Lesson video

Hello there my friends, and welcome to the 8th lesson actually it's the 9th lesson on this unit of the Great Fire of London.

And today, we're going to look at the following question.

Are you ready? The question is, how do we know about the Great Fire of London? So far we've have studied The Great Fire of London, but that happened over 300 years ago.

So how do we know so much about this great event in the history of London? So today we're going to find that out.

Lets have a look at the structure of eleven.

So we'll begin with the star words, I'm going to try and include vocabulary, then we're going to look at, what are sources? We'll discuss what that is.

Then we'll have a look at a man, who we touched upon lightly as a source of information so we're going to have a look at who was Samuel Pepys? And then we're going to have a look at one of his diary entries.

And then as always, it will be the end of lesson quiz.

Now for this lesson you're going to need your exercise book or piece of paper, where you can write some notes.

You need your pencil or a pen, and then you're going to need your ruler.

So if you haven't got those things, go and get them now.

Okay let's have a look at the key vocabulary for this lesson, so we've got six.

We've got historical source, information, eyewitness, interpret, diary, and entry.

So historical source is something or someone, that tells us about history.

So something or someone that tells us about history is a historical source.

Now we've got information.

And information is knowledge or facts that come from a source.

Knowledge or facts that come from a source, we refer to it as information.

Then we got eye witness, and an eye witness is a person who has seen something happen with his or her own eyes.

So a person who has seen something happen with his or her own eyes, is an eyewitness.

Good job guys.

And we got interpret.

And to interpret, means to understand something in a particular way.

When we understand something in a particular way, we are interpreting.

And then we got a diary.

We've seen this one before.

A diary is a daily record of someone's experiences and thoughts.

A daily record of someone's experiences or thoughts is called a diary.

Last we've got an entry, this is related to a diary.

And an entry is something that is added to a written list or a record.

When something is added to a written list or record, it's called an entry.

Now let's recap the events of The Great Fire of London.

So we know that it happened over 300 years ago.

We know that it began on September 2nd, 1666.

And it happened roughly at 2 AM.

Whenever it began, whether it began.

Yes, it began in the bakery.

Thomas Farriner's bakery.

Where was his bakery? On Pudding Lane, good.

Okay, so we know that.

We know that it started there.

We know that 13,200 houses were destroyed.

We know that, that left roughly 100,000 people homeless.

We know how people tried to extinguish the fire.

Use of leather buckets, using axes, pulling buildings down.

And we know that roughly 6 people died.

Which is really incredibly low number, fortunately.

But how do we know about this event? There weren't any cameras to record what happened.

So just exactly how do we know what happened? Well, like all things in the past, we know about The Great Fire of London through sources.

So you might think, what are sources? Well sources at their most basic, they tell us something about history.

So this could be a document, this could be a picture, this could be a sound recording, this could be a book, maybe a cinema film, could be a television programme, it could be an object.

So any sort of artefact from this period in question, that conveys information can qualify as a source.

And there are two main types of sources.

You've got a primary source, and then you've got secondary sources as well.

So sources tell us about history, and they can be divided into primary sources and secondary sources.

All right, complete the sentence here.

So sources tell us about.

What do they tell us about? Have a go, pause the video, and then complete this task.

Okay easy peasy one to start with.

So sources tell us about.

Tell us about history.

Good job my friends.

Okay, so sources tell us about history.

And we said that they can be divided in two.

You've got primary sources and secondary sources.

So, let's focus on primary sources first, because they are the most important and the most useful, most of the time.

So primary sources, they originate form the past, and they are original first hand accounts of an event that has happened in the past.

And they could be objects that were made in the past, or artefacts.

And examples of a primary source could be, clothes, it could be diaries, it could be letters, it could be paintings, it could be songs.

It could be tools and even weapons.

The key thing to note about primary sources is that they are from the past and they were made at the time of an event, that happened in the past.

So, can you name some examples of primary sources? In here you can say, examples of primary sources include.

And there, I put some images there for you, that will help you to remember what are some key primary sources.

So, have a go, list some examples of primary sources.

Pause the video and complete this task.

Okay let's have a look and see how many you've got right.

So, examples of primary sources include clothes, diaries, letters, paintings, songs, tools and even weapons.

Awesome job guys, well done.

We need to stop there so you can check against your list.

Okay, let's move on from primary sources.

