Soldier to Healer

About this learning resource

Format: PDF

Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned at the Tower of London for 13 years. This lesson pack explores how Raleigh struggled with poor mental and physical health before discovering he could help rebuild his own wellbeing by developing a medicinal garden outside his prison cell and preparing plant-based remedies. Through understanding Raleigh's struggles and how he turned growing medicinal plants into an effective coping mechanism, students are encouraged to reflect on how they can support their own mental and physical wellbeing in times of anxiety or change.

National Curriculum links

• Give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings
• Drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence
• Distinguish between statements of fact and opinion

Learning objectives

• Know who Sir Walter Raleigh was and some key facts about his life
• Understand the impact Raleigh’s imprisonment had on his mental and physical health and how some of the activities he did while imprisoned may have improved them
• Identify similar or different activities that they can do themselves to improve their own mental and physical health

Resource Information