Hi there, I'm Mr. Roberts, and thanks for joining me for today's history lesson where my job will be to guide you through our history resources.

I'll be making sure that by the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to securely meet our lesson objective.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to understand ways to approach the 16-mark historic environment question.

There are four key terms which we need to make sure we're comfortable with before we start our lesson today.

Second-order concepts are ways in which questions about history are shaped.

Continuity refers to when something continues without changing.

Causation refers to why something happens or what its causes are.

And consequence refers to the results or impacts of something.

Our lesson today on how to structure your answer to the historic environment question is separated into three parts.

And the first part focuses on knowledge about the site.

Sometimes, historians look at the causes of things in Norman England, such as why William won the Battle of Hastings.

Sometimes, historians are interested in what changed or stayed the same, known as continuity, after the Norman Conquest or what happened as a consequence of events or actions.

We call these second-order concepts: change, continuity, causation, and consequence.

All historic environment questions will feature one second-order concept: change, continuity, causation, or consequence.

For example, defence was the main reason for castle building in Norman England.

How far does the study of the White Tower support this statement? The phrase "the main reason for" shows the question is about causation.

"What was the reason for" means the same as "what caused".

Next, have a go at the following multiple-choice question, which of these statements is about causation? A, the main reason for castle building in Norman England was to intimidate the local population, B, church reforms under Lanfranc had relatively little impact in Norman England, or C, the Normans kept more than they changed in government and law in England.

Pause the video while you consider which option is the correct one, and then press play when you are ready to continue.

Hello again, and well done if you selected option A, the main reason for castle building in Norman England was to intimidate the local population.

This is a statement about the causes of castle building in Norman England, or to put it another way, the reasons why the Normans embarked on a programme of castle building.

Historians do not always agree with each other about change, continuity, causation, or consequence, though.

One might argue that there was very little continuity, while another might argue that, in fact, there was very little change.

Historians certainly do not always agree about the causes or consequences of historical events or processes.

Or if they do agree about them, then they may not when it comes to their importance.

Next, I'd like you to consider the following question, which second-order concept are these two historians arguing about? The speech bubble on the left of the screen says, "In my view, Norman tactics were much less significant than Harold's basic lack of preparation.

He rushed down to Hastings without all his troops and his best troops were exhausted after a rapid march south from York." And the speech bubble on the right of the screen says, "The victory at the Battle of Hastings was because of superior Norman tactics.

The feigned retreat was crucial.

It weakened the Anglo-Saxon shield wall until the Normans could break through it." Pause the video while you work out which second-order concept these historians are arguing about and then press play for the answer to be revealed.

Welcome back, and well done if you said that these historians are arguing about the second-order concept we have been studying so far known as causation, the reasons why events occurred in the way that they did.

To be convincing, historians need to do more than just state their argument.

They need to use evidence to back up their claim, and this is the same for you.

When you answer your historic environment question, you need to use your knowledge about your historic environment site to support your points.

Here is part of an answer to a question about the main reason for castle building in Norman England.

"Defence was the most important factor for castle building in Norman England.

The White Tower was located inside the remains of the London Wall, at a strategic point on the Thames where it could defend against invasion.

It was designed for defence with huge walls up to 4.

6 metres thick in places and an entrance on the first floor.

It was part of a defence network for Norman London, including Baynard's Castle and Montfichet's Tower." Are you able to identify within this answer where the student has used their knowledge? The purple text demonstrates the detailed knowledge that has been developed by the student in their answer.

In the exam, this is information that you will need to remember so that you can deploy it in a similar manner in order to be successful.

Here's another part of a student's answer.

"Castle building in Norman England had a key administrative function.

For example, at the White Tower, one of the keeper's main duties was to collect taxes from all shipping along the Thames.

The first keeper, Geoffrey de Mandeville, was also London's Sheriff, an important administrative role in Norman England.

The king also carried out government functions and ceremonies at the White Tower." How many pieces of relevant evidence are used to support the answer here? A, one, B, two, C, three or more, or D, nothing relevant.

Pause the video while you work out the correct answer, and then press play when you're ready to continue the lesson.

Welcome back, and well done if you said that there should be three or more pieces of relevant evidence in part of an answer based on the answer here.

