This lesson challenges the traditional view that Jack the Ripper’s victims can simply be dismissed as prostitutes or sex workers.
The focus is shifted instead onto the lives of the women themselves and the harsh realities they faced in Victorian London.
Students begin by exploring what is known about Jack the Ripper, the murders he committed and why the police struggled to catch him. They then move beyond the usual focus on the killer to examine the lives of the victims, considering how poverty, marriage breakdown, work, alcoholism, the workhouse and homelessness shaped the experiences of many women in Whitechapel.
A case study of Annie Chapman allows students to investigate one victim in depth, tracing her life from relative comfort to hardship and exploring the social pressures that contributed to her decline.
Students use a range of sources and activities to assess how difficult life was for Victorian women and to challenge popular misconceptions about the victims.
The lesson includes a variety of engaging tasks, including image analysis, a true or false starter, a differentiated missing-word activity, a colour-coding case study and an extended writing task with scaffolding and key vocabulary support where needed.
A plenary with differentiated questions helps consolidate learning and encourages reflection.
Included in this lesson:
Enquiry-based lesson
Social and economic pressures facing Victorian women
Case study of Annie Chapman
Challenges of life in Whitechapel
Source analysis
Extended writing task
Plenary questions to consolidate learning
Preparation for GCSE History
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