I. Curricular Framework

Concept:

Systems

Essential Question:

How did the major changes resulting from the Crusades and changes to agriculture impact the feudal

Bridge:

Society Structures

Content:

The Middle Ages

Outcomes:

II. Standards Aligned

III. Instruction and Assessment

1. Connect: Connecting to the Concept Experientially

Objective: To provide students with an experience of what the social strata of the Middle Ages were like.

Activity: The class is divided into a class system. Five students are designated as vassals. Each of them is given four serfs and a working area with art supplies and a strip of mural paper divided into five sections. Each group is to depict life in the Middle Ages, using a collection of pictures to assist them. Duties of vassal: Decide what goes in each section of mural and which serf must do each section. Oversee and guide work. Duties of serfs: Complete assigned section of mural. Help complete vassal's section. Share profits of labor (snacks provided by teacher) with vassal.

Assessment: Involvement of students in the experience and disgruntlement of serfs.

2. Attend: Attending to the Connection

Objective: To discuss and analyze vassal/serf role play experience.

Activity: Students write their reactions and feelings as to how the labor and rewards were divided. In small groups, students share their feelings and reactions and try to analyze why they felt as they did. Students compile list of insights gained from the experience. Teacher-led discussion should encourage students to compare the class structure of the Middle Ages with the social and economic structure of our present world.

Assessment: Quality of discussion and composite group lists of insights.

Assessment, Phase One, Level of Engagement, Fascination:

3. Image: Creating a Mental Picture

Objective: To integrate vassal/serf experience with a feeling for daily life in the Middle Ages.

Activity: Teacher uses illustrations from A Medieval Feast by Aliki and excerpts from The Story of King Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle to introduce the basic organization of medieval society. In small groups students create a mindmap to reflect the basic organization of medieval society and how various lifestyles emerged. Teacher combines mindmaps from each group into one large composite for the whole class.

Assessment: Level of involvement during reading and quality of mindmaps.

Assessment, Phase Two, Seeing the Big Picture:

4. Inform: Receiving Facts & Knowledge

Objective: To teach the major concepts of the Middle Ages.

Activity: Teacher presents mini-lectures accompanied by appropriate film, video, music, demonstrations and student activities. Students read assignments in text and media center. Concepts covered include: the feudal system as the basic organization of medieval society which determined the lifestyles of the populace; crusades fostered new outlook among medieval Europeans; changes in agriculture caused revolutionary changes in medieval life.

Assessment: Student notetaking and level of questions, and teacher checking for understanding

Assessment, Phase Three, Success with Acquiring Knowledge:

5. Practice: Developing Skills

Objective: To reinforce major concepts taught.

Activity: Students maintain notebooks of their notes from readings and classroom presentations, answers to textbook and teacher-posed questions, and handouts used during the unit of study. Students become involved in one or two teacher-directed activities designed to reinforce concepts, review vocabulary, and develop thinking skills. Suggested activities are: 1. Formulating a crossword puzzle about medieval life to be exchanged with classmates. 2. Developing categories and creating answer cards for a Jeopardy-type game to be played by the class. 3. Designing a class tapestry showing the growth pattern of a medieval town. 4. Creating a classroom timeline showing important dates, events, and developments of the Middle Ages. 5. Writing a letter home describing your experiences as a page in service at the king's castle, or writing a diary account of your day's activities as lord or lady of the manor. 6. Solving logic puzzles with a medieval theme. In cooperative groups, students expand the mindmap developed in Step Three to include everything they now know about "Life in the Middle Ages." The teacher develops a composite mindmap as students contribute the major topics/ideas of the unit. Students write their own unit test based on the major topics/ideas covered. Teams of two students are assigned a major topic/idea for which they are to write test questions and the types of questions and number of each type to be submitted. Teams must also provide the answers to the questions they develop. The teacher compiles the class unit test using the student-developed questions and answers.

Assessment: Quality group work, student notebooks, student products, and test questions. Contributions to the mindmap.

Assessment, Phase Four, Success with Acquiring Skills:

6. Extend: Extending Learning to the Outside World

Objective: To expand what has been learned.

Activity: Using the composite class mindmap, students individually or in teams select a topic of interest and begin preliminary investigation to get ideas for a project.

Assessment: Students' on-task behavior.

7. Refine: Refining the Extension

Objective: To plan and complete an independent project.

Activity: Students finalize ideas for project and submit a written contract to the teacher. Contracts include goals, resources to be used, materials needed, completion date, and criteria for evaluation: scope, details, originality, relevance, usefulness, etc. If the project is by a team, contract must specify activity, input, and criteria for evaluation of each team member.

Assessment: Quality of individual student contracts.

8. Perform: Creative Manifestation of Material Learned

Objective: To share what has been learned and to learn from others at a Medieval Faire.

Activity: Students present their projects at a Medieval Faire which they plan and coordinate with all its pageantry: parade, performances, displays, demonstrations, costumes, etc.

Assessment: Quality of students efforts and delight in the experience.

Assessment, Phase Five,Performance, Creative Use of Material Learned: