Learning objective
- To explore what happened to Walter Tull using photographs.
Success criteria
- I can make simple observations using photographs from the past.
- I understand the difference between a fact and opinion.
- I can ask questions about Walter Tull.
National curriculum
History
Pupils should be taught about:
- Changes within living memory. Where appropriate, these should be used to reveal aspects of change in national life.
- Events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally.
- The lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements.
Cross-curricular links
English
Spoken language
Pupils should be taught to:
- Listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers.
- Ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge.
- Use relevant strategies to build their vocabulary.
- Articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions.
Reading comprehension
Pupils should be taught to:
- understand both the books that they can already read accurately and fluently and those that they listen to by:
- answering and asking questions.
Before the lesson
Check all images, videos, links and presentation slides are suitable for your class.
- Presentation: What am I?
- Presentation: Photographs of Walter Tull.
- Presentation: Remembering Walter Tull.
- Presentation: Facts, opinions and questions.
- Presentation: We remember.
- Audio playback devices (optional – see Adaptive teaching).
- Link: Kapow Primary timeline.
Print in advance of the lesson.
The Knowledge organiser provides a visual summary of the key facts and vocabulary for the lesson. The children can use it in the lesson to check keyword meanings or spellings and to help them remember important information when completing an activity. Find further ideas for using the Knowledge organiser to support adaptive teaching here.
Subject knowledge
Walter Tull
- Walter Tull was born in 1888 in Folkestone, Kent, a coastal town. In 1895, when Walter was seven years old, his mother died of cancer.
- The following year, his father married a new wife named Clara. In 1897, his younger sister Miriam was born, but later that same year, Walter’s father died of heart disease.
- Due to the difficulty of caring for all the children, Clara arranged for Walter and his brother Edward to be sent to the National Children’s Orphanage in Bethnal Green, London, in 1898.
- While at the orphanage, Walter discovered his talent for football and joined the orphanage team. In 1900, Edward was adopted by a family from Scotland, leaving Walter greatly missing his brother.
- After leaving the orphanage in 1902 at age 14, Walter found work in the printing industry, hoping to one day work for a newspaper.
- In 1903, Edward’s adoptive family sent money to Walter, allowing him to visit his brother in Scotland.
- By 1908, Walter was playing for Clapton Football Club’s first team at the age of 20.
- In 1909, he achieved a major milestone by joining Tottenham Hotspur as a professional footballer at age 21.
- In December 1914, Tull enlisted in the British Army, joining the 17th (1st Football) Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment. Despite military regulations at the time that restricted officer status to those of “pure European descent”, Tull was commissioned as a second lieutenant in May 1917, making him one of the first Black officers in the British Army.
- Walter Tull was killed in action on 25 March 1918 during the Second Battle of the Somme. His leadership and bravery have been widely recognised and he is commemorated on the Arras Memorial in France.
Using racial terminology
When introducing Walter Tull’s story, explain to the children that he was one of the first Black officers in the British Army. Reassure them that it is both respectful and accurate to say ‘Black officer’, just as we might describe someone as ‘a Scottish officer’ or ‘a female officer’.
Encourage the children to use the term naturally and without hesitation. Model it in your own speech and gently correct any uncertainty or mispronunciations. You might say:
- ‘Walter Tull was a Black officer, which means he was a leader in the army who was also African-Caribbean.’
- ‘The word ‘Black’ here is used to describe his racial background, and it is a respectful and factual way to talk about his identity.’
Reinforce that it is okay to talk about race and heritage when it helps us understand history. This can also be a good moment to remind children that Walter Tull’s story helps us see how people from all backgrounds contributed to British history.
If you know a child has specific issues, consider discussing the lesson with them in advance and adapting it as needed. They might benefit from adult support. If problems emerge during the lesson, consult your Senior Leadership Team. It is the teacher’s responsibility to check all resources and lesson content to ensure it is suitable for their class setting.
Sensitivities
War
This lesson covers the causes and consequences of war, which can be a sensitive topic for some children. Be mindful of children who may have personal or family connections to war and create a supportive space for questions and discussions.
References to childcare
Walter Tull’s story involves being placed in an orphanage. Be aware that some children may have personal experiences of being looked after by carers or foster families. Approach the lesson with care, using simple, factual language and focus on Walter’s resilience and achievements. Create a supportive environment where children feel comfortable sharing thoughts, but remind them that they don’t need to share personal experiences.
Death
This lesson involves death and the loss of life during World War 1, which can be a sensitive topic for young children. Be mindful that some children may have personal experiences with loss, including recent family bereavements. Approach the topic gently and factually, using simple and clear language. Avoid graphic details and focus on remembrance and the importance of peace. Create a supportive environment where the children can express their feelings if they wish and reassure them that it is normal to feel sad or reflective.
Lesson plan
1: Recap and recall
You may want to check the children can recall:
- What and when Remembrance Day is.
- Who is remembered on Remembrance Day.
- Why some people wear the poppy.
Display the Presentation: What am I?
Presentation: What am I?
Read the definitions and words aloud. Choose volunteers to come up to the board and use the interactive pen to drag and drop the correct words to the definition. Take feedback and click the answer button to reveal the answers.
2: Attention grabber
Show the children the two photographs of Walter Tull on slide 1 of the Presentation: Photographs of Walter Tull.
Presentation: Photographs of Walter Tull
Put the children in pairs and ask them to share what they can see. Take feedback.
