Teaching notes and ideas
Name of resource:
Medieval Towns
Age group(s)
Subject(s)
8 to11, 12 to 14
History
Topic
Language Level
Medieval towns
Beginner / Intermediate
EAL Nexus
Description of resource
 A set of worksheets to complement the topic of medieval towns:
o comparing medieval town and modern towns/cities in Britain
o comparing medieval houses
o comparing lives of rich and poor people in the middle ages
 A set of images of key words for this topic
Preparation needed
You will need:
 Printed copies of all worksheets for your EAL learners
 Access to Google translate or a bilingual dictionary if used in class.
You will need to:
 Print out copies of all worksheets
 Make flashcards of the key words. These materials are supplied as a
PowerPoint file so the cards can easily be printed out at whichever size is
preferred. Printing cards out as 2-to-a page handouts is recommended but
smaller cards can be made if preferred by printing out as 6-to-a page handouts.
Curriculum objectives
 To learn about medieval towns and houses
 To compare the lives of rich and poor people in medieval times
 To compare medieval life with modern life
Language / literacy objectives
Functions
Structures
 Comparing
 comparative adjectives (adjectives + -er and
more +adjective)
This project and its actions were made possible due to co-financing by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals
© British Council 2014
EAL Nexus
 larger than / smaller than
 …but …
 … and … both …
 Describing
 Simple past tense
Vocabulary
 General: medieval, period, village, town, city, country, settlement, to
represent, Tudor, modern.
 Describing houses: dark, smoky, wattle and daub, mud, brick, stone, sticks,
straw, twigs, wood, timber, half-timbered, house, cottage, woven, oven, roof,
slates, window, chimneys, castle.
 Describing towns / cities: running water, sewage, busy roads, horse and cart,
toilets and bathrooms, market, streets, noisy, church, shops, cars, buses,
growing food.
 People: Lord of the Manor, lady, nobleman, landowner, peasant, rich, poor,
servant, freeman.
 Comparative adjectives: larger, smaller, harder, stronger, cheaper, lighter,
smokier, cleaner, darker, noisier, smokier, harder.
 Adjectives +more: modern, beautiful, dangerous, difficult, powerful,
powerless.
 Verbs: to exist, to spread, to work, to work for, to share, to own, to live, to
find, to sell,
This resource could be used:
 whole class (If learners are all EAL learners)
 as differentiation within class
 one to one or small group
Ideas for using the resource
What to do
 Learners can read the passage on ‘Houses in the Medieval Period’ in pairs or
with support from a TA. Encourage learners to highlight or underline words or
phrases they do not understand in the text and write notes and translations on
the sheet. Unfamiliar words can be explained by using the flashcards and with
the help of a bilingual dictionary or translation software.
This project and its actions were made possible due to co-financing by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals
© British Council 2014
EAL Nexus
 EAL learners can work in pairs to make sentences using the substitution table.
This should be done orally first, then in writing.
 The comparing a medieval town with a modern city task can be done as a
collaborative activity to encourage exploratory talk. EAL learners can be paired
with supportive peers who can provide a good model of English.
 The rest of the comparing towns and cities worksheet focuses on comparative
adjectives. An answer sheet is provided for the completing the table activity so
that learners can check their own work. Answers have not been provided for
the other activities because they are more open and a range of correct answers
are possible. These are intended to be collaborative activities with learners
working in pairs, but could equally be done as homework tasks.
 The worksheet on comparing rich and poor people in medieval times could
either be done as a collaborative activity to encourage exploratory talk, or as
independent learning. An answer sheet is provided for the completing the table
activity so that learners can check their own work. If you have more than one
EAL learner, you could pair them up or put them in a group to check their work
together.
Other ideas for making the best use of this resource
 Two sets of the flashcards could be printed out and used as a pairs game (also
known as Pelmanism). Both sets of cards should be placed face down on a desk
/ table. The learner needs to pronounce the word(s) on the cards correctly after
finding the pair in order to win the pair. The winner is the student who has the
most pairs. An alternative version / extension of this game is for the learner to
have to spell the word(s) correctly in order to win the pair.
Possible extension activities
 Groups of learners could do a hot seating activity where one learner takes on the
role of a peasant farmer in medieval times and the others ask them questions
about their lives. This could take the form of a TV interview, or an interview for a
magazine which could lead to a piece of extended writing in the form of a play
script or magazine article.
 Learners could expand the table of comparative adjectives in their books, and
think of examples they already know.
 Learners could write a paragraph comparing a modern house / home (their house
if they like) with a medieval house, either a castle or a peasant’s house.
This project and its actions were made possible due to co-financing by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals
© British Council 2014