History · Year 7

Active learning ideas

Hundred Years' War: Agincourt and Joan of Arc

Active learning helps students grasp the Hundred Years' War by moving beyond dates and names to analyze real decisions and consequences. Through structured discussions and source-based tasks, students connect military strategy, leadership, and morale to broader historical outcomes like the rise of nationalism and changes in warfare.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS3: History - The Hundred Years War
• KS3: History - Conflict and Diplomacy

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 45 min · Small Groups

Format Name: Agincourt Battlefield Simulation

Students, divided into English archers and French knights, use their knowledge of tactics to 'battle' on a grid. They must consider terrain and weapon effectiveness based on historical accounts.

Analyze the factors contributing to the English victory at the Battle of Agincourt.

Facilitation Tip

In the Collaborative Investigation, assign groups two contrasting accounts of Agincourt so they must reconcile differences rather than just summarize each one.

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

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 50 min · Small Groups

Format Name: Joan of Arc's Trial Debate

Assign students roles as Joan of Arc, her accusers, and her defenders. They must research and present arguments based on historical trial records to debate her impact and legitimacy.

Evaluate the impact of Joan of Arc on the course of the Hundred Years' War.

Facilitation Tip

During Think-Pair-Share, circulate and listen for students who conflate Joan of Arc’s visions with military strategy, then gently redirect them to primary texts for evidence.

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

Activity 03

• Role Play
• 30 min · Pairs

Format Name: Treaty of Troyes Negotiation

In pairs, students represent English and French diplomats. They must negotiate terms for a treaty, considering the power dynamics after Agincourt and the potential for future conflict.

Explain how the war contributed to the development of national identity in England and France.

Facilitation Tip

For the Gallery Walk, place enlarged maps of northern France between 1415 and 1429 so students can visually track troop movements and shifting battle sites.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic through layered inquiry: start with the tactical details of Agincourt to ground students in the concrete realities of medieval combat, then layer in the cultural and psychological impact of Joan of Arc. Avoid framing either event as inevitable; instead, use counterfactuals to show how small decisions changed outcomes. Research shows that students retain more when they analyze failure as well as success, so explicitly compare why the French lost Agincourt but won Orléans.

By the end of these activities, students should be able to explain how terrain and weaponry shaped the Battle of Agincourt, and how Joan of Arc’s leadership altered France’s fortunes. They should also distinguish between long-term trends and short-term events in medieval warfare.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Investigation, watch for the idea that Agincourt was a single battle that ended the war.

  During Collaborative Investigation, point students to a timeline where they see Agincourt followed by years of skirmishes, treaties, and renewed fighting so they recognize it as a turning point rather than a conclusion.

• During Think-Pair-Share, watch for the claim that Joan of Arc’s visions alone won the war.

  During Think-Pair-Share, ask students to revisit Joan’s letters or trial transcripts to find concrete actions she took, like raising the siege or rallying troops, that show her leadership beyond personal belief.

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Methods used in this brief

• Role Play