Gunpowder Plot

Expedition Date: November

Location: Mitchell House

Expedition Description: History in Action: The Bermuda Gunpowder Plot

Get ready, P5 historians! Join BEN and the St. George’s Historical Society for an action-packed adventure uncovering Bermuda’s Gunpowder Plot of 1775. Through storytelling, exploration and a live re-enactment, students step into the past to explore how Bermudians were involved in a significant historical event during the American Revolution. Pupils follow maps, solve challenges and work as a team to re-enact the movement of “gunpowder” across St. George’s.

Students will:

• Explore Bermuda’s role in the American Revolution
• Understand how global events impacted life on the island
• Learn about key historical figures and their decisions
• Investigate trade, shortages and how goods were exchanged
• Work collaboratively to solve problems and complete a mission

Curriculum Links (P5 Social Studies):

• 5.SS.H5a – Evaluate how global events have affected Bermuda
• 5.SS.C1 – Examine how roles and responsibilities of citizens are shaped by symbolic figures, places and events
• 5.SS.C2b – Evaluate the importance of Bermuda’s historical personalities’
• deeds in their time period and to Bermuda’s development
• 5.SS.E1b – Explain how goods and services have changed over time

A free copy of the Mentor Text is provided at the expedition: 

Vocabulary Voyage

The P5 Gunpowder plot thematic unit is built around the mentor text, supporting ELA curriculum-aligned literacy learning alongside an experiential school visit with AgraLiving as part of the Horizons Programme.

The Vocabulary Voyage offers a set of optional resources designed to enrich language learning in an engaging and practical way. Three short, flexible vocabulary activities encourage pupils to develop language through through small-group discussion, collaboration and creative thinking. Two additional independent writing tasks, linked to the theme of the unit, provide structured opportunities for pupils to apply new vocabulary in meaningful written contexts.

These resources ssupport oral language development, vocabulary growth, comprehension, and writing skills, while remaining easy to incorporate into short literacy blocks or small pockets of classroom time.