Life in the Middle Ages Unit Study

Grade 8

Resource Books included in kit: 1. Cathedral: the story of its construction by David Macaulay 2. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies : Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz 3. Medieval Medicine and the Plague by Lynne Elliott 4. Monks and Monasteries in the Middle Ages by Dale Anderson 5. Leonardo da Vinci for Kids: His Life and Ideas, 21 Activities by Janis Herbert 6. Parent Guide 7. Professor Noggins Medieval Times Card Game Additional Resources: The student pages and Parent guide (with clickable links), are available for download from the library website: http://www.onlineschool.ca/rooms/library/resource_kits/index.php

Life in the Middle Ages Unit Study

Grade 8

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Resource list and lesson web links 2. List of Learning Outcomes covered by this unit study 3. Portfolio Submission Guidelines 4. Lesson One: Compare daily life, family structures and gender roles 5. Lesson Two: Hierarchy of various occupations 6. Lesson Three: Monastic Life 7. Lesson Four: Comparing Franciscan and Dominican orders 8. Lesson Five: Architecture of Middle Ages 9. Lesson Six: Medieval Diseases 10. Lesson Seven: Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance Optional Internet-Based Lessons: 11. Lesson Eight: Gothic, byzantine and renaissance artists and their art .pg. 15 12. Lesson Nine: Technological advancements 13. Lesson Ten: Castle Life 14. Appendix a. Venn Diagram for lesson 4 b. Disease Chart for lesson 6 .pg. 16 .pg. 17 .pg. 18 .pg. 19 .pg. 20 .pg. 2 .pg. 4 .pg. 5 .pg. 6 .pg. 7 .pg. 9 .pg. 10 .pg. 11 .pg. 12 .pg. 13

Additional Resources: Lesson One links: The Worst Jobs in History: Two Thousand Years of Miserable Employment by Tony Robinson Archers, Alchemists, and 98 other Medieval Jobs You Might Have Loved or Loathed by Priscilla Galloway Lesson Two links: Feudal system weblink: http://www.angelfire.com/hi5/interactive_learning/NormanConquest/the _middle__ages.htm Letter writing link: http://www.letterwritingguide.com/appeal.htm Persuasive Essay link: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/writing/index.asp?topic=persuas ive Lesson Three links: Lindisfarne Gospel online resource: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/ttpbooks.html Lesson Five links: PBS movie based on David Macaulays book Cathedral. The movie can be purchased through PBS here: http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=2212245 or it can be viewed using Utube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZpOd2pHiI0. Lego digital Designer software download link: http://ldd.lego.com/en-us/download/ Usborne cut-out model books: Make this Cathedral Lesson six links: www.artcyclopedia.com www.arthistory-famousartists-paintings.com www.worldbookonline.com (access available through Encom) Lesson seven links: Disease information link:www.medicinenet.com www.worldbookonline.com (access available through Encom) Lesson eight links: http://DiscoveryEducation.ca ask your teacher for your password Lesson nine links: Gutenberg Printing Press link: http://www.bl.uk/treasures/gutenberg/homepage.html
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 http://DiscoveryEducation.ca Lesson ten links: Castle link: http://www.castles-of-britain.com/castlelearningcenter.htm http://DiscoveryEducation.ca Usborne cut-out model books: Make this Medieval Castle and Make this Medieval Village Knight webquest: http://library.thinkquest.org/10949/fief/medknight.html/

