The Rise of Europe, the Myth of the European Dark Ages

Grade 10
World History

Matt Sanders

SED 480

February 5, 2017

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STAGE I GOALS
Unit Overview:
This units content will be dealing with the medieval period in Europe as well as
around the world. The focus of this unit will be on Medieval Europe however, there will be
time spent on other cultures in order to put the events happening in Europe into greater
perspective. This is also to rectify several misconceptions that are held about the Medieval
Period. One such misconception is fostered by Euro-Centric history and this misconception
is that the European world was always the center of the world, so to speak. Covering the
achievements of civilizations in Eastern Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas that were
occurring contemporaneously to Europes Dark Ages will show that the cultures in
Europe were truly periphery at the time and even barbaric and backwards in some
respects. That said, another misconception is that this was a Dark Age in European
history devoid of scientific and intellectual achievement. This is far from the truth given the
rise of scholasticism and the establishment of what would become the modern day
university system. Students will also learn about the social structures of medieval Europe
and how as these evolved over time the roots of modern day citizenship can be found,
namely the trend of un-free serfs becoming free peasants due to social upheaval and
disease. Students will also explore the relationship of Church and State in the medieval
period and how this drove Medieval Europeans to leave Europe. This is important because
this will culminate to the main idea that the developments of European Society during the
Middle Ages are what caused Europeans to colonize the Americas starting with Christopher
Columbus.
Several of Social Studies vital themes and narratives will be explored throughout
this unit detailing the middle ages. The one that will be explored the most thoroughly will
be the exploration of the comparative history of major developments where we will
explore the rise of the feudal system as well as the change from a feudal system based on
serfdom to the growth of towns and cities and free commoners. The values, beliefs, and
institutions of a society are also going to be explored via lessons on the church and the
power of the church over secular authority and leadership. Several important habits of
mind for historians will also be talked about during this unit including the complexities of
historical causalities, the achievements of several notable individuals, and the relationships
between human intentions and human results. The movement from serfdom to a free
peasantry is one such case of a social movement with many complex factors leading up to
it. Joan of Arc will be discussed in depth as an example of the impact an individual can have
and also as an exemplar who broke almost every single rule of medieval European social
convention. Lastly the outcomes of the crusades definitely show examples of human
intentions and the results of the actions they took varying wildly from one another.
The students will have multiple opportunities for learning during this unit. One such
activity will be the analysis of Primary Sources from this period in history that will shed
light on the realities of the medieval period. Another will be a simulation of the feudal
system where students will take on the roles of Peasants, Nobles, Knights, and Clergy to
better understand how the feudal system worked. This unit will be framed with the fall of
the Roman Empire to begin it and Christopher Columbus reaching America in 1492 to end
it. This unit will teach students the events that were necessary for the colonization of the

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Americas by Europeans to take place. By setting up this groundwork the students will be
better equipped to learn about the results of European Colonization in later units.
European colonization being a phenomenon that the world is still reeling from in many
respects even today.

Standards:

Arizona Standards for Social Studies:

PO 1. Contrast the fall of Rome with the development of the Byzantine and Arab Empires (e.g., religion,
culture, language, governmental structure).
PO 2. Compare feudalism in Europe and Japan and its connection with religious and cultural institutions.
PO 3. Compare the development of empires (e.g., Roman, Han, Mali, Incan/Inkan, Ottoman) throughout the
world.
PO 4. Describe the interaction of European and Asian civilizations from the 12th to the 16th centuries:
a. Crusades
b. impact on culture
c. plague

PO 1. Describe the religious, economic, social, and political interactions among civilizations that resulted
from early exploration:
a. reasons for European exploration

AZ Career & College Readiness Standards:

Reading Standards for Literacy In History/Social Studies 612
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources,
attending to such features as the date and origin of the information. (910.RH.1)

Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an

accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.(9
10.RH.2)

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social studies.(9
10.RH.4)

Objectives:

1. Students will use a graphic organizer to list the traits and qualities of the
civilizations occurring contemporaneously to medieval Europe in order to show that
Europe has not always been the center of the world and that civilizations in other
places have flourished and contributed to global civilization.
2. Students will use a graphic organizer to describe the roles that nobles, clergy, and
peasants play in the feudal system in order to establish prior knowledge required to
understand the revolutionary effects the Black Death had on the social roles of
European Society which impact us today.

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 3. Students will use a primary source analysis form to analyze what reasons the
Crusades occurred and why the papacy called for them in order to understand how
religious doctrine can move people to violence against others.
4. Students will use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the differences between
Medieval and Modern universities in order to understand that the Dark Ages were
not entirely devoid of progress and we still feel the effects of the Middle Ages.
5. Students will write a paragraph giving their impressions of how it felt to be a
peasant, noble, or clergy member in the feudal system in order to have a firsthand
experience with the feudal system and to better understand how our social system
benefits us.
6. Students will write a short essay justifying whether or not the European Dark Ages
truly were a Dark Age devoid of progress or otherwise in order to illustrate that
historical misnomers have the ability to taint our understanding of entire periods of
our history.
7. Students will write a ticket out of the door classifying the ways Joan of Arc differed
from the social norms of the middle ages in order to analyze these social norms and
to serve as an example of how challenging oppressive social norms is necessary for
historical progress.
8. Students will write a list prioritizing the powers and privileges of the Catholic
Church in Medieval Europe in order to evaluate the influence that the Church had on
secular organizations and provide them with background knowledge to help them
analyze the relationship of church and state in the modern world.
9. Students will create a flow chart showing the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise
and fall of the Carolingian Empire in order to understand the given circumstances of
Medieval Europe and the complexities of historical cause and effect.
10. Students will write a ticket out of the door listing the reasons why they think
Feudalism persisted despite the lack of personal freedoms it offered its peasantry in
order to evaluate the Feudal system and to understand that stability is the most
underrated political virtue in the past and in todays world.

Key Concepts:

1. Black Death: Circa 1350 CE, Name for the Bubonic Plague which was transmitted via
diseased fleas on rats that found their way on merchant ships from Asia. The disease
killed 1/3rd of the European Population which led to Social, Political, and Religious
upheaval and reformation.
2. Catholic Church: The Catholic Christian religious organization as a whole which
exists to this day. Was led by the Pope who was responsible for determining church
doctrine which was used to influence the lives of common and noble Europeans in
the Middle Ages.
3. Charlemagne: Circa 800 CE, Frankish King who was responsible for uniting modern
day Italy, Germany, and France under one ruler. This empire was called the Holy
Roman Empire and he was the Holy Roman Emperor and was crowned by the Pope.
He was responsible for establishing the Feudal System with Counts swearing
Loyalty to him in exchange for land.

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 4. Crusades: A series of Military Expeditions from Europe to the Middle East that were
sanctioned by the Catholic Church with the objective of capturing the Holy Land
from the Muslims. These were met with varying success with the 1st Crusade
Capturing Jerusalem and establishing Crusader Kingdoms to the 4th Crusade where
the Crusaders never even saw Jerusalem.
5. Feudalism: The social system of Medieval Europe wherein serfs would work the
land of warrior nobility in exchange for protection or for religious institutions who
held religious rites for that community. Both the warrior nobles and the members of
the church swore allegiance to a king.
6. Islam: The Abrahamic faith founded by Mohammad, circa 600 CE, that is practiced
by over 1 billion people today. This religion was a unifying force in the creation of
Mohammads empire as well as the separate states that sprung up following his
death.
7. Joan of Arc: A French peasant girl who supposedly communed with God and was
responsible for leading the armies that helped free France from English rule. She is a
canonized saint and a national hero of France she is also exemplary for breaking all
the social norms of Europe. She was a knight even though she was a woman and a
commoner.
8. Scholasticism: The method of thinking that was used in Medieval Schools and
Universities. Stated that everything in the world was already known and was found
in the bible and ancient Greek texts. Was the foundation of Medieval Universities
which led to our modern University system.
9. Tang Dynasty: A period of Chinese History, Circa 600 to 900 CE, where China was
ruled by the Tang Emperors and was a golden age of culture and science.
Gunpowder, the Compass, and other inventions were used for the first time during
this period. Trade on the Silk Road also flourished under Tang rule and Chinese
culture spread to many other Asian places.
10. Triple Alliance: The proper name for the Aztec Empire that existed Circa 1430 to
1520 CE. The Aztec City of Tenochtitlan became one of the largest in the world
during this time. Public Schools were created by the Aztec Emperors and the Aztec
were some of the first people to do this.

