Daily life in Norman England
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can assess the extent to which life changed for ordinary people in Norman England.
Key learning points
- Many aspects of daily life remained the same for most people.
- Changes included new buildings, laws and people.
- Change did not proceed evenly across the entire country.
- People in the south had a different experience to those in the north.
- The wealthy had a different experience to the poor.
Keywords
Feudal system - a system of landholding in which land is exchanged for service and loyalty
Built environment - the landscape created by buildings and infrastructure like roads and bridges
Romanesque - an architectural style based on features of ancient Roman buildings
Inequality - differences in wealth, opportunity or status in society; for example, between rich and poor people
Common misconception
William I introduced a whole new social system called the feudal system which was completely different from what came before.
In fact, many of the features of what became known as the feudal system were already in place in Anglo-Saxon England. William took the opportunity to increase his control over society to enable the extraction of wealth; his successors built on this.
Teacher tip
To extend the final practice task, look through past papers with students to find questions about continuity and change and practise those that relate to comparisons of Anglo-Saxon and Norman life.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
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.If this is the definition, what is the word? Someone who uses land owned by someone else in return for rent or services.
Q2.Complete the sentence: William and his increased the area classed as forest until a third of England was covered by Forest law.
Q3.Which Norman king grew the area of forest to its largest extent?
Q4.Match the words to their correct definitions.
red deer, roe deer, fallow deer and wild boar
the trees and undergrowth
Q5.Which of the following rights allowed tenants to hunt rabbits, hares and other small animals?
Q6.What was 'the Charter of the Forest'?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which word describes a system of landholding in which land is exchanged for service and loyalty?
Q2.Which word describes differences in wealth, opportunity or status in society?
Q3.Match the examples of Norman England to whether they show change or continuity from Anglo-Saxon England.
England’s built environment
farming practices and types of crops
Forest law
village life
trade patterns
occupations of craftspeople
Q4.How did the use of enslaved people change in Norman England?
Q5.How did the Normans change the Church in England?
Q6.Which of the following caused significant regional differences in Norman England?
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: Daily life in Norman England, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: Daily life in Norman England, 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 4 history lessons from the British Depth Study: Norman England, c1066–c1100 unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.