Remember that primary sources were made in the past, at the time of the event.

So we've got primary sources, that they originated from the past.

Now we've got secondary sources.

Secondary sources are different because they are second-hand accounts, that interpret primary sources.

And secondary sources tend to use primary sources as their basis for their content.

So secondary sources were not made in the past, they were not made at the time of the event.

They tend to be made by using primary sources, and interpreting those.

And examples of secondary sources include textbooks, maybe the ones that you use in school.

It could be commentaries, they could be documentaries, they could be essays, and they could be research websites.

So those are examples of secondary sources.

So the key distinction between a primary source is that they originate from the past, secondary sources do not originate from the past, they use primary sources as the basis for that content.

So again, can you name some examples of secondary sources? So there are some picture there that can help you.

So I want you to write a list, of examples of secondary sources.

So examples of secondary sources include.

Have a think about what those images might represent there.

And all of these are examples of secondary sources.

So have a go, pause a minute and complete that task.

Okay lets have a look, and see if you got those right.

So examples of secondary sources include textbooks like the ones you use in school, commentaries, documentaries, essays, and research websites.

Remember that a secondary source was not made at the time of the event.

But they tend to use primary sources as their basis for their content.

You can say that secondary sources are somebody retelling a story as well.

But they were told by someone else.

So that is an example of a secondary source as well.

So now that we know that, which type of source is more reliable? Which one should we use? Well primary sources are considered to be a little bit more reliable, as they are eyewitness accounts on an event, in the past.

Secondary sources have had to interpret primary sources, to get their information.

And sometimes when we use a secondary source, we're looking at someone's perspective on their primary source.

And that sometimes can lead to something called bias.

Where the person looking at that primary source, is trying to interpret from things in a particular way.

Maybe to fit an agenda or maybe to fit their own beliefs.

So normally in history, primary sources are much more reliable than a secondary source.

But that doesn't mean that a secondary source is not important either.

Primary sources are just a little bit more reliable, because they are eyewitness accounts.

All right, have a look at this task.

So it says,.

sources are considered to be more reliable than.

sources.

So which sources are considered to be more reliable? Primary or secondary? Have a think, pause the video, and complete that sentence there.

Okay, let's have a look.

Which source is considered to be more reliable? So ready? Yes, primary sources are considered to be more reliable than secondary sources.

The reason for that is because primary sources are eyewitness accounts of an event in the past.

Secondary sources are not eyewitness accounts.

So now that we know that, let's have a look at the main source of information for learning about The Great Fire of London.

And this is a primary source, and it's Samuel Pepys.

And he is the main source of information for everything we know about this event.

But also The Great Plague that struck London the year before.

And Samuel Pepys, as we know, he worked for the government and he worked for the Navy.

And he live quite close to Pudding Lane.

Samuel Pepys' diary is a very useful primary source, As he was an eyewitness to The Great Fire of London.

Sources from eyewitness accounts are incredibly useful source of information for learning about the past.

As they allow us to see an event through the eyes of individuals at the time.

And Samuel Pepys' recollection in his diary, are the source of much of what we know about The Great Fire of London.

So, here's a question, why is Samuel Pepys' diary a primary source about The Great Fire of London? Think about what a primary source is it's something that was made in the past.

It has to be an eyewitness account.

So why is his diary a primary source about The Great Fire of London? Think about the time, that he wrote it in.

So have a go at this question.

You can use my sentence starter there as a prompt.

So have a go, pause the video, and complete that task.

Okay let's check and see if you got that one right.

Okay so why is Samuel Pepys' diary a primary source of information about The Great Fire of London? Samuel Pepys' diary is considered a primary source about the Great Fire of London because it was written at the time of the event, with Samuel Pepys' being an eyewitness.

That would be the perfect answer there.

So it was written at the time, therefore it's a primary source.

He was also a what? Eyewitness.

He saw The Great Fire of London with his own eyes.

So that's why it's considered a primary source.

So I'm going to put this answer up there.

So that you can check against your own.

Awesome, let's continue to learn a little bit more about his diary.

Who was Samuel Pepys? So Samuel Pepys began to write a diary in 1660 AD.

So six years prior to The Great Fire in London.

And he wrote it using a secret code, which was shorthand version of words.

And he did this because he didn't want people he knew, including his own wife Elizabeth, to read his diary.

Oh my goodness maybe he had many secrets to keep.

