Castles Topic

#TheCompleteTopic17lessons

Teaching a topic about castles? Our Year 2 Castles Non-chronological Reports English Planning Pack complements this topic pack perfectly! It contains everything you need to enable your Year 2 class to write a high-quality non-chronological report on castles with confidence.

These KS1 Castles activities provide ready-to-teach lessons across a wide range of curriculum subjects, each containing a detailed lesson plan, a slideshow presentation, differentiated activity ideas and a range of fun, colourful printable worksheets and resources. Download this KS1 Castles Topic now to help immerse your class in the fascinating world of medieval castles...and save yourself a tonne of planning time too!

A Knowledge Organiser is available to support the learning for the History lessons in this scheme. It is included in the Complete Topic download and the 'ALL History lessons in Topic' download, or it can be purchased individually.

#AllARTLessonsinTopic

If you're looking for Castle Art KS1 lessons for your Castles topic, then you've come to the right place! Download three complete Castles Art lessons which will teach your Year 1 or Year 2 class about art featuring castles. Your class will also get the chance to create their own art projects as they use what they have learned to create their own castle masterpieces.

Each of these three KS1 Castles Art lessons comes complete with a detailed lesson plan, a slideshow presentation for the teaching input, a range of differentiated activities and printable resources to support children in their learning.

#AllDTLessonsinTopic

These two Castle KS1 DT lessons are a fantastic addition to your cross-curricular castles topic. The two downloadable DT lessons will get your class thinking about the design features and intended purpose of different things. Your class will look in detail at the features of medieval tools and then they will design their own. They will also be able to design and make their own castle models.

Each of these two Castle KS1 DT lessons comes complete with a detailed lesson plan, a slideshow presentation for the teaching input, a range of differentiated activities and printable resources to support children in their learning.

#AllGEOGRAPHYLessonsinTopic

These four Castle Geography KS1 lessons are a fantastic addition to your cross-curricular castles topic. The four downloadable lessons will get your class thinking about where castles are built and why. They will think about human features and physical features that surround castles and how these features affect a castle's strength. Your class will develop their map reading skills as navigate around maps featuring castles.

Each of these four Castle Geography KS1 lessons comes complete with a detailed lesson plan, a slideshow presentation for the teaching input, a range of differentiated activities and printable resources to support children in their learning.

#AllHISTORYLessonsinTopic

This Castles History Year 1/2 planning pack is full of all the lesson plans, differentiated activity ideas, slideshow presentations and printable worksheets you need to deliver a fantastic KS1 Castles scheme of work to your KS1 class!

This Year 1/2 Castles History pack contains everything you need to teach your class what they need to know about one of the most famous battles in English history - and it's all prepared and ready for you to download and teach!

A Knowledge Organiser is available to support the learning for the History lessons in this scheme. It is included in the Complete Topic download and the 'ALL History lessons in Topic' download, or it can be purchased individually.

#AllMUSICLessonsinTopic

If you're looking for castle-themed music KS1 lessons, then you've come to the right place! Download two ready-to-teach castles music lessons that teach your children about medieval musical instruments and playing their own compositions.

Each of these Castles music lessons for KS1 comes complete with a detailed lesson plan, a slideshow presentation for the teaching input, a range of differentiated activities and printable resources to support children in their learning.

#Lesson1ArtBayeuxTapestry

The first Art lesson of the Castles topic features the Bayeux Tapestry. Your class will look in detail at the Bayeux Tapestry as they learn about how and why it was made. They will use the tapestry to create pictures using lines and blocks of colours to create their own version of the tapestry.

This Bayeux Tapestry KS1 Art lesson contains a plan, slideshow, teaching resources and activity ideas.

#Lesson2ArtCastleEngravings

During this Art lesson your class will examine castle engravings. They will explore the work of the Buck brothers, looking closely at some of their famous engravings, including Picton Castle. Then your class will develop their use of lines to create pictures as they make castle prints using foam or explore how to draw castles using a range of different pencil marks.

This lesson contains a downloadable plan, slideshow, teaching resources and activity ideas.

#Lesson3ArtWatercolourCastles

Your class will develop their use of colour when recreating watercolour castles in the style of James Paterson. They will look closely at the watercolour painting of Drumlanrig Castle, focusing on sketching their picture and mixing colours. They will be introduced to the terms 'shade' and 'tint' and be encouraged to think carefully about the colours they are using when painting.

This downloadable watercolour castles KS1 lesson contains a plan, slideshow and teaching resources.

#Lesson4DTDesigningMedievalTools

This designing medieval tools KS1 DT lesson focuses on identifying the features and purposes of a range of a medieval tools and weapons. Your class will have the option of designing a product based on a design criteria or making a catapult and then designing a way to make it easy to move it around.

This downloadable ready-to-teach lesson contains a plan, slideshow and teaching resources.

#Lesson5DTDesignandMakeaCastle

During this design and make a castle KS1 lesson your class will explore a variety of different castle features. They will look at examples of ways to make castle parts using different modelling materials. Your class will then be able to make a castle keep to meet a specific design criteria or build a whole motte and bailey castle.

This downloadable ready-to-teach lesson has detailed slides, plans and teaching resources.

#Lesson6GeographyWhyWereCastlesBuiltonHills

In the first lesson of this Geography Castles topic, your class will find out why castles were built on hills. They will think about the resources the residents of the castles needed to have nearby and how this influenced the location of the castle. Your class will become familiar with the key stage one geographical physical features vocabulary, which includes: hill, sea, river, and cliff.

This ready-to-teach lesson contains a detailed lesson plan, engaging slideshow presentation and printable teaching resources all in a downloadable pack.

