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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 Noggin’s 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

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Life in the Middle Ages Unit Study

Grade 8

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Resource list and lesson web links ….pg. 2

2. List of Learning Outcomes covered by this unit study ….pg. 4

3. Portfolio Submission Guidelines ….pg. 5

4. Lesson One: Compare daily life, family structures and gender roles ….pg. 6

5. Lesson Two: Hierarchy of various occupations ….pg. 7

6. Lesson Three: Monastic Life ….pg. 9

7. Lesson Four: Comparing Franciscan and Dominican orders ….pg. 10

8. Lesson Five: Architecture of Middle Ages ….pg. 11

9. Lesson Six: Medieval Diseases ….pg. 12

10. Lesson Seven: Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance ….pg. 13

Optional Internet-Based Lessons:

11. Lesson Eight: Gothic, byzantine and renaissance artists and their art ….pg. 15

12. Lesson Nine: Technological advancements ….pg. 16

13. Lesson Ten: Castle Life ….pg. 17

14. Appendix ….pg. 18

a. Venn Diagram for lesson 4 ….pg. 19

b. Disease Chart for lesson 6 ….pg. 20

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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 Macaulay’s 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 student’s 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.

B

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

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Lesson One:

(3-4 days)

Take 2-3 days to read about the daily life, occupations, family structures and gender

roles in Laura Amy Schlitz’s 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

Schlitz’s 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 Robinson’s

The Worst Jobs in History: Two Thousand Years of Miserable Employment.

Lesson Two:

2 days

After reading Laura Amy Schlitz’s 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.

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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 Hobar’s 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.

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Lesson Three:

2 days

Read chapter three of Dale Anderson’s 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 nun’s 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 Anderson’s 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 Hobar’s 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

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Lesson Four:

1-2 days

Read chapter five of Dale Anderson’s 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 Macaulay’s 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 Macaulay’s book Cathedral. The movie goes

further into the construction of France’s gothic cathedrals and ranges between cinema-

quality 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 Macaulay’s 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 Macaulay’s 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, Saint’s Basil’s 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 Elliott’s Medieval Medicine and the

Plague.

Activity One:

Many of the diseases that were prevalent in the Middle Ages still affect some of the

world’s 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 world’s 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 Herbert’s 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 Vinci’s 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

Observing Nature

Brush up on Birds

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*

The Renaissance*

Animal Art

Well-Bannered

Pinpointing the Vanishing

Point

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

The Plague*

A Masque of the Planets

Leonardo’s Prophecies*

Eye Exercises

Leonardo’s Inventions*

Italy’s Kingdoms and City-

States*

Salai’s Aniseed Sweets

Mental Exercise*

Leonardo’s Lock*

Learn a Little Italian*

Flight*

A Parachute Kite

Restoring The Last

Supper*

Missiles and Math*

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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*

Art Detectives*

The Craft of Cartography

How Tall is that Tree?

Simple Machines*

Who was Mona Lisa?*

Looking at Art*

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

artist’s 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 Hobar’s 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

Dominican

Orders

Franciscan

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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