Upton by Chester High School History Department

Year 7 Homework Project

Name: …………………………………………………. Teacher: ………………………………………………

Castles formed an essential part of medieval life. They provided communities with protection, they were lived in and they became more complicated and sophisticated over time.

You have to complete a number of tasks focusing on how medieval castles developed over time. You will concentrate on the way that the castles were built, how they were defended and the weapons and techniques that were used to attack them.

You have a term to complete the project and there are seven sections, so you should aim to complete one section a fortnight. YOUR WORK WILL BE REVIEWED AT ½ TERM

You should spend between 30 minutes and 1 hour on this project a fortnight.

The deadline for all work to be handed in is ______

You may use the internet to help you but I would also like you to use the school library and your local library to do book based research as well

The following two websites have information that may help you with the different tasks: http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/middle-ages-castles.htm (follow the links to the different types of as you scroll down the page). http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk/castlessection.htm (follow the links at the bottom of the page)

Fortnight 1: Motte and Castles

Use books and the internet to research information about motte and bailey castles and complete the following activities.

1) You need to draw a picture of a motte and bailey castle, colour it in and label it. On the diagram, you need to show the different parts of the castle and what they were used for. This should be done on an A4 size piece of paper.

2) On a piece of lined paper, put the title ‘Advantages and disadvantages of a motte and bailey castle’ Underneath this, you need to draw a table and list as many advantages and disadvantages of motte and bailey castles that you can find or think of. I have given you one to start you off:

Advantages Disadvantages Made of wood so cheap to build

3) You should then write between 1 and 3 paragraphs describing how you would attack a motte and bailey castle. You can use own your ideas as well as any ideas that you have researched.

4) Finally, write at least one paragraph suggesting some improvements you could make to a motte and bailey castle to make it stronger and more difficult to attack.

The following websites may help you: http://www.historyonthenet.com/Lessons/attackdefendcastle/motteba iley.htm http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk/gcse/castles/motteandbaileycastles. htm

Fortnight 2: Stone Castles

This week you are going to complete a similar set of activities on the Stone keep castle.

1) You need to draw a diagram of a stone keep castle, colour it in and label it. On the diagram, you need to show the different parts of the castle and what they were used for. Include as much detail as you can about the features that were designed to help defend the castle. This should be done on an A4 size piece of paper.

2) Describe the major advantages of stone keep castles over motte and bailey castles.

3) Put the title ‘Attacking a stone keep castle’

Under the title, you need to write out the examples given below and write a definition to explain each one. You should also try to draw or print to show at least some of them. Finally you should try to add other ways of attacking castles that you find out.

Mining the walls Battering Ram Scaling Ladder Seige Trebuchet Catapult Fire arrows

The following websites may help you: http://www.castles.me.uk/norman-medieval-stone-castles.htm http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk/gcse/castles/stonekeepcastles.htm http://www.historyonthenet.com/Lessons/attackdefendcastle/stoneke ep.htm http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/trebuchet/race.html

Fortnight 3: Concentric Castles

1) Firstly you need to research and find out what a concentric castle was and what it looked like. You then need to draw and label a concentric castle, showing as many of the ways of defending your castle that you can find. This drawing can be done from a top down view or from a side view.

2) You should then write one to three paragraphs doing the following: a) describe what a concentric castle looked like; b) explain why they were developed; c) explain why a concentric castle was much easier to defend.

3) Your last task this week is to research a real castle (it can be any type of castle) from Britain that was build between 1066 and 1400. You are going to make a model of this castle, so choose one that you think you will be able to do. You will need to find pictures of it, draw a plan of the castle and collect as many different pictures of it as you can.

The following websites may help you: http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk/concentriccastles.htm http://www.historyonthenet.com/Lessons/attackdefendcastle/concent ric.htm

Fortnights 4 and 5: Making a model castle

You are now going to make a model of the castle that you researched as your last task for week 3. You must aim to make it as historically accurate as possible, so use your plan and pictures to help you. You can make it out of whatever you want- wood, cardboard, paper etc.

If you feel that you next some extra help, then use the websites below to get some great ideas and plans to help you. http://www.buildmodelcastles.com/html/castles.html http://www.yourchildlearns.com/castle.htm http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Motte-and-Bailey-Castle http://artsedge.kennedy- center.org/content/3701/3701_castlescorners_motte.pdf

Fortnight 6: Planning a castle attack

You are now going to use the information you have learnt about castles to plan an attack of a castle.

Over the page, you will find the plan of a castle which you have to attack.

Your task this fortnight is to plan how you will attack the castle. Think about: 1) What weapons you will use and explain how you will use them 2) What other equipment you will use 3) The positions and movements of your soldiers

You then need to formulate a ten point plan explaining how you and your men will attack the castle and get inside it.

You then need to design a presentation eg. a poster etc showing your plan and how it would work

Fortnight 7: Putting it all together Fill in the evaluation sheet for your project

Put your project together, complete with a front cover and all the written and drawn work, along with your model castle and presentation on attacking a castle.

Evaluation: Look back through your work and answer the following questions.

1) Which task do you think is your best piece of work and why?

2) Which task did you most enjoy doing and why?

3) Briefly explain about at least three things that you have learnt from this project.

4) Look through your work. Briefly write about two or three things that you could do to make your work better next time.

Historical Steps

Key Strands: Historical Enquiry Change and Continuity Communicating about the Past

Steps Success Criteria 8  I can evaluate if/or at which point an event/change became inevitable  I can evaluate the answers to different historical questions through independent research and I can consider the accuracy of the information I find and given reasons for this  I can write in continuous prose, using excellent punctuation, spelling, grammar and paragraphs 7  I can analyse examples of rate of change and/or continuity across several chosen time periods to consider the impact of change in depth  I can analyse the answers to different historical questions through independent research and I can consider the accuracy of the information I find  I can write in continuous prose, using good punctuation, spelling, grammar and paragraphs  I can explain examples of change and consider the significance of 6 change/continuity across chosen time periods in detail  I can explain different answers to historical questions through independent research and I am beginning to consider the accuracy of the information I find  I can write in continuous prose, using some good punctuation, spelling, grammar and paragraphs  I can describe examples of change and continuity within given time 5 periods/across different time period  I can describe answers to mainly structured historical questions through independent research  I can mainly write in full sentences, using punctuation, spelling, grammar and paragraphs  I can identify and begin to describe examples of change & continuity 4 across given time periods  I can identify and begin to describe different answers to structured historical questions through research  I have started to write in full sentences, using some punctuation, spelling, grammar and paragraphs.  I can identify change & continuity across a given time period 3  With support, I can identify answers to structured questions through research  With support, I can write in full sentences, beginning to use some punctuation, spelling and grammar