Year 3 Design & Technology: Building Castles, Discovering History

Year 3 launched into their new Design and Technology topic with great enthusiasm as they began exploring the mighty world of medieval castles. In their first lesson, pupils learned why castles were built in the first place — not just as grand homes for kings and nobles, but as powerful fortresses designed to defend against enemy attacks. They discovered that after the Norman invasion of 1066, castles sprang up across England as symbols of control, strength, and authority.

The class explored who lived in castles and how these impressive structures were carefully designed for both defence and display. Together, we examined the main features of a typical medieval castle: battlements for archers to hide behind, merlons and crenels forming the familiar "toothed" top of castle walls, moats filled with water to deter invaders, and drawbridges that could be raised for protection. Pupils also learned about gatehouses, turrets, flags, and the strategic importance of high ground.

To consolidate their learning, children labelled a diagram of a castle and then used pre-cut shapes to construct their own 2D castle designs. This hands-on activity helped them visualise how the different elements came together in real castle architecture. They also did observational sketching, focusing on the key features they had studied — an excellent opportunity to practise drawing skills while deepening their understanding of structure and function.

It was a fantastic start to the unit, combining history, design, and creativity — and there’s much more to come as we continue our castle-building journey!