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Learning Objectives 

Students will: 

• Analyze the form and functions of castles.
• Identify architectural terms in the design of a castle.
• Plan and design a castle.
• Construct a castle using shapes, patterns, symmetry, and architectural details.

Standards Alignment

National Core Arts StandardsNational Core Arts Standards

Common Core State StandardsCommon Core State Standards

Recommended Student Materials

Editable Documents: Before sharing these resources with students, you must first save them to your Google account by opening them, and selecting “Make a copy” from the File menu. Check out Sharing Tips or Instructional Benefits when implementing Google Docs and Google Slides with students.

Websites

Videos

Teacher Background

Teachers should familiarize themselves with castles during Arthurian.

Student Prerequisites 

Students should have general knowledge about castles and European history.

Accessibility Notes

Modify handouts and make adaptations to tools and resources as needed. Allow extra time and space for task completion.

Engage

1. Display a picture of or share the with students. Ask students to take 5 minutes to write down everything they know about castles or questions they have about the Caerphilly Castle. Students may already know other castles (i.e., fictional castles from books, movies, or real castles they know of like Buckingham Palace in England).  After students are done, create a class list noting what they know about castles.

2. Share the  resource with students. Allow time for students to explore the different castles, reading the descriptions, their purpose, and who lived in them.

3. Engage students in a discussion. Ask: What do these castles all have in common? Once students finish their discussion, define the word castle for them. The Oxford English Dictionary defines castle as “A (usually large) fortified building or set of buildings; a stronghold; a mansion that was once such.”

4. Introduce students to King Arthur and Excalibur. Show the video to build background about the legend and his sword then have a follow-up discussion about what they learned. Students can explore more from the resource.

5. Display the . Explain to students that King Arthur’s castle was known as Camelot and there are a number of real castles associated with Arthurian England, such as King Arthur's alleged birthplace . Even though historians have not been able to concretely link Tintagel with King Arthur, his association with that castle gives it historical significance and intrigue. Students can explore more from the .

Build

1. Divide students into groups and distribute the resource and the graphic. Tell students the purpose of a castle has changed overtime. Allow time for he groups to read, discuss, note important facts, and analyze the differences between motte and bailey, concentric, and stone keep castles. 

2. Divide students into groups to analyze the structure of castles. Display several castle images or have students further explore the. Each group will use the following guiding questions: How are the castles constructed? How does the construction influence the buildings’ function and appearance?

3. Share the resource with students. Have students examine the physical and functional qualities of the castles. Ask students: What are the castle’s physical qualities (e.g., made of stone, has tall square towers, surrounded by water, has flags on top, etc.) and functional qualities (e.g., kings and queens live inside, knights gallop over the drawbridge on horseback, knights can fight the enemy behind the tall walls, etc.)?

4. Have students identify shapes, patterns, symmetry, and details of the castles. One person from each group will sketch a sample of the features which they will later use to plan the construction of their own castles.

Apply

1. Draw a blueprint of a castle. Distribute graph paper to students and have them work independently to design a castle, incorporating qualities from the vocabulary resource and consider the following design elements:

-Dimension - the size of the castle's different parts)

-Proportion - the tall walls versus tiny windows; the low-lying outer walls versus the higher defense walls

-Measurement - the width of the moat equals the height of the drawbridge, allowing for overlapping on the end of the drawbridge that touches the ground)

-Shape - the tops of the towers are shaped like cones; the towers are long and round; the bricks are rectangular; etc.

-Pattern - the saw-tooth structures at the top of the castle; the arcades

-Symmetry - placement of the towers in ground plan

Students should enhance their illustration with architectural details and use labels to identify terms in their drawings. A by a student can be viewed as a supporting example.

2. Collaborate as a group to plan the design of a castle. Students will rejoin their groups to observe the castles they each drew, noting the features they want to include from each castle into one planned castle. Then they will draw a rough plan of their castle.

3. Build and assemble a castle or portion of a castle. Ask students to bring in for their castles (boxes, cylinders, and plastic bottles). Allow time for students to construct their castles. Confer with each group, providing constructive feedback.

4. Demonstrate the variety of ways to arrange the forms and how that will influence the design of the castle. Encourage the students to arrange their forms in a variety of ways before gluing them on their foundation. Have students create the stone surface by painting, drawing, or affixing stone shaped paper to the surface.

Reflect 

1. Hold a presentation of and discussion about the castles after they are all completed. Have each group divide up the presentation so that they each take an area of the castle or castle portion and present it to the class.

2. Assess the design elements and architectural features of the castles. Provide detailed feedback to each group.