Grade Eight Social Studies learning outcomes covered by this unit study: Society and Culture: Civilizations from 500 to 1600 Compare daily life, family structures and gender roles in a variety of civilization Describe a variety of diverse cultural traditions Demonstrate awareness of artistic expression as a reflection of the culture in which it is produced Identify periods of significant cultural achievement, including the Renaissance Describe how societies preserve identity, transmit culture and adapt to change Politics and Law: Civilizations from 500-1600 Demonstrate understanding of tension between individual rights and the responsibilities of citizens in a variety of civilizations Economy and Technology: Civilizations from 500-1600 Compare basic economic systems and different forms of exchange Analyze the effect of commerce on trade routes, settlement patterns, and cultural exchanges Compare the changing nature of labour in rural and urban environments Describe the impact of technological innovation and science on social structures. Environment: Civilizations from 500-1600 Analyze how people interacted with and altered their environments, in terms of: o Population o Settlement patterns o Resource Use o Cultural development
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Portfolio Submission guidelines Students will submit three samples from the list below for each portfolio including at least two samples from group A . At least one sample of map work should be included at some point during the year and at least one sample per portfolio should be written. Where possible, please include any outlines the student created and the process by which the student determined whether a source was reliable or not. If an oral report is completed please submit a recording of the report. A

An assessment of a variety of positions on a controversial issue. A written, oral, or audio-visual presentation using more than one form of representation and utilizing information from both primary and secondary sources. A project where the student designs, implements, and assesses detailed courses of action to address a problem, issue, or inquiry. If at all possible, this should be a group project. A written sample that shows the students understanding of one or more of the above topics researched using a body of information from primary and secondary print, non-print, and electronic sources. Students should demonstrate their ability to interpret and evaluate a variety of primary and secondary sources.

A list of books, audio-visual materials, or multi-media that the student has learned from. A field trip log. Map work (showing the ability to locate and describe major geographic features and selected nation states of the world and the ability to interpret and use graphs, tables, aerial photos, scales, legends, and various types of maps) Answers to comprehension questions

Lesson One: (3-4 days) Take 2-3 days to read about the daily life, occupations, family structures and gender roles in Laura Amy Schlitzs text Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! : Voices from a Medieval Village. Activity options: I have identified a variety of activity options that you can choose to complete. Please look over the list and identify one or two activities that you would like to work on. Activity One- Drama Choose one of the monologues in the text to recite or one of the plays to perform. The plays can be found on pages 50-57 and on pages 69-74. Have someone record your performance and post it on Utube or on your blog. Activity Two- Creative Expression Write your own play, monologue, or song to illustrate the daily life of medieval times. Activity Three- Writing Research some of the occupations within the Middle Ages and write a persuasive essay on which occupations in the Middle Ages were the worst. The occupations found in Schlitzs text are: blacksmith, plowboy, shepherdess, doctor, villain, miller, knight, falconer, moneylender, merchant, varlet, glassblower, sniggler, and tanner. A great resource for learning how to write a persuasive essay can be found at: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/writing/index.asp?topic=persuasive. Some other suggested resources for this project are: Archers, Alchemists, and 98 Other Medieval Jobs You Might Have Loved or Loathed by Priscilla Galloway and Tony Robinsons The Worst Jobs in History: Two Thousand Years of Miserable Employment.

Lesson Two: 2 days After reading Laura Amy Schlitzs text Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! : Voices from a Medieval Village identify the hierarchy of the various occupations described in the book and about the feudal system.

Activity options: I have identified a variety of activity options that you can choose to complete. Please look over the list and identify one or two activities that you would like to work on. Activity One: Webquest Visit the link: http://www.angelfire.com/hi5/interactive_learning/NormanConquest/the_middle__ages.h tm and read about the origins of the feudal system and how it worked. Complete questions 1 thru 7 that appear on the Middle Ages webquest link. Feel free to complete the optional questions if desired as well as question 8 and 9 on the webquest. Activity Two: Write a letter as one of lesser rank to their overseeing person asking the superior to correct the injustices that you find in your work/position. For example, as a plowboy write a letter to the Lord stating the inequities of farming fields that are positioned so far apart that it takes a day to travel from one field to another. Give suggestions to the Lord as to how to improve your employment conditions. A great letter writing resource for writing appeal letters can be found at: http://www.letterwritingguide.com/appeal.htm Activity Three: This activity was found on Pg. 317 of Linda Lacour Hobars Mystery of History Vol.2 The Early Church and the Middle Ages: To better understand the feudal system, I want you to try this exercise for a day. First, consider that your mayor or governor is like a king who owns all the land in your city or town. Then consider that your teacher or parent is the major land owner, or baron, of the place where you live or go to school. In order for you to own a piece, or fief, of this land (your bedroom, for example) you must agree on a particular ongoing chore. You then become a knight and own that part of your house or school as long as that chore is getting done! Now, you might want to sell a small piece of your fief, or property, to a younger family member or neighbour. Consider what that person can do for you to make it worth selling (put away your dirty clothes, clean off your desk, etc.). Find a villein, or peasant, willing to work out this arrangement with you and then that villein, too, becomes a knight and owns a small piece of land. To help keep the names straight, wear nametags indicating baron, knight, and villein.

