Question 1

How does the specific sequence of this lesson plan facilitate Year 7 understanding of the multi-causal nature of the 1381 Peasants' Revolt?

Accepted Answer

The Feudal System diagram serves as a vital retrieval anchor, ensuring that pupils possess the requisite structural knowledge of medieval hierarchy before engaging with the complexities of social upheaval. By utilizing a lesson template that prioritises the categorisation of the 1351 Statute of Labourers and the Poll Tax, the instructional design effectively scaffolds the transition from narrative description to analytical categorisation. This approach manages the pacing of new information, preventing the cognitive saturation often encountered when Year 7 learners confront the dense socio-economic landscape of the fourteenth century. As pupils navigate the Causes of the Revolt table, they actively construct a schema for historical significance, which the lesson plan supports by providing specific PEEL sentence starters for their evaluative writing. Such disciplinary rigour ensures that every learner can articulate why the 1381 insurrection occurred, thereby meeting the high expectations of the National Curriculum for England.

Question 2

Does this lesson plan meet the National Curriculum for England statutory programmes of study for Key Stage 3 History regarding medieval power struggles?

Accepted Answer

The Causes of the Revolt table provides a robust mechanism for delivering the substantive knowledge required by the National Curriculum for England statutory programmes of study. By categorising the 1381 Poll Tax and John Ball’s radical preaching, pupils engage directly with the struggles between the Church, state, and people, which is a core requirement for Key Stage 3 History. This teaching plan ensures that learners distinguish between short-term triggers and long-term socio-economic shifts, such as the labour shortages following the Black Death. A comprehensive overview of these variables allows for the development of disciplinary knowledge, specifically the ability to analyse cause and consequence with historical accuracy. Through the hinge question check and subsequent PEEL paragraph construction, the lesson plan facilitates formative utility, ensuring that Year 7 students achieve the necessary attainment targets while building the analytical foundations essential for future success at GCSE and beyond.

Question 3

How is this lesson plan engineered to support Year 7 learners in mastering the complex vocabulary and concepts of the 1381 uprising?

Accepted Answer

The Tier 3 Vocabulary Wall, featuring terms like Serfdom and Insurrection, provides the essential linguistic scaffolding required for Year 7 pupils to access high-level historical discourse. Given the inherent difficulty of understanding fourteenth-century economic policy, the lesson structure intentionally breaks down the Poll Tax into manageable conceptual units, thereby mitigating the intrinsic load on developing schemas. By using a structured template for the categorisation task, the design enables adaptive teaching, allowing mixed-ability cohorts to engage with John Ball’s egalitarian rhetoric while simultaneously mastering the procedural fluency of PEEL writing. This specific lesson plan is superior to generic alternatives because it synchronises the cognitive demands of historical significance with the developmental stage of early Key Stage 3 learners. Consequently, pupils move from basic recall to metacognitive regulation, evaluating which cause was most significant while securely anchoring their arguments in the specific evidence of the 1381 revolt.

Fact	Social	Economic	Political
The 1351 Statute of Labourers capped wages.	☐	☐	☐
John Ball preached that everyone was equal.	☐	☐	☐
King Richard II was only 14 and seen as weak.	☐	☐	☐
Peasants wanted to end 'Serfdom' (forced labour).	☐	☐	☐
The Third Poll Tax of 1381 demanded 12 pence.	☐	☐	☐
Fines were issued to those who changed jobs.	☐	☐	☐

Year 7 History Lesson plan: Peasants' Revolt

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Lesson: The Peasants' Revolt (1381)

1. Starter (15%)

2. Main Activity (70%)

3. Plenary (15%)

4. Resources

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Pedagogical Rationale for Peasants' Revolt - Lesson Plan

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