KS3 Medieval - Were Pilgrimages Holy or Holidays?

This lesson contains:

• A starter to make students consider atonement and how we try to make up for things. This leads nicely on to today’s discussion of pilgrimages.
• A series of on-board slides that go through the reasons that people went on pilgrimages. Students use the 4 characters on the worksheet to summarise, in their own words, the reasons people gave for going on them. A video then follows from YouTube to help visualise what the pilgrims may have seen when they finally got their destination.
• An activity to consider whether religion was always in people’s minds. Students study a series of sources and give examples where religion was at the heart of it, and perhaps when other things were on pilgrim’s minds, like adventure or meeting a companion.
• An overview of the importance of Jerusalem and why people might go that far on a pilgrimage. The on-board info has images and maps to help visualise. Students then complete an independent guided reading with questions on the worksheet about a typical journey to Jerusalem. Students observe what some of the positives and dangers of such a trip might have been.
• A plenary to consider whether pilgrimages were holy or holidays, answering the enquiry question.

Attachments:

• 1 x Powerpoint Presentation
• 3 x Publisher Files