Essential Question: Which developments in the Middle Ages were responsible for
incentivizing Europeans to explore across the ocean and colonize the Americas?

Enduring Understanding: Developments in the Middle Ages forced European Societies to

expand across the ocean and from there become the dominant society.

Other Questions:
Does the Cross lead the Flag or does the Flag lead the Cross? (Relationship of Church and
State) How did the fall of the Roman Empire contribute to the Dark Ages?

STAGE II ASSESSMENTS

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Overview of Assessments
Throughout the unit there will be diagnostic and formative assessments given to the
students in order to gauge their background knowledge and progress. These formative and
diagnostic assessments will be given in several ways, many of them include bell work
questions, exit tickets, and discussion questions. The bell work will serve not only as a way
to get the students on task and quiet when they enter the classroom but as a way to either
gauge the prior knowledge or see if they remember what they learned yesterday. The bell
work will normally consist of one question asking the students either what they know
about the topic that will be discussed that day or what their big take away or greater
understanding from yesterdays lesson was. The students will be given about five minutes
to write down their answer for this question, which should be in multiple sentences, and
afterwards the teacher will facilitate a quick discussion about the answers that the students
came up with so that they can address any misconceptions about that days topic before the
lesson begins, mentally adjust what parts of the lesson will need further elaboration based
on what background knowledge the class has, or in the case of a question about yesterdays
enduring understanding the teacher can make sure that everybody in the class is
understanding the big ideas of the lessons.
The exit tickets are similar to the bell work in that they will normally ask a small
number of questions, usually just one, that the students will answer regarding what they
thought the big take away of the lesson was or a curve ball every once in a while asking
them about the big take away from a previous lesson. These will be administered in the last
five minutes of the class and the students will write their answer on a scrap piece of paper
that they will hand to the teacher on their way out. Unlike the bell work where there is a
quick discussion about what the students answered there is none for the exit tickets. It is
the responsibility of the teacher to read the answers written by the students and then
monitor and adjust future lesson plans in case there is a concept that is flying over the
students heads.
The enduring understanding of this unit is that social, political, and cultural
developments in medieval Europe are what resulted in colonization of the new world and
as a direct result global European hegemony. All of the lessons will in a small way help
contribute to this enduring understanding so by frequently providing formative
assessments the teacher can gauge where the students are in understanding this big take
away. The summative assessment given at the very end of the unit will be a project where
the students will write the fictional narrative of a medieval noble family as true to the given
circumstances of the middle ages as possible. The students will include several generations
of the same noble family in their narrative and they will each be present at groundbreaking
events in medieval history. They will conclude their narrative with a recommendation to
the noble family of what they think that noble family should do to further increase their
power. The answer to this question, if the enduring understanding for the unit has stuck
with the students, will be to expand across the ocean either to the new world or to sail
south to Africa.

Diagnostic and Formative Assessments:

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 1. Where do you think Medieval Europe fits in between Tang China and the Muslim
Caliphates in terms of power and influence as well as cultural development? If
aliens visited the Earth in this time period who would they think ran the world?
2. If you were a peasant what incentives do you have to keep living under serfdom?
Keep in mind what life was like immediately following the fall of the Roman
Empire.
3. Did the intentions of the Crusades match their results? Keep in mind the goals
and objectives of not just the first crusade but the second, third, and fourth as
well.
4. Would any modern job require scholastic thinking? Why or why not?
5. In what ways did Joan of Arc differ from social expectations for a young peasant
woman? What can these social expectations tell you about medieval society as a
whole?
6. What do you think was the Catholic Churchs most important power over secular
authority? Do you think the Catholic Churchs influence on Medieval Nobility was
for good or ill?
7. If you were a high ranking member of the Catholic Church, like a vicar or the
Pope, how would you influence a secular leader, like a lord or a king, to behave
in the way youd want them to, i.e. stop or start fighting a particular person, pay
tribute to the church, etc.?
8. In what ways was Charlemagnes Empire similar and dissimilar to the Roman
Empire? What do you think caused for these similarities and dissimilarities to
come about?
9. How did you feel having your feudal role (Noble, Knight, Clergy, Peasant) for a
week? Was it useful for keeping the class organized? Did it concentrate power
and privilege in the hands of a few? What would be a better alternative?
10. How do you think the Black Death affected Medieval Europe?

Summative Assessments:

1. In a short essay, 3 to 4 paragraphs, argue whether or not the period of European

History between 500 to 1500 CE was a dark age devoid of progress and cultural
development.
2. You are trying to convince a modern family that the Feudal System is better for them
than any other form of government. How will you persuade them? This could be the
script for a commercial, a visual advertisement, or other form of advertisement.
Keep in mind the merits of the feudal system and how those might apply to the
modern world.
3. Keeping in mind your current gender, social status, age, and education level, where
would be the best place in the world for you to go during the Medieval Period?
Where would you rather live? Medieval Europe, Tang China, the Aztec Empire, or
the Muslim Caliphates? Why would you live there?
4. If you were a peasant trying to secure more rights from your feudal masters
following the Black Death what angle would you pursue to gain these rights? How
would you convince them to give you more rights and freedoms?

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 5. Imagine that you are an English Nobleman or Knight, explain how Joan of Arc is a
threat to you. Why should she be burned at the stake?
6. What was significant about a Pope crowning Charlemagne? Think about the
relationship between Church and State.
7. How true to life was the classroom simulation of the feudal system compared to the
real feudal system of Medieval Europe? What ways could this be improved for next
years students?
8. Do you think Pope Urban II was justified in calling for the first Crusade against the
Turks attacking the Byzantines? Why or why not? Can Religion be used to justify
violence?
9. Who do you think is smarter, a modern university student or a medieval university
student? Keep in mind differences in factual knowledge, the modern student will
know about science for example, so instead focus more on critical thinking and
analysis skills.
10. How could a devastating plague like the Black Death affect modern society? Would
these changes be for good or ill? Do you think this is possible? Were the social
changes brought about by the Black Death for good or ill? Why or why not?

Performance (Authentic) Assessment Description:

One of the first authentic assessments that will be incorporated into this unit will be
a feudal system role play where the students will take on the roles of nobles, knights,
clergy, and peasants as per the feudal system and each of them will have a certain job to do
and certain behaviors expected of them that they will have to carry out for a set amount of
time. When the students learn about the Black Death the students will have an opportunity
to simulate the effects of the Black Death which will result in the conditions necessary to
facilitate a peasant revolt within their simulation of the feudal system.
The largest authentic assessment will be the summative assessment given at the end
of the unit. This will put the students into the shoes of late medieval scholars who are
compiling the history of a noble family that they have been contracted by for such a
purpose. This assessment is also authentic in that it puts the students in the shoes of a
historian, genealogist, and graphic designer. The students will include multiple generations
of that family who will all have taken part in the most crucial parts of medieval history. This
project will also have the students include a coat of arms they created for that family based
on the traits that the family exhibited throughout their history. At the end of the narrative
the students will have to provide their recommendation of what the noble family should do
to expand their wealth and influence. This assignment will test for the enduring
understanding of the unit as well as assess their knowledge of the causes, effects, and
events of medieval history and get them to apply this knowledge by determining the effects
they would have on a single noble family.