Lesson Three: 2 days Read chapter three of Dale Andersons Monks and Monasteries in the Middle Ages. Chapter three is focused on the monastic life. If interested in completing the first activity as outlined below but you would like to write from a nuns point of view then read chapter four as well. Activity options: I have identified a variety of activity options that you can choose to complete. Please look over the list and identify one or two activities that you would like to work on. Activity One: Creative Writing After reading chapter three on the monastic life, imagine yourself in the scriptorium and writing a diary of your daily activities within the monasteries walls. Once you have composed your diary you could either publish it on your blog, on fancy computer paper with handwriting scrawl, or you could use homemade tea stained paper. Be sure to include in your diary: the canonical hours, the titles of the various monks that you came in contact with, the work that you and others did in the monastery, and to what monastery order you subscribe. For more information on monastery orders see pgs. 15-19 in Dale Andersons Monks and Monasteries in the Middle Ages . Activity Two: Research and Applied Skill This activity on calculating your handwriting speed was found on Pg. 138 of Linda Lacour Hobars Mystery of History Vol.2 - The Early Church and the Middle Ages: Materials needed: A Bible, paper, pen, clock, and calculator How many hours might it take you to copy the bible by hand? A few hundred? A few thousand? Find an approximation using this calculation. In minutes, time how long it takes you to copy one column of one page of the Bible. Take this number and multiply it by two. This new number tells you how long it will take you to copy one full page of the Bible. Take that number (still in minutes) and multiply it by the number of pages in your Bible. Now, divide that number by 60 to calculate the numbers of hours it would take you to copy the entire Bible by hand. Research online samples of the Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels. These illuminated manuscripts were written and illuminated by monks between 700 and 800 A.D. Lindisfarne Gospel online resource: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/ttpbooks.html

Lesson Four: 1-2 days Read chapter five of Dale Andersons Monks and Monasteries in the Middle Ages. Chapter five is focused on the difference between the Franciscan and Dominican orders. Activity One: Comparison using Venn Diagram After reading chapter five on the Franciscan and Dominican orders use a Venn diagram chart to compare/contrast the two orders. Use the following link to create an Interactive Venn Diagram online: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/venn/. If you prefer to create your own with pencil and paper then a sample Venn Diagram is provided in the Appendix.

Lesson Five: 2-3 days Read David Macaulays book titled Cathedral: The story of its construction and learn about how the great cathedrals of the Middle Ages were built. Activity options: I have identified a variety of activity options that you can choose to complete. Please look over the list and identify one or two activities that you would like to work on. Activity One: Viewing Watch the PBS movie based on David Macaulays book Cathedral. The movie goes further into the construction of Frances gothic cathedrals and ranges between cinemaquality animation and contemporary location sequences. The program tells period tales revealing fascinating stories of life and death, faith and despair, prosperity and intrigue. This video can be purchased at: http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=2212245 or it can be viewed using Utube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZpOd2pHiI0.

