Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
The Hastings Gazette: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 7
- ForYear 7
- StageKey Stage 3
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
The Hastings Gazette is a free printable history worksheet for Year 7 (ages 11 to 12), in Key Stage 3. Children read a fact file about the Norman Conquest, answer the five Ws, then write a news report of their own. It needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown-up notes, help ideas, a stretch task and answers.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children start by reading a short fact file about the Norman Conquest. They then answer questions on the five Ws: who, what, where, when and why. Each answer is written in a full sentence in the space provided. Finally they use their answers to write a news report on the lines, as if they were a journalist reporting the story.
- WHO: Name the two leaders at the battle.
- WHAT: How did the battle end?
- WHERE: In which part of England was it fought?
- WHEN: Give the day, month and year.
- WHY: Give one reason the throne was disputed.
Writing the news report
Start with a headline
A headline is short and tells the reader the main event at a glance. Write it last if that helps. Try two or three versions and choose the one that sounds most like a newspaper.
Open with the five Ws
The first sentence of a news report should tell the reader the key facts. Use the answers already written on the sheet as the raw material for this opening.
Keep to what is known
Use facts from the fact file. If you add a view or a feeling, say clearly that it is an opinion. A good reporter does not pretend a guess is a fact.
Write in the past tense
These events are over, so the report describes what happened. Check each verb. Read the report aloud and listen for any word that slips into the present.
Reporting history in a newspaper style
The word gazette is an old name for a newspaper or an official journal. Printed newspapers did not exist at the time of the Norman Conquest, so this sheet asks children to imagine one. That is a useful trick in history. It makes them pick out the most important facts and decide what a reader needs to know first.
Real evidence from the period comes from sources such as chronicles written by monks and the Bayeux Tapestry, an embroidered cloth that shows the events. Sources can disagree or leave things out, and they were often written by people with a point of view. Writing a report is a gentle way into asking who is telling the story, and why.
Quick facts about the Norman Conquest
- The Normans came from Normandy, a region in the north of France.
- The Bayeux Tapestry is called a tapestry, but it is actually embroidered cloth, not woven.
- After the conquest, the Normans built many castles across England.
- Over time, many words from French found their way into English.
- Gazette is an old word for a newspaper or an official journal.
Skills and curriculum link
- Selecting key facts
- Explaining causes
- Writing a news report
- Answering in full sentences
- Using the five Ws
Helping with the five Ws
- WhoAsk your child to look for the names of people in the fact file and underline them. Then ask what part each person played in the story.
- WhatThis is about the event itself. Encourage a short sentence that says what happened, using their own words rather than copying a line.
- Where and whenThese are facts to find and check. Remind your child that a date has a day, a month and a year, and a place needs a clear name or description.
- WhyA reason explains a cause. Ask, "What made this happen?" Encourage the word because, so the answer links the cause to the result.
Key words
- ConquestTaking control of a place or its people by force.
- ThroneThe special seat of a king or queen. It also means the position of ruler.
- DisputeTo argue or disagree about something, such as who has a right to it.
- SourceSomething that gives us information about the past, such as a text or a picture.
- HeadlineThe short, bold title at the top of a news story.
- CauseA reason why something happens.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Read the fact file once with your child. Ask them to say in one sentence what it is about.
- Answer the five Ws in full sentences. Talk about each one before writing.
- Use those answers to write the news report. Start with the headline, then the main facts.
- Check with page 2 together. Ask, "How did you decide what to put first?" Come back another day to improve the report.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Give a sentence starter for each answer, such as The battle ended when. Let your child point to the part of the fact file that gives each answer before they write it. Do the five Ws first, and leave the report until later.
To stretch confident children
Write a second report from the Norman side and compare how the two reports differ. Which words does each one choose? What does each leave out? Talk about why two reporters might tell the same event in different ways.
Make it a game
Read your report aloud like a town crier. Ask a partner to listen and call out each of the five Ws as they hear it. Swap roles. See whether the listener can spot all five.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child copies whole lines from the fact file into the answers.
Try thisAsk them to cover the fact file, say the answer aloud, then write it in their own words.
Watch forThe answer to why only says what happened, not the reason.
Try thisAsk, "What caused it?" Try the sentence starter: This happened because.
Watch forThe report has no headline, or the headline is too long.
Try thisLook at a real newspaper headline together. Count the words and aim for a short line that says the main event.
Talk about it
- Why might two people tell the same event in different ways?
- What is the difference between a fact and an opinion?
- Which of the five Ws was the hardest to answer, and why?
- What would you put in your headline to make people want to read on?
- Why do you think the Normans wanted to take control of England?
- How is a news report different from a story?
Take it off the page
Town crier
Write your report as a short announcement. Stand up, ring a pretend bell and read it to the family. Ask them to say what the headline was.
Front page
Fold a sheet of paper into a newspaper front page. Add a headline, a report, and a picture of the event drawn by hand.
Interview
Ask a family member to be a person who was there. Ask them the five Ws as questions, and write down what they say.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit with your child for the first read of the fact file, then let them lead. Ask them to explain their answers aloud. Short sessions work better than one long one. Praise careful thinking, not only correct answers.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, a plenary, an early finisher task or homework. It needs no preparation beyond printing. Page 2 has support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups, and the answers make quick marking simple.
Home educators
This fits well with books, museum visits and talk about how we know about the past. Print it again for brothers and sisters, or return to it later for revision. Use the stretch idea to compare two reports.
Where this fits in history learning
Before this sheet, children in Key Stage 2 meet the idea of change over time and learn about Britain before the Norman Conquest, including the Anglo Saxons and the Vikings. They practise putting events in order and asking simple questions about the past.
After this, Year 7 children move on to the wider study of medieval Britain. They will look at how rule, society and the Church changed, and compare different sources and accounts. Writing a report builds the habit of selecting evidence and explaining causes.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is The Hastings Gazette for?
It is written for Year 7 (ages 11 to 12), in Key Stage 3. Younger children can try it with help, and older pupils can use the stretch idea on page 2 to compare two different reports.
- What will children practise?
They practise selecting key facts, explaining causes and writing a news report. The topic is Britain after the Norman Conquest, including why the throne was disputed and how the battle ended.
- How do I use it?
Read the fact file once, then answer the five Ws in full sentences before writing the report. Work through it together the first time. Check against the notes and answers on page 2 afterwards.
- What if it feels too hard?
Give a sentence starter for each answer, such as The battle ended when. Let your child find the right part of the fact file first. Do the five Ws on one day and the report on another.
- Is it free?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers, sisters or revision, and share it with a class.
- Is this a screen free activity?
Yes. It needs only paper and a pencil, so it works for quiet time, rainy days and school holidays. Children read, think and write by hand, with no device needed.
- Do I need to print in colour?
No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Print both pages. Page 1 is for the child and page 2 is kept by the grown-up.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.