Printing Press & Renaissance
CONCEPTUALThe invention of the printing press by Gutenberg and its arrival in England with William Caxton; how printed books changed everything; the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance
Mastery Evidence
- Explain what the printing press was and why it was revolutionary
- Describe William Caxton's role in bringing printing to England
- Give at least one way printed books changed society (more people could read, ideas spread faster)
Assessment Prompt
“Could [child] explain why the invention of the printing press was one of the most important moments in history and how it changed the world?”
Prerequisites2
- Art & ArchitecturehardAges 9—11
- Towns & TradesoftAges 9—11
Show full prerequisite tree
- Art & Architecture hard
Must understand medieval cultural achievements before grasping how printing transformed them
- Castle Design Through the Ages soft
Castle architecture provides comparison to cathedral architecture
- Battle of Hastings and 1066 soft
Norman Conquest triggered major castle-building programme in England
- 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'
- What Is a Castle? hard
Must have basic castle knowledge before studying castle evolution and architecture
- The Medieval Church hard
Must understand the Church's role to appreciate that medieval art and architecture were primarily religious
- 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
- Greek and Roman Architecture soft
Cross-domain: Roman architecture (arches, domes) provides contrast with Gothic architecture (pointed arches, flying buttresses)
- Daily Life in a Roman Town hard
Roman engineering from 7-9 is prerequisite for analysing Roman architectural innovations
- Roman Army and Conquest of Britain hard
Roman towns and engineering build on Roman army and invasion context
- Egypt, the Nile, and the Desert soft
Greece & Rome geography builds on Ancient Egypt geography — both Mediterranean civilisations, Egypt came first chronologically
- Egypt, the Nile, and the Desert soft
Greece & Rome geography builds on Ancient Egypt geography — both Mediterranean civilisations, Egypt came first chronologically
- Egyptian Gods and the Afterlife soft
Greek gods build on prior understanding that ancient civilisations believed in many gods (Egyptian polytheism)
- Vocabulary: ancient egypt hard
Knowing about pharaohs requires the term 'pharaoh' and associated vocabulary
- 3-D shapes soft
Recognising pyramids as a named 3D geometric shape makes study of the Great Pyramid's physical structure more concrete
- Vocabulary: ancient egypt hard
Describing the pyramids and Sphinx requires 'pyramid', 'sphinx', and related vocabulary
- Vocabulary: ancient egypt hard
Describing the afterlife and burial beliefs requires 'mummy', 'sarcophagus', 'tomb' vocabulary
- Egypt, the Nile, and the Desert soft
Greece & Rome geography builds on Ancient Egypt geography — both Mediterranean civilisations, Egypt came first chronologically
- Medieval Pyramid of Power hard
Must understand feudal rural society before grasping the significance of urban growth
- 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'
- 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
- 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
Unlocks1
- Medieval Legacy in Modern LifehardAges 9—11