6th Grade – Middle Ages (Medieval Times) Unit Curriculum Map
Theme, Enduring Understandings, & Essential Questions for This
Essential Question: How do geography, economics, people and
key events connect to shape a region and a
continent?
Key
Common
Core
Standards
Essential
Skills &
Concepts to
be Targeted
Throughout
the Unit
Using Various Levels
of Bloom’s Taxonomy
for Planning
Differentiated
Questions and
Activities/Projects
How Students
will
Demonstrate
Their
Understanding?
Assessments
List Resources for
this Multi-Genre Unit
Theme, Enduring Understandings, & Essential Questions for This
Essential Question: How do geography, economics, people and
key events connect to shape a region and a
continent?
Theme/Unit:
Middle Ages/Medieval Times (Renaissance)
Enduring Understandings:
1. How the waterways interconnected countries on the European
continent & contributed to the growth of civilization.
2. The evolution of government in Europe
3. The conflicts that arose b/c of the 3 major religions.
4. How the rise of the Renaissance allowed for the scientific and
cultural growth in Europe.
How will we begin this unit?
1. Horrible History Preview – Henry VIII - teacher designed
introduction.
2. Timeline from text w/activity teacher designed
3. Video from BrainPop
o http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/worldhistory/middleages/
Key
Common
Core
Standards
Essential
Skills &
Concepts to
be Targeted
Throughout
the Unit
Using Various Levels
of Bloom’s Taxonomy
for Planning
Differentiated
Questions and
Activities/Projects
How Students
will
Demonstrate
Their
Understanding?
Assessments
Geography of
Europe
(seas, rivers,
mountains,
countries,
regions) 3.1c,
3.1d
Case study of
an ancient
culture of
Europe (Celts,
Franks, Anglo
Saxons,
Romans,
Greeks)
– key
geographic
features 3.1a,
3.1c, 3.1d
– daily life 2.1a
– social and
political
organization
2.1a, 5.1a
– culture (art,
music,
literature,
architecture,
language, etc)
2.1a
– religious
beliefs
(Catholicism,
Protestantism)
2.1a
Differentiated
Activities/Products:
(Target high-level
learners as well)
Formative
Assessments
(throughout the
unit): Indicate
Pre-Assessments
1. Travel Log (high
learners). Choose a
major river in Europe
and travel down telling
of geographic and
cultural sights seen
along the way.
2. Letter (low learners)
Choose a city within
Europe writing about
why they would choose
to settle down there
describing the
geographic & cultural
features.
3. Fill in a graphic
organizer showing the
interconnectedness of
feudal society. The
written part would be to
explain how they
interact. ( Hi & Low
Learners)
List Resources for
this Multi-Genre Unit
Anchor Text(s): Poetry: Short Stories: Drama: Nonfiction
 Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
 Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman
 Henry VIII - biography
Other Resources/Websites
Assessments
will include:
1.Teacherdesigned
standards-based
quizzes and
tests.
2.Design castles
or manors (or
murals of manor
life.
3. Projects and
group tasks (see
differentiated
activities)
Safari Montage video – Horrible Histories
www1.bellevuepublicschools.org/curriculu
http://www.brainpop.com/search/search.weml
BrainPOP – King John/Magna Carta
http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/worldhistory/magnac
Vikings
http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/worldhistory/vikings/
Queen Elizabeth
http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/famoushistoricalfigur
Feudalism
http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/worldhistory/feudalis
The Black Death
http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/worldhistory/blackde
Middle Ages Scavenger Hunt
http://www.stjohnbluejays.org/6thgrade/6th%20grade%20pag
Theme, Enduring Understandings, & Essential Questions for This
Essential Question: How do geography, economics, people and
key events connect to shape a region and a
continent?
