Enhancing an understanding of the 16th century through a comparative study of Benin

When deciding to teach the topic of Benin to my Year 5 pupils I was somewhat daunted by the fact that I had never taught it before, and I was determined that it be a meaningful experience which benefited their narrative, chronological and historical skills-based understanding of the subject. I was also aware that in the year group of 49 there were (to my knowledge) no children with a connection to either Benin or West Africa. So how could I make it relevant?

When planning the topic I decided that it was key to give some context so that my pupils could make connections and conclusions on what we were to learn about the Kingdom of Benin. I therefore chose to spend the previous term studying the Tudors.