Summary
Some of the real world goals for my authentic performance assessments will be to
chronicle the history of a noble family, defend or condemn Joan of Arc at trial, or to skew
the feudal system in such a way that benefits them, i.e. nobles will try to keep things the
way they are, knights will jockey to become nobles, clergy will try to influence the secular
powers with church doctrine, and peasants will try to secure more freedoms. The roles will

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include those who were at the trial of Joan of Arc, a late medieval genealogist and historian,
as well as either a peasant, clergy, knight, or noble in the feudal system. The audience for
these assessments will be in the case of final summative assessment the students noble
patrons, myself, and in the other two assessments the audiences will be the other students
taking the roles of different characters within that simulation. One of the real world
situations involved will be the feudal system of medieval Europe where everyone within
the system has a role within society and they have to perform that role in exchange for
services from another group within the system. Another will be the trial of Joan of Arc
where she, one of the students pretending to be Joan of Arc, will be put on trial by the
English, some of the other classmates, for heresy and the other will be that of a medieval
historian working on a commission for a noble family of compiling that familys genealogy
and history. The real world product of the final summative assessment will be the
genealogy of that noble family as well as a written account of their history and that familys
coat of arms. The other products will be reflections on their performances within the
simulations and how they felt portraying the characters they did. The standards will be
whether or not they were able to complete the objectives related to each lesson so for the
Joan of Arc trial it would be understanding that Joan of Arc was an exception to many rules
of medieval life and that she was able to do what she did despite these things, for the final
project it would be to come to an enduring understanding that developments in medieval
Europe led to the colonization of the new world and the seaward expansion of European
powers, and the standards for the feudal system simulation will be the understanding that
the Feudal system created order where there was chaos but when the order that was
established by the feudal system was disturbed a new system came to fruition.

STAGE III LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Day Topic(s) Unit Objective(s) Brief Listing of Assessments

Activities
Day Introduction to Students will use a graphic Overview of the Bell work,
1 the Feudal organizer to describe the Feudal System. Class
System, roles that nobles, clergy, Those who Fight, Discussion,
Beginning of and peasants play in the Those who Pray, Come up with
Feudalism feudal system in order to Those who Work Responsibilities
Simulation establish prior knowledge Divvy out roles of for members of
required to understand the Nobility, Clergy, the feudal
revolutionary effects the and Peasantry to system
Black Death had on the the Class, give
social roles of European them certain tasks
Society which impact us they have to
today. accomplish that fit
with their role.
Day Fall of the Students will create a flow Overview of the Bell Work,
2 Roman Empire chart showing the fall of Roman and Class
and Rise of the the Roman Empire and the Carolingian Discussion,
rise and fall of the Empires. Sack of Ticket out of

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 Carolingian Carolingian Empire in Rome by the Door,
Empire order to understand the Barbarians, split Engaging Prior
given circumstances of of Western and Knowledge,
Medieval Europe and the Eastern Rome, Elbow Partners
complexities of historical Charlemagne and
cause and effect. the Holy Roman
Empire, Count
System put in
place by
Charlemagne,
Charlemagnes
legacy: Italy,
Germany, and
France.
Day Civilizations Students will use a graphic Lecture on Tang Bell Work
3 contemporaneous organizer to list the traits China, Compare Engaging Prior
to Medieval and qualities of the and Contrast Tang Knowledge,
Europe, Islamic civilizations occurring and other Empires, Think-Pair-
Caliphates, Tang contemporaneously to Discussion of Share with
China, Aztec medieval Europe in order Muslim Empire Elbow Partners,
Triple Alliance to show that Europe has not and the 5 pillars of Ticket out the
always been the center of Islam, where does Door
the world and that Europe fit in this?
civilizations in other places Aztec Culture,
have flourished and Religion, and
contributed to global Social customs
civilization.
Day The Catholic Students will write a list Analysis of Bell Work,
4 Church, prioritizing the powers and Church Decrees Elbow Partners,
Background privileges of the Catholic from the Medieval Think Pair
Information on Church in Medieval Europe Period, Discussion Share, Class
the Crusades in order to evaluate the of what these Discussion,
influence that the Church Church Decrees Engaging Prior
had on secular meant in a greater Knowledge
organizations and provide context, Lecture
them with background on Background
knowledge to help them Information on the
analyze the relationship of Crusades, Holy
church and state in the War, Jerusalem,
modern world. Seljuk Turks,
Pogroms,
Pilgrimage
Day The Crusades Students will use a primary Connect Past to Think-Pair-
5 source analysis form to Present, ISIS to Share, Class
analyze what reasons the Crusades, Engage Discussion
Crusades occurred and why Prior Knowledge activating prior

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 the papacy called for them from yesterdays knowledge,
in order to understand how lesson read Primary Source
religious doctrine can move Primary Sources, Analysis
people to violence against discuss Primary Forms, Essay
others. Sources and how Question
Religion played a
factor in the
Crusades
Day The Black Death, Students will write a ticket Overview of the Bell Work,
6 Changes to the out of the door listing the Black Death, Elbow Partners,
Feudal System reasons why they think Effects of the Think Pair
Feudalism persisted despite Black Death on Share, Class
the lack of personal society, loss of Discussion,
freedoms it offered its faith, danse Engaging Prior
peasantry in order to macabre, Simulate Knowledge
evaluate the Feudal system Effects of Black
and to understand that Death on class
stability is the most feudal population,
underrated political virtue Peasant Revolts
in the past and in todays
world.
Day Scholasticism Students will use a Venn What do you want Elbow Partners,
7 diagram to compare and to do after high Venn Diagram
contrast the differences school? , What
between Medieval and were they
Modern thinking in order studying? The
to understand that the tenets of
Dark Ages were not Scholasticism,
entirely devoid of progress some famous
and we still feel the effects Scholastic
of the Middle Ages. scholars, the
scientific method,
compare and
contrast
Day Joan of Arc, Students will write a ticket Analysis of Key question:
8 Gender Norms of out of the door classifying primary source How does Joan
the Middle Ages the ways Joan of Arc documents about of Arc
differed from the social Joan of Arc, challenge
norms of the middle ages in students will then Gender Norms
order to analyze these find their own of her time?
social norms and to serve primary sources Where in the
as an example of how about Joan of Arc. primary
challenging oppressive sources?
social norms is necessary
for historical progress.

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 Day Wrapping up the Students will write a short Introduction of Essay on Dark
9 Unit, Begin the essay justifying whether or Final Assessment, Ages, Bell
Final Assessment not the European Dark review of any Work
Ages truly were a Dark material that they
Age devoid of progress or did not
otherwise in order to understand.
illustrate that historical
misnomers have the ability
to taint our understanding
of entire periods of our
history.
Day Continue the Students will write a Day to work on Paragraph
10 Final paragraph giving their the final Reflection on
Assessment, End impressions of how it felt assessment, the Feudal
the Feudalism to be a peasant, noble, or Reflections on the System, Final
Simulation clergy member in the Feudal System Assessment,
feudal system in order to Simulation, pros summative
have a firsthand experience cons in between. assessment of
with the feudal system and the entire unit
to better understand how
our social system benefits
us.

Catalog of Lessons:
Day 1: Introduction to the Feudal System
Unit Objective: Students will use a graphic organizer to describe the roles that nobles, clergy, and
peasants play in the feudal system in order to establish prior knowledge required to understand the
revolutionary effects the Black Death had on the social roles of European Society which impact
us today.
Length: 45 to 50 Minutes
Activities:
Introduction to the Feudal System

o As students enter the class they will grab a graphic organizer that they will use for

the lesson that day. They will also complete the bell work that is located near the

top of the graphic organizer which is simply a check for understanding to see how

much prior knowledge the students have about the middle ages in Europe.

o After a few minutes the teacher will call on several students to share their answers

with the class. The teacher will make sure to address any misconceptions that pop

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 up this way and to reinforce accurate prior knowledge to gauge how much the

students have to learn.

o The teacher will then begin a lecture on the Feudal system making sure to nail down

the three main concepts of bellatores those who fight, laboratores those who

work, and oratores those who pray. The teacher will also explain how these social

groups interacted with one another and how systems of vassalage and homage could

get very complicated.

