Fantasy worlds are especially great for inspiring and supporting a range of specific learning areas, like aiding spelling and vocabulary for Literacy aims, or helping children take an imaginative approach to tasks for Expressive Arts and Design or Tech. In 1070, William the Conqueror started to build Britain's first stone castle - the Tower of London.

I think the title ‘’ Knights and Castles ‘’ is a good title because it summarizes the content of the book to a large extent. Fatima: So I've seen lots of castles in books and on the Internet, but it will be great to know a bit more about what makes a castle, a castle.

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Another St George and the dragon activity this time a DIY St George and the Dragon felt board from Royal Baloo to explore the story with. Windsor Castle is England's largest castle. It was originally built out of wood by William the Conqueror between 1070 and 1086. Castles are fortified structures which traditionally housed royalty and nobility. Although there is some debate over what makes a building qualify as a castle, it is typically agreed upon that it must have once served as a private residence for either a Lord, Lady or noble.

After watching the video the teacher could use this as a role-play / story-telling activity. Pupils can recreate what they saw in the video and perform their retellings for the class.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. During the time when the motte and baileys were being built, powerful noblemen were constructing the Norman great towers.

Sally: Yes, the armour was very heavy and very important, as it helped protect the knights from swords and arrows. It was made of two layers: chainmail - which is armour made of lots of metal hoops linked together - was often placed in areas that needed to move easily. Over the chain mail they had more armour made of sheets of metal to protect the really important places, like a helmet to protect their heads and a breastplate to protect their chest. Planning lessons for your upcoming castles topic? Struggling for inspiration, or just don't have the time? The gradual demise of the Crusades, the disastrous defeats of knightly armies by foot soldiers and bowmen, the development of artillery, the steady erosion of feudalism by the royal power in favour of centralized monarchy—all these factors spelled the disintegration of traditional knighthood in the 14th and 15th centuries. Knighthood lost its martial purpose and, by the 16th century, had been reduced to an honorific status that sovereigns could bestow as they pleased. It became a fashion of modish elegance for the sophisticated nobles of a prince’s entourage.This video lends itself well for pupils designing, and / or building, their own castle and then presenting it. During the Middle Ages, there were three main types of solders, foot soldiers, archers and knights. Knights were heavily armoured and rode on horses. During the video, the teacher can stop and ask pupils to think about what they would do in each circumstance.

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 KS1 Beneath the nobles were the knights. They also owned some land, given to them by the nobles and so they had to do what the nobles told them, including fighting for them. At the very bottom were the ordinary people, peasants . A medieval castle had two purposes: it was both a fortification and the home of a lord. The first castles were just earthwork enclosures. As knighthood evolved, a Christian ideal of knightly behaviour and chivalry came to be accepted, involving respect for the church, protection of the poor and the weak, loyalty to one’s feudal or military superiors, and preservation of personal honour.

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Moats: Extra protection for castles. Water was channeled into the moats, while other moats were filled with rainfall.