Under Siege!

As part of our Castles, Knights and Dragons topic, we have been learning what life might have been like for people living in medieval England.  We researched and investigated the development of defensive stone castles through the ages from early Motte and Bailey castles to the cleverly designed Concentric Castle.  We have looked at the weaponry used to attack castles including buckets of hot tar, trebuchets, dead animals and rolling siege towers. 

Medieval stone castles were designed to protect the castle from attack and keep the people living inside the walls safe.  Children in Class 3 became History Detectives for the day and investigated the purpose of each defensive feature.  Children were then challenged to design and construct a medieval stone castle of their own, complete with defensive features, for a giant classroom display.  In small teams, children worked together to build the different features of their castle using an assortment of craft materials.  Children wrote their own information labels to explain the design and purpose of each feature. 

How many different defensive features can you see?