Feudal System Simulation

o After finishing the lecture on Feudalism the teacher will then choose one student to

be King or Queen of the Classroom, whoever has the highest grade in the class can

suffice or the teacher can pick someone arbitrarily. The class monarch will then

choose someone to be their king or queen and those two will pick several members

of the class to be their nobles. While that is happening the teacher will then pick

several other students to be members of the clergy. After the nobles have been

selected each pair of nobles will choose one student to be a knight. Any student

who is not a monarch, noble, knight, or member of the clergy will be a serf.

o At this point in time the teacher will then ask the students what they think they

ought to be responsible for doing as members of their social class within the feudal

system. Some examples include, serfs are responsible for pushing in chairs when

class is over and keeping the room clean, knights are responsible for enforcing class

rules and policing the behavior of the students, the monarch has the privilege of

leaving class early and choosing who is dismissed with them, nobles must provide

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 gifts for the monarch, clergy must take notes during class to be shared with the

entire class, etc.

o Once all of the responsibilities and roles have been divvied out the teacher will ask

the students for an exit ticket out of the door where they will list what role they are

and what their responsibilities in that role are. This simulation will be going on for

the entire unit and participation in the simulation throughout the entire unit will be

part of the students grade.

Assessments:
The bell work will serve as a diagnostic assessment to see how much the students know

about the middle ages before starting the unit.

The discussion about the responsibilities that different students should have depending on

their role within the feudal system will act as a formative assessment as to how well the

students understand the roles within the feudal system and how well they can translate that

into behaviors that can be shown in a classroom.

Day 2: Fall of the Roman Empire and rise of the Carolingian Empire
Unit Objective: Students will create a flow chart showing the fall of the Roman Empire and the
rise and fall of the Carolingian Empire in order to understand the given circumstances of Medieval
Europe and the complexities of historical cause and effect.
Length: 45 to 50 Minutes
Activities
Fall of the Roman Empire

o Before the class begins the teacher will explain to the students that they will be

creating their own flow chart or other graphic organizer of their choice to use with

that days lesson on the Roman Empire and the Carolingian Empire. The teacher

will also assign the bell work which will be a simple question asking them what

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 they remember about the fall of the Roman Empire from the Rome unit that was

done previously.

o After the students have answered the bell work in their notebooks the teacher will

ask the students to share what they remember with an elbow partner. While this is

happening the teacher will float around the room to monitor and observe what the

students are talking about. After a few minutes of this the teacher will call on several

students to share their answers with the class.

o Once this has been completed the teacher will go through a very quick lecture about

the fall of the Roman Empire. This will include Romes split in to Rome and the

Byzantine Empire, as well as the sack of Rome, and the economic deterioration that

led to Romes demise as well. A parallel will also be drawn between Diocletians

tax reforms and the Feudal System from yesterday.

Rise of the Carolingian Empire

o The lecture will then change topic to a brief overview of the Frankish people and

then delve into Charlemagne. The teacher will talk about how Charlemagne

conquered much of Europe and how he was crowned by the pope as a Roman

Emperor.

o The teacher will ask the students what they believe the significance of the pope

crowning Charlemagne is and then tell them to discuss this with their elbow

partners. After a few minutes of discussing this with their elbow partners the teacher

will call on each group and ask them to briefly explain why they think it is

significant that the pope is crowning Charlemagne. The teacher will discuss with

15
 the class that it is significant that the pope is crowning Charlemagne because it

shows the church exercising authority over secular leaders.

o After this discussion the lecture will start again and the teacher will discuss how

Charlemagne created a system of counts who were loyal to him as a means of

running his large empire and how this was essentially the start of the Feudal system.

The lecture will end with Charlemagnes death and the death of his grandson and

how he divided his country into three parts for his sons, Italy, Germany, and France.

o As an Exit Ticket the Students will show the teacher whether or not they used a

flow chart or some other form of graphic organizer for their notes and say one big

idea that they learned in class that day.

Assessments:
The Bell Work is a formative assessment about the content of a previous unit and

engages prior knowledge.

The discussion during the middle of the lecture on Charlemagne is a diagnostic

assessment on the relationship between church and state in the middle ages.

The exit ticket at the end of class is a brief formative assessment on whether or

not the students grasped a main idea of the lesson.

Day 3:
Culture Shock: Civilizations Contemporaneous to Medieval Europe
Author: Matt Sanders
Content Area: World History
Grade Level: 10th Grade
Lesson Length: Approximately 60 Minutes
I. State Standards
PO 1. Contrast the fall of Rome with the development of the Byzantine and Arab Empires (e.g.,
religion, culture, language, governmental structure).

16
PO 3. Compare the development of empires (e.g., Roman, Han, Mali, Incan/Inkan, Ottoman)
throughout the world.
PO 4. Describe the interaction of European and Asian civilizations from the 12th to the 16th
centuries:
Crusades
impact on culture
plague

II. Student Friendly Objectives

Students will use a graphic organizer to list the traits and qualities of the civilizations occurring
contemporaneously to medieval Europe in order to show that Europe has not always been the
center of the world and that civilizations in other places have flourished and contributed to global
civilization.

III. The Why

Students will gain an understanding that Europe was not always the center of the world and that
for much of its history it was on the backburner compared to other civilizations.
Students will also understand that history is mainly euro-centric and this ignores much of the world
and puts emphasis in the wrong places.

V. Materials Needed (Think technology, visuals, etc.)

1. Graphic Organizers for Students
2. A personal Computer for the Teacher
3. Projector for PowerPoint
4. Screen for PowerPoint
5. Chromebooks or some other kind of laptop computer for the students to use during the lecture.
6. The PowerPoint I have created
7. A copy of the Rubric for the Homework Assignment for Each Student
8. Papers, Pens, and Pencils for Students

VI. Assessment
There will be several different assessments throughout this lesson. A diagnostic assessment will
be done via the bell work where they will write about what they already know on their graphic
organizer. Some formative assessments will be given throughout the lesson in the forms of
questions to be answered by elbow partners. These include one question about the similarities of
empires and lastly one about the bigger picture of todays lesson. Lastly there will be a summative
assessment in the form of the homework that the students will have to complete before the end of
the week as well as the ticket out of the door at the very end of the lesson.

VII. Differentiation
The use of graphic organizers will help differentiate the content that the students will be learning
in this lesson. It will provide a framework for students when they are taking notes and it will also
be helpful for students who think more pictographically. The homework assignment requires the
students to turn in any kind of artifact so long as it provides the desired information about the
civilizations gone over in the lesson, so this will allow students to create something that they are

