Sir Humphry Davy, Inventor: Lesson Plans by The Royal Institution
Between 9 November 2023 and 12 January 2024 Northumberland Archives will host a free exhibition of notebooks of inventor Sir Humphrey Davy at County Hall, Morpeth. The exhibition is informed by the first-ever transcription of seventy-five of Davy’s notebooks and reveals some of Davy’s innermost thoughts, providing new insights into his scientific discoveries, and the relationship between poetry and science. Also included in the exhibition will be a volume of correspondence and papers relating to The Society For The Prevention of Accidents In Coal Mines, 1813-1818, that includes some important Davy letters relating to the development of the safety lamp.
This learning resource has been prepared by The Royal Institution as part of the outreach offer linked to the exhibition.
Resources are available to download in PDF format. Please click on the lesson plan headings to access the PDF resources.
Lesson Plans
Romantic Poetry – 1 hour lesson plan
Suggested age groups: KS3
Subject areas: English
Bridge the gap between science and the arts by comparing poems written by Sir Humphry Davy and William Wordsworth.
Sir Humphry Davy’s Notebooks – 1 hour lesson plan with project extension
Suggested age groups: KS3, KS4
Subject areas: English, Science
Understanding the historical context and significance of Sir Humphry Davy and his work through notebook exploration.
GCSE Chemistry with Sir Humphry Davy – 1 hour lesson plan
Suggested age groups: KS3
Subject areas: Chemistry
Understand how electric batteries work and how Sir Humphry Davy used them within his work with this practical electro-chemistry experiment.