Activity Two: Art and Design Create a cathedral using the design principles discussed in Macaulays book. You could create this cathedral on paper, with lego or wood blocks, in a virtual world, using Lego Digital Designer Software , or by using various other materials. If you are wanting an easier option to building your own cathedral check out Usborne books. They have created a cut-out model book of a cathedral called Make this Cathedral.
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Activity Three: Research and Write Research one of the craftsmen/trades mentioned on page 9 of Macaulays Cathedral: The Story of its construction using the internet. Write at least a paragraph on the trade you decided to research. Activity Four: Research and Creative Expression Using the internet, look up a variety of gothic cathedrals and compare their similarities and differences in their construction and/or create a middle ages architecture collage using pictures found on the web. Some cathedrals to research are: Cathedral of Annunciation, Saints Basils Cathedral, Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev and of Constantinople, and the Cathedral of Laon.

Lesson Six: 2 days Read pg. 6-11 on Medieval Diseases in Lynne Elliotts Medieval Medicine and the Plague. Activity One: Many of the diseases that were prevalent in the Middle Ages still affect some of the worlds population. Diseases such as, skin infections, stomach viruses, food poisoning, scurvy, dysentery, typhoid fever, cholera, measles, smallpox, chicken pox, dipheria, influenza, whopping cough, and leprosy still have an effect on the worlds population but they no longer have such devastating results as they once did. How has modern medicine managed to control outbreaks of certain diseases? Make a table of five diseases detailing how the disease is transmitted, the symptoms, current medical practices and a column detailing where in the world these diseases are prevalent. Use www.medicinenet.com and/or www.worldbookonline.com (available through Encom) to search for information about diseases. There is a pre-made table in the appendix for this exercise, feel free to photocopy the table for this exercise or make your own table and post it on your blog for others to see.

Lesson Seven: By completing all of the following activities for lesson seven you will have managed to read all of Janis Herberts Leonardo da Vinci for Kids: His Life and Ideas as well as have the choice to complete at least one of the creative activities offered in each section of the book. The activities with an asterisk indicate recommended reading sections for a greater understanding of Da Vincis life and times.
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Activity One: 1 day Read chapter one, A Boy in Vinci and choose one of the creative activities offered within this chapter. The activities are: Setting Up Your Studio Brush up on Birds Observing Nature

Activity Two: 1 day Read chapter two, The Young Apprentice and choose at least one of the creative activities offered within this chapter. The recommended activities for this chapter are: Perspective* Well-Bannered The Renaissance* Pinpointing the Vanishing Point Animal Art

Activity Three: 1-2 days Read chapter three, A Genius a Work and choose at least one of the creative activities offered within this chapter. The recommended activities for this chapter are: Measuring Up Mental Exercise* The Plague* Leonardos Lock* A Masque of the Planets Learn a Little Italian* Leonardos Prophecies* Flight* Eye Exercises A Parachute Kite Restoring The Last Leonardos Inventions* Supper* Italys Kingdoms and City Missiles and Math* States* Salais Aniseed Sweets

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Activity Four: 1 day Read chapter four, I Shall Continue and choose at least one of the creative activities offered within this chapter. The activities are: The Nature of Sound* Simple Machines* Art Detectives* Who was Mona Lisa?* The Craft of Cartography Looking at Art* How Tall is that Tree? Lesson Eight: 2 days Use www.artcyclopedia.com, www.arthistory-famousartists-paintings.com and www.worldbookonline.com (available through Encom) to research about Gothic, Byzantine and Renaissance artists and their art. Activity options: I have identified a variety of activity options that you can choose to complete. Please look over the list and identify one or two activities that you would like to work on. Activity One: Research Art History Write a paragraph about one of the famous artists from the Middle Ages. You can find a list of Gothic and Renaissance artists on either www.artcyclopedia.com or www.arthistory-famousartists-paintings.com . Be sure to include information about the artists hometown/country and images of his/her artwork. When finished you could include your report on your personal blog for others to enjoy. Activity Two: Artistic Expression Create a painting using either a gothic or renaissance style of art. Use one of the suggested websites to first research gothic art and/or renaissance art. Once you have an understanding of the style of art from that time period, create a piece of art using that style. For example, gothic art often featured religious images in the foreground with flat 2 dimensional backgrounds whereas renaissance art incorporated the use of perspective and the accurate depiction of the human anatomy. Activity Three: Research Art History Write a paragraph about either the Gothic or the Renaissance Period of art history. Be sure to include names of some of the artists, the time period, the art and the principles of art that were used during that period of art history. Use any or all of the suggested websites in your research.
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Activity Four: Movie Watch All about the Renaissance: Part 01: Historical Background, Beginnings, and Art on http://DiscoveryEducation.ca. The movie sets the stage for the Renaissance by providing the historical background needed to understand its emergence in the early 1300s, when the glories of classical Roman and Greek culture were rediscovered. A comparison of Medieval, classical, and Renaissance approaches to art is also presented in this program. The blackline masters that are included with the movie include a pre-test and various worksheets that can be completed after watching the movie, if desired.

