St Winifred’s School History Curriculum
History Scheme of Work
Subject: History
Year: 5
Timescale: Christmas term
Unit of study: The Middle Ages
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Knowledge
Pupils should know:
When the Middle Ages fits in the context of previous topics.
Specific information relating to important characters from the period : William of Normandy, Henry II,
Thomas a Beckett, Richard I, King John, Edward I, Edward II, Edward III, Wat Tyler, Richard II, Henry IV,
Henry V, Henry VI, Joan of Arc, Richard III, Henry VII.
That England, Scotland and Wales were separate countries during the period until Wales was conquered
by Edward I and that Scotland was not under the king’s rule during the period.
That the English under Edward II were defeated at the Battle of Banockburn by the Robert Bruce’s Scots.
That the Doomsday book was set up to record what the new king owned and how much it was worth.
That England was a Christian country and that the Crusades were principally a ‘Holy’ religious war.
Some details of the feudal system that tied many people to land and a landlord.
Some examples of entertainments enjoyed by people in the Middle Ages.
How castles developed from simple Motte and Bailey designs into more complicated stone structures.
That the longbow was the principle weapon used by the British army and that its use enabled victory at
the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.
That it was a legal requirement to practise using a longbow each week for most of the later part of the
Middle Ages.
That the Black Death was an infection that killed between 25-50% of the population from 1348-1350.
That the Black Death was spread by fleas on rats as well as by cross-infection.
How the drop in population after the Black Death led to villeins working much harder and paying heavier
taxes and how the resulting tensions climaxed during the Peasants’ revolt led by Wat Tyler and John Ball.
Some examples of punishments used during the period.
Some examples of clothing worn during the period by different sections of society.
How wattle and daub was utilised in order to build houses during the period.
That monasteries were common during the Middle Ages and some information about practices within a
monastery.
How Richard III’s death at the Battle of Bosworth heralded the beginning of the Tudor Age and was a
major point in the History of the country.
Skills
Concepts
Pupils should be able to:
Pupils should understand:
Recount with some accuracy a variety of stories and That conclusions about the past are often tentative
events from the time period.
and uncertain but need to be evidence-based.
Understand the chronological narrative of the
historical period from 1066 – Battle of Bosworth in
People in the Middle Ages had the same
1485.
fundamental needs as we do: shelter, warmth, food
Evaluate evidence (incl. its reliability) e.g. Bayeux
and relationships.
Tapestry, castle ruins, written evidence from
Doomsday book / Magna Carta.
Stories from the period may have been exaggerated
Use evidence from past in order to inform
and amended over time and need to be viewed in
judgements about the period.
the light of direct evidence from the period.
Use information texts and the internet to
independently gain knowledge about the period.
A balance of power existed during the period
See events and personalities from different
between kings and barons and that conflict often
perspectives e.g. varying reactions to King John,
ensued when this balance was upset.
how both sides in the War of the Roses felt they had
a valid claim to the throne.
How the rule of a monarch is passed down a family
Show understanding that events, such as those of
line.
1066, have causes that are often complicated.
Show understanding that the motivation of people mayHistory can be one-sided, e.g. related to the
be complex and largely impacted upon by others, e.g. Crusades, and that events should be understood
King
from more than one perspective.
John and the Magna Carta.
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St Winifred’s School History Curriculum
Suggested Activities and Cross-Curricular Links
Introduction
 Review of previous topic: ‘Anglo-Saxons and Vikings’. Set new topic in context, create a class timeline for
periods covered from reception to Year Five.
 Create a chronological list of kings and queens, together with the major events during their reigns. Create a
timeline in books containing this information, to refer to throughout the topic.
Post 1066 – The Doomsday book
 Discuss why Doomsday book was set up and look at an example from the book. Create an imaginary entry for
the book copying the style and content of a real entry. Create a modern Doomsday book for child’s own family.
 Look at other evidence from the period, including the Bayeux tapestry. Copy a section from the tapestry / label a
copy from the tapestry showing what information it tells us about life c.1066.
William I and his successors
 Explain how king was ultimate ruler, but how England was dominated by influential barons.
 Brief discussion of Hereward the Wake’s rebellion, the rules of William Rufus and Henry I and the lack of rule
during and after the reign of Stephen when ‘God and his Saints slept’.
