Overview — I will not accept vague effort
You are 14. You will study the medieval world after 1066 for 12 months with daily discipline. This plan follows ACARA v9 Years 7–10 History expectations (the medieval world and Australia c.476–c.1600): knowledge and understanding of people, societies and historical developments; historical inquiry and skills (chronology, sources, perspectives, explanations, continuity and change). We will build evidence‑based historical argument, primary source literacy, and comparative judgement.
Core Skills & ACARA alignment
By the end of the 12 months you must demonstrate:
- Chronological reasoning: accurate timelines and cause/effect chains for post‑1066 England, Normandy, the Plantagenets, Crusades, Black Death, late medieval culture.
- Source analysis: evaluate origin, purpose, content and reliability of primary and secondary sources (manuscripts, chronicles, archaeological reports, Time Team episodes).
- Historical empathy and explanation: explain multiple perspectives (lords, peasants, clergy, women, outsiders) and offer evidence‑based explanations for change and continuity.
- Communicating history: structured essays, oral presentations, creative reconstructions (manuscript, map, model castle) with correct referencing and rhetorical skill (use Corbett’s rhetoric techniques).
Weekly Cadence — rigid, measurable
Minimum weekly commitment (outside tests/projects): 4 sessions × 60–90 minutes = 4–6 hours. Add one 2–3 hour project or reading block each fortnight. Homework every week: source analysis (1), vocabulary (MCT vocabulary), and short writing (300–600 words).
Month‑by‑Month Plan (12 months)
Months 1–2: Foundations, 1066 and Norman England
Focus: Battle of Hastings, feudalism, Domesday Book, Norman governance and castle‑building.
- Outcomes: Explain 1066 causes and consequences; read and analyse Domesday extracts; build a timeline from 1000–1150.
- Activities: Read DK History of Britain & Ireland sections; Time Team '1066 The Lost Battlefield' and 'Hunting King Harold' — write a source critique. Read selected extracts from H. E. Marshall Kings & Things. Create a map of Norman landholdings using primary data.
- Assessment: 800‑word essay — 'How did Norman institutions change English society?' Graded for argument, evidence and sources.
Month 3: Castles, Warfare and Architecture
Focus: Motte‑and‑bailey to stone keeps; social function of castles.
- Outcomes: Identify castle types, defensive features and social roles; connect architecture to power.
- Activities: Study Alan Lee & David Day Castles. Build a measured model or digital plan; short presentation explaining defensive features and domestic spaces.
- Assessment: Annotated model with a 500‑word explanatory pamphlet.
Month 4: Medieval Society & Economy
Focus: Feudal relationships, manor economy, towns and guilds, peasant life.
- Outcomes: Explain economic change and the daily life of different social groups; use Domesday and manor court records as sources.
- Activities: Read sections from DK and H. E. Marshall. Source analysis worksheets comparing elite and peasant perspectives. Create a living budget for a peasant household.
- Assessment: Comparative source portfolio and short in‑class test on terms and concepts.
Month 5: Religion, Church and Culture
Focus: Monasticism, the parish church, the role of the clergy, pilgrimage and relics.
- Outcomes: Evaluate church power and cultural influence; explain the interplay between religion and politics (e.g. investiture, papal influence).
- Activities: Read selected chapters from Marshall and excerpts about clergy. Visit (or virtual tour) of a medieval church; replicate a liturgical calendar.
- Assessment: 700‑word source driven essay on a conflict involving the church and crown (use primary chronicles).
Month 6: Literature and Myth — Arthurian Tradition
Focus: Arthurian legends (The Mabinogion, Marie de France, later medieval romance) and their social meaning.
- Outcomes: Read and analyse chosen lays and Mabinogion tales; explain the role of myth in identity and rulership.
- Activities: Read Lady Charlotte Guest The Mabinogion selections, Marie de France lays, and Ashe’s Camelot and the Vision of Albion. Compare medieval and modern retellings (Nicolas Cauchy picture retellings for accessibility). Practice rhetoric: prepare a persuasive speech defending or attacking chivalric values using Corbett’s classical rhetoric techniques.
- Assessment: Oral debate + 500‑word reflective piece on how Arthurian legend shaped medieval ideas of kingship.
Month 7: Crusades and Contact with the East
Focus: Causes, course and consequences of the Crusades; trade, cultural exchange and conflict.
- Outcomes: Explain reasons for crusading, outcomes for Europe and the Near East, and shifts in trade.
- Activities: Use secondary readings from DK and selected primary chronicles; map trade routes; short research project on a crusader figure or a mercantile city (e.g. Venice).
- Assessment: Source‑based essay and a comparative chart of perspectives (European, Muslim, Byzantine).
Month 8: Late Medieval Intellectual Life — Alchemy, Learning and Theatre
Focus: Rise of universities, alchemy, medieval theatre and performance traditions.
- Outcomes: Summarise the rise of scholarly institutions and the role of proto‑scientific inquiry; explain lay and clerical uses of theatre.
- Activities: Read Jonathan Hughes The Rise of Alchemy; Joseph Tusiani’s adaptation of Dante for context; William Gladstone’s History of the Theatre readings. Practical activity: script and enact a short medieval morality play excerpt.
- Assessment: Short research poster on alchemy’s aims and its social patrons; performance graded on historical accuracy and rhetorical delivery.
Month 9: Black Death and Demographic Crisis
Focus: Black Death causes, social and economic impacts, short‑ and long‑term consequences.
