Starter quiz
- Which historical event inspires Addie's campaign in 'A Kind of Spark'?
- Scotland's past as an independent nation
- the Scottish witch trials that occurred in the Victorian era
- the Scottish witch trials that occurred in the Early Modern period ✓
- the present-day Scottish witch trials
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- Which of the following were common beliefs in the Early Modern period?
- God affects our daily lives ✓
- the devil affects our daily lives ✓
- religion is fairly unimportant
- religion is very important ✓
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- What did the Church say was the cause of witchcraft?
- illness
- the devil ✓
- poisoning
- bad thoughts
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- What is the aim of Addie's campaign in 'A Kind of Spark'?
- to get an apology to the accused people
- to get a pardon for the accused people
- to get a memorial for the accused people ✓
- to get a documentary made about the accused people
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- Which of the following helps Addie to persuade the village to back her campaign?
- telling her story and Bonnie's story ✓
- telling Maggie's story
- giving statistics about the witch trials
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- Which person does Addie feel is being treated most similarly to the way the 'witches' were treated?
- Nina
- Audrey
- Addie herself
- Keedie
- Bonnie ✓
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Exit quiz
- Which statements are true?
- Witchcraft was punishable by death. ✓
- Everyone accused of witchcraft was executed.
- Most of those accused were women. ✓
- The church linked witchcraft to the devil. ✓
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- Which best explains why Addie feels strongly about the witch trials?
- She is opposed to execution as a punishment.
- She does not believe in witchcraft.
- She empathises with the women accused of witchcraft. ✓
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- Which of the following might have provoked accusations of witchcraft?
- seeming different or living alone ✓
- making herbal remedies ✓
- being able to read well
- 'cursing' people who you argued with ✓
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- How does Addie use Maggie's story to help her in 'A Kind of Spark'?
- She tells the village meeting Maggie's story to persuade them to get a memorial.
- She writes Maggie's name on her hand to inspire her to make her speech. ✓
- She writes Maggie's story on the fliers she hands out.
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- Put the key points of Maggie's story, as we imagined it, in order.
- 1⇔Maggie is bullied or picked on by people in the village.
- 2⇔Maggie is accused of witchcraft.
- 3⇔Maggie is arrested.
- 4⇔Maggie is brought before the village council.
- 5⇔Maggie eventually confesses to being a witch.
- When we're re-enacting a historical event, what are our priorities?
- to empathise with the characters ✓
- to make the events seem funny
- to imagine the dialogues they might have had ✓
- to show how they might have felt through our actions ✓
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Those executed or accused of witchcraft in Early Modern Scotland would often have been vulnerable people.
- We can use role play and drama to try and empathise with these characters.
- We also need to consider the motivations of their accusers.
- We should aim to remember that these were real people who suffered real persecution.
Common misconception
Pupils may struggle to respect the sensitivity of the subject matter.
Encourage pupils throughout to view the accused people as real people. You may want to refer to Addie's response to the school trip to help children understand this.
Keywords
Empathise - to get inside a character’s head
Dialogue - spoken words between two or more people
Re-enact - act out an event from the past
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