 Power in Norman England: King, barons, lords, villeins. Create a hierarchical pyramid of power – label positions
and responsibilities of each section of the pyramid.
 Discuss feudal system and how villeins were tied to the land until they bought their freedom. ‘A day in the life’:
write a diary entry pretending to be a villein working the land for his master, including relevant detail.
Henry II
 Control of the barons and attempts to control clergy  murder of Thomas a Beckett. Tell the story behind the
infamous quote: ‘Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?’
 Entertainment within the manor: banquets, jousting and games. Create a itinery of events for the visit of another
lord with a menu for an evening banquet.
Richard I
 The Crusades. Explain how the Crusades were a ‘Holy’ war in which the English fought alongside the French
and Germans and how the aim was to recapture Jerusalem from the Turks led by Saladin. Explain how the
English, French and Germans were always quarrelling amongst themselves and that they were never very
successful for very long. Link to P.S.H.C.E. ‘tolerance’.
 Castles: early castles in Norman times, motte and bailey design of castle. Create a model of a motte and bailey
castle. Children draw a diagram of a motte and bailey castle in their books with labels.
King John
 Bad leadership and quarrelling with barons and clergy  1215 Magna Carta. Tell story of King John , including
detail of how the pope wished him to be dethroned. Show how the barons worked around this by forcing John to
sign the Magna Carta, although he did not eventually fulfil his promises to obey certain laws.
 Castles: the evolution of the castle during the time period. Explain how castles evolved, particularly after the
crusades, and developed and became stronger with features such as moats, inner and outer baileys, keeps,
portcullises, hoardings and machicolations. Create a labelled diagram of a castle showing its defences.
Three Edwards
 Reign of the three Edwards: conquering of Wales, failed attempt to conquer Scotland and beginning of the
Hundred Years War. Victory of Robert Bruce at the battle of Bannockburn.
 Weapons, armour and tactics. Explain how Edward III made it compulsory for the villeins to practise using
longbows every Sunday, instead of playing football and how this led to success against the French archers with
their crossbows, which took longer to wind up. Archery: ask a visitor to demonstrate and give children chance to
use a bow and arrow. Create a ‘top five’ of weapons from the Middle Ages listing weapons and their pros and
cons.
 Progression of a noble’s son from a page  a squire  a knight. Draw / colour pictures of a page / a squire / a
knight.
The Black Death
 Cause and effect. Explain how the disease came from the East in 1348 and was spread by rats, the fleas on rats
and by cross infection leading to 25-50% population dying. Explain why the plague was names ‘black’ due to the
colour of the vomit from the victims. Discuss practise during the plague: collection of dead, signs on doors,
cremation of victims and what the people thought was the cause of the plague (the belief that god was angry
with them). Create an information page about the plague on Word / Publisher.
Peasants’ revolt
 Wat Tyler and John Ball’s march to London and meeting with Richard II. Tell story and discuss picture from the
time showing Richard II meeting with the peasants.
 Law and punishment: discuss punishments for crimes committed during the period: ordeal by water, ordeal by
combat, ordeal by fire and other punishments given out by a sheriff within a shire e.g. the scold’s bridle, cutting
of hands, the ducking stool. Explain how Henry II brought in a system of trial by jury, although the barons still
often did as they wished.
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St Winifred’s School History Curriculum
Henry IV, V
 Battle of Agincourt 1415: remind children about the ‘best’ weapon in the possession of the English: the longbow.
Explain how this weapon, alongside the protection of stakes in the ground, led to English victory at Agincourt and
Henry V being king of nearly all of France. Show pictures from period and discuss.
 Clothing: show the clothing of nobles, merchants, children, knights and poor people. Match the picture to the
person. Match a picture of a character from the time to their name using a description of them and their clothing.
‘Clothe’ 2 mannequins: one in modern day dress and the other in the equivalent dress from the Middle Ages.
Henry VI
 Tell story of Joan of Arc and the recapturing of France by the French, with the exception of Calais, use pictures /
video from the internet to support the story.
 Housing. Compare and contrast pictures of manor houses and ordinary peasant houses. Discuss practice of
wattle and daub in poor peoples’ homes, as well as thatch. Create a section of wattle and daub using straw,
sand, clay and soil. Create a comparison table between modern houses and houses in the Middle Ages.
