This is a really fun lesson which shows children what is meant by historical interpretations in an engaging and accessible way. It appeals to both visual and kinaesthetic learners by using the police line-up approach. The use of an interactive timeline always succeeds in helping pupils to understand how and why we have particular images of iconic figures such as Henry VIII.
NB You will need to provide yourself with 6 or 7 images of Henry VIII. 7 have been provided on the accompanying PowerPoint presentation but they are small and low resolution. You can simply carry out a Google image search for these. Make sure they are sufficiently different. You will need one in old age, one or two in his early years as monarch, some showing him as a learned scholar or musician and then two as a powerful full length portrait in full regalia. Make sure you know the approximate date of each portrait. The early ones up to 1525 or so, the ones with him as Head of Church and State (mainly from 1530s) and him as an old man in the mid-1540s. Most textbooks will normally help you with the dating via their quick-to-reference captions.
