World History: The Medieval Era
List the things you know about this time period. 500 AD to 1500 AD.
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OBJECTIVES:
1. We learn about people from long ago by reading records, such as diaries, that they left behind.
2. In medieval times, only the wealthiest people—the lords, knights, and ladies—were able to read and
write.
Choose one of the following:
A. Write down dates and what happens on the date from the video.
1. ____________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________________
4. ____________________________________________________________________________
5. ____________________________________________________________________________
6. ____________________________________________________________________________
7. ____________________________________________________________________________
8. ____________________________________________________________________________
9. _____________________________________________________________________
10. _____________________________________________________________________
B. The majority of the people who lived in the Middle Ages were peasants—poor, uneducated laborers
who farmed the lord's land and had to give him much of the food. Under the system of feudalism, they
belonged to the lord and were not free to leave the land. They were allowed to keep some of the food
they grew, and they were protected against attackers by the lord's knights. List the good and the bad
aspects of this system and discuss how this system could have been changed to be fairer to the
peasants.
Good
Bad
C. Discuss how the Crusades helped lead to the end of the Medieval Period, or Dark Ages, and the
beginning of the Renaissance. Focus on what items and knowledge the crusaders brought back from
the Holy Land.
1. ___________________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________________________________
D. Would you like to live in a castle? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of living in a
castle? Compare castles with modern homes. Describe the “defense” features of the modern home.
Advantages to living in a
castle
Disadvantage to living in a
castle
Describe “defense” features
of the modern hom
E. How do the lives of medieval women compare to the lives of modern women? Which jobs and
activities are similar? Which jobs and activities are different?
Medieval Women
Modern Women
Grading Rubric Medieval Era Choice Project
Items evaluated
Possible Points
1. Make choice by 12/7/2012
5 points
2. Turn in your notes from the video
5 points
3. Complete details, clearly written,
15 points
few if any grammar, usage, and
mechanics
4. Present information to class
10 points
5. turn in grading rubric
5 points
Extra credit
10-20 points
Points earned
Total score
40 points
Extra Credit
I.
Make a “Safe” Stained Glass Window
a. Lay a piece of waxed paper or an overhead transparency on a simple picture from a book or
coloring book. Using crayons, students should trace the outline of the picture. Then cut pieces
of cellophane (of different colors) to fit into their outline drawings and tape the cellophane
onto the waxed paper or acetate. The next step involves cutting out thin pieces of black
construction paper and pasting them on the base to cover the spaces between the cellophane.
II. Using the WEB LINKS: Ian's Land of Castles
See how castles were made, what they look like now, and what castle life was like.
http://www.oberlin.edu/faculty/ndarling/castle/castles.htm#outside
http://www.stormthecastle.com/paper-castle/make-a-cardboard-castle.htm
http://medievalcastles.stormthecastle.com/another-mysterious-medieval-castle.htm
http://www.buildmodelcastles.com/html/castles.html