War of the Roses
 Tell story of the War of the Roses from its start when the two families of York and Lancaster each tried to seize
power following illness of Henry VI  Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 and death of Richard III heralding the
beginning of the Tudor Age. Create a Tudor rose, showing how it incorporated both the white and the red roses
of each of the houses.
 Monasteries: life of monks during the period. Write a ‘day in the life’ for a monk showing their many activities and
good deeds. Discuss friars and their activities. Class vote: would you rather be a monk or a friar? Explain how
monks helped, through their reading and writing, to record history. Also explain how in 1476 the first English
printing press was set up in Westminster.
Suggested Extension Activities
 Pilgrimages – why were these undertaken and by whom? Tie into modern day Muslim practice of a pilgrimage to
Mecca and R.S. curriculum.
 Robin Hood. Discuss the stories surrounding Robin Hood. Explain how people became ‘outlaws’ by running
away from their manors and not returning for over a year. Create a story / cartoon based around Robin Hood.
 Look at a map with road names on, show how some of these names came from medieval times.
 Crafts: show how having a craft was of great importance during the Middle Ages and how these crafts would be
passed down a family. Show how craftsmen were encouraged to become members of guilds, to control the
quality and price of their goods. Create a list with illustrations of different crafts.
 Debate. Create class debate about an issue from the period: e.g. at the end of the period ‘who was the best king
during the Middle Ages and why?’
 Class assembly. Present information learned about the period to the school during a class assembly. Children
compile and present the content themselves, with guidance from a teacher.
 Independent research project: create a presentation for the class based around independent research from the
internet and books. E.g. fairs, plays, football and other forms of mass entertainment from the time.
Resources
I.C.T.
Various worksheets (e.g. pyramid of power sheet, examples of castles
to label, blank Tudor rose).
Activity books (e.g. Knights and Castles: 50 Hands-on Activities to
Experience the Middle Ages (Kaleidoscope Kids) by Avery Hart;
Medieval Fashions by Tom Tierney).
Display utilised to highlight specific sections from topic.
‘Cut out costumes’ sheets for different sections of society from the
Middle Ages.
A variety of timelines, for display and individual use.
Reproductions of artefacts from the Middle Ages – e.g. long bows,
model castles, armour, tapestry.
Possible trips to Corfe Castle or Porchester Castle.
Art and craft resources, e.g. patterns from the Middle Ages, tapestry
weaving materials.
DVDs: Robin Hood, Warfile: History of War - The Battle Of Agincourt,
Horrible Histories: Measly Middle Ages.
Variety of relevant topic books and big books to support topic
(e.g.Horrible Histories: Measly Middle Ages by Terry Deary; Monks and
Monasteries in the Middle Ages by Dale Anderson; How You Survive in
the Middle Ages (How Would You Survive?) by Fiona McDonald and
Fiona MacDonald; The Middle Ages – Looking at History No.2 by R.J.
Unstead; How and Why book of Castles by Tudor Edwards;
Investigating Medieval Times by Alison Honey and Anita Ganeri.
Use of structured websites e.g. :
http://www.woodlandsjunior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/bt.html
http://battle1066.com/saxpic.shtml
http://www.historyonthenet.com/Normans/n
ormansmain.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/norman
s/
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/medieva
l/clothing/index.htm
November 2009 Matthew Vernon
Puzzle & Crossword Maker / Player – using
vocabulary from topic.
Use of laptop and digital projector in order
to display images and information relating
to the topic and to show internet based
video clips / games.
Use of topic for I.C.T. work, e.g.
Powerpoint presentation about an area of
topic covered, Word processor to write
articles / stories.
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St Winifred’s School History Curriculum
Summary of Knowledge Learning Outcomes
Most pupils will have gained a general background understanding of the history of England
from 1066-1485 and will be able to provide specific information with some general
explanations of the topics covered, including information about important individuals and
stories from the period.
Some pupils will have progressed further and will be able to provide detailed descriptions
relating to the topics covered with specific explanations. They will, for example,
demonstrate an understanding of how fragile the balance of power between barons and
the king was and how this led to much unrest during the period: such as the unrest during
the reigns of Stephen and John and the quarrelling between powerful families causing the
War of the Roses.
Some pupils will have made less progress but will be able to give examples of differences
between life in the Middle Ages and life today, relating to the topics covered. They will be
able to recount the basic outline of most of the stories covered during the lessons, with
some support.
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