Learning Unit
"A Not-So-Funny Sense of Humor":
An Introduction to the Medieval Period

DESCRIPTION:

This unit has primarily been designed to provide a rudimentary introduction to the Medieval Period. Ideally, it would be studied prior to reading any Medieval work of literature; however, it would also be valuable as a unit of study unto itself. Preparation for the eighth grade English/Language Arts exam is also a consideration. To that end, the unit provides the student with extensive practice listening and note taking and in the use of graphic organizers.

Time Frame: approximately two weeks

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

Declarative

• Dates of Medieval Period
• Characteristics of Medieval clothing, homes, health
• Roles of women
• Feudalism as social and political structure
• Background events leading to Magna Carta
• Magna Carta as basis for American rights today
• Elements of drama

Procedural

• Compare/contrast
• Note-taking
• Listening
• Sequence of events
• Generalizing
• Use of graphic organizers
• Oral expression
• Basic word processing

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

• How would your life be different if you had been born during the Middle Ages?
• To what extent do rights and responsibilities go together?
• In what way was the Late Medieval Period similar politically and economically to our pre-Revolutionary War period?
• In what way does abuse of power lead to reform?
• How is the Magna Carta still affecting us today?

INITIATING ACTIVITY

LINK strategy (List, Inquire, Note, Know): Students will free-associate with the word "Power" as a recorder puts responses on board. After discussing responses, teacher will use the question: What if teachers, in their roles of authority, abused their powers? Brainstorm examples of specific events which would be considered an abuse of authority.

LEARNING EXPERIENCES

Students will gain an understanding of health issues in the Middle Ages, especially the belief in the 4 "humors" or bodily fluids which needed to be balanced. Students will listen to a short passage on Medieval health. Prior to listening to the passage, they will complete an Anticipation Guide. Following the passage, during which they take notes, students will participate in a full class discussion (did they change their position on any of the statements in the pre-reading Guide?) and cite passages that support their decisions.

The Internet will also be used as a source of texts, specifically the Annenberg/CPB Project Exhibits Collection (www.learner.org). Organizational strategies will include completing a graphic organizer on the passage (see Attachments). Students will understand through this activity that health care was available only to the wealthy.

Students will become familiar with various medieval instruments, styles of music, and styles of clothing through both listening passages and, again, the Annenberg web site. Through a series of multi-media, on-line "quizzes" they will test themselves on their knowledge of various instruments and styles of clothing. Through a series of readings on Medieval society in general and women's roles in particular, students will understand that the stratification of Medieval society and class dictated one's clothing choices.

Strategies used to help students construct meaning and organize will include graphic organizers which stress compare/contrast and inference skills.

Students will know that the King's abuse of power led to the signing of the Magna Carta, which continues to affect us today. Through reading "The Making of the Magna Carta" (in The Middle Ages: Read-Aloud Plays published by Scholastic Books), students will realize that the events leading up to the famous document compare to American protestations of "taxation without representation" during our pre-Revolutionary War period. Strategies will include reciprocal teaching; after students read each Act aloud, they will summarize the plot, conflict, and characters.

CULMINATING ACTIVITY

Each student will be assigned a "class" of citizen to role-play in a mock "town council" meeting being held to protest living conditions, health issues, economic injustices, etc. They will prepare a formal written statement, word processed, to be presented to the King. In addition, students will rehearse their speeches for delivery on the day of the meeting, participants to be chosen at random. Thus all will need to be prepared and will get guided practice with elements of oral expression. Students will be given the Scoring Sheet prior to the beginning of the culminating activity [see Attachment]. In addition, the meeting will be videotaped and used as a tool for giving students feedback on their presentation skills.

CONNECTIONS TO STANDARDS

English/Language Arts

Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding.

Benchmarks:

• relate new information to prior knowledge and experience
• use a wide variety of strategies for selecting, organizing and categorizing information
• interpret and analyze information from reference books as well as Internet sources

Standard 2: Language for Literary Response and Expression

Benchmarks:

• identify significant literary elements
• read aloud with expression, conveying meaning and mood of a work

Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Benchmarks:

• understand that within any group there are many different point of view depending upon the interests and values of the individual

Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction

Benchmarks:

• express ideas and concerns clearly and respectfully in conversations and group discussions

Social Studies

Standard 2: World History

Benchmarks:

• know some important historic events and developments of past civilizations
• develop timelines by placing important events and developments in their correct chronological order
• know social and economic characteristics that distinguish different cultures and civilizations

Standard 4: Economics

Benchmarks:

• define basic economic concepts such as markets, opportunity, costs, resources, productivity, economic growth and systems

Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship and Government

Benchmarks:

• consider the nature and evolution of constitutional democracies
• analyze the sources of a nation's values as embodied in its constitution, statutes and important court cases

Technology

Standard 2: Information Systems

Benchmarks:

• systematically obtain accurate and relevant information pertaining to a particular topic from a range of sources, including local and national media, libraries, museums, governmental agencies, industries, and individuals

The Arts

Standard 4: Understanding the Cultural Contributions of the Arts

Benchmarks:

• discuss the current and past cultural, social, and political uses for music

Selected Web Sites

www.chronique.com [text of Magna Carta, training of a squire, code of chivalry]

www.s-hamilton.k12.ia.us/antiqua/instrumt.html [medieval instruments]

www.learner.org [Annenberg/CPB Project Exhibits Collection]

Supplementary Materials

Microsoft Instruments [software program/compact disc]

The Middle Ages: Read-Aloud Plays. Published by Scholastic, 1998.