On the night of 4–5 November 1605…
…a man was found in a cellar with 36 barrels of gunpowder and a slow match, and the plot failed.
§ The story
In 1605, some men in England were very angry with the King, James I. They did not just want to shout at him. They planned to blow up the whole HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT while the King was inside it.
They rolled 36 big barrels of gunpowder into a cellar right under Parliament. One of the plotters, called Guy Fawkes, was the man who stayed to light the fuse.
But someone sent a warning letter. Just before midnight on 4 November, the King's men crept down into the cellar with lanterns — and there was Guy Fawkes, with a slow match in his hand. The plot failed. The next year, people lit bonfires all over England to remember, and we still do. More than four hundred years later.
» You read this line
Remember, remember, the fifth of November.
» You read this line
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
Close the book. Tell it back. Whisper the ‘gunpowder’ line like it is a big secret.
§ Tell it in three pictures
Three pictures: the barrels rolling into the cellar, the King's men creeping in with a lantern, and a great big bonfire the next year.
Harder, go as far as you can — Under picture 2, write how many barrels were in the cellar.
Check yourself: 36 barrels.
§ The rhyme
Two lines a night for two nights. Then say the whole thing at bedtime by candlelight if you can.
Illuminate — Illuminate the great letter R with tiny flames curling up around it.
§ Number page
There were 36 barrels of gunpowder in the cellar under Parliament.
Secret, do not tell Daddy until tonight
The room under Parliament is STILL searched by soldiers with lanterns before the King or Queen goes in. Every single year. Just in case.
Check yourself: b) 10 c) 11 d) 4
§ Draw the inside
Draw an old lantern like the King's men carried, sliced open. A candle inside. Little glass windows. A handle on top. A base underneath to catch the drips.
drawn by me
Labels
§ Listening minute
On Bonfire Night, sit near a window with the lights off for one minute. Listen for fireworks. Some near, some far.
Which sound was FURTHEST away? How did you know?
§ Move & notice
Catch
In a very safe place with a grown-up, walk slowly with a torch in a dark room. Pretend you are looking for something you MUST NOT MISS.
Predict first
Guess first — how much of the room will you be able to see at once?
§ The thinking question
Why do we remember a plot that FAILED, not one that worked?
For your treasury book
PLOT
From the Old English plot, a small piece of ground. Later it also came to mean a small piece of secret planning.
Copy PLOT into your treasury book. Draw a tiny map with an X on it beside the word.
Test the grown-up tonight — Ask a grown-up to say the whole rhyme through to the end. Most people stop after four lines.
§ For the corridor timeline
First, look at your timeline string. Does a panel for this century already hang there? If not, cut out the century panel below. Then clip the event card onto it.
THE 17th CENTURY · the 1600s
event cards clip below this line — leave room, more will come
Event card
GUNPOWDER PLOT, 1605
A plot to blow up Parliament is discovered the night before.
draw the event here before you clip it up
§ Evening review
FOR DAD
Morning ignition (10 minutes)
Tonight is Bonfire Night. On this date in 1605, a man called Guy Fawkes was found in a cellar under Parliament with 36 barrels of gunpowder, ready to blow the whole place up.
The sealed question
“Would we still remember Guy Fawkes if the plot had actually WORKED?”
Evening review, in this order
Mark the badges (circle one for each)
One line worth remembering from today
the day is sealed here
Add to your week