This document provides information about a Harry Potter lesson on castles. It discusses key features of castles like thick stone walls and murder holes to defend against attackers. It also prompts students to create their own magical house by designing a crest and describing the house's personality. Students are then instructed to work in groups of three, research information on England, castles and Harry Potter, and create a presentation that includes designing a castle for their created house.

1. Lesson Title: Harry Potter Thursday 24 May 2018
Harry Potter & Castles
What types of buildings are these?
Where do you think they’re located?
Why are they important?

2. Lesson Title: Harry Potter Thursday 24 May 2018
Harry Potter & Castles
Harry Potter is a series of fantasy novels
written by British author J. K. Rowling. The
novels chronicle the life of a young wizard,
Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione
Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are
students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft
and Wizardry.

4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=BSgm0q-Yud0

9. Lesson Title: Harry Potter Thursday 24 May 2018
Harry Potter & Castles
Create your own House
The Sorting Hat chooses between four
houses… but what if there was a fifth!
Create a fifth house and include the
following:
•A name
•A crest (with house colours)
•A slogan
•A paragraph describing the personality of
the House

10. Features of a castle

11. The Keep
The castle’s keep is easy to find. The largest building
standing in the heart of the castle. It was built higher
than the rest of the castle so people inside could see out.
Often the keep would be whitened with lime to dazzle the
eyes of attackers.

13. Thick walls
Castles had thick, stone walls. Why do you think this was?
The walls would have parapets on top, where the defending
soldiers would patrol.

15. Murder Holes
Most castles had murder holes above the main entrance.
Defending soldiers would throw different things down the
holes at the attacking soldiers to put them off. Attackers
had to get close to the castle to get in so they had to get
under the murder holes to attack the main entrance.
Items that would be used include:
• boiling water
• hot ashes
• parts of dead bodies

16. Moat
The moat of a castle is a large ditch, filled with water to
keep the enemy at a distance.

18. Drawbridge
The drawbridge was often made of wood and would swing
up and down like a see-saw to let people in or out of the
castle entrance.

20. Gatehouse
The gatehouse guarded the entrance of the castle or its
town. The portcullis inside the gatehouse was extremely
heavy and was used to seal off the entrance. Behind the
portcullis would usually be a thick, heavy wooden door.

22. Thursday 24 May 2018
You are the hero's of our story. In groups of
three and in your new house. You are going
to research the information on England,
castle and Harry Potter and create a
presentation to the rest of the class.
Use the information packs on your desk.
Design a castle to join your logo for your
house.
Lesson Title: Harry Potter