Homeschool Guide: These lesson plans are a guide for parents. Content may contain errors — always cross-reference with official exam board specifications.

the conflict of the orders

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4 detailed 50-minute lessons with teaching scripts, worked examples, parent guides, and assessment criteria.

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Lesson Overview

Total Lessons: 4
Tier: Foundation and Higher
Duration: 50 minutes per lesson (200 minutes total)
Exam Boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA

Learning Objectives

Prerequisites

Materials & Equipment

Lesson 1: Introduction: the conflict of the orders

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Quick Recall

Write down everything you already know about the conflict of the orders. Then check against the key terms: key terms from the conflict of the orders. Use a mini-whiteboard or paper.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Parent/Teacher Guide:
Before lesson: Read the script below. Pre-teach key vocab: key terms from the conflict of the orders.
If stuck: Re-read the revision notes (link above), then break the content into smaller steps.
Extension: See the Stretch & Challenge ideas in Lesson 4.
Teaching Script (35 mins):
Mins 0-5 - Hook: "Today: the conflict of the orders. By the end you will be able to answer exam questions on it unaided. It connects to the rest of Ancient History because the ideas here recur across the spec."
Mins 5-20 - Direct Instruction: Work through the core ideas below one at a time; after each, ask your student to explain it back in their own words.
Mins 20-30 - Guided Practice: Model the worked example together, then let your student attempt the first practice question with guidance.
Mins 30-35 - Independent Practice: 2-3 practice questions from Lesson 3 below, with immediate feedback.
First Look

Start with the revision notes summary, then attempt: explain the key ideas of the conflict of the orders

Plenary (5 minutes)

Check Out

Your student states one thing they learned and one question they still have about the conflict of the orders.

Lesson 2: Core Concepts: the conflict of the orders

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Review Previous Lesson

Quick recap: write 3 key points from Lesson 1 on the conflict of the orders. Check them against the notes below.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Key Fact: The Conflict of the Orders (494-287 BC) was the struggle between patricians and plebeians for political equality
Key Fact: The First Secession (494 BC): plebeians withdrew to the Sacred Mount, forcing the patricians to create the tribunes of the plebs
Key Fact: The Twelve Tables (451-450 BC): Rome's first written law code, created because plebeians were being judged by unwritten patrician customs
Key Fact: The Licinian-Sextian Laws (367 BC) required one consul to be a plebeian; the office was opened to plebeians
Key Fact: The Hortensian Law (287 BC) made plebiscites (laws passed by the plebeian assembly) binding on all citizens, effectively ending the Conflict
Key Fact: Key tactics: secession (plebeians refusing to serve in the army or work), tribunician veto, and threat of mass action

Practice (10 minutes)

Q: explain the key ideas of the conflict of the orders

Answer:

Plenary (5 minutes)

Explain Back

Your student teaches the key points back to you without looking. Fill any gaps immediately.

Lesson 3: Application: the conflict of the orders

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Quick Recall

Recall the key terms: key terms from the conflict of the orders. Define each in one sentence.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Parent/Teacher Guide: Let your student attempt each question alone first, then compare with the model answer. Award method marks for correct working even if the final answer is wrong.

Work through the practice questions on the revision notes page for this topic.

Plenary (5 minutes)

Error Review

Review any questions answered incorrectly. Identify whether the error was knowledge, method, or reading the question.

Lesson 4: Exam Practice: the conflict of the orders

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Command Words

Review what these command words require: state (one point), describe (say what happens), explain (say why), compare (both sides), evaluate (judgement).

Main Content (35 minutes)

Exam-Style Question

Attempt a past-paper style question on the conflict of the orders from the exam board past paper finder (see Resources), then mark it against the scheme.

Exam Tips: 494 BC = First Secession, tribunes created | 451-450 BC = Twelve Tables (written law) | 367 BC = Licinian-Sextian (plebeian consul) | 287 BC = Hortensian Law (plebiscites binding on all)
Common Errors: ✗ The plebeians were poor and the patricians were rich ✓ The distinction was hereditary, not economic. Some plebeians were wealthy, and some patrician families had become poor. The conflict was about political and legal rights, not wealth ✗ The Conflict of the Orders ended with complete equality ✓ Although plebeians gained legal equality (right to hold any office, binding plebiscites), in practice the Senate and wealthy families (both patrician and plebeian) continued to dominate politics. A new elite of nobiles (patrician and plebeian families who had held consulships) emerged ✗ The plebeians won through violence ✓ The plebeians' most effective weapon was secession — peaceful withdrawal of
Stretch & Challenge (Grade 8-9):
  • Synoptic links: explain how the conflict of the orders connects to another Ancient History topic you have studied
  • Real-world: research one real-world use or example of the conflict of the orders
  • Critical: "What are the limitations of the models used in the conflict of the orders?"

Plenary (5 minutes)

Assessment Criteria
  • Got it: Confident explanation + correct worked examples
  • Getting there: Main points OK, needs support with detail
  • Not yet: Confused on key concepts - re-run Lesson 2

Homework & Consolidation

Recommended Resources

🎓 Smart Lesson (Guided)