17
comfortable making. If a student is a good artist they can make something artistic if a student is a
good writer they can write something, etc.
Any gifted students will be given different instructions for their homework. They will have to
include 4 facts about each of the civilizations as part of the artifact that they turn in. Any
exceptional learners will be given a more complete graphic organizer, and they will be included in
all of the classroom discussions in order to gauge their progress. The teacher will also stop
throughout the lesson in order to answer questions posed by the students. The students will also
have their own laptops to use throughout the lesson so they may access the PowerPoint on their
own screen. This will allow advanced students to skip ahead throughout the PowerPoint during
the lesson while letting other students stay on a slide that the rest of the class has moved on from.
VIII. Bell work
The Students will immediately enter the classroom and they will grab a graphic organizer from the
bin on their way in. The students will do the first question on the graphic organizer which is a
simple diagnostic check of what they know about todays content. After 5 minutes the teacher will
call on 3 to 4 students and ask them what they wrote down in order to gauge the knowledge of the
room.
The teacher will then announce to the class that days objective after the discussion about the bell
work has panned out in order to insure the students know exactly what they are doing that day.
IX. Anticipatory Set/Grabber
The teacher will present the idea of the Aztec practice of human sacrifice as part of their religion,
if it was not already discussed during the bell work. The teacher will then tell the students that they
think that human sacrifice is a civilized practice and preferable to other practices going on at the
same time. The students will most likely object to this and the teacher will solicit their reasons.
The teacher will then inform the students that while the Aztec performed human sacrifice their
wars featured ritualistic combat where they took prisoners as opposed to European wars of
attrition. Less innocent people died during Aztec wars than European ones. Therefore the Aztec
practices, including Human sacrifice, are more civilized. This will get the students looking at
different cultures in a different light which will prepare them for the lesson.
X. Instruction
After the grabber the teacher will begin the presentation by discussing the Tang Dynasty in China.
While the instructor is lecturing the students will be expected to fill out their graphic organizers
while they listen to the presentation. The most important aspects of the Tang Dynasty are its
culture, scientific achievements, as well as its use of the Silk Road. This will take about 10 to 15
minutes.
Following this part on the Tang Dynasty, the students will activate prior knowledge by talking to
their elbow partners and coming up with as many similarities as they can between the Tang
Dynasty and other empires, Egyptian, Roman, etc., that have been covered over the school year.
The students will be given about 3 minutes to do this and the teacher will call on 3 to 4 groups to
see what answers they came up with.
Then the instructor will move onto the Muslim Empire and discuss the influential role of
Mohammad in the creation of the Empire as well as a religious figure. This will also include some
basic tenets of the Muslim faith, the 5 pillars, and the culture and scientific achievements of the
later Muslim civilizations. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes.
The students will then engage with the Essential Question in a casual formative assessment by
talking to their elbow partners again and try to answer the question of where Europe fits in between
these two great powers. They will be activating prior knowledge by remembering the fall of the

18
Roman Empire and the objective is that they will come to the conclusion that Europe is a periphery
civilization and that they are boxed in so to speak. After 3 minutes the teacher will call on several
groups and see what they come up with. The teacher will guide the students in this discussion to
the conclusion that Europe was boxed in by these civilizations and even eclipsed by them. If aliens
visited the Earth and were to place bets on who would take over the world they would guess the
Muslims or the Chinese.
The instructor will then finish off the lecture with the Aztec Triple Alliance. This will include the
breath taking city of Tenochtitlan, civic developments made by the Aztec rulers, and lastly Aztec
religion and mythology. The will take about 10 to 15 minutes or until there are only 2 minutes left
of class.

XI. Closure
When there are only 2 minutes left of class the students will write a quick ticket out of the door on
a scrap of paper. The students will write what they think the major takeaway of that days lesson
was in less than 20 words. This will act as a very brief summative assessment to see how well the
students are grasping the main idea of that days lesson as well as the unit as a whole since they
are connected.
XII. Independent practice
The students will have to create a way to showcase the information found in their guided notes.
This could be a Venn diagram, graphic organizer (unlike the one they were given), poem, or other
artifact. It does not matter what type of artifact the students produce just that they produce an
artifact that accurately reflects the details of each of the three civilizations that were discussed in
class. The artifact will need to include at least 3 pieces of information about each civilization (Tang
Dynasty China, Triple Alliance, and Muslim Empire). This will be due at the end of the week and
is worth 10 points.
Category: 4 3-2 1-0
Facts 3 or more important 2 to 3 Important Only 1 Important
facts about each Facts are included Fact is included for
Civilization is about each each Civilization or
included in the Civilization in the not all of the
artifact Artifact Civilizations are
touched upon in the
Artifact
1 .5 0
Creativity The artifact The artifact The artifact shows
showcases creative showcases some no to very little
thought on the part creative thought on creative thought. It
of the student. It is the part of the is either a bulleted
not simply a student however it list or a graphic
reorganization of does not really step organizer nearly
the original graphic out of the box. identical to the one
organizer or a given in class.
bulleted list.
1 .5 0
Aesthetic Quality All words are Some words are There are many
spelled correctly spelled incorrectly words spelled

19
 and the grammar is and there are a few incorrectly and
proper. Any artwork grammatical there are many
looks nice and it is mistakes. Any grammatical
obvious time and artwork looks okay mistakes. Any
effort was put into and it is obvious artwork looks
the artifact. only some time and poorly done and it is
effort was put into obvious that it was
the artifac.t made at the last
second.

XIII. Reflection
It is the teachers responsibility to reflect on the effectiveness of their lesson plans. The answers
solicited from the students via the elbow partner discussions done throughout the class will inform
the teacher as to how well material covered earlier on in the class has stuck with the students as
well as how well the students are grasping the Essential Understanding of the unit by seeing if the
elbow partners can draw important conclusions about the learning. The artifacts that the students
create for homework will serve as a good indicator of how well the students are performing in the
class. If there are any eureka moments that occur during the teaching of the lesson or if there are
any obvious spots that were not effective in establishing background information and leading to
the essential understanding the teacher can alter this lesson plan to improve it for next time.

Day 4: The Catholic Church and Background Information on the Crusades

Unit Objective: Students will write a list prioritizing the powers and privileges of the Catholic
Church in Medieval Europe in order to evaluate the influence that the Church had on secular
organizations and provide them with background knowledge to help them analyze the relationship
of church and state in the modern world.
Length: 45 to 50 Minutes
Activities:
Papal Authority

o The lesson will begin with a quote from the medieval Papacy dealing with its

authority put up on the board, Just as the founder of the universe established two

great lights in the firmament of heaven, the greater light to rule the day, and the

lesser light to rule the night, so too He set two great dignities in the firmament of

the universal church..., the greater one to rule the day, that is, souls, and the lesser

to rule the night, that is, bodies. These dignities are the papal authority and the royal

power. Now just as the moon derives its light from the sun and is indeed lower than

it in quantity and quality, in position and in power, so too the royal power derives

20
 the splendor of its dignity from the pontifical authority.... a letter to the prefect of

Tuscany 1198. The students will read it and then discuss with an elbow partner

what they believe the significance of the quote is and what it can tell us about

medieval society. After the students have discussed this quote for some time the

teacher will call on several groups and ask them what they thought of the quote.

o After going over the quote and how it shows how powerful the church was, or

thought it was at least, the teacher will then lecture on basic church organization

and leadership. This will include the pope, the process of becoming pope, the

cardinals and bishops as well as the monastery system and how they are similar to

feudal manors.

o The teacher will then ask the students to use their laptops or other internet devices

to locate a papal letter or decree from the middle ages that they think is significant.

The teacher will give the students several minutes to locate a papal letter or decree

and once most or all of the class has located one the teacher will call on several

students to share a brief synopsis of their letter and why they thought it was

significant.

o Essentially, any rules that the secular lords did not set the church did. They were

responsible for adjudicating nearly every aspect of life: marriage, death, child birth,

business, the legitimacy of secular lords, etc.

The Crusades

o After this discussion the teacher will then turn the lecture over to the crusades. The

teacher will engage the prior knowledge of the students by asking them if they

21
 remember who lived in the Middle East during this time. After sufficient wait time

to insure that all the students have thought about this the teacher will call on the

students to make sure they understand that not only the Muslims lived in the Middle

East but the Byzantines as well. The teacher will then lecture about how the Seljuk

Turks were attacking and raiding Byzantine territory in Turkey as well as the Holy

City in Jerusalem.

o The lecture will also include information on the act of pilgrimage, the route the

crusaders took to get to Jerusalem, and the outcomes of the 4 major crusades.

o For closure the students will write a list prioritizing what they thought the most

important powers of the Catholic Church were and then turning them in on their

way out the door.

