It is the 15th century, and world exploration is the latest big craze. There’s money to be made and fame to be won by explorers and merchants that discover new trading routes and new lands to conquer and exploit. But there is a problem. It’s an expensive business! Write a letter fromChristopher Columbus to Queen Isabella of Spain to ask her to fund your journey. Can you bepersuasive in your arguments?

Name: _____________________________________________________________________

Dear Queen Isabella,

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Yours Sincerely

Christopher Columbus

Petitioning for funds

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Knight Name Generator!Before you start your adventures as a medieval knight, you need a good knightly name!

Your knight name needs to describe you, and show how chivalrous you are. Here are some examples:

Use our knight name generator to help you create your own medieval knight name!

First: pick your knightly first name by using the initial of your own first nameThen: choose a surname or place by the month you were born inFinally: choose how you are described using the initial of your own surname

Sir Edward Percy the Brave

Sir Henry Fairfax the Kind

Sir John of Warwick, the Loyal

Sir Thomas Herbert the Pious

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A: ArthurB: BertramC: CharlesD: WilliamE: EdwardF: FrederickG: GeoffreyH: HenryI: WilliamJ: JohnK: RogerL: LancelotM: Hugh

N: NicholasO: OliverP: PeterQ: GilbertR: RichardS: SimonT: ThomasU: RalfV: RobertW: WalterX: FrancisY: EdmundZ: Adam

January – CecilFebruary – of Warwick March – PercyApril – de Clare

May – LovellJune – HerbertJuly – of YorkAugust – of Northumberland

September – FairfaxOctober – NevilleNovember – de LacyDecember – Howard

A–B: the BraveC–D: the GentleE–F: the PatientG–I: the Courageous

J–L: the MercifulM–N: the LoyalO–P: the CourteousQ–S: the Gallant

T–U: the PiousV–W: the GenerousX–Z: the Kind

Knight name generator!

Crew memberJob Appl ication Form

Name: __________________________________________________________________________________________

Age: __________________________________________________________________________________________

Current job: ___________________________________________________________________________________

Use this box to tell us about your skills and experience – why would you make a good memberof Christopher Columbus’s crew?

Personal statement – why do you want to join Christopher Columbus’s crew?©

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Me ... As a medieval knight!My name is: ___________________________________________________________________________________

My medieval knight name is: _____________________________________________________________

About me as a knight: ____________________________________________________________________

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Me... As a medieval knight!

Create a character for yourself from Columbus’s crew, and write a series of short diary extracts about your experiences. How might the tone of the diary change as time passes? Would excitement and adventure give way to boredom and anger? The diary might include ‘penportraits’ of other people on board ship, as well as descriptions of daily life and the routine ofwork on board.

Name: _____________________________________________________________________

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My journey diary

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The medieval knights’ code of chivalry described how knights should behave. Characteristicsincluded being brave, gentle and generous.

Use this sheet to brainstorm a range of adjectives to describe a chivalrous knight.

Name: _____________________________________________________________________

Can you think of any more adjectives to describe a chivalrous medieval knight?

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Chivalry adjectives

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Chivalry

Chivalry adjectives

Crew duties on board Columbus’s ships included:

● Pumping bilge-water ● Checking ropes● Cleaning the deck ● Inspecting cargo● Mending sails ● Mending leaks

Choose one of these tasks and produce an instructional text to explain how the job should be done to another member of the crew. What tools or equipment will you need for the job? How many men do you need? How long will it take? Are there any risks or dangers to watch out for? Try to use numbers or subheadings to break up your text.

Name: __________________________________________________

Crew duties

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Similes compare two different things; they often compare a characteristic or descriptive word (such as brave or kind) with an animal, person or thing. Similes often use the pattern:

As ****** as a ****** For example, as brave as a lion

Use this sheet to create some similes for your chivalrous knight using the adjectives that you wrote down on your ‘Chivalry adjectives’ sheet.

Name: _____________________________________________________________________

1. As ___________________________ as a _____________________________________

2. As ___________________________ as a _____________________________________

3. As ___________________________ as a _____________________________________

4. As ___________________________ as a _____________________________________

5. As ___________________________ as a _____________________________________

6. As ___________________________ as a _____________________________________

7. As ___________________________ as a _____________________________________

8. As ___________________________ as a _____________________________________

9. As ___________________________ as a _____________________________________

10. As ___________________________ as a _____________________________________

Chivalrous s imiles

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Chivalrous similes

Name: ________________________________________________________________

Life on board Columbus’s ships is far from comfortable! They are crowded, cold, damp,unhealthy and smelly, and infested with fleas, rats and lice. There’s a lack of space and privacybecause there is nowhere to sit or sleep comfortably, and the toilet is just a wooden seat fixedover the side of the ship. It’s boring and repetitive too, and everyone is exhausted.

Tick which element of life on board you would find worst:

□ Boredom and repetition □ Lack of space and privacy

□ Smell □ Fleas, rats, lice and other pests

□ Exhaustion □ Cold and damp conditions

Explain your choice below:

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W hat ’s worst?

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A day in the l ife of a trainee medieval knight Training to become a medieval knight started young and was hard work. A young page’s dailyroutine might have included waiting at the tables during a banquet, learning about differentheraldic designs, reading, feeding and grooming horses, riding, and practicing using weapons. A squire would have had personal tasks to undertake for his knight, such as taking messages,looking after his warhorse, hunting with hawks, or helping him to put on his armour.