Now I'd like you to use your knowledge about the White Tower to add relevant detail to the table on the screen to support these arguments.

We'll need to populate the right-hand column with information that firstly, the main reason for building the White Tower was for defence, then information to support the idea that the main reasons for building the White Tower were economic or, in other words, to do with money.

And finally, we need to add relevant details to support the idea that the main reason the White Tower was built was for control purposes.

Pause the video while you complete the table using your knowledge of the White Tower and then press play when I'll reveal some suggestions for how you might have completed this table.

Welcome back.

Well done if you mentioned that the White Tower's walls were up to 4.

6 metres thick and it was built within the remains of the London Wall, supporting the idea that the main reason the White Tower was built was for defence.

Well done if you said that the White Tower's keeper was responsible for collecting taxes from all the shipping up and down the Thames, supporting the argument that the main reasons the White Tower was built were economic.

And well done if you said that the White Tower was part of a network of three castles, which both defended London and controlled its citizens, supporting the argument that the main reason the White Tower was built was for control of the surrounding area and its people.

Well done on that task.

We're now ready to move on to the second part of our lesson today, focusing on how to answer the historic environment question, but we'll be focusing on adding alternatives.

When discussing a historical topic, historians make counterarguments if they disagree with another historian's interpretation.

They add an alternative viewpoint.

You'll need to add alternatives when writing your answer to the historic environment question.

For example, a first historian will make an argument such as, "The main reason for castle building in Norman England was control.

After his coronation at Westminster in 1066, William ordered the construction of a castle in London in order to bring to heel the fickle Londoners as described by Orderic Vitalis." And after the first historian has made this argument, a second historian makes a counterargument based on their understanding, such as, "Although important, that was not the main reason.

One of William's first actions as king was to reassure Londoners that they would keep all their trading rights and privileges.

The Normans wanted money-making London to be safe from attack." Another example of historians having alternative opinions to one another might be as follows.

One historian may say that the main reason for castle building in Norman England was to intimidate and control the local population and prevent rebellions.

That is why the White Tower was built of stone to a height of 27 and a half metres, so it would dominate London's skyline.

Whereas another historian might respond, "Control was important, but other factors were also significant.

The White Tower was constructed as a royal residence: somewhere where the king could stay in comfort and carry out important ceremonies of government." Both are using their knowledge and understanding of history to make an argument based on evidence even if they do not agree.

Now, please have a go at the following multiple-choice tasks.

The Normans built castles to control trade and increase the money they took from trade.

Select the correct counterargument from the following: A, the Normans used castles as a base for administration over the area controlled by the castle, including taxation, B, Norman castles were often built close to churches or cathedrals to show that God supported their rule over England, or C, building castles decreased trade due to the destruction of buildings and markets when clearing a space for construction.

As ever, pause the video while you consider which statement provides the correct counterargument to the one at the top of the screen and then press play when you're ready for the answer to be revealed.

Welcome back, and well done if you said that the correct counterargument to the idea that Normans built castles to control trade and increase the money they took from trade is C, there is an argument to suggest that actually building castles decreased trade due to the destruction of buildings and markets when clearing a space for construction.

In the exam, the historic environment question puts forward one argument.

For example, the main reason for A was B.

You were then asked how far you agree.

Your next steps would then be, firstly, to explore the evidence to support the argument in question, how convincing is it? And then to explore one or more other arguments.

Maybe the main reason for A was actually C or D? For example, here is a question about the White Tower.

Defence was the main reason for castle building in Norman England.

How far does a study of the White Tower support this statement? Explain your answer.

What are the reasons for castle building could we consider? Well, here are some possible alternatives.

Castles were built for defence, to intimidate, to impress, to improve the economy, to control, and for administrative purposes.

Now, to make sure we are securing this information, have a go at the following.

How many of the missing alternatives can you recall? Pause the video while you complete this task, and then press play when you're ready for the answers to be revealed.

Welcome back, and well done if you remembered any of the following: for defence, to intimidate, to impress, to improve the economy, to control, and for administrative purposes.

Here's the same question again.

Defence was the main reason for castle building in Norman England.

