Year 8 History homework exploring the Act of Succession and a PEEL paragraph regarding the significance of Henry VIII’s six wives during the English Reformation.
Independent learning tasks that consolidate classroom learning or prepare students for future topics, accessible to all students regardless of home resources.
Subject: History | Year: 8
Estimated Time: 30-40 Minutes Name: _________________________ Class/Set: ____________ Due Date: ____________
Why are we doing this? To apply your knowledge of Henry VIII’s six marriages to understand how his personal quest for a male heir drove the English Reformation and permanently altered the royal succession.
| Wife | Fate | Key Significance |
|---|---|---|
| C. of Aragon | Divorced | The catalyst for the Break with Rome and the Reformation. |
| Anne Boleyn | Beheaded | Mother of Elizabeth I; symbol of the break from Catholic influence. |
| Jane Seymour | Died | Provided the 'jewel' of the crown: the male heir, Edward VI. |
| A. of Cleves | Divorced | A failed political alliance with German Protestant princes. |
| C. Howard | Beheaded | Represented the influence and downfall of the Catholic Howard family. |
| Catherine Parr | Survived | Acted as a stabilising force; nursed Henry and reconciled his children. |
Analyse: Write a short explanation (3-4 sentences) answering the following: How did Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn change the power of the Pope in England? Use technical terms such as Annulment, Supremacy, and Protestantism.
Evaluate: Select the one wife you believe was the most significant to the history of England. Write one PEEL paragraph (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link) to justify your choice. Remember: 'Significant' doesn't just mean famous; it means she caused the most change.
☐ I have correctly identified the fate and role of all six wives.
☐ I have used Tier 3 subject vocabulary (e.g., succession, Reformation, legitimacy).
☐ I have written a structured PEEL paragraph with a clear historical argument.
Strengthening retrieval of Tudor political shifts requires moving beyond simple biographical recall of the six queens. By categorising the specific fates and roles of each wife in a structured table, this resource forces students to synthesise personal history with constitutional change. The inclusion of a PEEL paragraph task on historical significance reduces cognitive overload by providing a clear linguistic scaffold for complex evaluative writing. This architecture ensures pupils transition from basic substantive knowledge to disciplinary analysis, fostering the analytical rigour necessary for Year 8 students as they begin to evaluate causal relationships within the English Reformation.
Join thousands of educators in England who are saving hours every week with MagiTeacher.
Try MagiTeacher for Free