The Troubles

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 4-6

The Troubles in Northern Ireland

Learning objectives

Understand the History – Learn about The Troubles, including its causes, key events, and impact on Northern Ireland.

Improve Reading Skills  – Read and analyze different texts to understand perspectives and key information.

Develop Writing Skills – Write essays, summaries, and creative pieces to express your understanding of The Troubles.

Enhance Speaking skills – Take part in classroom discussions and give a final presentation

Improve listening and watching skills - through informative videos, songs and popular television series

Think Critically About Perspectives  – Explore different viewpoints (Unionist vs. Nationalist, British government vs. IRA) and reflect on their impact today.

Week 1: Lesson 1

• Goal: Understand the basics: what, where, when, and why. You will learn about the history, causes, and the role of England, Ireland, and Northern Ireland.

• Activities:

o Read a short informative text + listen to a documentary excerpt.

o Answer questions based on the text and listening exercise.

Predict

In duos, look at the pictures in the next slide. In turns explain what you see in the picture and what you think happened.

Together, what do you think the Troubles might have been

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?

While Ireland was fully independent, Northern Ireland remained under British rule, and the Catholic communities in cities like Belfast and Derry (legally called Londonderry) complained of discrimination and unfair treatment by the Protestant-controlled government and police forces

- https://www.history.com/news/the-troubles-northern-ireland

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

Watching: The European Capitol of Terrorism: Belfast, Ireland 

https://youtu.be/4nzDuiv3U8o?si=PjNQkqlLxNvOSD2F

Welke nuance brengt de spreker hier aan het conflict in Noord-Ierland?

1. Aan het oppervlak zie je twee duidelijke kampen, maar daar binnen is sprake van veel verschillende ideeën.
2. De spreker brengt geen nuance aan, er zijn simpel weg twee duidelijke kampen in Noord-Ierland
3. Er zijn geen twee duidelijke kampen in Noord-Ierland , dat is een fabeltje.

Wat is de kern van het conflict?

1. Het is een identiteitskwestie. Je hebt twee kampen die dicht op elkaar wonen met een elk een sterke identiteit die vervolgens botst.
2. Het is puur haat tussen Katholieken en Protestanten.
3. Een meningsverschil over het jaar 1916 en wat er herdacht wordt.

Why did England start to meddle in this conflict?

1. They wanted to keep the peace in Northern-Ireland
2. They were asked to do so by the Catholics.
3. They wanted to fight the protestants.

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.

Read the text "What were the Troubles that ravaged Northern Ireland?" and answer the questions

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

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Music Discussion

Music Discussion

1. What was Bloody Sunday all about?

2. What does the singer actually want to know?

3. Who is “we”?

4. How can we “be as one”?

5. What does “I won’t heed the battle call” mean?

6. Why does he refuse to do this?

7. How do we make ourselves “immune”?

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.

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.

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.

Teens today

What do Ryan and Abby fear will happen if the republicans come to power?

Reading

Teen Vogue

 Derry Girls Season 3 History Lesson: The Troubles Conflict

Watching

Episode Derry Girls

Choose one character, takes notes on their personality, interaction and subtle ways they respond to religion & tensions in the community

Which Derry girl are you when you think of the final period of H4?

The Sniper

As you may know, before the Troubles, Ireland had been in war for its Independence (1919) and in Civil War (1921-1923). The conflicts resulted in a divided society and generational traumas. Eventually, in the 1960s, leading to the Troubles. 

Read the text (hand-out) and answer the questions

Reading

https://esl-bits.org/ESL.Non-Fiction/SayNothing/indice.html (chapter from book about a real case)

Writing

Presentations

Watching: Why the troubles started

Objective 1: Practicing "globaal luisteren" for listening exams Objective 2: learn about why the Troubles started 

Before watching: Take a look at the vocabulary list in your reader p. and do ex.1

While watching: Watch the video and take notes

After watching: Answer the questions in your reader p.

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