Create an itinerary for either a page or a squire. What activities are they going to undertake?

Name: ________________________________________________________________

TIME TASK

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A day in the life of a trainee medieval knight

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Signs of landColumbus’s crew have spotted these signs of land.

Can you explain why each of these things might suggest that dry land is nearby?

Name: _____________________________________________________________________

1. Mist and cloud _______________________________________________________________

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2. Birds flying overhead __________________________________________________________

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3. Seaweed ____________________________________________________________________

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4. Shellfish ____________________________________________________________________

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5. Branches from trees ___________________________________________________________

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6. Smells ______________________________________________________________________

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7. A glow on the horizon _________________________________________________________

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Imagine you are a medieval knight in training. Use this sheet to write an extract from your diary.

Name: _____________________________________________________________________

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A day in the l ife of a trainee medieval knight A day in the life of a trainee medieval knight

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Recipe for ship ’s biscuits

The eight step-by-step photographs above are not in the right order! Cut them out, andput them into the correct sequence. Use them on your instructional text activity sheet.

Ship’s biscuits were an important part of a sailor’s diet. They were hard, dry and tasteless.Biscuits were packed instead of flour or bread because they did not rot or go off as quickly.They were made of a bland mixture of flour, water and salt which was baked for a long time –sometimes even baked twice – to make them easier to store for the months of a long sea voyage.Use the recipe below to make your own ship’s biscuits. Can you rewrite the text as a series ofstep-by-step instructions on the activity sheets? Use the photographs to help you!

How to make ship’s biscuits:

You will need flour, water and salt to make your biscuits. You will also need a large mixing bowl,weighing scales, a mixing spoon, a baking tray, a fork, and a teaspoon.

Make sure that you wash your hands before you start making your biscuits. Turn your oven on toa low heat; about 120°C (250°F or Gas Mark 2). Begin by weighing out 500g of flour into yourbowl. Add a teaspoon of salt and mix the flour and salt together. Add water a little bit at a time,stirring as you go. You will need to get your hands in after a while to bring the flour and watertogether to form a stiff and sticky dough. Break small pieces off the dough, and roll these one at atime between the palms of your hands to make small balls. Flatten these into circles, and put themonto your baking tray. Make holes in all of your biscuits using a fork and then put them into youroven. You will need to bake your biscuits for at least two and a half hours. Carefully take themout of the oven after an hour and turn them over. The biscuits are cooked when they are slightlybrown and are hard to the touch.

Choose your weapon!A knight on the battlefield would usually have five or six different weapons to choose from: a mace, a long sword, a short sword, a battle-axe, a lance, and maybe a dagger.

Choose which weapon you would fight with on the battlefield.

Why do you think it would be the best weapon to use?

Name: _________________________________________

Tick the weapon that you have chosen:

□ Mace (heavy metal head on a wooden pole)

□ Long sword

□ Short sword

□ Battle-axe

□ Lance

□ Dagger

Use this box to explain your choice:

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Choose your weapon!

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Name: ________________________________________________________________

You will need: ________________________________________________________________

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Step 1: ____________________________________________________

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Step 2: ____________________________________________________

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Step 3: ____________________________________________________

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Step 4: ____________________________________________________

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How to make ship ’s biscuits

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During the medieval period, knights went on Crusades, which were military campaigns backed bythe Christian church. They took place between 1096 and 1272, and were attempts by Europeanknights to win the Holy Land around Jerusalem in the Middle East from the Muslims who hadruled it since AD 367. The journeys were long and hard, and the Holy Land was very hot and drywith poisonous snakes and plague-carrying fleas. The Muslim soldiers were armed with deadlybows and arrows, which many knights had not seen before.

Imagine you are a medieval knight on crusade. Write a piece of creative writing from the point ofview of your knight. This could be a diary entry, a short story, a description, a letter, a play scriptor a poem.

Name: _____________________________________________________________________

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Coping on crusade Coping on crusade

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Name: ________________________________________________________________

Step 5: ____________________________________________________

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Step 6: ____________________________________________________

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Step 7: ____________________________________________________

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Step 8: ____________________________________________________

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How to make ship ’s biscuits! (continued)

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Sieges were a means to try and force the inhabitants of a castle or walled city to surrender. The attacking force tried to break down the defences of the castle with a range of siege machinessuch as battering rams, siege towers and trebuchets (which fire rocks over the defensive walls).However, if it proved impossible to break down the walls, it became a waiting game. To carry outa successful siege, the attacking force needed to be very patient; they cut off the supplies to thecastle or city, and then simply waited until the inhabitants died of starvation, or surrendered!

Imagine you are a medieval knight involved in a siege, either attacking or defending the castle.Write a piece of creative writing from the point of view of your knight. This could be a diaryentry, a short story, a description, a letter, a play script or a poem.

Name: _____________________________________________________________________

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Surviving a s iege Surviving a siege

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Storing ship ’s biscuits!Observation and recording sheet

Name: _____________________________________________________________________

Date of baking: ___________________ Date of observation: ___________________

Storage conditions of biscuits: _____________________________________________________

Observation number: ___________________

Observation:

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Photo or drawing

Design your own medieval shieldName: _____________________________________________________________________

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Design your own medieval shield