Role Play Overview of the relationship between Church and State

I use this activity in Year 7 to help students to understand the relationship between church and state. Christianity is what I think of as the ‘big idea’ for Year 7 studies, and is the context within which most of the medieval period can be understood. I think it is important for students to be able to comprehend the political nature of the church in this period, and the symbiotic relationship between spiritual and secular powers. So this is one of the first activities I do in Year 7. Of course, it can be done in Year 8 before studying the Henrician Reformation instead, but if done in Year 7 students still remember it in Year 8. Having the photographic record also helps students’ recall.