THE
BLACK
DEATH
To be viewed after the Black Death Investigation
KEY QUESTIONS
There are three questions that will be answered while completing this lesson:
1. What is the Black Death?
2. What caused the Black Death?
3. What were the consequences?
THE REAL CAUSE
Now that you have investigated various exhibits about the Black Death, the real cause of
it was the Oriental
Rat Flea.
The Black Death was also called the
Black Plague, the plague, or the
Bubonic Plague
HOW DID THE DISEASE SPREAD?
• We now know that the most common form of the Black Death was the BUBONIC
PLAGUE! This disease was spread by fleas which lived on the black rat. The fleas
sucked the rat’s blood which contained the plague germs. When the rat died, the
fleas jumped on to humans and passed on the deadly disease.
TWO TYPES
• Pneumonic plague
• Plague became a killer when the infection reached the lungs. This was called pneumonic
plague, because it destroyed the breathing system. This plague could be caught if
someone breathed on you.
• Bubonic plague
• Bubonic plague did not spread on the victim’s lungs, but it caused large swellings as the
body fought the disease. It’s a similar effect when you have a boil. To catch this type of
plague you had to be bitten by a flea that had already bitten a black rat. The swellings
were on the lymph nodes.
VIDEO
• Click the link below
http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/other-shows/videos/filthy-cities-black-death/
INTERACTIVE MAP
• CLICK on the link and use the interactive map to see how the plague spread.
• http://wadsworth.cengage.com/history_d/templates/student_resources/0534627218
_spielvogel/spielvogel_maps/swfs/map11_1.html
CHANGES TO LIFE
• So many deaths meant that life changed for the people who survived. The biggest
changes were on the farms and in the countryside. For the peasants things were
getting better. The lords needed them to work the land but there were less people
available. Laborers could ask for higher pay and get it.
• After the Bubonic Plague ran its course, people had either built up an immunity
because their systems had successfully fought off the disease, or they had a natural
immunity. Either way, that particular disease became far less visible.
• In Medieval Europe the Black Death was estimated to kill more than 20 million
people, over one-third of the population. No medical knowledge existed to cope with
the disease.
VIDEO – HORRIBLE HISTORIES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv0dKdhdRpM
WHEN FINISHED…
• When finished with the worksheet, you can choose one of the next four slides:
• Finish a story 1
• Finish a story 2
• Create a drawing
• Create a Doctor’s Warning flier about the plague
Choose one…..
FINISH A STORY 1
Choose one…..
FINISH A STORY 2
Choose one…..
CREATE A BLACK PLAGUE DRAWING
• Use your artistic abilities and create a
drawing showing the effects of the Black
Death.
Choose one…..
CREATE A DOCTOR’S WARNING
• Create a flier or public service announcement to warn people of the plague
• Include: description of what the plague is, symptoms, and treatment options