Treatment of the poor in medieval Norwich
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain reasons why the poor revolted against the social order in medieval Norwich.
Key learning points
- The living conditions of Norwich's poor were far below those of the rich.
- Some poor residents of Norwich were involved in the Peasants' Revolt in 1381.
- The lives of the poor are less well preserved in the historical record.
- The elites in Norwich were concerned to preserve the social order.
Keywords
Artefact - an artefact is a historical object
Revolt - a revolt is a situation where people fight against those who are in charge
Rebel - a rebel is someone who challenges those who are in power; to rebel means to challenge those who are in power
Social order - the way a community is run and organised can be called the social order
Common misconception
The poor always accepted their position in medieval society.
The poor challenged the social order in Norwich violently in 1381 and had to be actively managed by the elites.
Teacher tip
At the beginning of learning cycle 1, ask students what historians use to learn about groups from the past (should be specific than just saying sources). Ask why this might lead to differences in how much historians know about different groups.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of serious crime
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match up the key words to the correct defintions.
the richest or most powerful group in a society
people with special rights in a city
person elected to lead a city
Q2.Who provided 10 000 loaves of bread each year to charity in medieval Norwich?
Q3.Which group was the poorest in feudal England?
Q4.Which group was the largest in feudal England?
Q5.Who wrote the book 'Revelations of Divine Love' in medieval Norwich?
Q6.Which statement is true?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is an artefact?
Q2.Who were the two main providers of charity to the poor in medieval Norwich?
Q3.Why were few poor people able to become freemen in Norwich?
Q4.Who did rebels in Norwich attack during the 1381 Peasants' Revolt?
Q5.Write the missing word. used harsh punishments to scare the poor from threatening the social order.
Q6.Why do historians know less about the medieval poor than elites?
To help you plan your 7 history lesson on: Treatment of the poor in medieval Norwich, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 history lesson on: Treatment of the poor in medieval Norwich, 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.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the Local history: how similar were medieval lives in Norwich? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.