1. Write down 10 things you can see happening in this picture

2. Did you find the women throwing waste out of the window? Did you find the two drunks sitting next to the river? Did you find the women washing clothes in the river? Did you find the man tipping waste into the river? Did you find the men defending the town wall? Did you find the monks walking through the town? Did you find the drunk man being sick into the river? Did you find the man in the stocks?

4. What was life like in the Medieval towns?

5. Lesson objectives… To explore different interpretations of town life and recognise why they are different To investigate and describe what life was like in medieval towns

6. An interpretation is an opinion (view of something) that is backed up with evidence

7. No INTERPRETATION is necessarily right or wrong, but it must be backed up/justified using EVIDENCE in order for it to be VALID/USEFUL

8. Your task… Look at your Medieval town picture. Write down 5 describing words about it. For example: * Dirty * Crowded Now use these words to write 3 sentences about your interpretation (opinion/view) of towns so far My interpretation of Medieval towns so far is…………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Why do you think that you have this interpretation of medieval towns?

9. There were lots of things to do in the towns – things like cock-fighting, football and archery. In the winter there was boar-fighting and bear baiting and even skating on the ice when the river froze. Some places were filthy and had a horrible stench (smell), but other places like the church were quite clean. Robert Hinkleberry, Modern historian 2001

10. There are lots of places to buy wine and to eat. The streets are lined with merchants selling goods from all over the world, such as spice and fine cloth. The towns are a lovely place to live and work. A Medieval merchant, written in 1458

11. People are rude. There are lots of thieves and drunks, which God would not like. Lots of parts of towns are filthy and human and animal waste litter the streets. If you aren’t careful under windows you can get covered in dirt or worse. Lots of poor people don’t have their own privies (toilets). A medieval monk, 1401

12. The Medieval towns were disgusting places full of disease. People did not wash and the only places that were clean were the monasteries (where monks lived). People did not know what caused disease and so they did not worry about keeping themselves or their town clean. In fact, they were happy to throw waste such as pig guts and poo into the rivers and streets. There were no laws about keeping the towns clean and so people did not think to. Written in 1999 for a school text book

13. Your task… * Now write down how the modern interpretation (opinion/view) of Medieval Towns is different from the interpretation (opinion/view) from the past * Now write down why the modern interpretation (opinion/view) of Medieval towns is different from the interpretation (opinion/view) from the past What is your interpretation of Medieval towns? My interpretation of Medieval towns is...............................................because..................................................... Interpretations of Medieval towns

14. Why are there different interpretations of what Medieval towns were like?

15. Now swap your work with the person next to you and look at their answer. Put a tick next to where they have said how the interpretations are different Put a tick next to where they have said why the interpretations are different

16. Plenary… Under your seats, I have hidden some questions about what you have learnt today. If you find a question under your chair, you have to answer it!!

17. Lesson objectives… To explore different interpretations of town life and recognise why they are different To investigate and describe what life was like in medieval towns

18. Homework Make a leaflet for a tourist visiting a medieval town. Either for a time traveller going back in time or for a medieval person who does not live in the towns For example: If you were medieval you would have a different interpretation to someone who was not because of what you know or don’t know.