Teaching Medieval Britain at KS3

Medieval Britain KS3 outstanding lessons and Smart Tasks

The following Key Stage 3 outstanding history lessons for teaching Medieval Britain have all been judged to be outstanding according to OFSTED criteria. You will find a wide variety of teaching and learning activities and full lesson plans as well as a rich array of teaching resources including PowerPoint® presentations. These are not just ‘bright ideas’ : what they have in common is a clear emphasis on helping pupils to understand some of the key concepts historians use, the heartlands of school history.

When you look down the indicative content of the 7 units it looks pretty intimidating especially teaching to for just one hour a week in a 2-year KS3. So what you need to do is to go for the high ground- the idea of an Age of Faith for example covered by looking at Doom paintings in Medieval churches and reinforced through the causes and consequences of the Black Death. I try to get pupils to see the period, now extended to 1509, as a series of struggles: between king and church (Becket) King and barons (Magna Carta) and King and people (Peasants’ Revolt).