Elizabethan Exploration - Was Francis Drake a Hero or Villain?

This lesson explores the start of Elizabethan exploration and the motivations for why the English were interested in developing overseas colonies. Following this, students are to learn about Francis Drake’s role in global exploration and whether he should be considered a hero or a villain.

• The lesson starts with students considering a primary source, a 1570s map of the world, and what this tells us about the knowledge of the Elizabethans
• Students to explore the role of John Dee and developing imperial ambitions at the Elizabethan court.
• Why else did the English seek to explore the world? The role of Spain and Portugal in the Americas, and the value of the spice trade
• A carousel assessing Francis Drake as a case study in exploration. There are information sheets for the room on key acts of heroism or villany from Drake, and students have a table to use for this purpose.

This lesson was developed for the OCR B Elizabeth module on ‘Going Global’ but could be easily adapted for other work schemes.