Feudalism
Author: Anna Sauer
Revision Date of Lesson Plan: 11/15/2010
Overall Goal for the Lesson:
Goal: The student will gain a clear understanding of the concept, Feudalism.
Description of classroom, grade level, and students:
11th grade world history students with an average age of 16-17 years old. Most are of
average to above-average abilities but there a few students with difficulty reading and
one student with a physical disability which makes it difficult to move around the class.
The ideal class size is 20-25 students and is 55 minutes in length.
Student Objectives for the lesson.
Objective: The student will be able to:
1. Given the opportunity, write a definition of the concept feudalism, correctly stating
three of its main attributes.
2. Given the opportunity, the student will be able to correctly complete seven of ten
blanks on a chart based on the levels of feudalism and how allegiance was paid.
3. Given the opportunity, the students will be able to answer questions on feudalism
with an 80% accuracy.
Length of Lesson:
15 – 55 minutes can be altered to fit time constraints
Schedule of Activities:
A. Procedure: Concept Clarification
Note: Attributes of Feudalism
Feudalism began with William I (also known as William the Conqueror) in 1066. The
king granted land to barons. Barons granted land to knights. Knights granted land to
peasants. Peasants provided knights with food and service when demanded. Knights
provided protection and military service to barons. Barons provided money and
knights to the king. In the event that a baron’s orphan remained as head of the land, the
orphan would be taken under the king’s control and a marriage would be arranged.
Marriage would typically go to the highest bidder because land is power. Barons
would often create their own private armies or use mercenaries instead of fulfilling
their military service requirements. The peasants had no rights and were not permitted
to leave the manor. They had to ask their lord (baron) for permission before they could
marry and were extremely poor. Feudalism did not begin its drawn out decline until
around the thirteenth century.
1.
Brainstorm
Teacher will divide students into four groups: king, lord, knight, and peasant.
Students will think about what their life would have been like if they were a king,
lord, knight, or peasant and record their ideas.
2.
Classify
Teacher will divide feudalism into the terms: king, lord, knight, and peasant on the
board. Students will use their brainstorm activity to come up with terms that are
associated with the four levels of feudalism in order to help define them.
3.
Hypothesize
Students (in their groups) will be given a blank chart and be expected to fill in which
social group made allegiances to whom and what they used to prove their allegiance.
4.
Synthesize
Students will present their findings (each group) to the total class to help create a
correct class chart. While presenting their findings each group will list one pro and
one con to being in their feudal position.
PASS Content Standards Addressed
PASS Objective: World History, Standard #9, Number 1- Describe the structure of feudal
society and its social, economic, and political effects.
NCSS: Standard #6, Power, Authority, and Governance
PASS Instructional Technology Standards
Standard 1: The student will demonstrate knowledge of basic operations and concepts. And
make informed choices among technology systems, resources, and services.
Assessments: How will these activities be assessed?
At the end of the class or the following class period the teacher will ask students to
review the main attributes of feudalism as well as the chart (which will be adapted to
Smartboard) they completed. Using their information the class will answer a series of
questions on feudalism as a review and a test of their knowledge of the lesson for both
the benefit of the student and the teacher.
(A blank version of this chart will be handed out in class. Villeins= peasants)
Chart courtesy of: http://www.historyonthenet.com/Medieval_Life/feudalism.htm#Knights_
Feudal System Review
1) The feudal system was introduced into England by:
a.Tony Blair, b. Henry VIII, c. William I, or d. William II (c)
2) Under the feudal system, the king:
a. owned all of the land, b. owned some of the land, c. owned no land (a)
3) He kept one quarter of the land for himself, gave some to the church and rented
the rest out to:
a. barons, b. knights, c. peasants (a)
4) In return the barons had to provide the king with:
a. military service and protection, b. money and knights, c. food and services (b)
5) The barons kept some of the land for themselves and rented the rest out to:
a. the king, b. knights, c. peasants (b)
6) In return the knights provided the barons with:
a. military service and protection, b. money and knights, c. food and services (a)
7) The knights kept some of the land for themselves and rented the rest out to:
a. the king, b. barons, c. peasants, d. other knights (c)
8) In return the peasants had to provide:
a. military service and protection, b. money and knights, c. food and services (c)
9) The richest person in the land was:
a. barons, b. knights, c. peasants, d. the king (d)
10) The poorest people in the land were:
a. barons, b. knights, c. peasants, d. the king (c)
Quiz courtesy of : http://www.historyonthenet.com/Lessons/medieval/feudalismquiz.htm
Accommodations: How might the lesson need to be adapted for students
with special needs?
Students may have difficulties brainstorming depending on what level of information
on feudalism they have at the time. Our discussion will change due to the amount of
information the students know and it should be obvious if we need to go into deeper
discussion. Class may have technical difficulties with PowerPoint/ Smart Board and
overhead projector. Teacher has notes on the subject and can draw the chart on the
white board if necessary. Students with exceptionalities may have difficulties with the
reading, writing, hearing, or verbalizing portions of the assignment then can be given a
Livescribe which can record our discussion so they can listen to it again, and it allows
their notes to be copied to a computer where they can enlarge it. The class could also
use Livescribe boards so that students with physical disabilities don't have to go up to
the Smartboard.
Materials Needed:
White board, markers, paper, pens, PowerPoint capabilities, overhead projector,
Smartboard, computer, teacher, Livescribe, the quiz, the chart in interactive
Smartboard form,