How far does a study of the White Tower support this statement? Explain your answer.

Next, you'll see the start of a student's answer to this question.

I would like you then to continue their answer by adding alternatives.

The student writes, "Defence was certainly an important reason for castle building in Norman England because the Normans were invaded in a foreign land.

William only had around 8,000 soldiers with him in 1066 to control 2 million Anglo-Saxons, so the Normans were outnumbered and needed a way to keep themselves safe.

However, other reasons were important, too." Continue the answer by adding alternatives and you could use the starter sentences on the screen to help you.

Pause the video while you complete this task, and then press play when you're ready for a model answer.

Welcome back, and well done if your answer looked anything like this.

"Another important reason for castle building in Norman England was intimidation.

This was important for the Normans because Anglo-Saxon rebellions occurred all across England in the years following the Norman Conquest, from Exeter to York.

After the Battle of Hastings, strongly-defended London was where the Anglo-Saxon elite had chosen a new king, Edgar the Aetheling, and William had harried the area around London to force its inhabitants to submit.

Immediately after his coronation in London, he ordered the construction of a castle in order to intimidate Londoners, who he described as fickle." And you might have continued, "It was actually economic improvement, not defence, that was the main reason for castle building in Norman England because new towns sprang up around castles or existing towns grew due to the security that castles provided.

The White Tower was a centre for administration and tax collection, but it also stimulated trade because it provided security for shipping up and down the Thames.

The construction of the White Tower employed so many people that there were shortages of farm workers in the surrounding countryside and its employed servants, soldiers, craftspeople, and clergy, too." Really well done there.

With that task done, we're ready to move on to the final part of our lesson today where we'll be looking at reaching a judgement.

One approach to answering a historic environment question could look like this.

We first need to unpack the question and determine what the second-order concept is that is being addressed, then use your knowledge in addition to the questions argument, followed by discussing an alternative argument using knowledge to back up this alternative argument in addition to another alternative argument once again backed up with your knowledge.

Finally, come to a judgement at the end of your answer with an explanation of how far you agree and the main reasons why.

Now, I'd like you to have another look at this diagram, illustrating the process behind answering the historic environment question in an exam and work out which stage is missing.

Pause the video while you work this out and then press play when you're ready to continue with our lesson.

Welcome back, and well done if you identified that at the end of the process of answering the historic environment question, you come to a judgement as to how far you agree with the initial statement.

Now, let's rewind to the beginning of the process and look at unpacking the question and what that means.

Unpacking the question means identifying what judgement it is asking you to make.

If the question is as follows in the style, it may well appear in the exam.

The main change the Normans introduced to England was control of strategic locations.

How far does the study of the White Tower support this statement? Explain your answer.

You should refer to the White Tower and your contextual knowledge.

The second-order concept being addressed here is change.

The argument the question is making is that control of strategic locations was the main change in England.

Your judgement as a reminder comes at the end of the answer and is phrased in terms of how far you agree that control of strategic locations was the main change made by the Normans.

Next, make sure you remember that the statement is asking you to use what you know about the White Tower to answer the question.

So, how do we reach a quality judgement ? Firstly, consider the question's argument against what you know from your historic environment site.

Next, try to think about how far what you know supports the argument, then consider any alternative arguments, followed by asking yourself how far does what you know support the alternative arguments, and finally, use your decisions about how far to make your judgement.

Here's another historic environment-style question.

The Normans built castles in England in order to impress.

How far does the study of the White Tower support this statement? What is the judgement you are being asked to make? Please pause the video and discuss with a partner what this question is essentially asking, and then press play to continue.

Welcome back, and well done if you worked out that the question is essentially asking how far do you agree that the main reasons why Normans built castles was to impress? In order to make your argument stronger, throughout your answer, you can make what is known as a sustained judgement.

That is to say that after each step in answering the historic environment question that we discussed earlier, you can explain how far you agree in order to show that you are building to an overall judgement at the end, which is, as previously stated, sustained.

You should use your knowledge to make your judgments.

Specific historic environment knowledge is best.

Students sometimes write general answers without referring enough to their historic environment, and these are not successful answers.

Now consider the following statement.

The Normans built castles in England in order to impress.

