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Year 9

Discussing historical and societal attitudes

I can explore and discuss historical and societal attitudes effectively.

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New
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Year 9

Discussing historical and societal attitudes

I can explore and discuss historical and societal attitudes effectively.

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Share activities with pupils
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These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. There were societal expectations placed on women’s behaviour in the 18th century.
  2. The ‘Spectator’ article reveals the dominant attitudes towards women and how they were objectified.
  3. Effective discussions will take turns, develop ideas, use evidence and respond to the other speaker.

Keywords

  • Objectify - to treat someone like a thing or object, instead of a person

  • Derogatory - a disrespectful or belittling attitude towards someone or something

  • Witty - clever and amusing

  • Idealistic - to view something with unrealistic perfectionism

  • Inferior - lower in rank or status

Common misconception

That discussions are just 'chats' and aren't that important.

Think about all of the times you may need to use your verbal skills e.g. an interview or presentation. Being able to articulate yourself well verbally is an important skill to have.


To help you plan your year 9 english lesson on: Discussing historical and societal attitudes, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Learning cycle 2 can be completed as a written task, if discussion is not a viable option.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

You will need a copy of 'The Spectator' article, which can be found in the additional materials.

content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these answers is false with regards to the following statement: non-fiction texts ...
use literary devices such as metaphors and similes
Correct answer: are based on fictional events and characters
include speeches, articles and letters
are about real life people and events
Q2.
Match the words to the correct definitions.
Correct Answer:expectations,are what people believe should happen or the way things should be
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are what people believe should happen or the way things should be

Correct Answer:dominant,the most widely accepted or prevailing idea or concept
tick

the most widely accepted or prevailing idea or concept

Correct Answer:societal,anything related to society, including beliefs, customs and behaviors
tick

anything related to society, including beliefs, customs and behaviors

Correct Answer:stereotype,a simplified belief, view or representation of a group of people
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a simplified belief, view or representation of a group of people

Q3.
What word beginning with 'C' means to 'behave or think in a socially acceptable way'?
Correct Answer: conform, conforming, conformity
Q4.
Which statement reflects societal attitudes towards marriage in the 18th and 19th centuries?
Marriage was solely based on love and romance.
Marriage was considered optional and unnecessary.
Correct answer: Marriage was often seen as a means of financial stability and social acceptance.
Marriage was disregarded by society.
Q5.
What does the phrase "a good understanding without being a wit" suggest about societal expectations?
Women should be witty and humorous.
Women should be reserved and quiet.
Correct answer: Women should have some intelligence, but not be overly witty.
Women should have no understanding of wit.
Q6.
What does the description “polite and delicate of speech, her temper humane and tender” suggest about the expectations of women?
Women were expected to be assertive and outspoken.
Women were viewed as intellectually superior to men.
Correct answer: Women were expected to conform to traditional notions of femininity.
Women were encouraged to pursue careers and financial independence.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these adjectives would you not use to describe the societal expectations of women’s behaviour in the 18th century?
polite
Correct answer: assertive
innocent
Correct answer: witty
passive
Q2.
What does it mean to "objectify" someone?
to treat someone with respect
Correct answer: to treat someone like a thing or object, instead of a person
to view someone realistically
Q3.
Which phrase from 'The Spectator' reveals how the writer views women?
"charismatic personalities"
Correct answer: "thoughtless creatures"
"respectful beings"
"intellectually stimulating"
Q4.
What do words like "charming virgin", "chastity," and "innocence" reveal about the attitudes towards women in the 18th century?
They were judged based on their intelligence.
Correct answer: There were high expectations that behaviour should be a certain way.
They were seen as equals to men.
They were valued for their accomplishments.
Q5.
An effective discussion involves ...
Correct answer: taking turns.
Correct answer: providing evidence.
interrupting.
Correct answer: responding to the other speaker.
disagreeing for the sake of it.
Q6.
Which word beginning with 'D' describes a disrespectful or belittling attitude towards someone or something?
Correct Answer: derogatory

Additional material

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