Heraldry's Heart - The Escutcheon

Cloze texts such as this one on medieval heraldry offer several advantages in the classroom. Firstly, they encourage active engagement with the text as students have to concentrate on each sentence to find the missing key terms. This promotes understanding and retention of the material. Secondly, this text introduces students to the complicated world of heraldry, an important aspect of medieval history, in a simplified and understandable way. The use of familiar concepts such as colors and animals in heraldic symbolism can help bridge the gap between students' current knowledge and new information. Thirdly, the task of identifying and understanding key terms in the text will strengthen vocabulary on the topic. This is particularly useful when teaching historical terms that are not commonly used in everyday language. In addition, the structure of the text, with short sentences and clearly defined terms, makes it easier for pupils aged 12 to 16 to grasp and retain the information. Finally, the format of the cloze text can be adapted to different teaching phases, from the introduction of new material to the repetition or assessment of previously learned content.