Teaching English through History: Henry VIII

        HENRY VIII AND HIS SIX WIVES

We already know that teaching History can be something quite boring. Moreover, teaching History in English to speakers of other languages can be something even worse. 

This week I am working the historical figure of Henry VIII and his six wives, Elizabeth I and William Shakespeare. 

First of all, I think that the teacher's attitude it's something essential. If you want your lesson to be boring, be sure it's gonna be boring but if you want it to be something special and funny you have to live it!

I decided to explain the life of Henry VIII and his six wives, the Tudors and the Reformation from the point of view of gossip magazines.  The intonation, the gestures, the informal language made my class a better place to be!

After this explanation I decided to use a great video I found in the Internet made by the BBC (God save them!). Here you have the link and the lyrics:

HORRIBLE HISTORIES - The Wives of Henry VIII (Terrible Tudors)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fadCAHjN-s

Divorced, beheaded and died
Divorced, beheaded, survived
I'm Henry VIII, I had 6 sorry wives
Some might say I ruined their lives...

Catherine of Aragon was one
She failed to give me a son
I had to ask her for a divorce
That broke her poor heart of course

Young Anne Boleyn, she was two
Had a daughter, the best she could do
I said she flirted with some other man
And off for the chop went dear Anne

Lovely Jane Seymour was three
The love of a lifetime for me
She gave me a son, little prince Ed
Then poor old Jane went and dropped dead

Divorced, beheaded and died
Divorced, beheaded, survived
I'm Henry VIII, I had 6 sorry wives
Some might say I ruined their lives...

Anne of Cleeves came at four
I fell for a portrait I saw
Then laid eyes on her face and cried "She's a horse!
I must have another divorce!"

Catherine Howard was five
A child of 19, so alive
She flirted with others, no way to behave
The axe sent young Cath to her grave

Catherine Parr, she was last
By then all my best days were past
I lay on my deathbed aged just 55
Lucky young Catherine, the last, stayed alive

Divorced, beheaded and died
Divorced, beheaded, survived
I'm Henry VIII, I had 6 sorry wives
You could say I ruined their lives...

After analyzing and commenting the lyrics (and laugh a little) we moved on to the next activity: It's time to be a gossip show!

One group of the students has to defend the wives of Henry VIII and the rest of them to Henry himself. After having taking some notes about what we are going to say, let's start with the show!

Things like: "Catherine of Aragon was very boring because she was all day praying" or "Henry was said to have a secret lover called Anne" can appear during the chatting.

Although this lesson seems to be quite simple we have learnt something about English History, we have practiced past tenses and the passive voice. Also, we learn to respect the turn of our classmates when speaking and how to present our ideas in clear and ordered way.