#Lesson7GeographyExploringCastleLandFeatures

In this castle land features KS1 lesson your class will become familiar with the geographical vocabulary to describe physical features that castles are often close to. They will think about how these features made castles easier to defend and any problems the builders of these castles might have encountered.

This downloadable lesson contains a detailed plan, engaging slides and printable teaching resources.

#Lesson8GeographyCapitalCityCastles

In this lesson, your class will put into action their geographical skills. They will identify the UK on a world map and the countries that make up the UK. They will then go onto name and locate the capital cities of the UK. Your class will identify the land features that each capital city castle has been built on or near and begin to think about which geographical features made people decide to live near the castle site.

This downloadable ready-to-teach lesson contains a plan, slideshow presentation, teaching resources and activity ideas.

#Lesson9GeographyLetsPlanaMap

In this final Geography lesson, your class will use the compass points to move around a map they have created. They will use a simple key and look closely at aerial photos spotting land features and landmarks.

This downloadable ready-to-teach lesson contains a detailed plan, slideshow presentation and printable resources.

#Lesson10HistoryTheBattleofHastings

This first lesson begins by helping children to understand when in history the Battle of Hastings took place. Children will use a simple timeline to understand what we mean by beyond living memory.

Children will learn about historical sources including the Bayeux Tapestry and how this helps us to understand the events of the Battle of Hastings. Children will be challenged to sequence the events leading to William the Conqueror becoming King in chronological order.

This KS1 Castles History lesson pack includes a detailed plan, an informative set of slides for the teaching input and a range of printable resources.

#Lesson11HistoryFeaturesofCastles

In this lesson, children will find out about the two types of castles William the Conqueror built and his reasons for building them.

Children will first learn about the first type of castle built by the Normans, called a motte and bailey castle. Children will then see how the Normans progressed to building stone keep castles. Children will be challenged to learn the different features of each castle with real-life examples to refer to. Children will then be encouraged to make simple comparisons between the castles.

An easy-to-follow plan, an engaging slideshow, and printable resources are all included in this Castles KS1 lesson pack.

#Lesson12HistoryRolesinMedievalCastles

Following on from the previous lesson, children will learn about what life was like in a medieval castle and the roles people had whilst working there.

Children will learn about the feudal system and how this impacted people in medieval society. They will then go on to explore the different jobs people had and how important they were to the running of the castle. Children will be challenged to think about whether similar jobs still exist today and what role they would have wanted had they lived in a medieval castle.

This Castles KS1 lesson includes slides for teaching input, detailed lesson plans and printable resources

#Lesson13HistoryNormanBritainvsBritainToday

In this lesson, children will first recap what they have previously learnt about the feudal system and then explore what life was like for the poorer members of medieval society.

They will see what a medieval home might have looked like, what they may have eaten and what peasants did with their time. Children will be encouraged to make simple comparisons to their own lives.

This Castles lesson pack for KS1 includes a detailed plan, an informative set of slides for the teaching input and a range of printable resources.

#Lesson14HistoryTowerofLondonThenandNow

In this penultimate lesson of this History KS1 scheme of work, children will dive into the history of the Tower of London and how it has changed over time.

Children will be given the opportunity to see visual examples of how the Tower of London was first built and then adapted through the years. Children will learn what the Tower of London was used for then and what it is used for now, and will be challenged to make simple comparisons.

An easy-to-follow plan, an informative slideshow, and printable resources are all included in this KS1 Castles lesson pack.

#Lesson15HistoryLocalHistoryStudy

This final lesson allows children to apply the skills they have learnt through a local history study.

Your class will learn how to be 'history detectives' and will use the prompts provided to gather facts and information about history in their local area.

This final History Castles KS1 lesson pack includes everything you need - a detailed lesson plan, a set of engaging slides for the teaching input, and printable resources.

#Lesson16MusicExploringMedievalInstruments

In this first music lesson of the cross-curricular castles topic, your class will listen to medieval music and think about how the instruments are played. They will have the opportunity to play with the modern-day versions of the instruments and follow non-verbal instructions to play in unison.

This ready-to-teach medieval instruments KS1 lesson contains a plan, slideshow and engaging teaching resources all in a downloadable pack.

#Lesson17MusicComposingMusic

During this lesson your class will think about how a composed piece of music is different from the music they played in the first music lesson. They will follow a simple notation to play their instruments to a rhythm and have the opportunity to create their own pieces of composed music using the easy-to-use printable resources.

This downloadable lesson contains a plan, slideshow presentation and printable teaching resources.

Free Overview (Medium-Term Plan)

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Free Assessment Grid

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Curriculum Objectives covered

• to use a range of materials creatively to design and make products
• to use drawing to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination
• to use painting to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination
• to develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space
• about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work.

• design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on design criteria
• generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate, information and communication technology.
• select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing]
• select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their characteristics
• explore and evaluate a range of existing products
• evaluate their ideas and products against design criteria

• name and locate the world's seven continents and five oceans.
• name, locate and identify characteristics of the four countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding seas.
• use basic geographical vocabulary to refer to key physical features, including: beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, ocean, river, soil, valley, vegetation, season and weather.
• use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United Kingdom and its countries, as well as the countries, continents and oceans studied at this key stage
• use simple compass directions (North, South, East and West) and locational and directional language [for example, near and far; left and right], to describe the location of features and routes on a map
• use aerial photographs and plan perspectives to recognise landmarks and basic human and physical features; devise a simple map; and use and construct basic symbols in a key

• events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally [for example, the Great Fire of London, the first aeroplane flight or events commemorated through festivals or anniversaries]
• the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements. Some should be used to compare aspects of life in different periods
• significant historical events, people and places in their own locality