Social Studies Bell Ringer for Grades 6–8: The Battle of Hastings and the Bayeux Tapestry
A free social studies bell ringer for grades 6–8. Put the prompt on the board as students walk in, give them three to five minutes, then go over it together. The answer and teacher notes are in the box below the prompt.
The prompt
On October 14, 1066, William, duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings and the Normans became England's rulers. The story was later stitched into the Bayeux Tapestry, a strip of embroidered linen about 230 feet long and 20 inches high. (a) How many years ago was the battle? (b) Why might people in the 1000s have told this story in pictures instead of mostly in writing? Give two reasons.
Answer and teacher notes
(a) 2026 − 1066 = 960 years.
(b) Answers will vary. Strong reasons: most people could not read, pictures can be understood by speakers of different languages (the Normans spoke French, the English spoke Old English), and a huge display in a church would impress everyone who saw it. The tapestry has more than 70 scenes. Timely detail: it is on display at the British Museum in London from September 2026 through July 2027, its first time in England in about 900 years.
Sources: Britannica: Battle of Hastings; Britannica: Bayeux Tapestry; NPR: The Bayeux Tapestry returns to England
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