The Crusades
CONCEPTUALA simplified account of the Crusades: why Europeans travelled to the Holy Land, what they found there, the cultural exchange between Christian Europe and the Islamic world
Mastery Evidence
- Explain in simple terms why European armies travelled to the Holy Land
- Describe at least one thing Europeans learned from the Islamic world during the Crusades
- Acknowledge that the Crusades involved violence and suffering on both sides
Assessment Prompt
“Could [child] explain what the Crusades were and describe something that Europeans learned about the wider world through these journeys?”
Prerequisites2
- The Medieval ChurchhardAges 7—9
- Knights & ArmoursoftAges 5—7
Show full prerequisite tree
- The Medieval Church hard
Must understand the medieval Church's power before grasping why Crusades were launched
- Medieval Pyramid of Power soft
Feudal system context shows how Church power paralleled secular power
- What Is a Castle? hard
Castles provide the physical context for understanding knights who lived and served in them
- What Is a Castle? hard
Castles as royal residences provide context for understanding kings and queens
- What Is a Castle? hard
Castles provide the physical context for understanding knights who lived and served in them
- What Is a Castle? hard
Castles provide the physical context for understanding knights who lived and served in them
- What Is a Castle? hard
Castles as royal residences provide context for understanding kings and queens
- Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons hard
Must understand Viking-Saxon struggle and Edward the Confessor before studying 1066
- Anglo-Saxon Britain hard
Must understand Anglo-Saxon kingdoms before studying the Viking-Saxon conflict
- Evidence from the Past soft
Cross-domain: understanding historical evidence (Historical Thinking) enriches use of Bayeux Tapestry as source
- Thinking Before Starting soft
Understanding that knowledge of the past comes from surviving evidence builds on the habit of activating prior knowledge — what do I already know, and where did that knowledge come from?
- Persisting When It's Hard hard
Activating prior knowledge requires the foundational habit of persistent engagement with new material
- Vocabulary: historical thinking hard
Understanding that everything we know comes from evidence requires 'evidence' and 'source' vocabulary
- Domain Vocabulary Across Subject Areas soft
Acquiring the specialist vocabulary of historical thinking (source, bias, chronology, corroborate) builds on the academic vocabulary development taught in English
- Discussing and Questioning New Words hard
Academic and domain-specific vocabulary acquisition builds on the habit of discussing word meanings and linking new vocabulary to known words
- Defining Words soft
Defining academic words requires the ability to define words by category and attribute
- How Many in Total? soft
Sorting and categorising objects uses the same counting/cardinality skills from maths
- One-to-one counting hard
Cardinality principle builds on one-to-one correspondence — you must count correctly to know the last number tells 'how many'
- Village Life hard
Must understand medieval daily life before grasping the Church's pervasive influence over it
- What Is a Castle? hard
Castles provide the physical context for understanding knights who lived and served in them
Unlocks2
- Medieval Worlds Beyond EuropehardAges 9—11
- Towns & TradesoftAges 9—11