Grade 7 Lesson at a Glance: Chapter 17, Lesson 2

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
Across the Centuries

Lesson at a Glance
Chapter 17, Lesson 2: The English Monarchy (pp. 458-463)

The Big Idea
Framework Concept: Justice and Rights In England, religious tensions and Parliament's efforts to check the power of the monarchs caused a civil war that eventually resulted in a constitutional monarchy.

Discuss with students how the English monarchy differed from the absolute monarchy in France. Explain that, unlike France, England had a long tradition of nobles advising the kings about making laws, even before the signing of the Magna Carta. Over time, the nobles and commoners who made up Parliament gained new powers and guarded them jealously. This caused friction with the monarchs, but also set the stage for England to develop the idea that Parliament could lawfully limit the power of the king. Discuss why this new idea about government was both unusual in its day and very important.

Lesson Outline
Use the Lesson Outline to preview the content of the lesson. You may wish to print it for your students as a guide during reading.

Check for Understanding

Ask students to write a journal entry from the point of view of an ordinary English man or woman living during the time about one of the events described in the lesson. Entries should explain the event and describe the writer's reaction to it. Was the event good or bad for the people of England and their progress toward increased individual rights?
Have students create an illustrated timeline showing the key events and dates of this lesson.

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