Then consider how far does Aisha agree? Aisha says, "A really important factor in castle building was the need for the Normans to impress the Anglo-Saxon people.

Wherever possible, the Normans built their castles using existing Roman fortifications in order to suggest continuation and imply that they were the natural heirs to the Romans.

In London, the White Tower was built inside the remains of the Roman London Wall." Does Aisha, A, a hundred percent agree with the statement at the top of the screen based on her answer, B, 50% agree, or C, not agree at all? Pause the video while you come up with an answer and then press play for the correct answer to be revealed.

Welcome back, and well done if you correctly identified that based on her answer, Aisha completely or 100% agrees with the statement that the Normans built castles in England in order to impress.

She has also given reasons and knowledge in her answer to back up her assertion.

Aisha's statement is on the screen once more and now I would like you to add a judgement to Aisha's answer to show that she agrees that the Normans built castles in order to impress.

Pause the video while you do this and then press play when you're ready for some feedback in the form of a model answer.

Hello again, and well done if you managed to add on a judgement that sounds like this.

"This shows that the main reason was to impress because the Normans were very capable of building castles that could defend against any Anglo-Saxon attacks without the need for any Roman walls." Well done.

Now, please take a look at the table on the screen and complete it by adding an argument in favour of reasons why castles were built by the Normans.

Counterarguments have already been populated for you.

Pause the video while you do this and then press play for some suggestions.

Welcome back, and well done if you said that the Normans only having a limited number of soldiers and needing a secure base was a good reason to support the idea that the main reason for castle building by the Normans was for defence.

In terms of arguing that the main reason for building castles was to impress, well done if you mentioned that the White Tower was 27 and a half metres high and built within the Roman London Wall.

And finally, well done if you said that the White Tower provided security for London's river trade as evidence that the main reason Normans built so many castles was for economic improvement.

And for our final task today, I'd now like you to answer the following question, how far do you agree that the need to impress was the main reason for castle building in Norman England? Write one paragraph explaining your judgement.

Make sure your judgement is based on knowledge of the historic environment.

Pause the video while you complete this task based on your learning in our lesson today, and then press play when you're ready for some feedback in the form of a model answer, one for those of you who agree with the statement, and one for those of you who disagree with the statement.

Welcome back, and if you disagreed with the statement, well done if you managed to include any of the following.

"Although the need to impress was an important factor in castle building, it was not the main reason for the building of the White Tower.

It is true that the White Tower was built to an impressive height of 27 and a half metres, however, the key reason for this was defence.

As invaders in a foreign land and with limited numbers of troops, the Normans needed castles like the White Tower to keep them safe from Anglo-Saxon rebellions.

They also needed to protect strategic locations such as the river approach to London and London's only bridge across the River Thames, from attack by invasions by Danish or other forces.

This also explains the use of London's existing defences, the Roman London Wall, for the White Towers location." And if you agreed with the statement, well done if you included any of the following.

"The need to impress was a critical reason for the building of the White Tower.

Whilst the Normans did need to defend themselves against Anglo-Saxon aggressors, the majority of Norman castles during William I's reign were simple timber and earth constructions.

The White Tower was different.

The original motte-and-bailey castle was rebuilt in impressive stone from an early date, perhaps 1076, and at a great height of 27 and a half metres, so that it dominated the skyline of Northern London.

It made use of the Roman London Wall, linking Norman rule to that of the awe-inspiring Romans.

And the White Tower's design included tricks to increase its impressiveness, for example, a false third floor." Really well done there, and thank you for all your hard work throughout the whole of this lesson.

All that's left for us to do now, being at the endpoint in our learning here is to summarise the key learning points, and it would be great if you could remember these going forward.

Firstly, all historic environment questions will feature one second-order concept: change, continuity, causation, or consequence.

Secondly, different arguments can be made about change, continuity, causation, or consequence.

Thirdly, historians make judgments about how far they agree with an argument on the basis of evidence.

And finally, in writing answers to historic environment questions, using knowledge about the site is very important.

Thank you so much for joining me for today's lesson.

It's been a real pleasure to guide you through our learning resources, and I hope you found them helpful.

And I very much look forward to seeing you again in the future for more history lessons.