London before the Norman Conquest
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe London before the Norman Conquest.
Key learning points
- Roman Londinium was fortified by the London Wall, a two-mile long structure built to defend the city from invaders.
- London declined after the Romans left Britain and by the 5th century had been abandoned as a settlement.
- In 886, King Alfred the Great re-established a settlement inside the London Wall as a fortified burh.
- By the 11th century, London was again an important city due to being a centre of trade, religion and government.
- Edward the Confessor had close ties to Westminster, building Westminster Abbey there by 1065.
Keywords
Trade - the exchange of goods
Abbey - a building housing monks or nuns
Cathedral - the seat of a bishop and a very large, usually stone, building used for Christian worship
Common misconception
Romanesque buildings only began to be built in England after the Norman Conquest.
Edward the Confessor's Westminster Abbey was built in Romanesque style and completed in 1065.
Teacher tip
Westminster Abbey appears in the Bayeux Tapestry and is thought to be an accurate depiction.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which word means an army made up of mostly untrained conscripts from England’s peasant population?
Q2.Which term describes when soldiers pretend to retreat in order to lure the enemy into a more vulnerable position?
Q3.Complete the sentence: A is a military tactic where soldiers stood in a long line overlapping their shields to form a wall of shields.
Q4.Put the following events in chronological order.
Q5.Put the following events in chronological order.
Q6.The Normans' successful breaking of the Anglo-Saxons' shield wall can be described as a what?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which word means a building housing monks or nuns?
Q2.Which word describes the seat of a bishop and a very large, usually stone, building used for Christian worship?
Q3.What was the Roman name for London?
Q4.Who re-established a settlement inside the London Wall in 886?
Q5.What did Edward the Confessor establish in London in 1065?
Q6.Why did London become increasingly important in Edward the Confessor's reign?
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: London before the Norman Conquest, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: London before the Norman Conquest, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
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