When God Spoke English: The Making of the King James Bible

Filmed to coincide with the 400th Anniversary of the commission of the King James Bible, this documentary was shown on BBC 1 in February 2011. Jointly produced by Jerusalem Productions and BBC Religion and Ethics, the programme follows Adam Nicolson as he discovers how around fifty scholars from Cambridge, Oxford and London created this astonishing translation of the Bible into English, looking in particular at the seven years from the commissioning of the bible in 1604 to its printing in May and considering the technological, political and cultural circumstances which drove and shaped it.

Resources designed for KS2 (8-11), KS3 (11-14), KS4 (15-16) and KS5 (17-18)

In order to use these resources it is necessary for students to have watched the entire film. In addition sections may be re-shown in relation to each topic. The topic ‘Programme Outline & Synopsis’ contains the timings for each part of the film.

Teachers can select all or any of the resources and activities as suitable for the course they are pursuing. Although closely related to the film there are additional ‘Stretch and Challenge’ topics as well as cross-curricular materials.

There are additional resources on the Bible and Christianity together with The Quest for the Holy Grail.

Additional versions of resources are included:
• Dyslexic (D) wherever appropriate;

Many of the materials are also suitable for
• SEN – Special Educational Needs;
• EAL – English as an Additional Language