LESSON ON .

Introduction
The social sciences play an essential role in the acquisition of the conceptual tools needed to understand the world we live in, to integrate harmoniously into it and to contribute to its development. How can we participate in an increasingly complex, rapidly changing society if one lacks the frames of reference and tools required to grasp and interpret the mechanisms that determine the society's territorial organization and its construction over time?

Geography and history foster openness to the world. They focus students' attention on relationships within societies and their territories. They encourage students to compare here and elsewhere, past and present, thus making them aware of change and diversity. They develop the ability to put things in perspective and look at them objectively, which are the first steps toward an informed understanding of social and territorial phenomena. Finally, they allow students to become aware of the value of individual and collective involvement in social choices and its impact on the course of events. Understood this way, these subjects provide a foundation for learning to live in a pluralistic society.
(Gouvernement du Quebec, Ministere de l'Education. (2001). Quebec Education Program, Approved Version. Preschool Education, Elementary Education.

Aim
The overall aim of the Secondary II General History course as it is currently presented at my school is to provide the student with an overview of World History beginning with Prehistory up to the Industrial Revolution. The aim of this unit is to provide students with an understanding of life in the Middle Ages and, in particular, the feudal system.

Rationale
The activities the student will undertake in this unit address the following competencies outlined in the Quebec Education Program, Approved Version.

The student will be able to describe the main features of life on a medieval manor.

Using their textbook General History by Brian Maddock (1993) and the internet as resources, the students, individually and in groups, will perform three activities to explore life on a medieval fief . In Activity 1 and Activity 2, studies read their text and complete worksheets in their workbook and create a crisscross puzzle using vocabulary related to the topic. The group activity (Activity 3) is a research activity designed for a group of 18 students. You may have to assign the same topic to more than one group or add new ones if you have a larger class. Students use the internet to explore different aspects of medieval life in depth and represent their findings in a group PowerPoint presentation and an individual paper.

Assessment
Rubric to assess PowerPoint (not developed yet)
Rubric to assess paper (not developed yet)

Bibliography
Maddock, B. (1983). General History. Quebec: Harpell's Press Cooperative
Maddock, B. (1993). General History, Workbook. Beaconsfield, Quebec: Produced and distributed by Brian Maddock.
Alllyn & Bacon. (2002). Curriculum Webs. Retrieved June 6, 2003 from http://www.curriculumwebs.com/.

Introductory Activity
The Middle Ages covers approximately 1000 years from 400A.D. to 1500 A.D. During that period, for safety and for defense, people in the Middle Ages formed small communities around a central lord or master. Most people lived on a manor, which consisted of the castle, the church, the village, and the surrounding farm land. These manors were isolated, with occasional visits from peddlers, pilgrims on their way to the Crusades, or soldiers from other fiefdoms. To learn more about the way the feudal system was organized:

THE MANOR, KNIGHTS, AND CASTLES

The parcel of land leased to a Baron by the King was known as a manor. Under the Feudal System, the Baron had complete control of the running of the manor provided he met certain obligations set by the King. Mounted on a horse and heavily armoured, the knight was the principal fighting man of the Middle Ages. Castles were the main means of defense during the medieval period.

Read pages 62 and 64 in your textbook, General History.

Complete the worksheets on pages 63, 66, and 67.

Vocabulary: In your note books, write out the definitions for the following:
chivalry, demesne, bailiff, miller, blacksmith.

Go to http://www.puzzlemaker.com . Follow the instructions to create a Crisscross puzzle using the
the vocabulary you learned in Activity 1 and Activity 2. Your puzzle should contain a total of 15 words--10 from the vocabulary list and 5 words of your choice.

Home Student Activity 3

Choose one of the topics listed below. So that you can do a good job and cover the topic in depth, you should divide the research work between the members of your group. Each topic does not require the same number of people to research it and the number of people who should work on the topic is shown in brackets. Use your textbook, workbook and the internet links shown beside the topic to complete your research.

POWERPOINT PRESENTATION - Group Evaluation - 30 marks
Present your group findings in a PowerPoint presentation (15 slides). See the Rubric under Assessment for the criteria that will be used to evaluate the presentation.

PAPER - Individual Evaluation - 30 marks
Present your individual research in a 500 word paper. See the Rubric under Assessment for the criteria that will be used to evaluate the presentation.

TOPICS:
KNIGHTS: (4 people) Becoming a knight & a knight's duties; a knight's armor, a knight's weapons; chivalry	http://www.learner.org/exhibits/middleages/resources.html http://www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/brisas/sunda/ma/1jake.htm http://tayci.tripod.com/boy2knight.html http://victorian.fortunecity.com/manet/394/page4b.htm http://www.yourchildlearns.com/heraldry.htm
CASTLES: (2 people) The outside; the inside; purpose	http://www.learner.org/exhibits/middleages/resources.html http://www.nationalgeographic.com/castles/enter.html (fun) http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/n/x/nxd10/castle/castles.htm#why http://kotn.ntu.ac.uk/castle (fun)
LIFE IN THE MIDDLE AGES: (5 people) Food; Clothing, Health; Holidays; Music	http://www.learner.org/exhibits/middleages/resources.html http://www.godecookery.com/godeboke/godeboke.htm http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/cariadoc/most_honorable_feast.html http://www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/brisas/sunda/ma/1adele.htm http://www.costumes.org/pages/timelinepages/13thcent1.htm http://www.xtec.es/crle/02/middle_ages/alumne/scene1/activity8/activity_8.htm http://www.camelotintl.com/village/street.html
WOMEN OF THE MIDDLE AGES (3 people) a peasant girl, nobleman's daughter, princess	http://www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/brisas/sunda/ma/1kimberly.htm http://www.camelotintl.com/village/women.html http://info-center.ccit.arizona.edu/~ws/ws200/fall97/grp7/grp7.htm http://www.nanaellen.com/RDL/people.htm http://library.thinkquest.org/12834/text/visitthecity.html
THE MANOR (2 people) organization, people, problems	http://www.ehistory.com/middleages/ArticleView.cfm?AID=1 http://www.xtec.es/crle/02/middle_ages/alumne/scene1/activity8/activity_8.htm http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/projects/middleages/law/law.html http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/OakViewES/harris/96-97/agespages/middle-ages/manors.html http://www.guhsd.net/mcdowell/history/notes/unit3/feudalismchart.html
MIDDLE AGES TECHNOLOGY (2 people) Agriculture, architecture	http://www.mce.k12tn.net/middleages/technology.htm http://www.ukans.edu/kansas/medieval/108/lectures/peasants.html http://scholar.chem.nyu.edu/tekpages/Subjects.html http://www.timelines.info/history/ages_and_periods/the_medieval_age/medieval_technology/

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About Me
I am a secondary school teacher and also a graduate student at Bishops University in Lennoxville Quebec. This website was created as part of the course requirements for Computers in Education. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me.