Year 7 Castle Enquiry

[Chris Beach Participant]

 

Would like to set up an enquiry for my year 7 students about stone castles.  Students will have a lesson about the motte and baileys beforehand.  I want students to take away from the enquiry that features of a stone castle, how and why they were superior to motte and bailey castles.

I have an idea of an enquiry question – Why did the Normans start building stone castles when motte and bailey were cheaper and easier to build?

Any feedback or advice for anyoneHis who has done a similar enquiry?

[Darryl Toerien Keymaster]

Hello, Chris, and welcome.

Just on my way back from Guernsey – I’m very pleased to have met you.

How soon do you intend to start, and how long to do you plan to spend on the inquiry?

[Chris Beach Participant]

Hi Darryl

As it is part of our curriculum anyway, looking to start it just after Christmas.  Once the question wording is right, everything else should fit into place (resources etc), as it is simply an update to a piece of work we already set the students.  It would probably last about 2-3 weeks (we only see students twice a week for History).

[Elizabeth Hutchinson Participant]

Chris, are you going to use a FOSIL workbook to guide this inquiry? Adapting the Alfred the Great one could work or do you have something created already that the FOSIL framework can be added to?

[Chris Beach Participant]

I plan on using a FOSIL workbook.  Will take a look at the A G workbook to see how they have set it out.  I like the stepped approach of the FOSIL workbook rather than straight into it. Curating resources shouldn’t be a major issue – use QR codes for variety of websites/videos and plenty of books and articles covering the subject.

 

[Elizabeth Hutchinson Participant]

Brilliant! Make sure you share what you create 🙂 I hope you get some good feedback on your question although I did wonder if something like this would work

Motte and Bailey or Stone? If you were responsible for building a Norman castle which would you choose and why?

As a castle designer/builder, in the Norman times what advice would you give the King on his new castle?

[Chris Beach Participant]

I like those, especially the last one.  I was thinking my question was quite long winded.  To put their plan to the king/baron, they could look at various castle design features across a number of Norman castles, identify the similarities (the must-haves) and the differences (the added extras but limited) to design their own, after consideration of the pros and cons?

[Elizabeth Hutchinson Participant]

Glad you like them! Sounds like the second one could work with what you need… Keep us posted!

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