Jack the Ripper Case Study: The Suspects

1-Hour Lesson – Fully Interactive – Ready to Teach

Dear Colleague,

Step into the dark streets of Whitechapel and investigate one of history’s most infamous mysteries with this full lesson on Jack the Ripper – The Suspects (1888–1891). Students will examine the leading suspects, assess the reliability of contemporary evidence, and develop their ability to answer GCSE-style questions using historical sources.

All lessons in this series follow a clear, consistent structure to help students build knowledge and confidence step by step, while developing analytical and writing skills through engaging and assessed activities.

Learning Objectives:
LO1: Identify the key suspects in the Jack the Ripper case.
LO2: Analyse the evidence and assess its reliability.
LO3: Evaluate who was the most likely suspect using GCSE-style reasoning.

Lesson Features:
Engaging hook: contextual images and timeline of the Whitechapel murders.
Source-based investigation of main suspects (e.g. Montague Druitt, Aaron Kosminski, and others).
Step-by-step analytical tasks leading to a 4-mark GCSE-style written question.
Differentiated tasks with increasing difficulty to support all learners.
Fully assessed structure with opportunities for peer and self-evaluation.

Ready-to-teach PowerPoint with homework and extension task included.

What’s Included:
Complete PowerPoint presentation
Source analysis worksheets
GCSE writing templates and scaffolds
Homework and extension activities

This lesson is the second part of a three-lesson set on Jack the Ripper, ideal for GCSE Crime and Punishment or KS3 historical enquiry units. It can also stand alone as an engaging investigation lesson on Victorian London.

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For any queries, please contact me at alepitirra@hotmail.it
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Best regards,
Alessio