History · Year 10

Active learning ideas

William I: Submission of the Earls

Active learning works for this topic because students need to weigh military strategy, political pressure, and cultural adaptation to grasp why the Norman Conquest succeeded. Role-plays and mapping make abstract events concrete, while debates and card sorts help students distinguish between propaganda and reality in 1066 England.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• GCSE: History - Anglo-Saxon and Norman England
• GCSE: History - Norman England

• 35–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 50 min · Small Groups

Role-Play: Berkhamsted Negotiations

Assign roles to William, earls, and Edgar Aetheling. Groups prepare 2-minute speeches on reasons to submit or resist, then convene for a class negotiation watched by observers who note key arguments. Conclude with a vote on submission outcome and debrief on historical accuracy.

Explain why the English Earls submitted to William at Berkhamsted.

Facilitation Tip

During the Berkhamsted Negotiations role-play, assign roles with clear objectives so students debate the pressures Edgar Aetheling faced before submission.

What to look for

Students write two sentences explaining why the Anglo-Saxon earls submitted at Berkhamsted, and one sentence describing a reward William gave to his Norman followers.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 35 min · Pairs

Map Activity: Securing London March

Provide blank maps of southern England. Pairs plot William's route post-Hastings, mark devastated areas, and Berkhamsted using sources. Add annotations on strategic choices, then share with class via gallery walk.

Analyze how William rewarded his Norman followers while keeping the English calm.

Facilitation Tip

For the Securing London March map activity, have students annotate the route with weather conditions or seasonal harvests to explain why burning villages impacted morale.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Was William's coronation a true sign of peace or a tense compromise?' Ask students to support their answers with evidence from the events at Berkhamsted and William's subsequent actions.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Role Play
• 40 min · Small Groups

Card Sort: Rewards and Calm

Prepare cards with land grants, earl retentions, and revolts. Small groups sort into 'rewarding Normans' or 'keeping English calm' piles, justify with evidence, then debate overlaps in a whole-class discussion.

Evaluate if William's coronation was a peaceful transition of power.

Facilitation Tip

When using the Card Sort: Rewards and Calm, ask students to justify each placement by linking it to William’s goal of stability or control.

What to look for

Present students with a short list of actions William took after Hastings (e.g., marched around London, burned villages, accepted submission at Berkhamsted, rewarded Normans). Ask them to categorize each action as primarily an act of coercion or an act of reward/consolidation.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 04

• Formal Debate
• 45 min · Whole Class

Formal Debate: Peaceful Coronation?

Divide class into two teams: one argues peaceful transition, other tense compromise, using coronation sources. Each side presents 3 points, rebuttals follow, and class votes with rationale.

Explain why the English Earls submitted to William at Berkhamsted.

Facilitation Tip

In the Peaceful Coronation? debate, provide a mix of primary and secondary sources so students compare Norman accounts with English eyewitness testimonies.

What to look for

Students write two sentences explaining why the Anglo-Saxon earls submitted at Berkhamsted, and one sentence describing a reward William gave to his Norman followers.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by emphasizing cause and effect, avoiding oversimplifications like ‘William was ruthless’ or ‘the English welcomed him.’ They use role-plays to humanize historical figures and mapping to show how geography shaped decisions. Avoid lectures that frame 1066 as a clear victory; instead, highlight uncertainty and negotiation. Research suggests students retain more when they analyze primary sources and debate conflicting accounts, so prioritize those over passive reading.

Successful learning looks like students explaining why submission at Berkhamsted was a pragmatic choice, not loyalty, and identifying how William balanced coercion with rewards. They should use evidence from maps, negotiations, and eyewitness accounts to support their claims about power and control.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Berkhamsted Negotiations role-play, watch for students assuming Edgar Aetheling and the earls submitted out of loyalty.

  Use the role-play to have students examine the pressures Edgar faced, such as William’s devastation of the countryside and internal divisions among the earls. Ask them to weigh alternatives like continued resistance versus submission.

• During the Securing London March map activity, watch for students believing William replaced all English earls immediately after Berkhamsted.

  Have students analyze the map for regions where English earls retained power initially, then use the card sort to categorize rewards given to Normans versus continued Anglo-Saxon leadership.

• During the Peaceful Coronation? debate, watch for students assuming the coronation was a peaceful event.

  Use the debate to contrast eyewitness accounts from Norman and English sources. Ask students to explain why riots occurred and how William’s actions afterward revealed ongoing tension.

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Methods used in this brief

• Role Play
• Formal Debate