KS2 History: Edward Jenner

Video summary

This short film is for teacher use and contains some scenes that pupils might find upsetting. Teacher review is recommended prior to use in class.

Edward Jenner tells the story of his life and how he discovered how to vaccinate people against smallpox.

Told in the first person, and brought to life with a mix of drama, movement, music and animation, the story begins when Jenner was a boy.

There was an outbreak of smallpox in the town where he lived.

He was curious, and had to see for himself what someone with smallpox looked like - it was a frightening sight.

More frightening still, however, was that the only known cure was to infect a person with smallpox before they caught it, in the hope that they would recover and not catch it again.

So at the age of eight Jenner was given smallpox, deliberately.

The experience had a huge impact on him and he vowed to find a way to beat the disease.

He went on to develop a vaccine for smallpox, which would ultimately save millions of lives.

This short film was originally broadcast in 2012 as part of BBC Two's 'Learning Zone'. Teacher review is recommended prior to use in class.

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Teacher Notes

Questions to consider whilst watching the film

Depending on the focus of your lesson, you may wish to ask the following questions after the video or pause the short film at certain points to check for understanding.

  • Why was smallpox a terrible disease?
  • Why was Edward Jenner deliberately given smallpox at the age of eight?
  • What did Jenner do when he became an adult?
  • Why was his meeting with Sarah, the milkmaid, so important?
  • What did Jenner do to his gardener’s son, James?
  • Why did he call his discovery a vaccine?

Learning activities to explore after the video

History is a subject which can lend itself to a wide range of cross-curricular links. As a teacher, you will have a greater awareness of how this topic may act as stimulus for learning in other subjects. However, the suggestions below relate solely to ways of developing the children’s historical knowledge and understanding.

Key Question: How was Edward Jenner’s discovery a turning point in the history of medicine?

Overview and DepthThere are two approaches to the study of history:

  • Overview - An overview study is when pupils study the broad sweep of history, exploring a long period of time, with the aim of identifying key turning points. A depth study requires pupils to study a place, an event or individual in detail. Each of these approaches could be adopted when following up on this film of Edward Jenner.

  • Depth - Another approach is a depth study of Edward Jenner. Alongside the video, which would be the main source, there are other web-based sources which could be studied in the classroom. Firstly, the Science Museum Group has a 3D model of Edward Jenner’s medicine chest and the website also has guidance about using this and other 3D models in the classroom.

The National Archives website has an engraving of the St Pancras Smallpox and Inoculation Hospital, which would prove to be an engaging stimulus in the classroom. The rest of this webpage, designed for GCSE students, explores the issue of compulsory vaccination, a topic that primary pupils could certainly discuss, though the written sources are not as accessible to KS2 pupils.

These three sources could provide the evidence for written work, highlighting how his vaccination was a key turning point in history. There are a number of genres in which the writing could be captured. One could be a formal entry for an encyclopaedia or a newspaper obituary. A creative alternative would be for the pupils to design a memorial statue for Jenner and decide what should be the inscription on a plinth.

OverviewAnother approach is to place the work of Edward Jenner within its historical context so that pupils can understand he was not the only pioneer at this time and that there were a number of key turning points.

There are two BBC Teach videos in the series Medicine Through Time, which look at the changes in medicine during the 18th and 19th century and these would be appropriate for providing content. In the first, there is some overlap with the Jenner video but whereas it stops with the success of the vaccination, this other video explores the reaction from the church and the scientific community at the time as well as looking at other figures such as John Hunter. However, it was the 19th century which saw the greatest progress in medicine and a number of key figures are explored in this video. Although both these films are aimed at secondary pupils, they are accessible to upper KS2.

The concept of change and continuity
An overview of medicine and health over a period of around 1000 years is a common topic studied at GCSE where students are encouraged to explain the importance of a number of factors in encouraging or inhibiting change. At KS2, the children would not be exploring all of these factors (or covering all the content) but when looking at these videos, the pupils could assess the importance one or more of these factors:

  • superstition and religion.
  • chance.
  • science and technology.
  • the role of the individual.

Learning aims or objectives

England

From the History national curriculum

Pupils should:

  • understand historical concepts such as continuity and change.
  • understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims.

Northern Ireland

From the statutory requirements for Key Stage 2: The World Around Us

Pupils should be enabled to explore:

  • Change over time in places.

Teaching should provide opportunities for children as they move through Key Stages 1 and 2 to progress:

  • from identifying similarities and differences to investigating similarities and differences, patterns and change.

Scotland

From the Experiences and Outcomes for planning learning, teaching and assessment of
Second Level Social Studies:

  • I can use primary and secondary sources selectively to research events in the past.

Wales

From the new Humanities Area of Learning and Experience

School curriculum design for history should:

  • develop rich content across the time periods, through which learners can develop an understanding of chronology through exploring … change and continuity…the use of evidence.

Principles of progression

Descriptions of learning for Progression Step 2

Human societies are complex and diverse, and shaped by human actions and beliefs:

  • I can identify aspects of life in my community that have changed over time.
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