Top 5 Student-friendly Jack the Ripper Websites.

Wanted poster 1888.

If your students are anything like my high-schoolers they're probably overly interested in all things gory.  So often mine become obsessed with conspiracy theories and in particular, the 'Jack the Ripper' murders in Whitechapel in 1888.  These crimes were so horrific that they fascinated and scared the population at the time and even heralded the growth of the tabloid press as the public pushed for more information.  The first serial killer he was not, but the first widely reported on serial killer - yes.

Is it therefore any wonder that our students want to find out more when the crimes have come such a large part of our cultural history? 

There is a great deal about the murders on the world wide web, unfortunately much of it is apocryphal and even more is too gory for our kids impressionable minds.  However as a history teacher I have had to teach what happened in Whitechapel in 1888 as a coursework unit to 14 year-olds and trying to keep off the gruesome details was hard. I did find a way though; focusing on why people were interested in the crimes at the time, why the police were unable to catch the killer and the extensive press coverage was an interesting way into the story and also allowed links to present day. 

But in the end you have to be able to explain what actually happened without freaking students out with the gore or worse still, desensitising them to the horror of what was done to the victims.  If you're setting up a web quest the last thing you want children to do is stumble (usually very quickly!) upon an autopsy photograph of Long Lizzy or the scene of Mary Kelly's murder.

Therefore I've trawled the internet to find the most student friendly Jack the Ripper websites that are also factually accurate.  This has been no mean feat so I wanted to share the results with you!



1. https://www.activehistory.co.uk/Miscellaneous/free_stuff/jack/LifeinWhitechapel.ppt 


The wonderful Russel Tarr's activehistory.co.uk set up in 1998 has some wonderful resources on Jack the Ripper.  A few of them require a log in or payment but many are free. Not least this PowerPoint presentation on Life in Whitechapel in 1888.  Made by another teacher this uses resources from Tarr's site.  It gives a nicely informative background to the conditions in the East End of London in the Victorian Era. And best of all its freely downloadable!





2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/ripper_jack_the.shtml

 

This BBC page gives a very brief, easy to read overview of  some key aspects of the case, including the graffiti and possible suspects.  The BBC history site is renowned for accuracy and generally avoids sensationalism. 





3. https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/education/jacktheripper.pdf 

I absolutely love the National Archive in Kew.  Many a happy hour did I spend there during my History degree rooting through the collections on 19th century London.  Now you can do the same from wherever you are in the world.  (The internet is amazing!)  


Our students can now access the original Jack the Ripper materials online including the 'Dear Boss' Letter and the police responses.  This link takes you to the resources used for a  workshop they held on the police methods in the case.  The materials and activities are included and can be used by your classes with very little prep.  They can dissect the original evidence individually or in groups.  A accurate and informative website.

4.  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jack-the-Ripper 

The world renowned Encyclopaedia Britannica no longer needs to take up three shelves in your book unit.  Nowadays the internet version has all that you might need at the touch of a button.   This page has some brief details on the the murders, their context and various theories.  The best part of this page is the links to further information particularly on London and the East End. 

5.  https://www.jack-the-ripper.org/suspects.htm 

This one is slightly more risky in terms of your students finding some of the more gruesome images. But I've included it as it has some very useful and reliable information.   It may be best for you to use while planning your lessons for this reason.  This particular page covers what the police focused on when looking for suspects.  The page then goes on to list the main suspects with individual headings and pictures.    

The 'Jack the Ripper 1888' historical resource site is written and maintained by London author, historian, broadcaster and tour guide Richard Jones. He knows his stuff and is worth a look.  If you can keep your younglings off the more gruesome images its a useful site for them too.

Though this list isn't exhaustive I hope it's a starting point for you if you need one or adds to your repertoire! 

Below are some resources I love to use when teaching Jack the Ripper and Victorian London.  Take look, maybe you can use them too?

Victorianopoly - 

A play on Monopoly, history style.  This free game is a nice way to engage your students with context for the crimes.  Available for FREE at Schoolhistory.co.uk.

History Mystery - Who was Jack the Ripper?

In this lesson they will compare and evaluate 12 possible suspects before deciding on the most likely guilty person. The lesson works as a knockout tournament, comparing two suspects at a time. 

