HISTORY Framlingham and Orford Castles

ENGLISH HERITAGE TEACHER’S KIT
Framlingham and Orford Castles
For more ready to use castle activities try our other free downloadable resources:
Castles - Attack & Defence: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/castles-attack-and-defence/
Castles - Show Down or Show Off?: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/castles-show-down-show-off/
Castles - Rough Room Guide: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/castles-rough-room-guide/
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PREPARING FOR YOUR VISIT
We recommend that you take
advantage of our free planning visit
scheme to familiarise yourself with the
site, and to prepare any activities that
your group may undertake.
ACTIVITY IDEAS
These short, informal activities work as
icebreakers for Key Stage one to three
visitors to Framlingham Castle and
Orford Castle. Here you will find
activity ideas for joint visits to both
sites, and site specific resources for
independent visits.
Visiting sites such as these can be
daunting, so it may be best to offer the
students a theme to explore during
their visit. By taking a thematic
approach, your students will be able to
lead independent enquires, self-manage
their time, develop their team working
skills and become reflective learners.
Upon arrival agree a theme or themes
for your students to explore the castle
with. For example:
Life in the castle
Building methods
Changing landscapes.
Your students can then explore the
sites using recording devices such as
digital cameras to track their research
for later use. You might also want to
encourage your group to set
themselves goals as part of their theme.
For example under life in the castle,
they may want to find out more about
the servants living on site and the jobs
that they undertook.
As part of their investigations students
should be encouraged to manage their
own time within a set parameter and to
work together as a team.
The following activities build upon each
of these themes and can be used to
extend your exploration of both sites.
JOINT VISIT ACTIVITIES
Buildings of the past
Interpreting the curtain walls at Orford
Castle and the interior buildings at
Framlingham Castle can be difficult.
With this in mind, ask your students to
explore the site using the
reconstructions in this pack and
interpretation boards to build up a
picture of how each castle once looked.
Set the class some discussion points
such as:
What similarities and differences
can you see between the castles
now and in Medieval times?
Did the castles share many similar
buildings e.g. kitchens?
Were similar building methods
used at each castle?
To extend this activity ask your
students to make a display of the
similarities and differences using copies
of the reconstructions in the this pack
and photographs they have taken.
BOOKING AND SITE INFORMATION
English Heritage, The Engine House, Fire Fly Avenue, Swindon, SN2 2EH.
T 0870 333 0606 E bookeducation@english-heritage.org.uk
ACTIVITIES
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