Use this KS2 lesson plan to investigate the Battle of Hastings and have pupils write an account…
Eyewitness accounts can help us learn a lot about emotions and feelings from any historical event. They can tell us who people supported and who people hated. They can also tell us how people felt about anything from getting up every day to fighting a life-or-death battle.
This lesson uses my graphic novel, 1066: The Battle of Hastings, to illuminate what it might have been like for those on the battlefield.
Hopefully, there are some pages and characters which have caught your pupils’ interest – they’ll help them create a gripping piece of writing.
KS2 Battle of Hastings learning objectives
- Learn who did what at the Battle of Hastings
- Write about the people involved in an engaging way
- Practise writing skills to bring history to life
Starter activity
In order to get the most out of this lesson, it would be great to read the whole graphic novel as a class. Ask pupils to pick out some facts or pages that they found particularly interesting, and then to briefly summarise.
Alternatively, divide the class into groups to read different sections. Then they can feed back their findings to the rest of the class.
If you don’t have access to the whole book, there are some pages available for download at the top of this page. You can combine this with your existing research into the Battle of Hastings, or task children with using books and online research to find information such as the key players, why the Vikings posed a threat, William’s invasion, and some details of the battle itself.
Stuart Douch is a teacher and former headteacher. His first graphic novel, 1066: The Battle of Hastings, (Button Books), is out now.
