This lesson focuses on the second-order concept of significance,.
It develops students’ ability to judge an individual’s significance through a focus on the 11th century queen, Anne of Kiev.
Students are first briefly introduced to the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
They also find out about a recent Twitter spat over Anne of Kiev, which helps to exemplify the ongoing dispute over the historical roots of Kievan Rus.
As the lesson helps to explain, both Russia and Ukraine believe Kievan Rus to have been a precursor to their modern-day states, establishing the cultural and political principles upon which they built their nations.
In the lesson, students use a range of significance criteria to work out why Anne of Kiev is so important to both Russia and Ukraine, before using a ‘significance wheel’ to judge the extent to which Anne fulfilled five significance criteria.
Finally, they wade in on the Twitter spat from 2017, offering their views on Anne of Kiev and her continued significance into the modern age.
Download lesson
- Lesson presentation: PowerPoint
- Lesson write-up: PDF
- Worksheet 1,2 & 3 : PDF