- Outcomes: Explain mortality, labour shifts, social unrest (e.g. revolts), and cultural responses.
- Activities: Read late medieval accounts and secondary analysis (Curated readings in The Curious Historian 3B and DK). Data exercise: make demographic models and graphs; connect to Plantagenet responses.
- Assessment: 1000‑word structured essay: 'To what extent did the Black Death transform medieval society?' Use at least three primary/secondary sources.
Month 10: Late Middle Ages — Power, Law and the Rise of Nation States
Focus: Hundred Years’ War, changes in monarchy, law and identity, Joan of Arc and civic religion.
- Outcomes: Analyse causes and effects of the Hundred Years’ War; assess Joan of Arc sources and propaganda.
- Activities: Read Mark Twain’s Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc and relevant DK chapters. Read Hella Haasse In a Dark Wood Wandering (novel) for empathetic understanding. Produce a comparative source analysis: chronicles vs later romanticised accounts.
- Assessment: Source analysis portfolio and 900‑word argument: 'Was Joan of Arc a religious visionary or a political instrument?'
Month 11: Material Culture, Landscape and the Environment
Focus: Gardens, landscape design, material objects, and wildlife in medieval life.
- Outcomes: Explain relationships between people and environment; link material culture to status and belief.
- Activities: Read Elizabeth Boults Chip Sullivan chapter on landscape design and Paolo Roversi On Birds for visual studies. Create a period garden plan or illustrated catalogue of medieval material culture. Use Raven Lite for studying birds if doing a field component on medieval ecology.
- Assessment: Curated exhibition (physical or digital) with catalogue entries and historical captions.
Month 12: Synthesis, Exhibition and Final Assessment
Focus: Consolidation, comparative themes, and summative assessments.
- Outcomes: Demonstrate mastery in chronology, source use, argument and communication. Produce a final project showing integrated knowledge.
- Activities: Final major project choice (7500–10,000 words equivalent or combination of written + creative + oral): options include a research thesis on 'The Transformation of Authority in England 1066–1500', a curated museum exhibit with primary source reproductions, or a multi‑media documentary incorporating Time Team footage, maps and readings from the provided resources. Present to an audience (parents/peer panel) using rhetorical skills from Corbett and Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student.
- Assessment: Comprehensive rubric: argumentation (30%), sources and evidence (30%), historical skill (chronology, causation, change/continuity) (20%), communication and presentation (20%).
Cross‑Curricular Integration (use these resources deliberately)
- English / Literature: Lady Charlotte Guest The Mabinogion; Marie de France lays; Michael Clay Thompson literature and vocabulary program for rigorous written expression.
- Rhetoric & Writing: Edward P. J. Corbett to structure essays and speeches; regular timed essays to train precision.
- Art & Design: Landscape design text, Paolo Roversi photography, construct models, illuminated manuscript reproductions.
- Music: Discipline and timing from Hanon‑Faber piano exercises and Vamoosh violin — build focus and steady practice habits that transfer to study discipline.
- Science: Jonathan Hughes on alchemy, Theodore Gray Reactions for chemistry curiosity, and environmental study using Raven Lite for natural history connections.
Assessment Schedule — no surprises
Formative weekly: source sheet + vocabulary quiz. Monthly: short timed essay or project checkpoint. Termly summative: extended essay or model/exhibit. Final: major project and 60–90 minute written exam covering chronology, source analysis and essay.
Teacher / Parent Expectations — strict but supportive
I will expect:
- Consistent attendance and on‑time submission. Late work accepted only with prior arrangement and penalty.
- Careful source citation. Use primary source excerpts and correctly attribute secondary works from the provided reading list.
- Daily practice of writing and a weekly sustained reading block (45–90 minutes) from the core texts.
Assessment Rubrics (short form)
Argument & Analysis (30%): Clear thesis, structured reasoning, linked evidence. Sources (30%): Variety, provenance, evaluation. Historical Skills (20%): Chronology, causation, perspectives. Communication (20%): Clarity, style, rhetoric, correct referencing.
Sample 2‑Week Micro‑Schedule (repeatable pattern)
Week A: Two focused source sessions (60–90 min), one creative/project session (90 min), one reading + vocabulary session (60 min). Week B: One timed essay (60 min), one skills workshop (map/timeline/model) (90 min), one reading + rhetoric practice (60–90 min), plus project time. Weekly homework: source worksheet, vocab list, 300–600 word piece.
Suggested checkpoints & evidence collection
- Compile a digital portfolio: monthly source sheets, essays, photographs of models/exhibits, recorded oral presentations.
- Maintain a running timeline file with annotated sources and citations.
- Termly oral viva with five prepared questions and one unexpected source to analyse live.
Why this will work — because discipline + resources = mastery
We combine rigorous primary source work, sustained reading of literary and historical texts, creative reconstruction and clear rhetorical training. The provided resources (Time Team episodes, Arthurian collections, DK reference, The Curious Historian 3B, Corbett rhetoric, and cross‑disciplinary materials) are chosen to build both knowledge and historical habit. You will read, write, argue and present. You will not accept weak evidence or sloppy chronology. You will produce work that can be defended in front of adults and peers.
Next steps (first week)
- Set up your digital portfolio folder and timeline file.
- Read the DK overview of Britain and the Time Team 1066 episode. Write a 400‑word reflection with three questions you will answer by Month 2.
- Complete a Domesday source worksheet (I will provide the template) and submit by Day 7.
Begin immediately. No excuses. Track progress weekly. We will measure by work, not feelings.