Contextual British History Year 1 – Tudor & Georgian Era – Live Class

Description

British History in Context Year 1: Tudor & Georgian Eras

For Autumn 2025 Enrolment

The focus of this contextual British history class on the Tudor & Georgian Era will be accomplished by studying the life & historical times of William Shakespeare & Jane Austen.

Day & Time: Tuesdays 11 am – 12:30 pm GMT (Two 40-minute sessions with a short break in the middle.)

Location: Zoom Meeting

Tutor: Shannan Swindler

Materials Included with Course: Let’s Study Shakespeare’s Medieval England & Let’s Study Jane Austen’s Regency Era England

In this contextual history class, we do not read plays, novels, or discuss iambic pentameter (well, not too much at least).  Those aspects are covered in depth in the British Literature Year 1 Literature & Composition course.

In this live class we will explore Tudor England through the life of William Shakespeare and the Georgian Era through the life of Jane Austen.  We will bring each of their lives into historical context by learning about 30+ other famous people that were alive (or had dramatic influence) in each of the time periods.  By creating a dinner party where the guests are famous people of the era, students will learn about historical events, society, culture, and current events as well as the science and philosophy of the day.

Each semester students will research a variety of  famous people including:

• Authors/Philosophers
• World Leaders
• Artists
• Musicians/Composers
• Christian Evangelists/Theologians/Missionaries/Humanitarians
• Social Activists
• Scientists
• Explorers
• and more

Through hands-on activities, students will create a dinner party including a guest list, menu, activities, music, and more.  Each student will present their culminating project in a class presentation. And, if you choose, you can organize your own event where people attend your dinner party in person and take on the role of a famous figure from the guest list.  This extra effort is perfect for students needing a senior thesis/culminating studies project if they are keen on further study in history or literature.

This dinner party concept for each semester’s main project allows for much creativity.

Some students have enjoyed organizing military greats to meet and share war stories over pub food.  Others have organized multi-course meals with music and jesters to entertain high-society aristocrats from all over the world.  The options are limited only by the student’s creativity.

This course is a required companion to our British Literature & Composition Year 1 – Shakespeare & Austen course for those studying for the iGCSE Literature exam.  Students following the USA High School Diploma & Transcript model will receive 1 Social Studies and 1 Literature & Composition credit for each class successfully completed with a passing grade.

Semester 1: Let’s Study Shakespeare’s Medieval England:

Section 1: An Introduction to Shakespeare

• Shakespeare’s Birthplace
• Shakespeare’s Life & Times
• Shakespeare’s Family
• Medieval Journalist

Section 2: Shakespeare the Boy

• The Plague
• School in Medieval England
• Fun & Games Medieval Style

Section 3 Shakespeare The Man

• Early Modern English Vs. Modern English
• Shakespeare’s Theatre
• Shakespeare Review
• Music & Art in Shakespeare’s England
• Medieval Apprenticeships
• Medieval Food & Christmas Celebrations

Section 4 Shakespeare The Businessman

• England’s Geography
• Shakespeare’s Legacy
• Final Project: Dinner with Shakespeare in Medieval England

Semester 2: Let’s Study Jane Austen’s Regency Era England.

• Lesson 1: Getting To Know Jane
• Lesson 2: Jane’s Life & Other Parts of the World
• Lesson 3: A Brief Overview of Regency Society in England
• Lesson 4: Jane’s England: Geography, Customs, Culture & Society
• Lesson 5: A deeper look at the History & Customs of the Regency Era
• Final Project: Dinner with Jane in Regency Era England including lessons covering English Navy and Military during the Regency era.
• Quotes and copy work from Jane’s most famous books.

Materials Included With Course:

The core curriculum for this live class uses Let’s Study Shakespeare’s England  & Let’s Study Austen’s England for weekly homework assignments and projects.  Shannan Swindler, an Arise tutor, has created this curriculum for homeschoolers worldwide and is excited to offer homeschoolers the opportunity to learn in community with exciting weekly live sessions. This class is taught in English.

Course Taster

This video will show you what students will do in the class and a sample of a previous student’s final semester project.

Sample Lesson

Get Your Free Sample Lesson Here

What can be expected for  Year 2?

*Year 2 for both Literature & Contextual History is necessary for aid in preparation for the iGCSE Edexcel or A-Level Cambridge exam.  

More details about how these courses can be used for both the UK Exam Model & the USA High School Diploma & Transcript Model are here.