Let's walk through a castle! First we cross the drawbridge, a wooden bridge that can lift up over the moat. Then we pass through the gatehouse, where guards keep watch. In the middle stands the keep — the tallest, strongest tower, where the lord's family lives.
Inside the walls there is a busy courtyard with a kitchen, stables for horses, and a blacksmith making tools and swords.
How did someone become a knight? A boy started as a page at age seven, learning manners and riding. Around fourteen, he became a squire and helped a real knight with his armor and horse. If he worked hard, he was made a knight in a special ceremony!
1. What is the keep?
2. What does a drawbridge do?
3. What were the two steps before becoming a knight?
4. Which job in the castle courtyard would you want? Why?
Write what each word means in your own words.
Read each sentence. Write P (page), S (squire), or K (knight).
| Sentence | P, S, or K? |
|---|---|
| I am seven years old and learning manners. | |
| I ride into battle wearing armor. | |
| I help a knight put on his armor. | |
| I just started learning to ride a horse. | |
| I care for a knight's horse and sword. | |
| I protect the castle and its people. |
Write T for true or F for false in each circle.
Draw three pictures: a page learning manners, a squire helping a knight, and a brave knight on his horse.
1. The lifts up so enemies cannot cross the moat.
2. Guards keep watch at the .
3. The is the tallest, strongest tower.
4. A boy started training as a at age seven.
5. A helped a knight with his armor.
6. The made tools and swords in the courtyard.
1. A page trained for about seven years before becoming a squire. What is something you are practicing that takes a long time to learn?
2. Why do you think the keep was built in the middle of the castle?
| I learned... | Circle one |
|---|---|
| The parts of a castle | YES / NOT YET |
| What pages and squires did | YES / NOT YET |
| How a boy became a knight | YES / NOT YET |