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1. An obsessed monarch

A. Read the text. Sum up in a few words what James VI thought of witches and why.
B. Consequently, how did James VI act?
C. Why can the North Berwick trial be considered typical of what happened in most witch-hunts?
First read the document Witch-hunts and witch trials then answer

2. Debunking myths Pair wk Listen to Part 1 OR Part 2 share your info & prepare a common summary
➢ Before listening Define “ myth”. “debunk a myth” .
A. Listen to the interview and pick out information about:
- the number of people accused of witchcraft in Scotland;
- what happened to them;
- details about their lives (gender, age, occupation ...);
- elements about their trials .

B. Pair work : Share the information you picked with your classmate.
In addition to what you’ve just said, I would say that…
Indeed, and to go further, I would say that…
What you’ve just said could be explained by the fact that…
To build up on what you say, + use Help!

C. Listen again and complete your answers . Share with the class
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Witch-hunts started in Europe in the first half of

the 14th century and ended in the late 18th
century. Most of those European witch-hunts
took place in western Germany, the Low
Countries, France, northern Italy, and
Switzerland. Some 110,000 people were said to
have been accused of witchcraft and between
40,000 to 60,000 were executed.
Those witch-hunts took place to identify
witches. The process of identifying witches
began with suspicions or rumours. Then there
were the accusations, trials and convictions that
led to executions.
Witch-hunts and witch trials then spread all over
the world, especially in colonial Massachusetts
between 1692 and 1693. At that time, more than
200 people were accused of practising “the
Devil's magic” and 20 were executed.
Since then, the story of the trials has become
synonymous with mass hysteria, paranoia and
injustice, and it continues to feed people’s
imagination more than 300 years later.