Vocabulary & Important People & Locations
 Deforestation
 Agrarian life (farming)
 Temperate climate
 Navigable
 The Alps
 Vikings
 Guilds
 Cathedral
 King John/Magna Carta
 Crusades (Christians/Muslims/Jews/Marranos)
 Bubonic Plague/Black Death
 The Inquisition
 Charlemagne
 Feudalism/Manors
 Vassals/Serfs/Lords/Knights
 William the Conqueror/Normans
 Monasteries/Convents
 Pope Urban II
 Chartres
 Renaissance
 Humanism
 The Medicis (patrons)
 Michaelangelo/Da Vinci/Copernicus
 Martin Luther/Protestantism
 Reformation
 Johannes Gutenberg
 King Henry VIII
 Queen Elizabeth I/Elizabethan Age
 Spanish Armada
Key
Common
Core
Standards
Essential
Skills &
Concepts to
be Targeted
Throughout
the Unit
Using Various Levels
of Bloom’s Taxonomy
for Planning
Differentiated
Questions and
Activities/Projects
– economic
systems 4.1a,
4.1e
– use of land
and resources
4.1a, 4.1e
– development
of science and
technology
2.3c
–contributions
and
achievements
2.3
– people and
events in
history 2.2a,
2.2c
• Cultural
diffusion 2.1a,
2.4b, 2.4d
• Key
documents
(Magna Carta,
Rights of Man)
2.1b
• Trade,
agrarian life,
and the
development
of cities 4.1a,
4.2d
• The
Crusades 2.1a,
2.2c, 2.4b,
2.4d
Differentiated
Activities/Products:
(Target high-level
learners as well)
4.Writing a paragraph in
the persona of
different people
associated the feudal
society. (High
learners will write
about more than
one/Low learners
choose one)
5. Middle Ages
Scavenger Hunt
(oriented to
both types of learners).
6. Letter written in
medieval language. (2
types oriented to both
types of learners).
How Students
will
Demonstrate
Their
Understanding?
Assessments
List Resources for
this Multi-Genre Unit
Link to music & geography:
Blue “Danube” Waltz, Tales of the Vienna Woods by
Johann Strauss
The Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss
Siegfried’s Rhine Journey by Richard Wagner
6th Grade – Middle Ages (Medieval Times) Unit Curriculum Map
Theme, Enduring Understandings, & Essential Questions for This
Essential Question: How do geography, economics, people and
key events connect to shape a region & a
continent?
Key
Common
Core
Standards
Essential
Skills &
Concepts to
be Targeted
Throughout
the Unit
Using Various Levels of Bloom’s
Taxonomy for Planning Differentiated
Questions and Activities/Projects
Group Work: Each table will have pamphlets about various lifestyles during the Middle Ages:
ie: Manor Life – their job would be to read and recreate a 3D display of such.
Similar for Knights and other aspects of Medieval Life.
Teaching Points – Europe’s Geography
Describe Europe’s main geographic features.
Analyze how geographic features contributed to Europe’s growth of civilization .
Low Inference & High Inference Questions – Europe’s Geography
 Why would you expect Europeans to use waterways extensively?
 How is Europe both a small and a big land mass?
 What type of climate does Europe have ?(looking at climate maps)
 How does climate influence how people develop their culture? (harkens back to early man learning to farm in prior lessons)
 How might a temperate climate benefit cultural development?
 Map work of Europe – questions referring to geography
 What is deforestation and how does it relate to Europe’s geography?
 Looking at the North European Plain, why might this be a major farming area?
 Why might a broad sweeping area like this also encourage warfare?
 Why is it possible to travel from Britain to the Ural Mountains without ever leaving a boat?
 What effects has its closeness to the sea had on Europe?
 What are 3 benefits rivers and seas have given Europe?
 Why when Europe is among the smallest continents, does it have so many ports and so much shipping?
 Europe’s navigable rivers help in the transport of goods – why is it a fact or why is it an opinion?
How Students
will
Demonstrate
Their
Understanding?
Assessments
List Resourc
this Multi-Gen
Teaching Points – Medieval Times
 Describe feudalism and life under it.
 Design graphic organizer showing feudal relationships.
 Explain how urban centers emerged.
 Identify major events in the growth of government.
Low Inference & High Inference Questions – Medieval Times
 When did the Middle Ages take place?
 What effects did the breakdown of Roman rule have on Europe?
 Who were the Franks?
 Compare the Frankish Empire to modern Europe. Into what countries beyond France did its boundaries extend?
 Using information from previous chapter on Europe’s geography – Why might the Frankish empire have been the richest since Roman times? (Think location)
 What did Charlemagne achieve
 To what other leaders you have EVER learned about might you compare Charlemagne?
 In what way was a manor self-supporting?
 What surrounds the castle?
 Why do you think the castle is at the center of the manor?
 What duties did serfs have to their feudal master?
 TO BE CONTINUED