Session 3: Personal consequences (2): Can negative events have positive consequences?

Starter

Project MV History Resource 3.1 Presentation.pptx. If students completed the research homework, what did they find out about Gill Hicks or Martine Wright?  What happened to them on 7/7? (lost both legs), how have they responded? (working for peace; participating in the 2012 Paralympics).  How could they have responded? (bitter, angry, afraid, reclusive etc.)   NB If students were not set this as homework, show film about Martine Wright (link on Slide 2) as an example of severely injured victims rebuilding their lives positively.

Phase 1

Focus on those who lost friends and family.  They have also had to try to rebuild their lives.  Start with film on the Guardian website (Slide 3 – https://www.theguardian.com/uk/video/2011/may/06/7-7-bombings-victims-survivors-inquest-video ‘7/7 bombings: Victims' families and survivors reflect on inquest’, (approximately 15 minutes) in which four people are interviewed – three of whom lost family members (including Esther Hyman talking about her sister, Miriam) and one who was injured and survived.  You will need to explain that the film was made in 2011 after the official inquest into those who died (and explain that an inquest is an enquiry into the cause of death).

During the film, students note:

• What happened in the days immediately after the bombings?
• Do the people being interviewed blame anyone for what happened? 
• What sorts of positive things have happened as a result of 7/7?

Discuss.  You might want to explore the concept of "blame" and how it relates to "responsibility" – how helpful is it within the context of History?

Phase 2

Students to answer the question on Slide 4 ‘How has the Hyman family responded to the events of 7/7?’ using a variety of sources. 

Play Miriam’s Story videos Parts 3 and 4. (You might want to recap briefly on what we know about Miriam from the first two parts of her story in Session 1.) This provides more detail about the Miriam Hyman Children’s Eye Care Centre in Odisha.

Let them explore the website of the Miriam Hyman Memorial Trust (MHMT) or if internet access is not available to all students, show them the website via a projector and have copies of key pages from the site to show what the MHMT does and how the family has responded to their loss (especially the eye care centre, fund raising and the letter from Miriam’s family for the Book of Tributes).

Publication of Miriam’s artwork (Slide 5). Her use of colour, form, imagination and interpretation brings joy and inspiration to many. It is her direct legacy.

Look at the MHMT website section on the Miriam Hyman Children's Eye Care Centre (Slide 6). Why did the MHMT choose an eye care service as Miriam's memorial?

Slide 7: Explain that this History module is part of the MHMT’s education programme, Miriam's Vision: A Response to the 2005 London Bombings, to encourage greater understanding of how to live together harmoniously and respond to challenges in positive ways.

Students to write a paragraph answering the question on Slide 4. For differentiated writing you may want to use MV History Resource 3.2 Sentence starters.pdf and / or MV History Resource 3.3 Prompt questions

Plenary (Conclusion)

A few students to read out their paragraphs.  Class discussion – what are their thoughts about the response of the Hyman family to their loss?  How else could the family have responded?  Why do you think they have made these choices? 

Can the students offer other examples of positive and constructive responses to challenges, either personal or beyond their own experiences?

Finish by adding more consequence to their list.

Extension (Homework?)

Students browse the Miriam Hyman Memorial Trust website. They research and make a list of organisations that have been set up

• as a consequence of 7/7
• as a consequence of other terror attacks
• as a consequence of other negative events