Lesson Nine: 1-2 days Using the internet, research about the technological advancements made in the Renaissance era. Activity options: I have identified a variety of activity options that you can choose to complete. Please look over the list and identify one or two activities that you would like to work on. Activity One: Webquest Learn about the printing press and its inventor, Johannes Guttenberg. Use the link below and click on the headings to learn about Johannes Guttenberg, his invention, his Bible and his life. The link for the webquest is: http://www.bl.uk/treasures/gutenberg/homepage.html Activity Two: Movie Watch All about the Renaissance: Part 02: Science, Invention, Architecture, Exploration, and Religious Reform on http://DiscoveryEducation.ca. The movie focuses on the later developments of the Renaissance. This program presents the impact of the enormous changes that took place in science, invention, architecture, exploration and religious reform during this pivotal era of world history. The blackline masters that are included with the movie include a pre-test and various worksheets that can be completed after watching the movie, if desired.

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Lesson Ten: 1-2 days Use the internet to research about life in a castle. There are many sites on castles so I have chosen just one: http://www.castles-of-britain.com/castlelearningcenter.html Activity options: I have identified a variety of activity options that you can choose to complete. Please look over the list and identify one or two activities that you would like to work on. Activity One: Creative Expression Draw a diagram of a castle layout labeling the defense and offense capabilities that a castle afforded. Activity Two: Creative Expression Create a diorama of a castle and its land either as a physical model or virtually on the computer. If you are wanting an easier option to building your own castle check out Usborne books. They have created two books with cut-out models of a medieval village and castle. The titles are: Make this Medieval Castle and Make this Medieval Village. There are several other cut-out model castle and village books available through Usborne Books, if interested. Activity Three: Research This activity on researching the steps to become a knight was found on Pg. 127 of Linda Lacour Hobars Mystery of History Vol.2 - The Early Church and the Middle Ages. Use the following webquest link to complete the exercise below: http://library.thinkquest.org/10949/fief/medknight.html/ Research the steps to become a knight. On a sheet of paper folded twice create space for writing three paragraphs. Write one paragraph on the duties of a page, one on the duties of a squire, and one on becoming a knight. Activity Four: Movie Watch Living History: Living in Medieval Europe on http://DiscoveryEducation.ca. The program, filmed at some of the finest medieval sites in Europe, takes students through real castles, and introduces the people who lived in them. Students discover how knights were trained, how ordinary people lived, and how the devotion of medieval Christians created the golden age of cathedral building. The blackline masters that are included with the movie include a pre-test and various worksheets that can be completed after watching the movie, if desired.

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Appendix:

a. Venn Diagram for lesson 4 b. Disease Chart for lesson 6

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Venn Diagram of the Franciscan and Dominican Orders

Franciscan Orders

Dominican Orders

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Diseases of the Middle Ages that are still prevalent today

Disease Name How is the disease transmitted? What are the symptoms of the disease? What are the current medical practices? Where and when were the last outbreaks of this disease?

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