Battle of Hastings 

Humanities Update

Wow! It has been a really busy time in Humanities at the moment, with lots happening across year 7 and 8. The year 8s in particular finished their first term with a 'Battle of Hastings' recreation in the car park at school. This was part of our 'Medieval Europe' unit and was a fantastic end to our term. Preparing for the event was like preparing for war, with tensions running high as to which class would be victors. Throughout the week of preparations, students used their knowledge of social groups in Medieval Europe to give themselves roles to prepare for the battle. They decided a King, whose role it was to read a battle speech, they had artists who recreated a section of the Bayeux Tapestry, their blacksmiths created a class logo that they painted onto their shields, and their knights distributed their colour powder into bags of ammunition. 

On the day of the battle, students met in the tiered seating, kings all read their speeches, the artists presented their drawings and then it was time for battle! Students got really competitive, throwing colour at each other and using strategy to steal the most balls from other teams. At the end of the day 8E were named the best defenders of the school and 8B were named the best attackers and overall winners. Congratulations to all students who worked hard on this unit and who participated as a team during the battle! 

This term has also been busy for Humanities, with students in year 7 creating an event or activity for our school, then pitching this idea to their class as part of our 'Economics' unit and year 8 students running a mock election as part of our 'Power to the People' unit. Watch this space for more information about other exciting Humanities events! 

Elise Westphalen

English/Humanities Coordinator