“It worked for me” – Using Darwin’s letters in the classroom
Pupils in Cumbria lead the way
Year 9 English pupils at Ulverston Victoria High School spent several weeks studying Darwin’s letters, including comparing sections from Darwin’s ‘Voyage of the Beagle’ to letters he sent during the voyage. The work culminated in lessons that were devised and delivered by the pupils themselves. See below for how the letters can be used and examples from Ulverston Victoria High School.
Learning inspired by letters – ideas to inspire you
You can look at the letters for:
- the language and semantic shift over time
- use of humour
- modes of address and levels of formality
- punctuation
- sense of voice and personality
Example from Ulverston
Look carefully at the two letters below. Both are written from Darwin to people with whom he has strong relationships. However, there are some interesting differences between them.
Compare the ways in which Darwin writes to Hooker and Gray, and suggest possible reasons for these differences, referring closely to the letters.
Here are the two letters:
Letter 1674 – Charles Darwin to Asa Gray, 25 Apr 1855
Letter 1174 – Charles Darwin to Joseph Dalton Hooker, 10 May 1848
Example from Ulverston
An example student writing from Ulverston
Example from Ulverston
Objective: “To compare Darwin’s expectation of the voyage to the reality”
The class compared Darwin’s letter to his father outlining why he was so keen to go on the voyage (Click here to see the letter ) with what his actual experience was, as outlined in the letters.
They shared ideas in small groups, writing up their findings