1. Key Stage 3 Norman Conquest of England- England Before 1066

This is the first lesson in the Norman Conquest series of lessons, which explore how William the Conqueror was able to take control of England. This lesson aims to allow students to begin to explore why it is important for them to learn about the Norman Conquest, a theme that will run throughout the series of lessons. However, its primary aim is to give students an understanding of what England was like before 1066 and more specifically, learn about the Anglo-Saxons using primary sources.

This resource is a power point including the full lesson and all resources needed. It includes:

• A topic title slide with a trivia question to get students thinking while they write the title
• a short activity to introduce students to the reasons why it is important for them to learn about the Norman Conquest
• A title slide with a brainteaser linking Halley’s comet to the topic
• clear smart differentiated learning objectives
• starter- think, pair, share: students are asked to consider how England would look in 1066- what they would see and the differences to the present day.
• Activity 1- working as pairs, students must put the cards into the correct chronological order from earliest to latest. Answers are displayed on the board for students to check.
• Activity 2- students study and analyze two sources to describe the Saxon invasion of England and also explain what they can learn about Anglo-Saxon society.
• Activity 3- students study and analyze 3 sources from the Sutton Hoo burial to explain what they can learn about the Anglo-Saxons and what more they would like to know.
• Plenary- students share what they have learned with the person next to them
• Homework. students choose one of the 3 objects from the sources and then write a creative story about it.