Norman Aftermath Changes

Overview

In this fifth lesson of the “1066: The Norman Conquest” unit, students will investigate how William’s victory reshaped England. They will sort evidence into social, political, and economic changes and judge which area changed most.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• explain how Norman rule altered power and government in England after 1066
• identify key social changes linked to new Norman elites and landholding
• describe economic impacts using examples such as land, taxation, and agriculture
• categorise changes into social, political, and economic groups and support choices with evidence

Success criteria

Students can:

• I can match changes to the correct category: social, political, or economic
• I can give at least two examples of change after the Conquest
• I can explain why William’s victory led to those changes
• I can use evidence from the worksheets to justify the category I chose

Curriculum links

• History KS3: development of Church, state and society in Medieval Britain 1066–1509
• History KS3: consolidating and extending chronological knowledge from before 1066 through study over time
• Study skills for KS3 history: using evidence to explain and organise historical information

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Starter: “What changed first?” Teacher displays three headings (social, political, economic) and asks: “Which change would you notice most in daily life soon after 1066—social, political, or economic?” Students do a quick write and then share one reason.

2. 5–15 min · Direct teach: Norman control after 1066 Teacher presents a short PowerPoint summary focusing on: the replacement of elites, new governance, and shifts in land and obligations. Students complete a “key idea” note-catcher: two facts under each heading.

3. 15–35 min · Group activity: Categorise the changes Teacher hands out structured worksheets with 12–15 change statements (some more political, some social, some economic) plus a blank sorting table. Students, in groups of 3–4, cut or highlight statements, then place each into one category and add a short evidence justification (one sentence per statement). Teacher circulates, prompting: “What evidence makes you choose that category?”

4. 35–41 min · Class check: “Most changed?” Teacher leads a whole-class consolidation: each group selects their strongest two changes and argues whether political, social, or economic change was biggest. Students vote and discuss for 1 minute per group, using their worksheet justifications.

5. 41–45 min · Exit ticket: judge and explain Teacher gives an exit ticket with two prompts:

• “Name one political change and explain why it happened.”
• “Choose one social or economic change and explain how it affected people.” Students complete independently for assessment.

Resources

• PowerPoint slides on Norman rule changes after 1066
• Student worksheet: change statements + sorting table (social/political/economic)
• Worksheet note-catcher (two facts per category)
• Coloured pencils or highlighters for categorising
• Teacher copy of the answers/model justifications
• Exit ticket sheets
• Timers for group task and discussion

Assessment

• Teacher formative checks during circulation: whether students justify categorisation with specific evidence from the worksheet
• Whole-class discussion: quality of reasoning during “Most changed?” voting
• Exit ticket: accuracy of category matching and ability to link cause (William’s victory) to effect (change)

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters for justification (e.g., “This is political because…”, “It changed society by…”); offer a partially completed model table for one group if needed
• Support for literacy: include a word bank on the worksheet (e.g., “land”, “lords”, “authority”, “tax”, “law”) and short definitions
• Extension: challenge students to spot ambiguous statements and explain an “alternative category” they considered before deciding
• SEN/EAL: allow audio rehearsal for exit ticket responses; use visual icons for each category to reduce cognitive load; group roles (reader, sorter, writer, checker) to scaffold participation