The Norman legacy

Parler en continu : je prends la parole pour raconter, décrire, expliquer.

The Normans affected the country’s landscape. The Conqueror’s White Tower is actually the Tower of London, built by William with stones imported from Normandy! They also affected language. What English words do you use in French?

Exercice 1 : The feudal system

1

Describe the shape of the document.

2

Who was the most powerful person in the Middle Ages? What did his barons give him?

3

Create a dictionary of feudalism (villein, fief, etc.).

Exercice 2 : How did this system work?

1

Read and select transparent words. Introduce the document.

2

List the pros and cons of feudalism.

3

Find a title for each paragraph. Then, sum up the lesson. Use the simple past.

4

Find the origin of the word "chivalry" .

BBC Bitesize

Historians suggested that it had a basic structure:
King – owned all the land.
Barons – the king gave some land to the barons in return for money and men for the army.
Knights – the barons gave some of their land to the knights if they promised to fight when needed.
Peasants – the knights gave a few strips of land to the peasants and the peasants had to share their produce with them. They were not allowed to leave and were not free men.[…] The feudal system was a way in which a king could rule a violent society […] The knights of the feudal system developed ideas of ‘chivalry’, from the French word ‘cheval’ meaning ‘horse’. These ideas have given us many of our beliefs about what is ‘good’ conduct – loyalty, courage and defending the weak.

Exercice 3 : Bon appétit!

1

Scan the document. What is it?

2

Do you find it appetizing?

3

Watch the video and spot the French expressions.

4

What types of words did the Normans bring to England?

5

Create your own Norman menu.

Fish

Fillet of Hake with Sauce Vierge and Saffron Aioli £8.75
Salmon Tartare with Pickeld Cucumber and Crème Fraiche £8.25

Meat

Steak Tartare with Pickled Girolles, Egg and Smoked Anchovy £9.25
Chicken 'Basquaise' with Lardons and Smoked Aioli £9.5
Ox Cheek Bourguignon with Aligot, Onion Ring and Lardons £12

Vegetable
Frites and Béarnaise £4
Green Bean Salad with Aged Comté Cheese, Shallots and Walnut Dressing £7.25
Ratatouille and Raclette Cheese Tarte Fine £7.5

Blanchette menu, Soho, London, 2016.

Pronounce "k" - or not!

key - kick - kind - kingdom - knight - know - knee - knock - knit.


Nutty Knott was not in, Nutty Knott was out. Knotting knots in netting, Nutty Knott was out. But lots of knots were in Nutty Knott’s knotty netting.

Simple past negatives

Observe: Peasants were not free. The king didn’t own all the land.

Think: Spot the verbs and the auxiliaries. Did the action take place?

Practise: Say 3 things you forgot to do!

Use Movavi and create a video course for children about feudalism!

A1+ I can speak with short sentences in the past tense.
A2 I can use link words.
A2+ I can act and pronounce words correctly.