The Norman Church
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can discuss the extent to which the Church changed under the Normans.
Key learning points
- The Normans changed many aspects of the English Church.
- Norman personnel were installed in senior Church positions.
- The English Church was brought in line with ideas of the Reform Papacy.
Keywords
Veneration - to show great respect and honour to something
Common misconception
The Norman conquest was a brutal military occupation which resulted in wholescale change of the English Church.
Whilst there were significant changes, the English Church retained its basic structure and liturgy.
Teacher tip
Summary lessons can contain a lot of knowledge, confusing students with multiple competing conclusions. Provide students with historical interpretations of the events and task students with deciding which interpretation is more compelling, given all the contextual knowledge they now have.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Put these daily prayers of monks in order.
Q2.What was the word for a child who is sent to be a monk in Anglo-Saxon and Norman England?
Q3.The is the term for the prayers and rituals regularly carried out by a religious community.
Q4.When did Lanfranc become head of the English Church?
Q5.How many Benedictine monasteries were in England by 1135?
Q6.Why did English monks in Glastonbury get into trouble with their Norman abbot, Tustin?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Lanfranc replaced Stigand as Archbishop of Canterbury in ...
Q2.Why were synods introduced?
Q3.What did Lanfranc try to enforce on the clergy?
Q4. The term for showing great respect and honour to something is .
Q5.Religious buildings changed after 1100 by ...
Q6.Match these changes to the reasons they came about.
This aligned the Church more closely with Norman rule.
William needed to reward the Church for its support for his invasion.
This was to remove corrupt practices.
This was to create a more disciplined clergy.
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: The Norman Church, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: The Norman Church, 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.