The children may suggest: a soldier, a footballer, a young Black man. Then ask them to think of questions and answers they can generate from looking at the photograph. For example:
- The person is wearing a football uniform – What is he wearing?
- The person is working as a soldier – What is he doing?
- The photograph looks old – Is the photo from today or a long time ago?
Take feedback. Display slide 2 showing more photos of Walter Tull and ask the children to answer the following questions in their pairs:
- Are the clothes like the clothes footballers and soldiers wear now? (No.)
- How are they different? (The children may suggest: they are not made of the same material; they have different colours to today’s football kit and soldier uniforms; the football kit looks much plainer and has long shorts; the soldier’s uniform has a different style.)
- What work might the person in the photo do? (The children may suggest: he might play football because he is wearing football clothes; he might also be a soldier because of the uniform; he might be a captain in the army.)
- How can we tell this person lived a very long time ago? (The children may suggest: the clothes are old-fashioned; the photo is black and white or looks old; he does not have a modern football kit; the army uniform looks different from today’s army clothes.)
- What sort of person do you think he is? (The children may suggest: brave because he was a soldier; kind because he looks friendly; strong because he played football and was a soldier; clever because he was good at football and joined the army.)
3: Main event
Gather the class together and explain that Walter Tull lived more than 100 years ago, from 1888 to 1918. He was one of the first Afro-Caribbean professional footballers and the first English Black officer to lead white soldiers in World War 1.
Display the Kapow Primary timeline and select the World War 1 period. Click on ‘view World War 1 timeline’. Locate and read the 1916, 1917 and 1918 events about Walter Tull.
Watch the Pupil video: Tull’s tale.
Pupil video: Tull’s tale.
Ask the children to recall the facts they have learnt:
- What was Walter’s job? (A professional footballer.)
- What did Walter have to give up to fight in the war? (He had to give up his job as a footballer.)
- Which war did Walter fight in? (World War 1.)
- Why is Walter Tull remembered? (He was a professional footballer and the first Black officer to lead British soldiers into battle.)
Display slide 1 of the Presentation: Remembering Walter Tull which shows examples of medals awarded for bravery in war.
Presentation: Remembering Walter Tull
Click to reveal the types of medals a soldier in World War 1 could be awarded.
Explain to the children that Walter Tull was recommended for a medal for his bravery as a soldier during World War 1. However, even though he was recommended, he never received it. This was likely because, at the time, there were unfair rules and ideas that made it harder for people of certain backgrounds—especially Black soldiers—to be awarded equally for their service.
Display slide 2 and click on the photographs to read how Tull has been remembered in other ways since his death.
Facts, opinions and questions about Walter Tull
Revisit the photographs explored in the Attention grabber and explain that they will be using the photographs to share the facts they have learnt, their own opinions and what they would like to ask to learn more about Walter Tull.
Put the children in groups of four and hand out the Activity: Facts, opinions and questions, ensuring that each pair has one of the photographs so both are explored.
Display the Presentation: Facts, opinions and questions and model filling out each column. Give the children some time to complete the activity and feedback to their group.
Presentation: Facts, opinions and questions
4: Wrapping up
Gather the class and create a word bank of words to describe Walter Tull and help the children remember his story. The children may suggest: brave, strong, intelligent, talented, heroic, etc. Record their ideas on flipchart paper.
Share that every 11 November, people around the country take two minutes of silence to remember all the people who fought and helped in the world wars. Display the Presentation: We remember and read the statements before observing two minutes’ silence.
Presentation: We remember
Extended-mode explainer videos
How to extend your display to view the lesson page and preseantion mode simultaneously. Choose your operating system below to watch the video
If you need further support with extending your display,
please contact [email protected].
Extended-mode explainer video: For Mac
Extended-mode explainer video: For Windows
Adaptive teaching
Pupils needing extra support
Could use an audio playback device to orally record their facts, opinions and questions in the Main event; could rewatch the Pupil video: Tull’s tale when writing what they know about Walter Tull in the Main even; should use the Knowledge organiser for vocabulary support.
Pupils working at greater depth
Could ask questions about each of Walter Tull’s experiences – childhood in the orphanage, his time as a footballer and being a soldier; could discuss their responses to the question: Do photographs give us all the answers?; could give reasons for their opinions and where they might find answers to their questions in the Main event.
Assessing progress and understanding
Pupils with secure understanding indicated by: making simple observations using photographs from the past; beginning to understand what a fact is and what an opinion is; asking questions using photographs about Walter Tull.
Pupils working at greater depth indicated by: generating questions about specific aspects of Walter Tull’s life; developing their answers to questions given to them.
Vocabulary definitions
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fact
Something that is true and can be proven or shown to be real.
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medal
A shiny piece of metal given as a prize to show someone has done something special or brave.
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opinion
What someone thinks or feels about something, which can be different from what others think.
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remember
To have or keep an image or idea from the past in your mind.
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soldier
A person who works in the army to help protect the country and keep people safe.
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World War 1
A war that happened from 1914 to 1918 and involved many countries around the world.
In this unit
Assessment - History Y2: How was school different in the past?
Lesson 1: Were schools different in the past?
Lesson 2: How have schools changed within living memory?
Lesson 3: How were schools different in the 1900s?
Lesson 4: How have schools changed?
Lesson 5: What is similar and different about schools now and in the past?
Lesson 6: Would you prefer to have gone to school in the past?
Optional Remembrance lesson: What can we learn from a soldier’s story?