Essential Question: Can we really be whatever we want to be?

Unit Question: How did one’s role in medieval times influence their daily lives?

Social Studies Standard 2 World History

Students will: use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

New York State Arts Standard 1: Students will actively engage in the

processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts (dance,

music, theatre, and visual arts) and participate in various roles in the arts

Interdisclipanary

Social Studies/Language Arts

Have students work in teams to make a chart comparing life in medieval times with life today. The following problems can be included: telling time, transportation, preparing food, making clothes, printing books, medical care, getting an education.

Art

Since most of the people during the Middle Ages could not read or write, a shop sign had to be a drawing of the service that was being offered. Have your students create a shop sign that does not use words. (Example: blacksmith, baker, carpenter, and doctor)

Science

Have students research how people told time during the Middle Ages.

Math

Have students create word problems dealing with the medieval times. Example: The king had forty men ride horses to buy food. Along the road, they recruited 29 more men. How many men went to buy the food?

Unifying Theme: (6) Power, Authority and Governance

·Purposes, characteristics, and functions of various governance systems as they are practiced

·Individual rights and responsibilities as protected and challenged within the context of majority rule

·Fundamental principles and values of constitutional democracy

·Origins, uses, and abuses of power

·Conflict, diplomacy, and war

Key Ideas:

·(3.4) Governments in communities and countries around the world have the authority to make and enforce laws, and the role of the citizen varies across different types of governments.

  • Conceptual Understanding (3.4.b): The processes of selecting leaders, solving problems, and making decisions differ across governments in nations and communities around the world.

·(3.5) The concept of universal human rights suggests that all people should be treated fairly and should have the opportunity to meet their basic needs.

  • Conceptual Understanding (3.5.c): When faced with prejudice and discrimination, citizens can take many steps to support social action and change.

Social Studies Practices:

·Comparison and Contextualization:

  • Identify multiple perspectives from a student’s life or from Social Studies.
  • Recognize the relationship between geography, economics, and history.

·Geographic Reasoning:

Identify and describe the relationship between people, places, and the environment.

·Gathering, Using, and Interpreting Evidence:

  • Form questions about the world in which we live.
  • Recognize different forms of evidence used to make meaning in Social Studies (including primary and secondary sources such as art and photographs, artifacts, oral histories, maps, and graphs).
  • Create understanding of the past by using primary and secondary sources.
  • The Role of the Individual in Social and Political Participation:
  • Identify those is positions of power who drive opportunities for freedom, social justice, and human rights.

At the conclusion of the lesson, students will be able to:

Social Studies

  • Describe aspects of daily life for men, women, and children in medieval societies
  • Use media works, oral presentations, written note and descriptions, and drawings to communicate information about life in medieval society
  • Use appropriate vocabulary to describe their inquires and observations

The Arts

  • Interpret and communicate the meaning of stories, poems, plays and other material drawn from a variety of sources and cultures, using a variety of drama and dance techniques
  • Enact or create, rehearse, and present, drama and dance works based on novels, stories, poems, and plays
  • Demonstrate the ability to maintain concentration while in role
  • Represent and interpret main characters by speaking, moving, and writing in role

Essential Question: Can we really be what we want to be?

Unit Question: How did one’s role in medieval times influence their daily lives?

Students will be able to:

  • Become familiarized with the fashion, food and the darkness of that time period
  • Compare and contrast medieval society to our present day lives
  • Research, organize and present a topic relating to the Medieval times using a variety of media and resources

•Begin the lesson by introducing the topic of clothing. Ask students: What kinds of clothing do you wear today? How do you think your clothes are different from the ones people wore long ago? What types of food do you like to eat? Do you think people in the medieval times ate the same types of food back then? Once students have shown that they understand the concept, discuss how what people wore and ate in the medieval times was based on their status/social class. Ask students: How do you think you would feel if your social class determined how you dressed and what you ate?

•Tell students that they will be making a coat of arms. Explain to the students what popular symbols meant on a coat of arms. Each student will have to color a coat of arms to describe his or her family and background. In groups of 5-6, students will participate in a brainstorm activity using the meaning behind a coat of arms as their topic. They should concentrate on what they have learned about the meanings of the symbols provided. The groups will be given 10 minutes to create their coat of arms on paper and then a group discussion will occur for the last five minutes. A group discussion as to why you wrote certain words or drew specific pictures will be a conclusion to this topic

•Begin discussing how the clothing and food the people at that time had been based solely on their status. Ask students if they think it’s fair that your social status determines your food and clothing options. Begin a think-pair-share on this topic with groups of 5 or 6. They will share their ideas with each other as well as a have a class discussion

•Students will then stay in their groups of 5 or 6 with each student taking the role of one class status. The students will then look up in their textbook the kinds of clothing worn and food eaten by their status. Each social status will be displayed on a large post-it and the students of each social status will come up and write down the types of food and clothing they had. The class will then discuss the fairness or unfairness of their statuses options

Assessment:

  • Students will be informally assessed in terms of the coat of arms, and status role-play. Students will be expected to participate and be active according to their given role
  • Unit assessment will consist of a “medieval festival.” Students will be in groups of 4 or 5 and create a play according to what they have learned in this unit. Each student will have a role according to a social status and a play will be written and preformed in front of parents, students and guests. Students will be in clothing associated with their “social status” and food indicative to social status will be passed around

Specific Expectations:

  • Behave in a manner suitable to their character as we have a ‘medieval festival’ and partake in a celebration
  • Participate in medieval role play throughout the festival and play
  • In small groups, orally present their chosen medieval works (play, story etc), to add to thefestivities, (pre-arranged groups with chosen self-created works).