Understanding the Troubles in Ireland

• Engels
• Voortgezet speciaal onderwijs
• Middelbare school
• mavo
• Leerroute M
• Leerjaar 2

The Troubles in Northern Ireland

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to understand what the Troubles in Ireland were and why they happened.

Explain to the students what they will be learning and why it is important.

Google ''The Troubles'' and write down what you think it is about:

What were the Troubles?

The Troubles was a period of conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted from the late 1960s until the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

Ask the students if they have heard of the Troubles before and if they know what it was about.

Why did the Troubles happen?

The Troubles happened because of disagreements between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. They had different ideas about how the country should be run.

Ask the students if they know the differences between Catholics and Protestants and what they think might have caused the disagreements.

Short summary

Catholics wanted to stay a part of the UK 

(England, Scotland, Wales)

Protestants wanted Ireland to be a country on their own 

Violence in the Troubles

During the Troubles, there was a lot of violence. Bombs were set off in public places and people were killed. It was a very scary time for people living in Northern Ireland.

Explain to the students the type of violence that took place during the Troubles and how it affected the people living there.

What did you see in the video
and/or hear in the song?

The Good Friday Agreement

The Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998 and it helped to bring an end to the Troubles. It meant that people from both sides could work together to run Northern Ireland.

Explain to the students what the Good Friday Agreement was and how it helped to bring an end to the Troubles.

What have we learned?

We have learned that the Troubles was a period of conflict in Northern Ireland between Catholics and Protestants. It was a time of violence and fear, but the Good Friday Agreement helped to bring an end to it.

Ask the students to summarize what they have learned and if they have any questions.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.