Pupils design a two-sided paper plate on which they record the arguments used in the debate about the ‘Darkness’ of Saxon Britain. On one side they show the enlightened side of Saxon society. On the other, covered in black paper to represent the Dark side they record reasons why the Saxons might be perceived in this way.
Initially pupils generate their own ideas, drawing on their growing knowledge from the previous six enquiries, then they are shown a set of visual clues before completing a spectrum activity using pre-prepared ideas. When creating their final product, pupils show their own judgement by recording their ideas in captions/textboxes, the size of which reflects the significance of the argument.
Just how dark were the Dark Ages, really? Anglo Saxons Key Question 7
Learning objectives
- Pupils are able to recall at least 3 reasons for claiming that Saxon times were Dark Ages and 3 arguments against ;
- they can use their prior knowledge to predict what these ideas might be, by responding to visual stimuli;
- pupils are able to make and sustain judgements about the relative importance of the arguments provided.
Step 1
Show slide 2. The shaded circle represents the range of views
