This extended enquiry uses the Crusades to focus on historical interpretations. By the end of this 2 phase enquiry, your students will be able to explain why historians disagree over the Crusades. They will also be able to place these arguments into the context of the time they were written,[…]
This is the second part of a two-part enquiry. You can find lesson 1 here. They re-establish Steve Runicorn’s interpretation and are introduced to the idea that this historian’s view was a re-thinking of the Crusades. You then introduce your class to 11 different scholars and historians who have written[…]
Download this free substantive knowledge test our 5 enquiry unit on Beliefs in the Medival Period – just sign up as basic member. It tests your students’ core knowledge from this unit of work. Use it alongside an end product of either the Crusades or the Pilgrimage lessons. This means you[…]
Start this enquiry with a real murder! Can your students speculate what happened next?
Download this free knowledge-rich plan for a 6 enquiry study into Power in the Medieval Period. This fits into our coherent Key Stage 3 curriculum. We recommend you plan to teach a big overview of the KS3 curriculum. Then look at the impact of the Normans and follow this up[…]
In this overview lesson, you introduce your students to all of the kings of England from 1066-1485. Can they work out from the information you give them who was the best medieval monarch? You start by introducing the famous chronicler, Matthew Paris and show some of his famous drawings of[…]
This enquiry introduces you to a three-part enquiry into the Plantagenet kings (Henry II, Richard I and John I). Teach this after the Monarch overview. This first part of the enquiry focuses on Henry II. It uses a positive interpretation of Henry as a starting point: David Hume’s view of[…]
This lesson forms the second of a three-part enquiry into the Plantagenet kings. The first part, on Henry II, is here. In this lesson, the focus is on Richard I who is famously remembered as the instigator of the ‘Three Lions’ emblem as a sign of his power and martial[…]
This lesson represents the third of a three-part enquiry into the Plantagenet monarchs, in this case focusing on John I. The first lesson focuses on Henry II, the second on Richard I. It offers students the opportunity to make judgements about the success of King John’s reign based on evidence,[…]
This enquiry offers an engaging way of encountering evidence from the reign of Edward III. Your students will ‘meet’ different characters, all of whom describe events from Edward’s reign from a personal perspective. A hyper-linked map allows students to take ownership of the lesson direction, and to choose which evidence[…]
Download this free knowledge organiser for this coherent 6 enquiry unit on the Power in the Medieval Period. It provides your students with the core knowledge they will need to know to be successful in this unit. We recommend that you don’t give this out at the beginning of the[…]
This enquiry really encourages students to get into the minds of medieval characters. It encourages then to become familiar with different people from the past, who have sometimes been overlooked. Barons, knights and empresses often played quite significant roles in shaping the direction of medieval power. But we don’t always[…]
Download this substantive knowledge test our 6 enquiry unit on Power in the Medival Period. It tests your students’ core knowledge from this unit of work. Use it alongside an end product for the Plantagenet Monarchs enquiry. This means you will have tested substantive and disciplinary knowledge. Simple. Download it[…]
This enquiry into Richard the Lion Heart makes for excellent interpretations work, giving students an awareness of how the same person or event can be interpreted in various, often conflicting ways.
Was King John really a nasty, selfish and terrible king? This investigation shows your students not judge a person’s reputation before knowing more about the context in which they lived. It is rooted in decision making, high level talk and involves no writing. First you will engage your class with[…]
This enquiry examines the fascinating story of Licoricia, a famous Jewish money-lender from the medieval period. Licoricia was one of few women of note that we know about from the time. She made a real name for herself, lending money to people like Henry III, Queen Eleanor of Provence and[…]
Download this free knowledge-rich plan for a 6 enquiry study into Ordinary Lives in the Medieval Period. This fits into our coherent Key Stage 3 curriculum. We recommend you plan to teach a big overview of the KS3 curriculum. Then look at the impact of the Normans and follow this[…]
You can download all lesson enquiries in this really great unit on the Norman Conquest. This unit takes a strong narrative approach and looks at the events of 1066 then the impact and changes the Normans made. This unit centres around the question: Did Marc Morris get it right about[…]
This lesson offers your class an overview of village life. It also develops students’ understanding of historical interpretations. You start by confronting them with a negative internet interpretation about medieval life. Next, you provide them with evidence about medieval life. They then use this to support and/or challenge the original[…]
This enquiry challenges some of the misconceptions students are likely to have about medieval peasantry. By doing so, it aims to develop their appreciation of historical evidence in a compelling and engaging way. First, you will get your students to complete a survey which is designed to draw out[…]
Taken directly from this archaeological study written in 2017, can your class work out the mystery of the bones of 10 people buried in a pit away from the village churchyard in Wharram Percy? They will soon discover that the remains show signs of head severing and the bones show[…]
This lesson allows your students to learn about the farming year whilst playing a board game. The idea here is simple, your students are introduced to a medieval village and farming. They then play the board game in teams of 3 or 4. There are 6 rounds from ‘giving out[…]
Download this knowledge organiser for this coherent unit on Ordinary Lives in the Medieval Period. It provides your students with the core substantive knowledge they will need to know to be successful in this unit. We recommend that you don’t give this out at the beginning of the unit of[…]
Can your pupils work out the mystery of the skeletons? They will use all the skills we expect; posing questions, generating hypotheses and using tentative language.
Why do we teach the Black Death of 1348 and not any other outbreaks of the plague until 1665? Is it just because it is a good, gruesome story?
Place your students at the heart of the events of 1381. Using this decision maker exercise your students will face 7 events in the build-up to the Peasants Revolt and decide what to do. After each choice, they will gain or lose points, depending on their thinking. They will be[…]
This lesson provides access then challenge for all of your students to face the concept of consequences. It should be taught immediately after the PR decision-maker lesson. Each individual is required to place, on their own ripple diagram a number of consequences and categorise them into immediate, short and long term[…]
Download this substantive knowledge test our unit on Ordinary Lives in the Medival Period. It tests your students’ core knowledge from this unit of work. Use it alongside an end product from one of the enquiries here to provide you with information about your students substantive and disciplinary knowledge at[…]
Assess the legacy of one of our famous medieval rebel leaders . We give you a built in manageable well thought out assessment opportunity too.
This neat enquiry gives you an overview of the religious changes in this period and it brings real so called ‘criminals’ to life.
