· The Middle Ages: What’s It All About?
· 4.4 CF Reading Focus Statement: Students will read widely from content-area texts and nonfiction literature. They will also collect information from a variety of resources in order to acquire additional knowledge about a topic.
· Objectives:
Students will describe and explain significant aspects of the Middle Ages by demonstrating their ability to read through nonfiction text.
Students will interpret nonfiction text in order to find the main idea and key details in the article.
Students will display how to appropriately use quotations in order to provide evidence about a topic they are discussing.
· Sequence:
Today we will study the Middle Ages by searching the internet. In learning about the Middle Ages, we are going to read website articles and show what we have learned by answering questions on notebook paper.
Everyone, I need your help! I am supposed to be ready to back to the Middle Ages, but I haven’t had any time to learn the important things to know when I go. Does anyone know what the Middle Ages are? (see what students already know about the Middle Ages, with questions about knights and castles, etc.) I’m enlisting all of you to be my advisors in order to help me find out more about the Middle Ages. That means we’re going to read some website articles to find important information, and whoever finds the answers I need will become a knight (or princess if you choose). Are we ready?The quietest advisors may start first and get computers (if there are laptops in the room). If not, they shall lead us quietly to the computer lab. / 3 min
2 min
1. It’s important to know that sometimes we may not understand all of the information or words in the article, but we can still find the information we need. Look at http://sirdragontamer.com/ma/castle.htm. When were the Middle Ages?
2. Why are the Middle Ages also called “The Dark Ages”? Give two examples to explain your answer.
http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0195-mideval-europe.php
3. Read over http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/castles.html. Why did they build castles? Describe what they look like (you can draw a picture as well). What is one important fact I should know about castles before I travel there?
4. If you were in the Middle Ages, what would you be doing? http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/medieval/people/index.htm. Find one word you don’t know, and define it by searching around (for example, what is a bishop?)
5. What is the main idea and details on this page? http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/knights.html. How does this information help in understanding the Middle Ages?
6. Choose three important facts about King Arthur. Why are they important? http://www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/kids/arthur.html
7. Read http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/medieval/games/index.htm. What game do you think I should play while I’m in the Middle Ages? Using quotation marks correctly, write down something specifically said in the article.
8. There is a lot of information on http://www.albalagh.net/kids/history/crusades.shtml. Can you tell me what the whole article is about, then tell me the key topics (look at the titles).
9. Compare how #8’s article splits up its information to http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/medieval/history/highmiddle/bernard.htm (hint: the answer is in a box). Which article makes it easier to find the main idea and details? Which article can you read?
10. Visit http://kids.britannica.com/. Type “Middle Ages” into the search box and make sure to click on Children’s Encyclopedia underneath before hitting search. Find an article from this list that you think is interesting/the last thing I should learn before going to the Middle Ages and tell me the main idea and the important details.
Once you finish, you and a partner (or two) should first go over your answers. Then decide which question you would like to answer to help me, and let me know. Then on a piece of paper, write the number of your question and answer it neatly between the two of you. The paper can have words, pictures, or diagrams in order to explain. We will post each answer around the room. / 60 min
· Assessment:
When we discuss each answer on the board, the students must explain what is the main idea of the question and the details. They must also explain how they figured out the main idea and details while reading.
· Homework:
Take all the information that we have learned (both main ideas and details) about the Middle Ages and create a realistic story of one paragraph using some of this information. It can be about me visiting the Middle Ages, or what you would do if you were visiting the Middle Ages. You must use the quotation you found in #7 about games somehow in your story. This will be due tomorrow in class.