Timeline-The Victorian Web.)
Various photos included in this lesson packet:
Examples of Victorian Children's clothing and toys
Copies of literature mentioned with excerpts marked for reading aloud or film clips
Inventions that changed/marked life in this era
Methods:
• Begin with a look at the globe or world map to find our location. "Travel" to Great Britain.
Show the map of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and explain that it is actually several
countries ruled by one monarchy (king or, in this case, queen). Show photographs of Queen
Victoria and tell briefly about her incredible, lengthy reign. Describe the pride and love her
subjects felt for her and how she influenced their style of living.
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Introduce the idea of Change by soliciting from children the way people live in the country
and in the town. Write their contributions on a chart or white board.
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Victorian England
1. Use the Timeline to show all the inventions and changes that took place in the
64 years of Queen Victoria's reign. The children can be divided into small
groups, given a set of Timeline cards with pictures to put in order, and then
groups can reconstruct the Timeline for the classroom display.
2. Use a dollhouse or photographs to show what a Victorian house looked like.
Use more photographs to show how children were dressed and lived.
3. Ask children to think about their own houses, clothes, toys, and relationships
with their parents. Compare and Contrast with Victorians. This could be a
drawing, too, or a cut and collage project. Ask them to imagine themselves and
their families dressed as Victorians.
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Show pictures and describe the lives of the poor in Victorian England. Briefly tell about child
labor, mortality, orphanges, work houses, etc. Read an excerpt from Oliver Twist or The Little
Princess to illustrate the life of a poor child. Ask the class what kinds of work they have to do
on a regular basis (chores, jobs, responsibilities).
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Contrast photos of Queen Victoria's children, middle class children, and poor children. Tell
about charities and laws that tried to improve life for all children. List some of the
improvements such as: limited work hours, Sunday Schools, Ragged Schools (free, noncompulsory education for poor children), National Schools, compulsory education.
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Ask the children to think of ways that education would improve the lives of children and
families. Write their answers on a chart.
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Play Victorian games… marbles, jump rope, etc.
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Read the Scriptures listed above and the Concepts. Ask children to narrate based on these
Ideas.
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If you have time, have the children do a picture study/reproduction of Queen Victoria from
the selection of pictures below.
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Victorian England
Compile the map, timeline, photos, charts, and drawings into a packet to give each child.
Queen Victoria
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Victorian England
Queen Victoria as a child
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Victorian England
Queen Victoria later in her life
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Victorian England
Picture Study and Reproduction
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Clear off the work surface
Create excitement (briefly) for what the students are about to see.
Hand out the picture upside down.
Discuss questions that they can ask themselves as they study the picture. . Tell them
they will have 2 minutes to study the picture in silence… to study and personally relate to
the picture. Ask them not to get distracted by other people/ things in the room.
Say, “I don’t want to see anyone’s eyes. If you think you’ve seen it all, close your eyes,
and see what you can still see. Focus on whatever you want to. Look at the background,
the foreground, the big picture, then the details. Keep opening and closing your eyes
until the image is clearly in your mind.”
Turn it over and spend 2 minutes in silence.
At the end of 2 minutes, turn the picture over again. Pair the students and have them
narrate the picture quietly to one another for another 2 minutes. (Use a timer if that
helps.)
Have the children take turns spontaneously sharing with the group. (Limit this sharing
time to 1 minute per student if that helps.) If the students make a mistake, don’t correct
them, just raise an eyebrow! They will find out the truth later. No peeking at the picture!
Now, and only now, turn the picture back over. This is the time to correct. “Are you
happy about that now?” This should be a very satisfying experience.
Demonstrate the size of the original.
Discuss the medium.
Now, put on quiet, classical music and let the students draw the picture they’ve just
studied. Allow at least 20 minutes for this part of the activity. Suggestions for an
excellent reproduction:
Block out the main shapes/size first
Press lightly on the pencil when starting (erasing doesn’t work)
Add details and shading later
Parents should walk around and see if anyone is getting off on the wrong
foot, and offer encouragement. Do not do any drawing for them.
Save the pictures for the classroom teacher
“Mount” pictures on black construction paper to highlight
• The close is quiet. Have a final, last, quiet look at the original. No more talking now.
“Stow this impression in the photo album of your mind. Now this picture is yours for the
rest of your life!
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