Harrying of the North - Classroom Dramatisation

A fun and engaging starter activity for pupils studying Norman England & the Harrying of the North. Please see instructions below:

1) Divide the room up into 4 regions using the region labels. Assign chairs to the regions and have the remaining chairs in a 'holding area' nearby (this will be for the Norman soldiers). There should be 60% of pupils in the holding area as Norman soldiers and 40% split across the three regions (excluding the SE).
2) Talk through the PowerPoint. You will need to change the number of lords/soldiers coming and going depending on your class size, as all pupils will be able to participate. Here is how the changes should go:
> S.E. lords have died in battle (leave this region empty at the beginning). William replaces these with 100% of his own soldiers
> Rebellion in the Midlands: William replaces 25% of the English lords with his own soldiers
> Rebellion in the South West: William replaces 50% of the lords with his own soldiers
> Rebellion in the North: William replaces 100% of the lords (the Englishmen are killed)

I made mini landowner crowns for the landowners to wear (made out of corrugated display borders!) and these were transferred from Englishman to Norman after the rebellions. I also made the deposed Englishmen sit on the floor in front of their new barons to show they are beneath them!

This lesson ties in really well with lessons on castles and the Feudal System. If you have any further questions, you can email me at: Paul.Middleton@tringpark.com