EMI FESLER | QUINTON THAI | KILEY LAWS

THE BLACK
DEATH
Anindepthlookintothedisease,howit
worked,anditseffectsoverartandculture.
Starting in the 1300s the Bubonic Plague swept through Europe causing devastation. Though these were dark and terrifying
times, the tragedy served as a catalyst for the discoveries and general enlightenment marking the Renaissance period. In order
to create empathy for the human experience of the time, students will learn about different aspects of late Medieval to early
Renaissance Europe in Art, English, and Biology.

LESSON PLANS

ART

ENGLISH

BIOLOGY

Standard: 1 - Observe and Learn to Comprehend:

1.2 - Historical and cultural context are found in
visual art
Standard 3 - Invent and Discover to Create: 3.2 Assess and produce art with various materials
and methods

Standard: 2- Reading for All Purposes: 2.1Increasingly complex literary elements in traditional
and contemporary works of literature require
scrutiny and comparison
Standard: 4- Research and Reasoning: 4.1Informational materials, including electronic
sources, need to be collected, evaluated, and
analyzed for accuracy, relevance, and effectiveness
for answering research questions

Standard: 2 - Life science - Explain and

illustrate with examples how living systems
interact with the biotic and abiotic
environment
Standard: 2 - Life Science - Analyze how
various organisms grow, develop, and
differentiate during their lifetimes based on
an interplay between genetics and their
environment.

Objectives:
Ninth grade students, before starting to read
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare will look
into the life and times of the playwright. By
researching credible sources students will see what
it was like to live in the late 1500s thus creating a
solid background of information to proceed into the
play. Students will connect information from
English, Science, and Art to draw their conclusions
of history during the time of the Bubonic Plague.
Students will be able to convey this information in
at least two forms of text of their choosing.

Objectives:
In order for the students to understand the
life conditions of those during the course of
the bubonic plague during its main outbreaks,
they must obtain information from different
courses. The goal is to understand biologically
the growth and spread of Yersirina Pestis or the bubonic plague. They will do this
through analyzing data for spread rates and
death rates during the time period. They will
express this data visually with accurate
manipulation of that data to help analyze and
explain how and why the plague was such a
big event in time.

Objectives:
Given class discussion and lecture on late
medieval and early renaissance European art,
students will be able to recognize and interpret
the symbolic imagery that derived in response to
the Black Death and make possible connections
to symbols found in modern images.
Given historical scaffolding and demonstrations
on woodcut relief and intaglio printmaking
techniques, students will create multiple editions
of printed art which incorporate the use of
symbolism in their design.
Possible Misconceptions-The Plague was already over by the time the
Renaissance began and did not affect artists.
-Art from this time period was simple and easily
understood at face value.
-Every artist in Renaissance Europe reacted to
the plague in the same way.
Inquiry Questions:
In what ways do historical events, natural
disasters, and major cultural shifts affect visual
trends in art?
How are icons and symbols created and what
makes them such powerful means of
communication?

Possible Misconceptions-Everyone in Renaissance Europe was impacted by

the plague in the same way.
-Life in Renaissance Europe was simple.
-Shakespeare was too famous and wealthy to be
affected by the plague.
Inquiry Questions:
How did the plague influence Shakespeare in his
lifetime?
How did the devastating impact of the plague
complicate life for Europeans in the late 1500s?

Inquiry questions:
What is it that made this particular bacteria
so deadly?
What ultimately led to the downfall of the
plague?
What was it like for a day in the life of
someone who had the plague?

Formative AssessmentCheck for understanding of bacterial

infections, and interactions between the
system to progress the plague as an
Formative AssessmentFormative Assessment1. Identify a credible source: In order for students organism. They will create an annotated
1. Identify symbols and relate them to cultural
to conduct quality research students will first need timeline of the spread of the plague given the
trends: During class discussion, students will be
shown multiple paintings and prints which depict to learn how to identify a credible source. Students death rates and contraction rates, starting in
the early 1300s. The annotations will be of
will be given an article printed out and will label
common themes and symbolic imagery of the
areas of the source that either promote or demote how/why the plague was so bad in certain
time. The symbols and their meanings will be
pointed out and students will be asked to identify its quality as a credible source. After students have areas at certain times. For the summative
assessment they may use this as a logistical
made their choice they will partner up and explain
the ways in which this imagery might represent
requirement, or they may choose something
why their source is either one that should be used,
feelings, attitudes, fears, and values held by the
else to visually represent their data.
can be used, or should not be used.
general public. At the end of the lecture and
discussion portion of class, students will be
2. Choose media for summative assessment:
shown two paintings and one print - Titians
identifying genre. Students will pick a genre (or be
Profane Love (Vanity), Anthony van Dycks St
assigned one). These can include photography,
Rosalie Interceding for the City of Palermo, and
Hans Holbeins Danse Macabre XV. Students will poems, interpretive dance, graphic novels, etc.
After choosing students will closely look at the
form groups of 3 or 4 and create a Generatequalities that make this genre unique. Students will
Sort-Connect-Elaborate Concept Map which
then recreate a simplified version of that genre. For
connects the symbols seen in the artworks to
example, if a student picks newspaper their
cultural attitudes, values, and trends.
assignment should include article columns,
headlines, and pictures.
2. Create your own symbol: Having been
*This assignment is inspired by the genre project
inspired by the morbid themes that emerged
presented in Cathy Fleisher and Sarah Andrewduring times of outbreak in Western Europe and
Vaughans Writing Outside of Your Comfort Zone.
building upon their knowledge of symbolism in
art, students will create a symbol of their own
representing a theme of their choosing from
modern culture. Being guided in the print
mediums of woodcut relief and intaglio, students
will produce an edition of printed work
incorporating their symbol.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
What was the human experience of the plague during 1300s-

Multimedia Menu:

1600s?

Art will cover the inspiration the plague had on the artists of the time, Biology will
cover the virus itself, how it spread and how it affected the body, and English will
cover the influence the disease had on daily lives, including that of William
Shakespeare. At the end of the unit, students will work on a multi-media project
illustrating the impact of the plague drawing from all three classes. Projects will be
graded on quality of content and source material, visual aesthetic, and originality.
Students must include one logistical, one visual, and one written component.

Logistical

Visual

Map of spread
of the plague
Graph of those
affected
Diagram of the
effects on the
human body
Document the
progression of
the disease
from
contraction to
death (ex.
timeline)

Written

Woodblock or
Intaglio Print
Painting
Sculpture
Sfx
representation
of illness
Graphic Novel
Hand Stitched
quilt
Video
Performance
Interpretive
dance

ReflectionandCohesiveness
Does the project all fit together? How does the
project showcase the prompt- here is where
information should be cited if it can not be cited
in the project itself.

CitationandPermission
Must have a minimum of 5 credible sources cited in
MLA format. All images referenced must be shown
and accompanied by appropriate permissions listed

UseMultipleMedia
Project must include at least one written, one visual,
and one logistical component.

Journal Entry
of an individual
with the plague
Poem
Essay
Short Story
Play
Newspaper
from the
late 1500s