C Curriculum Explorer
History·Medieval Times·conceptual

What Is a Castle?

What a castle is: a fortified building used as both a home and a defence; key parts including towers, moat, drawbridge, and thick walls; why castles were built

Suggested ages 5–7

Open direct link

Evidence of understanding

  • Name at least four parts of a castle (tower, moat, drawbridge, walls, gatehouse)
  • Explain that castles were both homes and defences
  • Describe why someone in medieval times would need a castle

Assessment prompt

If What Is a Castle? visited a ruined castle, could they point out the main parts and explain why it was built that way?

Standards alignment

No external standards are linked to this topic.