1

Traveling
Through
History with
Doctor Who
12 Week Lesson Plan
Grades 6 and Up
FREE SAMPLE LESSON
Amy Dutsch 2014
www.hesitanthomeschooler.com

AmyDutsch2014
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/MamasLittleMonkeys

Welcome to Traveling Through History with Doctor Who! This

lesson plan is for students in grades 6th and up. Each semester
an interactive course will be made available through Eliademy
as well. To stay on top of information from that class, please
join my FaceBook group,
www.facebook.com/groups/DoctorWhoHistoryClass
Course Objective: To research and learn about various
historical events, places and people through the eyes of the hit
television show, Doctor Who. This course is meant to be a
stand alone course to be used at your discretion.
Course Outline: There will be weekly tasks based on an episode
of Doctor Who that is historically based. Students will
complete the tasks for each episode before moving on to the
next lesson. The lessons can be spaced out however you need.
They are written weekly in this lesson, but feel free to move as
fast or slowly through them as you need. Lessons need not be
done in order listed either, they can be moved or omitted
completely. Opportunities for additional learning will be
mentioned in each lesson. Essay replies for grades 6-9 should
be at least 2 paragraphs. Grades 10-12 should be 3-4 paragraphs
minimum.
Materials Needed: 1. Access to episodes of Doctor Who which
are available on Netflix, Amazon Prime and other sources. 2.
An internet connection, ability to research historical events,
and materials to write essays with is also strongly suggested.
Essays could be handwritten or typed. 3. Joining our FaceBook
group and our Eliademy course (if its available, classes fill
fast) are also helpful but not required.
AmyDutsch2014
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/MamasLittleMonkeys

Lesson One
Episode: Fires of Pompeii, Series 4, Episode 3
Historical Subject: Pompeii
Tasks: Watch Fires of Pompeii
Research: Using various research methods (library, online,
videos, etc) learn more about Pompeii.
1. Research Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii the city
2. Research Lucius Caecilius Iucendus, played by Peter
Capaldi in the episode. Who was he? How was he
significant?
Additional Research Ideas:
1. Roman History and Art
2. Italy, then and now
3. Recovery and Rebuilding after Pompeii
4. Fall of Rome
Essay: Choose one (or more) of these questions and write a 1-4
paragraph reply. Use correct punctuation and grammar.
1. After your research on Pompeii, do you feel the episode
captured what Pompeii might have really been like? Why
or why not?
2. Ethical debate: Did The Doctor do the right thing? Would
you have made the same decision? Why or why not? How
do you think he felt about his role in Pompeii?
3. Do you think something like Pompeii could happen today?
Given our technological advances, do you think wed have
a natural disaster similar to Pompeii from a volcano
erupting?

AmyDutsch2014
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4. Discuss how The Doctors actions possibly affected later

events. (Lucius as played by Peter Capaldi, now the 12th
Doctor? Will it be explained? What do you think?)
Mapwork:
1. Locate Pompeii and Vesuvius on a map both where it was
(approximately), and also what stands there now.
2. Using this map link, locate major cities in Italy and
answer the questions on the map.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/europe/italy/outline
map/3.shtml
Expanded Learning: Science:
Make a volcano! You can adapt this lesson to be just as simple
as mixing the ingredients in your kitchen sink or an all out
massive volcano in the front yard!**See the Little Whovians
file for more volcano ideas!
Mentos Volcano:
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Soda-Bottle-Volcano
Classic Baking Soda Volcano:
http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howtos/ht/buildavolcano.htm
Geology Information:
http://geology.com/volcanoes/vesuvius/
Expanded Learning: Art History
Listen to this Audio Book available via YouTube on Art in 79
A.D
History, Art and Architecture all about Pompeii.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3U5pPiFPlA
AmyDutsch2014
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Art History Timeline:

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/roem/hd_roem.htm
Pliny the Younger and his Mother Artwork:
http://artmuseum.princeton.edu/fr/collections/objects/31399
Smithsonian Art Exhibit:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/resurrecting-pomp
eii-109163501/?no-ist

Additional Resources and Learning:

http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/pompeii
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/pompeii_porte
nts_01.shtml
Helpful Books:
Houses and Society in Pompeii and Herculaneum by A
Wallace-Hadrill (Princeton University Press, 1994)
Unpeeling Pompeii edited by J Berry (Electa, 1998)
Pompeii: Guide to the Lost City by SC Nappo (Weidenfeld &
Nicolson, 1998)

AmyDutsch2014
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/MamasLittleMonkeys

Special Thanks:
Thank you to Pennie Elwood for helping me edit this lesson and
get this off the ground! Thanks for trusting me!
Thank you to Melody, Genette, Lisa, Tracy, Maria and Christine
for being such awesome fellow admins on a wonderful homeschool
group! Please check out
www.facebook.com/groups/crossingovertohomeschooling for wonderful
friendship, advice and homeschool help!
Thank you to my fellow local homeschool co-op friends and
teachers.thank you for letting me be involved in your childrens
lives!
Thank you to all my friends and family who loved Doctor Who
first! I know you had to drag me kicking and screaming to it, but
AmyDutsch2014
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/MamasLittleMonkeys

Im so glad you did!!

Thank you to all the fellow fans, young and old who keep the
Doctor Who love going!
Thanks to my wonderful husband who lets me zone out on the
computer to write these lessons!
Special thanks to God and His grace and love, for with Him all
things are possible!
Allons-y!

AmyDutsch2014
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/MamasLittleMonkeys