Tudor England · 1558-1603

Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada

In 1588 Philip II sends a great fleet to carry an army to England. Students follow the Armada from Lisbon up the Channel to Gravelines and home around Scotland and Ireland, and ask what decided its fate: English ships, Spanish plans or the weather.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
10–13
On the map
3 steps, AD 1592
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

In 1588 Philip II sends a great fleet to carry an army to England. Students follow the Armada from Lisbon up the Channel to Gravelines and home around Scotland and Ireland, and ask what decided its fate: English ships, Spanish plans or the weather.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain why Philip II sent the Armada against England in 1588.
  • Trace the route of the Armada on the map from Lisbon and back to Spain.
  • Weigh three reasons why the Armada failed.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1592

Two rival kingdoms

Open the map in 1592 and zoom out over western Europe. Find England, Spain and Portugal. Philip II had also become king of Portugal in 1580. Why did that make his fleet stronger?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1592

Up the Channel

Zoom in on the English Channel. Follow the coast from Plymouth to Calais. Where would a fleet want to pick up an army from the Spanish Netherlands?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1592

The long way home

Zoom out to see Scotland and Ireland. Trace the Armada's route home around the north of Scotland and down the west of Ireland. Why was this so dangerous for big ships in autumn?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Philip II had once been married to Elizabeth's sister Mary I. Why did he become England's enemy?
  2. English ships were smaller and quicker; Spanish ships carried more soldiers. How did that shape the fighting?
  3. The English sent fireships into the Armada at Calais. Why were they so frightening to wooden ships at anchor?
  4. An English medal said God blew and the Spanish were scattered. How much did the weather decide?
  5. How did the victory change the way English people saw their queen and their country?
4

Game round

10 min

Play a round of Rule History as Elizabeth I and face the decisions of 1587-1588 yourself. Afterwards, discuss: which of her choices was the riskiest, and did it pay off?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

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