KS3 Normans - Why Did William Win the Battle of Hastings?

Lesson One:

• A starter confirming Harold’s resistance to William’s attacks and using a source to anticipate what kind of man Harold was.
• An overview of the different soldiers each side had and students use the information provided to note down the advantages of each side.
• A discussion of the battlefield at Hastings on Senlac Hill. Students label a picture of the layout with the troops on each side and the advantages of Harold’s position. They discuss what strategies both sides could use to win.
• A video is used (10 mins) that explains the events that took place with some consolidation questions.
• A final activity to do a true and false plenary.

Lesson Two:

• An introduction with a quote from Marc Morris about William’s victory being due to incredible luck - students will debate this at the end.
• An on-board animated recap of the battle with some actions and discussion questions along the way.
• Sources at the end to discuss the final moments of the battle.
• A task to colour-code the reasons why William won as luck, strategy or William himself. Students then use this to write up why William won using the on-board guidence to argue with Marc morris (that it was luck) or against (pick another factor).

Attachments:

• 1 x Powerpoint Presentation
• 3 x Word Files
• 1 x Publisher File