Introduction
Hello FORM 1.
Every day we use our imaginations to understand how people around us are feeling, what they are thinking or why they do the things they do. However, to make good guesses, we need to know what those people's lives are like. That's what historians do, too! Historians investigate and research what life was like years and years ago. Through research, they may find that the lives of people in the past are similar to their own lives even though there is a difference in time and circumstance. By finding similarities and differences, historians can understand people in the past better: their feelings, thoughts, actions and circumstances. This is called empathy.
Task
PART I: Describing a Medieval Character (150 words)
Choose ONE of the following medieval characters:
- Nun
- Monk
- Knight
- Town dweller
- Villager
For your character:
1) Describe what his or her life was like.
2) Answer the following question: How is your character's lifestyle different to their lifestyle today?
(If you chose to write about knights, you should compare the medieval knight's lifestyle with ONE of the following modern-day characters:
- Officers in the army
- Athletes who use weaponry in their sport (i.e. archery, shooting)
- Knight Bachelors
- Orders of the Bath)
3) Illustrate the text (Hand-drawn)
PART II: Describing a Daily Life Topic (150 words)
Choose ONE of the following aspects of everyday life in the Middle Ages:
- Sport
- Music and Dance
- Fashion
- Food
- Crime
- Health
For the aspect chosen:
1) Describe what it was like in medieval times.
2) Answer the question: How is it similar to everyday life today?
3) Illustrate the text. (You may use Illustrator and Photoshop).
Process
PART I: DESCRIBING A MEDIEVAL CHARACTER
Resources about monks and nuns:
Textbook, p. 50-53
Medieval
http://www.learner.org/interactives/middleages/morelign.html
http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/monks.html
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/day_in_life-of-nun.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQXac4oB2Qo
Modern-Day
http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/eastmidlands/series7/monastery.shtml
http://anunslife.org/blog/nun-talk/what-day-life-sister
From the Library:
- The Young Oxford History of Britain and Ireland, "Monks, Nuns and Friars," p. 106-108.
Resources about knights:
Textbook, p. 80-85
Medieval:
http://www.ducksters.com/history/middle_ages/becoming_a_medieval_knight.php
http://www.ducksters.com/history/middle_ages/knight_armor_and_weapons.php
http://www.ducksters.com/history/middle_ages/tournaments_jousts_chivalry.php
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtCxl9leYQ4
Modern-day:
Knight Bachelors:
https://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/Honours/Knighthoods.aspx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPtCemr7y9I
Order of the Bath:
https://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/Honours/OrderoftheBath.aspx
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/gallery/2014/may/09/order-of-the-bath-service-in-pictures
From the Library:
- The Young Oxford History of Britain and Ireland, "Tournaments and Chivalry," p. 94-95.
Resources about town dwellers:
Textbook, p. 62-65
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval_towns.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/history/middle_ages/everyday_life_middle_ages/revision/5/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/history/middle_ages/everyday_life_middle_ages/revision/6/
http://www.britainexpress.com/History/Townlife.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZimXhjGshI
From the Library:
- Oxford Children's History of the World, "European Towns," p. 64-65.
- The Young Oxford History of Britain and Ireland, "Working in Country and Town," p. 115-117.
Resources about villagers:
Textbook, p. 58-61
Medieval
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/history/middle_ages/everyday_life_middle_ages/revision/7/
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval_peasants.htm
http://history.parkfieldict.co.uk/medieval/medieval-villages
http://www.ducksters.com/history/middle_ages/daily_life_in_the_middle_ages.php
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuwaXWcX1L8
Modern-Day
http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/country/home/tags/peru
http://www.virtualexplorers.org/ard/people/andes.htm
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jan/03/peru-mountain-farmers-winter-cold
From the Library:
- British History - Early Britain 500, 000 BC - AD 1154, "Domesday Village Life."
- Oxford Children's History of the World, "Everyday Life in Medieval Europe," p. 62-63.
- The Young Oxford History of Britain and Ireland, "Working in Country and Town," p. 112-115.
PART II: DESCRIBING A DAILY LIFE TOPIC
Resources on sport
Textbook, p. 68-71
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5reqNb00TQU
http://www.livestrong.com/article/360994-football-soccer-history-development/
http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/the-game/Britain-home-of-football.html
http://www.2020site.org/history/sports-in-the-middle-ages.html
Resources on music and dance
Textbook, p. 72-73
http://www.gaita.co.uk/downloads.html
http://www.medieval-life-and-times.info/medieval-music/minstrels.htm
http://www.themedievalclassroom.com.au/?page_id=1073
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiE17pvisBg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXAKNgMF0tg
http://www.music.iastate.edu/antiqua/instrumt.html
Resources on fashion
Textbook, p. 74-75
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/medieval/clothing/
http://www.learner.org/interactives/middleages/clothact.html
http://www.learner.org/interactives/middleages/clothing.html
http://www.northampton.gov.uk/homepage/273/the_history_of_shoes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz52_RosMaM
Resources on food
Textbook, p. 78-79
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/food_and_drink_in_medieval_engla.htm
http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/booksforcooks/med/medievalfood.html
Video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jckLJ06u8M
Video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4HFu_bkUak
Video 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAowHhIwMd0
Resources on crime
Textbook, p. 130-133
Medieval
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval_law_and_order.htm
http://www.camelotintl.com/village/crime.html
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/candp/crime/g01/
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/01/31/justice_medieval_style/
Modern-day
http://open.justice.gov.uk/how-it-works/sentencing-and-rehabilitation/
http://open.justice.gov.uk/how-it-works/courts/
Resources on health
Textbook, p. 124-129
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/health_and_medicine_in_medieval_.htm
http://www.learner.org/interactives/middleages/health.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/shp/middleages/medievalpublichealthrev1.shtml
http://www.wondersandmarvels.com/2012/08/medieval-women-as-physicians.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDVmNJgAuRg
Evaluation
A Guide for Success in this Project
Writing
- Use your OWN words.
- Use several sources of information.
- Identify and explain more than one similarity and difference.
- Use books from the library (if applicable).
- Be clear and specific.
- Write your ideas in a logical sequence.
Illustrations
- Match your illustrations to a main idea in your text.
- Draw detailed, eye-catching and creative pictures.
- Write captions for your illustrations.
Attitude
- Organize your time wisely.
- Be on task at all times.
Conclusion
Were medieval people's lives very different from yours?
Were you able to find at least one similarity?
Now that you know more about their lives, you can better understand how they might have felt, thought or acted in a given situation. Better is not perfect however! Historians have limitations when they try to understand the people of the past. And so do we when we try to understand the people of the present! When we make guesses about other people's feelings, thoughts or motives, we don't always have enough information to draw the right conclusion.
Check out this video:
Empathy - Stand in Someone Else's Shoes
Credits
I do not own the rights to any of the pictures used in the making of this WebQuest.
The images were taken from the following websites:
Empathy Can Improve Life, http://ezradew.com/mind/empathy-can-improve-life-is-it-true/ (accessed 11/05/2014).
Ancient and Medieval People, http://people.historyforkids.org/ (accessed 11/05/2014).
Medieval Histories, http://www.medievalhistories.com/ricard-iii-music/ (accessed 11/05/2014).