Harry at Hastings

Objective & Plot Summary

Objective: To lead students to follow a fantastic adventure story, understanding the key points of a simple historical event (the Battle of Hastings) and the evolution of the relationship between two characters.

Summary: Harry, a student who hates history, is propelled, along with his "nerdy" classmate Adam, right into the heart of the 1066 Battle of Hastings during a school trip. Captured by Norman soldiers, the two boys—who are complete opposites—will have to help each other to survive and return to their own time.

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Suggested Lesson Flow

1. Before Listening (~5-10 min): PREPARE FOR BATTLE

• Anticipation: Introduce the context: a school trip to a historical battlefield. "Do you like school trips? Do you like history?".

• Vocabulary: Introduce the key battle words with images: battle, soldier, king, arrow, sword.

2. During Listening (~25 min): TIME TRAVEL

• Listening split into 3 parts:

  • Part 1 (The School Trip): Listen to the beginning, which presents the opposition between Harry and Adam. Pause: "Who likes history? Who likes video games? Are they friends?".

  • Part 2 (In the Past): Listen to their fall into the past and their capture. Pause: "Where are they now? What year is it? What is the problem?".

  • Part 3 (The Return): Listen to Adam's rescue and their return to the present.

3. After Listening (~10-15 min): BACK TO THE PRESENT

• Discussion: "Was the adventure real? How do we know? Did Harry change at the end of the story? Why?".

• Simple Task: Ask students to choose a character (Harry or Adam) and say in one simple sentence what they like. ("Harry likes video games." / "Adam likes books and history.").

Adaptations

• To Simplify: Before listening, explain the context of the battle very briefly: "In 1066, two armies, the Saxons and the Normans, fight in a big battle".

• To Extend: Ask the students: "If you can travel in time, where do you go? To the past or to the future? Why?". Students answer in one or two sentences.