Florence Nightingale — Year 1 Lesson Plan
National Curriculum: History KS1 — the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements
Overview
Pupils learn about Florence Nightingale as a significant individual who contributed to the development of nursing and healthcare. They explore her life, her work during the Crimean War, and her lasting legacy, developing skills in enquiry and understanding of cause and effect.
Learning Objectives
- Describe who Florence Nightingale was and when she lived.
- Explain why Florence Nightingale is remembered as a significant individual.
- Understand how her work improved conditions for soldiers during the Crimean War.
- Identify sources of evidence that help us find out about the past.
Key Vocabulary
Suggested Lesson Structure
Ask: what does a nurse do? Would you like to be a nurse? Show a photograph of Florence Nightingale with a lamp. Introduce: 'This is someone who changed nursing forever.'
Tell the story of Florence Nightingale: born 1820 into a wealthy family; chose nursing against her family's wishes; went to Crimea in 1854 where hospitals were dirty and soldiers were dying of disease; introduced cleanliness, ventilation, and better food — death rates fell dramatically. Nicknamed 'The Lady with the Lamp'. Returned to England and campaigned for clean hospitals. Founded the first nursing school at St Thomas' Hospital, London. Died 1910.
Pupils look at a range of sources: an engraving of Nightingale in the hospital ward, a modern photograph of nurses, an extract from a letter she wrote. Discuss: what does each source tell us? Which is most useful? Why?
Pupils complete a simple 'Fact File' about Florence Nightingale: when she lived, where she worked, what she changed, and why she is remembered. Include a labelled drawing or printed image.
Ask: would hospitals be different today without Florence Nightingale? Why is she described as significant? Pupils share one fact they found most interesting.
Common Misconceptions
- Pupils sometimes think Florence Nightingale was the first ever nurse — she transformed nursing; nursing as a practice existed before her.
- Thinking that because she is famous she must have been famous in her own lifetime — she did become well known, but also faced resistance.
Prior Knowledge
Pupils should already be able to:
- Awareness that people can change things for the better.
- Basic understanding that the past is different from the present.
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