Assessments:
The list prioritizing church power is a formative assessment to see if they understand the

powers and authority of the medieval Catholic Church.

The discussion about the quote on the board is a diagnostic assessment on the students

grasp of the power of the medieval church.

The act of locating a third order primary source will serve as a formative assessment to see

if they are able to analyze and locate important primary source documents.

Day 5:
Teacher: Matt Sanders Subject: 10th Grade World History Date: 3/13/17
Know The reasons that the Papacy called for war against the Turkic Tribes and thus started the First Crusade.
Show Critical Thinking about the Crusades in a short essay.
Level of Thinking Evaluation
Essential Question What role did religion play in the Crusades? Does the flag lead the cross or the cross lead the flag?
Students will use a primary source analysis form to analyze what reasons the Crusades occurred and why the papacy
Lesson Objective
called for them in order to understand how religious doctrine can move people to violence against others.

22
 1. Do Now

2. Vocabulary and Concept Review

3. Primary Source Analysis Form

Agenda
4. Work on Writing Essay

5. End Discussion

ENGAGE: How will I focus, prepare and engage students for the lessons objective? Differentiation
Do Now: Learning Style
The Teacher will show a video to the students from the BBC explaining ISIS in 90 Seconds.
Learning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAxeWfpIEoU Modalities:
Visual
EXPLORE: In what ways will my learners attempt to explain or do what I have outlined? How will I monitor
and coach their performance?
Auditory
With their elbow partners, the students will list all the reasons they think that the video about ISIS is

relevant to the days topic of the Crusades. The teacher will give the students around 3 minutes to Tactile

complete do that.
Kinesthetic
The teacher will then call on several of the students to ask what reasons they came up with. The

teacher will provide some feedback to each answer while writing the reasons the students said on
Multiple
Intelligences:
Lesson Cycle

the board.
Linguistic
EXPLAIN: How will I convey the knowledge and/or skills of the lesson? What will my students be doing to
process this information?
3

23
Reviewing Vocabulary: Logical/Mathe
Crusades: A series of Military Expeditions from Europe to the Middle East that were sanctioned by
matical
the Catholic Church with the objective of capturing the Holy Land from the Muslims. These were met

with varying success with the 1st Crusade Capturing Jerusalem and establishing Crusader Spatial

Kingdoms to the 4th Crusade where the Crusaders never even saw Jerusalem. Musical
Islam: The Abrahamic faith founded by Mohammad, circa 600 CE, that is practiced by over 1 billion
Bodily-
people today. This religion was a unifying force in the creation of Mohammads empire as well as
Kinesthetic
the separate states that sprung up following his death.

Class Review Interpersonal

The teacher will briefly go over the vocabulary in the Reviewing Vocabulary section just above.
Intrapersonal
The teacher will do this by asking the students to engage their prior knowledge from the last lesson

and ask them to define these important terms as well as to recall any other information that they

think is important regarding the crusades. The teacher will write this on the board for all of the Specific
Accommodations
students to see. and
Modifications:
After the teacher is happy with the answers from the class then they will hand out todays Primary Longer Due

Source Documents. Dates

EXTEND: In what ways will my different learners attempt the objective on their own? How will I gauge
mastery? Longer Essay
After the primary source documents have been passed out the students will read them once. The
Length
teacher will give the students about 5 minutes to read the passages and will then answer any

clarifying questions about simply understanding what the text says.

After the students are clear on what the text says and there are no more questions about clarity the

teacher will hand out the Primary Source Analysis form.

The students will work on the Primary Source Analysis form individually or in groups of no more than

three. If they do not complete the analysis form it is due at the end of the week.

EVALUATE: How will I have students summarize what theyve learned? How will I reinforce the objectives
importance and its link to past and future learning? Will they have homework?

24
 * Once the students have finished the Primary Source Document Analysis form they will begin to
answer the question of Were the Crusades Justified? How much of a role do you think religion played in the
Crusades? Is Religion a legitimate reason to go to war? in a response that is no shorter than one handwritten
page, some advanced students will be given the same task however their essay must be no shorter than two
handwritten pages. The students will be told to make sure to reference the Primary Source documents they
read in their essay. Unlike the Primary Source Analysis form this is individual work and is not to be done in
groups. This will be due at the end of the week as well. To accommodate some students they will have until
the end of next week to write the essay.
CLOSING: closing remarks, summary of what learned, announcements, reminders. HW: Primary Source
Analysis Form (If Not
When there is only 3 minutes left of class the teacher will remind the students that their primary Completed in Class) and
One Page Essay
source analysis forms and one page essays are due at the end of the week. The teacher will quickly

go over the assignments just to make sure the students understand.

The teacher will then call on three different students to share what their ideas for the essay are or

what were some points in the primary source documents that they thought were interesting. That

way the students will be exposed to each others ideas so they can have different insights for their

own essays.

Day 6: The Black Death and Changes to the Feudal System

Unit Objective: Students will write a ticket out of the door listing the reasons why they think
Feudalism persisted despite the lack of personal freedoms it offered its peasantry in order to
evaluate the Feudal system and to understand that stability is the most underrated political virtue
in the past and in todays world.
Length: 45 to 50 Minutes
Activities:
The Black Death

o As the students enter the room they will answer the bell work question of how they

think the Feudal system came to an end. It does not exist today so something had

to have brought around that change. After giving the students a few minutes to

answer that question the teacher will then have the students turn to their elbow

partners and discuss what they think. After a few minutes of that the teacher will

call on several students and ask them what they think. This will segue into the days

25
 lesson on the Black Death and how that helped contribute to the end of the feudal

system.

o The teacher will begin a lecture on the Black Death by going over the Great Famine

and then trade with China and the Middle East via the Silk Road. It will continue

with the disease itself as well as the immediate effects such as the staggering

number of deaths and the upheaval of the social order.

o To illustrate this point the teacher will then have the students stand up and

congregate with the members of their class within the class feudalism simulation.

The teacher will then ask roughly 1/3rd of the students who are standing to sit down

to show how deadly the Black Death was. The teacher will then ask members of

each group how this might affect their ways of life. Most importantly, the nobles

will be asking for the same amount of work from a smaller group of peasants. This

should incite them to revolt. Upon coming to this conclusion the teacher will gather

the class again and continue lecturing.

Peasant Revolts

o The last part of the lecture will have to do with peasant revolts and the trend of

peasants gaining more liberties than they had previously and more checks being

added to the rule of nobles. Despite these gains the system of governance in place

was still very similar to the feudal system and this was because the feudal system

was a stable system.

26
 o When there is only a few minutes of class left the teacher will ask for an exit ticket

where the students answer why they thought the feudal system persisted for so long

even though it greatly hindered the rights of many of the people involved.

Assessments:
The bell work question is a diagnostic question to see how well they know their history.

The group activity is a formative assessment of the students abilities to empathize with

people from the past as well as a recap of the roles and duties of certain members of the

feudal system.

The ticket out of the door is another formative assessment of their knowledge of the feudal

system and a test of their ability to empathize with people from the past.

Day 7: Scholasticism
Unit Objectives: Students will use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the differences
between Medieval and Modern thinking in order to understand that the Dark Ages were not
entirely devoid of progress and we still feel the effects of the Middle Ages.
Length: 45 to 50 Minutes
Activities:
Universities

o For bell work the students will enter the room and will answer the question of

what they would like to do after high school in their note books. This could

include going to college, a university, trade school, military, or straight into the

work force. After a few minutes the students will then turn to an elbow partner

and discuss what their plans are after high school. After several minutes of

sharing with their partners the teacher will call on several students and ask them

what their plans after high school are.

27
 o The teacher will then talk about how young people in medieval Europe had

similar choices, being an apprentice with a craftsman, learning to be a knight,

becoming a monk, working for their parents on the family farm, and going to

university.

o The teacher will then ask the class to turn to their elbow partners and then ask

the class what they think medieval people would be studying at a University.

