History · Year 4

Active learning ideas

Edward the Confessor and the Succession Crisis

Active learning works for this topic because Year 4 students need to engage with the complexity of the succession crisis through multiple perspectives. By analyzing visual sources, simulating events, and discussing claims, students move beyond memorizing dates to understanding cause and consequence in history.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS2: History - The Viking and Anglo-Saxon Struggle for England
• KS2: History - The Norman Conquest

• 20–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 50 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Bayeux Tapestry

In small groups, students are given sections of the tapestry. They must act as 'detectives' to find clues about the weapons used, the importance of horses, and the moment King Harold was killed. They then present their 'scene' to the class.

Explain why there was a succession crisis in 1066 after Edward the Confessor's death.

Facilitation Tip

During the Bayeux Tapestry activity, assign small groups specific sections to analyze so every student contributes to the visual evidence discussion.

What to look for

Give students three slips of paper. On the first, they write one reason why Edward the Confessor's death caused a crisis. On the second, they name one contender and their main claim. On the third, they write one question they still have about the events of 1066.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Simulation Game
• 30 min · Whole Class

Simulation Game: The Shield Wall at Hastings

The class forms a tight shield wall at the top of a 'hill' (a designated area). A few 'Norman' students try to tempt them to break the line by pretending to run away. They discuss why the wall was so hard to beat and why breaking it was a fatal mistake.

Compare the claims of the three main contenders for the English throne.

Facilitation Tip

For the Shield Wall simulation, circulate with a ‘fatigue meter’ to adjust the difficulty based on how quickly students tire, modeling the Anglo-Saxons’ exhaustion.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'If you were a member of the Witan in 1066, whose claim would you have supported and why?' Encourage students to use evidence from their learning about each contender's background and arguments.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Three Claimants

Students are given the 'CVs' of Harold, William, and Harald Hardrada. They pair up to decide who had the strongest claim to the throne and who they would have supported if they were on the Witan in 1066.

Predict how different outcomes of the succession crisis might have changed English history.

Facilitation Tip

In the Think-Pair-Share, provide sentence stems for the ‘think’ phase to scaffold weaker students’ responses about each claimant’s background.

What to look for

Display images of the three main contenders (Harold, Hardrada, William). Ask students to write down the most important reason each person believed they should be king. Review their answers to identify any misconceptions about their claims.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by balancing narrative with source analysis. Start with a clear timeline of events, then use activities to unpack how different groups interpreted the crisis. Avoid oversimplifying the Normans’ victory as solely due to their fighting skill; instead, focus on the Anglo-Saxons’ prior battle at Stamford Bridge. Research shows that role-play and visual analysis help young learners grasp abstract concepts like ‘legitimacy’ and ‘chance’ in history.

Successful learning looks like students explaining why Edward’s death caused a crisis, comparing the three claimants’ arguments, and identifying how luck and timing influenced the outcome. They should use evidence from activities to justify their reasoning.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Collaborative Investigation: The Bayeux Tapestry activity, watch for students repeating the idea that Harold was killed by an arrow in his eye.

  During the Collaborative Investigation, have groups focus on the last panel showing a figure with an arrow-like object in the eye and ask them to describe what they see without labeling it. Then, guide them to discuss alternative interpretations, such as the figure being struck by a sword, using the tapestry’s unclear details.

• During the Simulation: The Shield Wall at Hastings activity, watch for students attributing the Normans’ victory solely to superior fighting skills.

  During the Shield Wall simulation, use the ‘fatigue meter’ to mark how many turns students can hold their line before tiring. After the activity, discuss how the Anglo-Saxons had just fought at Stamford Bridge and were exhausted, linking the simulation’s outcomes to historical timing and chance.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Simulation Game
• Think-Pair-Share