Check it! - Castles - Year 1

The educational resource from Focus Education explores the question "Why do we have castles?" and is tailored for Year 1 students. It emphasises the importance of regularly revisiting and reinforcing what students have learned about castles. Several creative strategies are suggested to help children recall information, such as conducting a 'brain dump', using the 'Give me FIVE!' technique, adding to their mind maps, expanding and elaborating on concepts, and employing retrieval pyramids. These varied approaches are designed to make the review process engaging and effective, ensuring that key facts and concepts are retained.

Building on this foundation, the resource encourages students to delve deeper into the subject of castles. They are prompted to name five UK castles and list five facts about these historical structures. To expand their understanding, students are asked to elaborate on statements such as "Castles were first built by William the Conqueror" and "Castles are built in very interesting places." Additionally, they are challenged to identify various parts of a castle, name castles from England, Wales, and Scotland, and learn about the roles of people who lived and worked in castles, such as the person responsible for managing the castle in the Lord's absence and the individual in charge of the castle's food supplies. The resource sets clear expectations for pupils, indicating that all should be able to answer the foundational questions, with more challenging content available for those ready to extend their learning.