After a few minutes of discussion the teacher will call on a couple groups to see

what they think.

Scholasticism

o After ascertaining what the class thinks medieval people would study at

University the teacher will lecture about the nature of scholasticism. This will

include the ideas of scholasticism that all knowledge was known between the

bible and Greek authors and that scholastic thinkers had to make these agree

with one another when they differed. The teacher will then introduce the

students to several scholastic thinkers like Peter Abelard and Thomas Aquinas.

o The teacher will then briefly lecture on the Scientific Method, which is arguably

todays equivalent to the scholastic method, and by using the knowledge they

gained from class and by looking up primary sources of scholastic thought they

will complete a Venn diagram showing the differences between the scholastic

and scientific method.

Assessments:

28
 The Venn diagram at the end of the lesson is a formative assessment to gauge how well

they learned about that days material

The think pair share exercise near the middle of the lesson is a diagnostic lesson to see

what the students know about medieval education.

Day 8: Joan of Arc and Gender Norms of the Middle Ages

Unit Objective: Students will write a ticket out of the door classifying the ways Joan of Arc differed
from the social norms of the middle ages in order to analyze these social norms and to serve as an
example of how challenging oppressive social norms is necessary for historical progress.
Length: 60 Minutes
Standards:
Social Studies Standards
PO 2. Compare feudalism in Europe and Japan and its connection with religious and cultural
institutions.
Reading Standards for Literacy In History/Social Studies 612
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to
such features as the date and origin of the information. (910.RH.1)
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate
summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.(910.RH.2)
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary
describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social studies.(910.RH.4)
Heuristics
This lesson will also make the students aware of the contributions of specific individuals to the
world and how their character traits helped them for good or ill. The lesson will also incorporate
the ideas of perceiving past events as they were felt by the people that lived then. This lesson will
also have the students thinking critically about the purpose of a primary source and using a
scientific approach to do history.

Overview of the lesson: The teacher will introduce the first order document and the students will
read it. After reading the first order document the teacher will introduce the students to the key
question for the lesson and then give them the second order documents. By using the first order
document, the second order documents and a third order document that the students find
themselves they will answer the key question using evidence from the primary source documents

The key question for the students inquiry is: How does Joan of Arc challenge the social norms for
women during her time?
Primary Sources

First Order Document

King of England, render account to the King of Heaven of your royal blood. Return the keys of
all the good cities which you have seized, to the Maid. She is sent by God to reclaim the royal

29
blood, and is fully prepared to make peace, if you will give her satisfaction; that is, you must render
justice, and pay back all that you have taken.
King of England, if you do not do these things, I am the commander of the military; and in whatever
place I shall find your men in France, I will make them flee the country, whether they wish to or
not; and if they will not obey, the Maid will have them all killed. She comes sent by the King of
Heaven, body for body, to take you out of France, and the Maid promises and certifies to you that
if you do not leave France she and her troops will raise a mighty outcry as has not been heard in
France in a thousand years. And believe that the King of Heaven has sent her so much power that
you will not be able to harm her or her brave army.
March 22, 1429. A letter from Joan of Arc to the King of England

First Order Document Analysis: This document serves as a good first order document because it
showcases many of the reasons the Joan of Arc stood out among the other women of her time. She
offers very little reverence to a king, even though she is a commoner, and she boasts of having
armies at her command and being gods chosen. The idea of not only a woman, but a peasant
woman making demands of a king is revolutionary. When this letter was written France was in the
thick of the 100 Years War with England and they were losing to the English. After a French
Victory at the Siege of Orleans the French were reinvigorated and thought they could win the war.

Second Order Documents

Of the Maid, Joan, The second day of June, 1429, the said Lord King having learned of the feats
of valor of Joan the Maid and of the victories obtained by the gift of God and the intervention of
her Council, gave, being in the city of Chinon, armorial bearings to the said Maid, to decorate her
standard and herself, of the pattern which follows: (See drawing in document above) Giving charge
to the Duke of Alencon and the said Maid of the siege of Jargeau.

30
June 2nd 1429. A letter from Charles VII to Joan of Arc

"I offered at Saint-Denis a sword and armor; but it was not this sword. I had that at Lagny; from
Lagny to Compigne, I bore the sword of this Burgundian; it was a good sword for fighting--- very
good for giving stout buffets and hard clouts. To tell what became of the other sword does not
concern this Case, and I will not answer about it now. My brothers have all my goods-my horses,
my sword, so far as I know, and the rest, which are worth more than twelve thousand crowns."
"When you were at Orleans, had you a standard, or banner and of what color was it?"
"I had a banner of which the field was sprinkled with lilies; the world was painted there, with an
angel at each side; it was white, of the white cloth called 'boccassin'; there was written above, I
believe, 'Jhesus Maria'; it was fringed with silk."
"The words 'Jhesus Maria' were they written above, below, or on the side?"
"At the side, I believe."
"Which did you care for most, your banner or your sword?"
"Better, forty times better, my banner than my sword!"
"Who made you get this painting done upon your banner?"
"I have told you often enough, that I had nothing done but by the command of God. It was I,
myself, who bore this banner, when I attacked the enemy, to save killing any one, for I have never
killed anyone."
Joan of Arc and the Bishop of Beauvais on the 4th session of her trial, February 27th, 1431

Second Order Document Analysis: Both of these documents show Joan of Arc as a militant hero.
However, the second one shows that Joan of Arc, despite her reputation, never killed anyone and
that her banner met much more to her. Despite that, she wore armor and carried a sword and even
had her own coat of arms granted to her by the King of France.
Third Order Documents
A sketch of Joan of Arc made in the margins of a French
Government Document in 1429

"I did thank it. I was sitting on the bed; I joined my hands; I implored its help. The Voice said to
me: 'Answer boldly.' I asked advice as to how I should answer, begging it to entreat for this the

31
counsel of the Lord. The Voice said to me: 'Answer boldly; God will help you.' Before I had prayed
it to give me counsel, it said to me several words I could not readily understand. After I was awake,
it said to me: 'Answer boldly.'" [Addressing herself to Us, the said Bishop:] "You say you are my
judge. Take care what you are doing; for in truth I am sent by God, and you place yourself in great
danger."
Joan of Arc on the Third Session of her Trial, February 24th, 1431
"Yes, I learnt to spin and to sew; in sewing and spinning I fear no woman in Rouen. For dread of
the Burgundians, I left my father's house and went to the town of Neufchteau, in Lorraine, to the
house of a woman named La Rousse, where I sojourned about fifteen days. When I was at home
with my father, I employed myself with the ordinary cares of the house. I did not go to the fields
with the sheep and the other animals. Every year I confessed myself to my own Cur, and, when
he was prevented, to another Priest with his permission. Sometimes, also, two or three times, I
confessed to the Mendicant Friars; this was at Neufchteau. At Easter I received the Sacrament of
the Eucharist."
Joan of Arc on the Second Session of her Trial, February 22nd, 1431

Day 9: Wrapping up the Unit, Begin the Final Assessment

Unit Objective: Students will write a short essay justifying whether or not the European Dark
Ages truly were a Dark Age devoid of progress or otherwise in order to illustrate that historical
misnomers have the ability to taint our understanding of entire periods of our history.
Length: 50 Minutes
Activities:
Review

o As the students enter the class the teacher will ask the students to look back on what

they have learned this unit and write down three things that they learned and 2

questions they have. After giving the students some time to write these down the

teacher will have the students meet with their elbow partners and discuss what they

came up with and help each other out with the questions they might have.

Afterwards the teacher will spend some time to call on every student in the class

and ask them if they would like to share what they wrote down.

o The teacher will then make sure to answer any questions that kept cropping up in

the questions section and making sure to have other students answer the questions

as often as possible depending on what questions students had and what other

students said they learned during the unit.

