Subject Objective(s)

• To understand varying interpretations about how far the British were responsible for the outcomes of the famine.

•To understand the importance of understanding the context of actions.

Why is understanding context important for evaluating

interpretations?

Why is understanding context important for evaluating

interpretations?

Learning Outcomes:• D grade – will be able to describe interpretations about the past.• C grade – will be able to explain interpretations about the past by demonstrating an understanding of the context of these interpretations.• B grade – will be able to analyse the strength of interpretations using contextual knowledge to evaluate them.• A grade – will be able to reach a substantiated conclusion about the strength of interpretations.

Vocab evidence; critical

Connectives ultimately

Opening sentence

This demonstrates that…

Punctuation ( )

How far were the British responsible for the

outcomes of the famine?

How far were the British responsible for the

outcomes of the famine?

Based on your homework, what would your opinion be? Did the British do enough?

John MitchellJohn Mitchell

Read through the contemporary evidence of John Mitchell.

What is his viewpoint?

Extension: How strong is this as evidence of Britain’s fault in the outcomes of the famine?

Vocab evidence; critical

Connectives ultimately

Opening sentence

This demonstrates that…

Punctuation ( )

How far were the British responsible for the

outcomes of the famine?

How far were the British responsible for the

outcomes of the famine?

Based on your homework and Mitchell’s views, what do you think now? How have your views changed/been reinforced?

Understanding ContextUnderstanding Context

It is easy to get caught up in the post-famine nationalist belief that the deaths and poverty that resulted from the famine was totally the fault of the British.

However, you need to understand the British actions within the context of the time.

Read through the article you have been given. •How do they help to give reason to Britain’s actions, and possibly justify their decisions? •How far do they support the view that there was little that the British could have done?

D – Read the first section.C/B – Read the third and final sections.

A – Read the second section.

Vocab evidence; critical

Connectives ultimately

Opening sentence

This demonstrates that…

Punctuation ( )

How far were the British responsible for the

outcomes of the famine?

How far were the British responsible for the

outcomes of the famine?

Based on what you have studied this lesson, produce a balanced argument:Paragraph 1 – why contemporaries sought to blame the British.Paragraph 2 – why contextually the British could have done little else.Conclusion – which argument has the strongest value.

HomeworkHomework

Read through the article on Punch cartoons.

Use it to answer one of the following questions:

D/C grades – what use are Punch cartoons in understanding British reactions to the Irish famine?

B/A grades – Punch cartoons hold no value to the historian because of their purpose. How far do you agree with this statement?