It is great for developing higher order thinking skills especially when they have to tease out the strengths and weaknesses of each suspect. It also provides me with some fabulous display ideas using the students work!

How did the press increase fascination with Jack the Ripper?


This worksheet lesson examines sensationalisation in the press at the time and compares the techniques used with more recent press examples.

Putting it all on show!

Harry Potter: This is one way to inspire your classes.

Classroom displays are great things. They brighten up the room and can cheer up the most miserable of walls, but the best ones are useful.  Ever since my NQT year many moons ago when I was given my first classroom all to myself I have tried use the walls, windows and, in one very interesting year, the ceiling...

I have nothing but admiration for the 'Pinterest-Ready' teachers, theming their classes every year. This teacher's dedication to his Harry Potter plan was astounding!

Being inspired by a Beijing history classroom...

It would be wonderful to decorate my history room like a Medieval castle or Tudor banqueting hall. But sadly I don't have the time or the cash to splash on such things. (the UK £1 shops have nothing on Dollar Tree unfortunately.)

Also, I fear it could actually limit students' learning. If they are studying the Vietnam War and its impact on the USA, being in a room decorated as a Victorian Work House will be of not benefit to them.  (Unless of course they catch the work ethic!)

Therefore I prefer useful, subject specific display material that my students can use to support their understanding of the topics we are working on.   Below are some of the things you will find in any classroom I'm responsible for:

STUDENTS' WORK

Mind-mapping revision that will
be put up on display as a tool.

One of the most powerful tools in my teaching arsenal is displaying my student's work.  It can take a variety of forms.   On my desk is a giant clothes peg and clipboard.  I use this to display any piece of work that I feel deserves recognition. It can be classwork or home work, but it exemplifies the effort of the child.  It doesn't have to be particularly neat or beautiful to earn 'Work of the Week' status either.  The younger years love this as they often have project based homework from history, but the slightly more cynical upper school kids have been known to a smile when I have selected their work for display. Everyone likes (quality) praise and moody teenagers are no different in my experience, even if it is only shown on the inside...


Another way I use students' work is with model answers.  Our curriculum repeats each year and having things on the walls that they can use to work out what they need to produce has proved valuable to my kids.  I'm not suggesting having something they can copy word for word, but examples of how others have made notes on a given topic or how to mind map are useful to those who have never done it before.  'What A Good One Looks Like' (or WAGOLL) is part of most curriculums for a reason.

INSTRUCTIONAL DISPLAYS:

In history one of the things we spend the most time on is how to write up your ideas.   History is a subject that often requires a high level of literacy to access the highest grades and so developing this is time well spent.  One of the most successful instructional displays I have in my classes is my P.E.E.L. display.    Its actually a large version of my P.E.E.L. literacy mats. The students can use them individually or take a quick look at the wall for connectives and frame their writing.    It was so widely used by my students that we built the department KS3 assessment attainment descriptors to match it. They are skills-based descriptors;

Assessment attainment criteria

• EMERGING = IDENTIFY = POINT
• DEVELOPING = DESCRIBE = EVIDENCE
• SECURING=EXPLAIN  = EXPLANTION
• MASTERING = EVALUATE = LINK

WORD WALLS:

A simple word wall

Learn - Remember - Revise - Use.

I think word walls are brilliant.  They have proven their use to my classes though I admit I never knew what they were called when I started out!  Simple ones like the one here contain the key words that should appear in answers on the topic of Votes for Women.  It's in a giant V for VOTEs and in the Suffragettes colours of purple and green.  Each topic on the GCSE wall had its own key word letter - I for Indian Independence, A for the America unit and a big pink G for Nazi Germany.  These visual queues helped the children to recall the words in the exam and improve their answers in general.

Examples from a more detailed Word Wall

I've also made more detailed word walls. These contain photos and descriptions that can also be used as flashcards or as pointers in a living graph.








In the end, displays are only as good as they are useful and engaging. My students tell me that they use the ones in my rooms and that they are helpful.  I see evidence of this when I ask questions and they refer to the information on the walls or when students are peer and self assessing and use the language on the grade descriptors.   Just remember to cover everything up when there is an assessment -  it takes ages!

Let me know your best display ideas in the comments below!