Life aboard the SS Great Britain
I can describe what life was like on board the SS Great Britain.
Life aboard the SS Great Britain
I can describe what life was like on board the SS Great Britain.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The SS Great Britain was an iron-hulled steamship and was the world's largest ship at the time.
- Her role was to carry passengers across the Atlantic, and then to carry passengers to Australia.
- The passengers were divided into first-class and steerage; first-class paid more and had more luxurious cabins.
- Fresh food was taken but would be eaten at the start of the journey.
- First-class passengers had four meals with a huge choice; steerage passengers had to make do with simpler food.
Keywords
Iron-hulled - an iron-hulled boat has its hull made of iron, rather than wood or some other material
Cabin - a cabin is a room in a ship
Steerage - steerage tickets were the cheapest tickets on the ship and did not include a cabin to sleep in
Common misconception
Pupils may think that in the past ships only carried sailors, captains or other people working on the ship.
About 200 years ago, people began to travel through choice. People that travel on ships but do not work on them are called passengers.
To help you plan your year 1 history lesson on: Life aboard the SS Great Britain, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 1 history lesson on: Life aboard the SS Great Britain, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 1 history lessons from the William Adams and Brunel unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
a private room on a ship
the cheapest tickets on the ship