Now he wrote of everyday things that happened in his life.

But he also documented important events in Britain's history.

And amongst these, were King Charles II's coronation, in 1661.

And this was a really important event in English history, because it was he was the first king following the end of the English Civil War.

Pepys also wrote about The Great Plague which began in 1665 and his diary entry, helps us to understand what a frightening time this was for people.

Remember that I told you that The Great Plague had killed around a quarter of London's population in just over 18 months.

And therefore Samuel Pepys' diary entry is really important because it allows us to see what a frightening time that must have been.

So here is another question.

The question is, why did Samuel Pepys write his diary using a secret code? So here's the sentence starter you can use.

So Samuel Pepys wrote his diary entry using a secret code because.

Have a think, have a go, pause the video and complete this task.

Okay, let's have a look and see what the answer is.

So, why did Samuel Pepys write in his diary using a secret code? Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary using a secret code because he didn't want people he knew to be able to read his diary.

So much so that not even his wife, Elizabeth could read it.

What a funny man he was.

Okay I'm going to leave this answer there so that you can check it against your own.

Okay let's continue.

Now we're going to read the diary entry from Samuel Pepys' diary.

And this has been transcribed into modern English.

The original copy of his diary entry would look a little bit different because English has evolved since then, but this has the same meaning.

And then once we read it, we're going to answer a question.

So as a diary entry, remember it always begins with date.

And it has a address, it has a introduction, which is called dear diary.

As a greeting, you start it as dear diary.

So this was written on Sunday the 2nd of September 1666.

What's important about that date? Tell it to the screen.

Yes, that's when The Great Fire of London began.

Remember it begins around 2 AM on Sunday the 2nd.

So, dear diary, and then remember this is a diary entry from Samuel Pepys.

So, dear diary, when I woke up this morning, I saw a big fire out of my window.

It began in a bakery and 300 houses have been burned down.

I began to panic.

The fire is spreading and I think my house will burn down.

So that's the end of his diary entry there.

So you can see that the fire had spread really quickly because you woke up in the morning and 300 houses have already been burned down.

So you can see that the fire was spreading really rapidly through London.

Wonder why he was panicking though.

So, why do you think Samuel Pepys began to panic? So, why do you think Samuel Pepys begin to panic at this point? So, I think Samuel Pepys began to panic because.

Have a think, have a go.

And then at this point, pause the video and complete this task.

Okay, lets have a look.

So why do you think Samuel Pepys' began to panic? I think Samuel Pepys began to panic because he could see the fire spreading and he thought his house might be burned down.

I think that's a reasonable reason to panic.

Because he could see the fire, he could see it's burned down already 300 houses in just one morning.

So he thinks, how do I know my house is going to be safe? So that's a reason why he begins to panic.

So again, at this point pause the video and just check this answer against your own.

Awesome job team, well done.

Now let's just recap, so remember a source tells you about.

what does it tell you about? It tells you about history, gives you information about something that's happened in the past.

And Samuel Pepys' diary entries are a really important primary sources be cause they.

Samuel Pepys' diary entries an important primary source about The Great Fire of London given that he was an eyewitness to the event.

So he was there at the time and he saw it with his very own eyes.

And he wrote his recollections at the time of the event.

And therefore his diary entries, his diary entries are the source of much of what we know about The Great Fire of London and hence the facts.

Another primary source is the English writer, he's a different person.

He's called John Evelyn.

He was also an eyewitness, and he wrote his own diary chronicling the disaster.

But we tend to rely mostly on Samuel Pepys, but I just wanted you to know that there's another person who was also a primary source and his name was John Evelyn.

And he also wrote his own recollections about The Great Fire of London.

And that is it my friends, its the end of the lesson, well done.

It's now time to complete your end of the lesson quiz.

Make sure that you do that, don't try to skip it.

And if you like to, as always, please ask your parent or carer to share your work you can do it on Instagram, you can do it on Facebook, can do it on Twitter, you're going to tag @OakNational and then the hashtag is #LearnwithOak.

But please ask your parent or carer to do that for you.

Guys thank you so much for all of your hard work today.

I hope you enjoyed this lesson.

It's really important to learn, when you're talking about history it's really important to know about what's the primary source, what's the secondary source.

Because then they help you to decipher which sources are more reliable than others.

So I hope you enjoyed this lesson, and I shall see you in the next one.

Goodbye my friends.