This activity uses the idea of the Mantle of the Expert to engage children in a serious, real-life task.
A very wealthy American has just bought a ruined English castle. He wants to bring it back to how it was 700, yes 700 years ago! But the Americans don’t have castles in their country, so he has employed a company called Ruined Castles Ltd to bring it back to life.
The children are employees of that company and have to take responsibility not only for restoring the building but also deciding what entertainment needs to be laid on for the millionaire’s guests when they arrive to attend the castle’s grand opening – medieval style!
Learning objectives
- children grasp that castles exist today but have a different function
- they understand that most castles have not been used as castles for hundreds of years
- they work cooperatively to work out the uses of individual rooms in a medieval castle
- they imaginatively create a series of entertainments authentic to the time, drawing on other subject areas e.g. dance, drama, technology and music
Step 1
Start with a slow reveal of a drawbridge about to show a glimpse of the inside of a medieval
