Knights and Castles (First Reading, Level 4)

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Castles were popularised in Britain during the Middle Ages and share many features such as arrow-slit windows, portcullis entryways and high, impenetrable walls to keep out intruders. Due to the stone materials and careful construction, there are many castles in Britain which are still standing today. What's the best way to plan a lesson? A medieval castle had two purposes: it was both a fortification and the home of a lord. The first castles were just earthwork enclosures. Use these castle pictures as role-play inspiration, discussion starters, writing prompts, and much more! Why not try our Craigmillar Castle word search activity too? Sally: William was very young when he became the Duke of Normandy. This was a very important ruler in France. He had lots of enemies who wanted to take over as Duke, so he had to work hard to make sure he could carry on being in charge.

The class could explore what they already know about knights - this would be helped by showing some images or even props such as costumes. The topic of this book is important because it explains some historical facts during the Middle Ages like the organization of contests of jousting and archery.The Twinkl promise is that our resources are by teachers for teachers (or anyone looking to teach/learn) so you can be guaranteed of their accuracy, relevance to the intended age group (In this instance, Year 1 & Year 2) plus their relevance to the National Curriculum. Where did the words 'castle' & 'knight' come from? Our Castle Art Ideas KS1 lesson plan allows children to open their minds and experience creativity, problem-solving and the ability to really challenge themselves. It would also be a good idea to ask what they know about kings and queens? What were they like in the past? What are the similarities and differences between a monarch in the past and monarch today?

Our Pictures of the Castle PowerPoint is perfect for the whole class, featuring fantastic photos to help support your teaching for a Castles and Knights topic. English (Composition) - imagine you are a knight for a day... What is life like? Make up a story about a knight and a castle! Pupils could work in groups to come up with a story about what it is like to be a knight and then the teacher could use this as a stimulus to get the pupils to compose some writing. Create a fun and exciting lesson on knights and castles for your KS1 children by using our fantastic primary resources. Browse through the different learning materials we have to offer to find something that fits with your lesson plan. But don’t worry if you’re not sure where to even begin. We’ve got you sorted with this KS1 Castle Lesson Plan Ideas , which outlines various activities you can incorporate into your English, maths and even PE lessons that relate to knights and castles for KS1. There are plenty of resources that you can use to provide information to your class but in an exciting way. You can also encourage creativity in the classroom by asking them to design their own castle - after they’ve drawn it, why not ask them to colour it in as well? A great way to practise their fine-motor skills. Another great way to ensure your KS1 class is engaged with the topic of knights and castles is to use our fantastic eBooks. You can try this Knights and Dragons Unite eBook to start the lesson off, or wind down the day. Whatever you need for your knights and castles KS1 lesson, we can help you through it. Fun Facts about Knights and Castles for KS1Castles have been built for around 900 years and originated in the 9th and 10th centuries. Earth and timber was originally used to build castles, but later, these materials were replaced by stone. Fatima: So I've heard lots of stories about knights that can't be real. Like St George fighting a dragon. So what was it really like to be a Knight? Sally: Yes. But being King wasn't easy. It was dangerous and William had lots of enemies - people who didn't want him to be King. So he started to build castles. Drawbridge - this could be raised or lowered to allow people to either cross the moat or stop them!

During the video, the teacher can stop and ask pupils to think about what they would do in each circumstance. Sally: He was going to risk everything by taking his army to England to fight Harold for the throne of England. Fighting platforms were built, first from timber and later stone. At the same time, gateways evolved from simple openings within towers to twin towered gateways, keeps in their own right.

What Are the Different Parts of a Castle?

Each photo is labelled with a key vocabulary word from the topic such as 'dungeon' and 'moat' along with a small description of what that part of the castle was used for. This is great for spellings and getting children to understand the keywords from the topic. The video includes the need to build castles on hills or near a water supply. This could be used as a way into pupils being able to understand some of the physical features highlighted in the curriculum (beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, ocean, river, In Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, 'The Knight's Tale' contain mention of 'knyghtes' pronounced 'c'neats', as seen when the eponymous knight says, "With alle circumstances trewely — That is to seyn, trouthe, honour, knyghthede." How to build a castle