The focus here is mainly on the evidence for Mary’s achievement. This is important as she was a more-or-less forgotten figure for 200 years. So how do we know that claims about Mary’s life are true? The skill of finding evidence to back up statements made is a really important one. The core activity Prove it! works wonders and is fun and active too.
Note that some images, such as the one of Mary on the battlefield, are not what we would call primary sources (created at the time it depicts), but are there to help pupils get confidence in the activity. Its worth noting that this is one of the few book illustrations that shows her, accurately, wearing her bonnet, rather than a later nurse’s uniform, which she never had of course, because she was never a nurse!
Learning objectives
- Pupils can explain Mary’s role in setting up her hotel
- They know what she did to improve soldier’s lives in terms of providing food, comfort etc
- They know that the visited the battlefield to tend to injured soldiers during ceasefires
- They can find evidence to support statements made about Mary.
- Higher attaining pupils can find more than one source