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 Begin Final Assessment

o After the review session is over the teacher will ask the students to answer a short

essay question on whether or not the term dark ages is accurate or a historical

misnomer. They must use evidence from classwork and primary sources to back up

their answer whichever way they go.

o These essays will be expected at the end of the period but can be turned at the end

of the next week along with the rest of the final assessment if need be.

o For closure the teacher will introduce the final assessment which is the production

of an artifact, the students get to choose, that tells of the history of a noble family

in Medieval Europe. The members of this noble family must take part in several of

the events that were covered in the class and the narrative describing them must be

as though a medieval chronicler were explaining the lives of these people. This

assignment will also include the presence of a coat of arms for this fictitious noble

family and an explanation for the heraldic symbols the student chose for the coat of

arms.

Assessments:
The bell work at the beginning is a formative assessment that gauges everything the

students have learned about the medieval period up to that point. The bell work also serves

as formative review in that the students are explaining to each other the concepts and ideas

that their peers are missing out on.

33
 The essay is a summative assessment on what the students have learned about the medieval

era and asks them to consider all of the aspects of medieval life in order to come to the

judgement of whether or not the Middle Ages were a subjectively bad time or not.

Day 10: Continue the Final Assessment, End the Feudalism Simulation
Unit Objectives: Students will write a paragraph giving their impressions of how it felt to be a
peasant, noble, or clergy member in the feudal system in order to have a firsthand experience with
the feudal system and to better understand how our social system benefits us.
Length: 45 to 50 Minutes
Activities:
Feudalism Simulation

o When the students enter the room they will answer the question of what they would

change about the feudalism simulation in retrospect after having been doing it for

two weeks. After a few minutes the teacher will call on several students and ask

them to share their thoughts.

o After the students have shared their thoughts the teacher will have them write a

paragraph explaining how they felt to have their role within the feudal system

simulation. After the students turn theirs in they may continue working on their

final assessment.

o As soon as every student has turned in their paragraph the teacher will announce to

the classroom that the feudalism simulation is over and that the students are all

equal.

Final Assessment

o The students will have the rest of the class period to work on their final assessment

which will be due at the end of the next week. This assessment is an individual

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 project and cannot be worked on in groups. In order to foster student self-

determination there is no defined product that the students have to produce. The

product they make simply has to be able to answer all of the questions that the

project is looking for and is told from the viewpoint of a medieval chronicler.

Assessments:
The paragraph the students write is a summative assessment gauging how they felt about

the simulation and what they learned about medieval life from the simulation and if they

are better able to empathize with people from the past after having done it.

The final assessment is an authentic assessment that gives the students self-determination

and tests their creativity as well as their ability to apply their knowledge of the time period

in a way that people of the time would have done.

Attachments

Feudalism Graphic Organizer

World during the Middle Ages Guided Notes

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 The World during the Middle Ages
Bell Work: What do you already know about the Medieval Chinese, Muslims, and Aztec? What
questions do you have about them? Be prepared to share your answers with the class!

The Tang Dynasty of China

618-907 CE
__________________________ for the World
Bureaucratic Reforms
Reestablishment of _______________ on the ___________________
Ultimately Collapsed due to Natural Disasters and Rebellions
Tang Culture
Reemergence of Ancient Style _______________ and Instruments
Foreign _____________ brought by Persian and Arab ___________ also flourished
50,000 __________ from this time period survive to this day
______________, _________________, and Other forms of Visual Art also flourished
Tang Scientific Achievements
First Use of ________________
________________ Printing Techniques
Clockwork and Mechanical Timekeepers and Automatons
The Silk Road
Allowed Tang China to _____________ with the _________________ World
Brought in many new ________________ to the Tang
Also brought in Luxury Goods and Materials from the Middle East
_________________ that Covered over _____________ Miles
Similarities and Differences between Tang China and Other Civilizations

The Muslim Caliphates

632-1517 CE
Created by _________________, the Prophet of _____________
_________________: The country run by Muhammads successor, a Caliph
__________________ was the State Religion
Advances in _______________ and Preservation of ______________ Texts
The Muslim Faith
Consists of 5 _______________
Iman or _____________: Belief that there is only one God and Muhammad is Gods Messenger.
Salah or _____________: Muslims pray _____ times a day and face Mecca when they do this.
Zakat or _____________: Muslims must give alms to the Poor and the Needy. A form of Religious
Tax for the Wealthy.
Sawm or ______________: Once a year Muslims fast from sunup to sundown.
Hajj or __________________: Anyone who if financially and physically able to must go to
_______________ once in their life.
Muslim Culture and Science

36
_______________, accurate predictions of the movements of the __________ and the
____________
Invention of _________________
Arabic ___________________, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
Advances in ________________, Moving beyond and questioning Greek Authors
___________________ Artwork: glasswork, metalwork, textiles, calligraphy
Architectural Revolution
Where does Medieval Europe fit in the grand scheme of things when compared to these two
civilizations?

The Aztec Triple Alliance

1428-1521 CE
Alliance of 3 Powerful _______________
Influential State ________________
Ritualistic _________________
Relatively Little is Known
Destroyed by ___________________ and the Conquistadors
Tenochtitlan, Jewel of the Aztec Empire
Largest _________________________________________ in the Americas
Located in modern day __________________________________
Centrally __________________ so the city was very uniform and symmetrical
Moctezumas Palace had a __________________________________
Aztec Civic Developments
Mandatory _________________ at State Funded ______________ called telpochcalli or
calmecac for advanced learning
Advanced _______________ networks designed for quick communication without
______________________ or ________________ carts
Flourishing Aztec ________________, much of which survives today
Aztec Religion and Mythology
Polytheistic with many gods and goddesses
Most Important to the Aztec were
_________________: the Rain God
Huitzilopochtli: Patron God of the ______________ (Aztec) People
Quetzalcoatl: Feathered Serpent, Wind God, Hero
Tezcatlipoca: God of Fortune, Destiny, and War
____________________ required to placate the needs of the Gods and to insure the continuation
of the world.
The Hearts of _________________ were the most sought after by the Gods
Other Notes: Things you thought were interesting, questions you have, comments

37
Works Cited
Atkins, N. (2011, August 8). Joan of Arc. Retrieved from Heroines of History:

http://heroinesofhistory.wikispaces.com/Joan+Of+Arc

Aztecs. (2009). Retrieved from History.com: http://www.history.com/topics/aztecs

Black Death. (2008, April 2). Retrieved from New World Encyclopedia:

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Black_Death&oldid=678339

Charlemagne. (2015, October 6). Retrieved from Biography:

http://www.biography.com/people/charlemagne-37817#!

Halsall, P. (2011, November 4). Internet Medieval Sourcebook. Retrieved from Fordham

University: http://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/Halsall/sbook.asp

Medieval Europe and the Rise of Islam. (n.d.). Retrieved from Khan Academy:

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/medieval-times#islam-intro

Pieper, J. (2015, June 23). Scholasticism . Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Scholasticism

Shopkow, L. (n.d.). Joan of Arc: Documents. Retrieved from

http://www.indiana.edu/~dmdhist/joantrials.html

Tang Dynasty. (2010, July 12). Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tang-dynasty

The Roman Catholic Church in Medieval Europe. (2010, October 11). Retrieved from PBS:

http://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/people/catholic-church.html

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Wheeler, L. K. (2016, August 15). Feudalism. Retrieved from Carson Newman University:

https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/feudalism.html

William T. Sanders, M. D. (2016, November 22). Pre-Columbian Civilizations. Retrieved from

Encyclopedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/topic/pre-Columbian-

civilizations#ref583569

Wu, A. (2016, October 18). The Tang Dynasty. Retrieved from China Highlights:

http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/china-history/the-tang-dynasty.htm

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