The Coronation: lesson plans, activities and videos

The Coronation of Charles and Camilla is coming up on 6 May!

This historic event is going to be marked by a bank holiday in the UK – but even if you don’t get the time off, you might still be searching for some simple lesson plans to teach your students about the Coronation.

Just like we did when Queen Elizabeth II passed, we have decided to scour the internet and bring you the best lesson plans on the Coronation, including some of the controversy surrounding it.

Here they are: they’re mostly full, well-structured presentations with pictures and short, clear explanations and tasks, plus some individual activities and videos.

Some of them are designed for primary or secondary students in the UK but as you will see, you can easily use them with English language students too. We have also looked at them thoroughly to give you an idea of what CEFR level(s) you can use them for.

So, here we go! We’ve divided the resources into lesson plans, activities and videos:

Lesson plans

Introductions to Coronations (suitable for A2 and up): download a PowerPoint presentation with key facts about Coronations, plus teacher’s notes

The Coronation: Assembly (suitable for any level): a simple, picture-based presentation on the Coronation, plus detailed teacher’s notes by Historic Royal Palaces

The Coronation: Values and Symbols (suitable for B1 and up): a presentation on the symbols and values of the Coronation and the Crown. It can be a good springboard for a discussion involving some critical thinking on the “values” embodied by the Crown and its colonialist legacy. You can also download teacher’s notes.

What is a Coronation? (suitable for A1+ and up): key facts about the Coronation, with a bit of history and teacher’s notes by the Royal Collection Trust

Be a part of history and celebrate! (with appropriate vocab scaffolding, this lesson plan is suitable for A2+ and up): a presentation lesson about ways in which people have celebrated coronations historically and how they can celebrate now

King Charles’s Coronation – British Council Learn English Kids (suitable for A2+): a full lesson plan with a video with a worksheet and detailed instrucitons

Activities

The official Coronation website: use this for a webquest (levels A2/B1 and up)

Coronation starter quiz (levels B1 and up): a multiple choice quiz – students can have a set time to look up the answers online!

Coronation Map of Westminster Abbey (levels B1 and up): help your students visualise what’s going to happen at the Coronation with this map

Coronations at the Abbey Fact Sheet (levels B1+ and up): vocab-rich fact sheet with the key points and vocab your students need to know about this historic event

Timeline of Coronations (levels A2+ and up): an excellent timeline of coronations at Westminster Abbey and a good way to revise British history

The pledge of allegiance to the king is nonsense (levels B2+): an authentic text to reflect on the controversial pledge of allegiance

Videos

360° Video: King Charles’s Coronation ceremony virtual tour at Westminster Abbey

The King and The Queen Consort’s Coronation Quiche

King Charles’ coronation could be ‘the final event of its kind’ for the British royals | Jennie Bond

The coronation – What are the costs and who pays?

We hope you find something in here you enjoy and that can help you plan your classes more easily! If you use some of these resources, let us know how your lesson goes in the comments!

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