Jan. 31 – Feb. 6, 2013, Current Events Lesson Plan
Current Event:
A skeleton found under a Leicester, England, parking lot during a September 2012 archaeological dig was confirmed to be the remains of King Richard III. Richard, who ruled England from 1483 to 1485, is traditionally considered one of the greatest villains in English history. Scientists made the conformation based on DNA and other evidence. The skeleton’s DNA matched the DNA of two living descendants of Richard’s sister. The skeleton includes a severely curved spine and a skull clearly cleaved by a blow to the head by a weapon. Richard, who according to legend was a hunchback, was killed in the Battle of Bosworth. He was the last English king to die in battle. Radiocarbon dating showed that the skeleton belonged to a man who was in his 20’s or 30’s and died between 1455 and 1540. Richard was killed at the age of 32 in 1485.
Objective:
Richard III was born in Northamptonshire, England, in 1452. In 1461, his brother became Edward IV, ruling from 1461 to 1470. After being forced to flee to Holland, Edward IV reigned again as king from 1471 to 1483. In 1483, Edward IV died and his 12-year-old son became Edward V. The government was put in the care of Richard, who was named protector of the realm. After crushing a conspiracy by the family of the young king’s mother, Richard sought to become king himself. Parliament declared Richard king in July 1483. Edward V and his brother were put in the Tower of London. Some scholars believe that King Richard III had the boys killed. But no proof of such a crime exists. In 1485, Richard III was killed in the Battle of Bosworth by the forces of the future King Henry VII. Richard’s reign brought on the revolt that ended the Wars of the Roses. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore the life of Richard III and other kings of England.
Words to know:
• Archaeology
• Radiocarbon dating
• Bosworth Field
• Edward V
• England
• Henry VII
• Leicester
• Plantagenet
• Princes in the Tower
• Richard III (king of England)
• Richard III (Shakespeare play)
• William Shakespeare
• Tower of London
• War of the Roses
• York
Discussion Topics:
1. Ask your students to name other famous kings and queens of England and the United Kingdom. (They might say King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I, King George III, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II.)
2. Richard III is a play by William Shakespeare based on the life of King Richard III. Ask your student to name other famous Shakespeare plays. (They might say Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Othello, Romeo and Juliet.)
3. Archaeology is the scientific study of the remains of past human cultures. Have your students debate the topic, “It is important to learn about people from the past.”
4. Ask your students to use the World Book’s Timelines feature to create a timeline of the life of Richard III.