Medieval Time Period, Europe;

Social Studies/Arts PBL Unit

Elizabeth Freed
Grade 6

1
 Plan Narrative

I chose this topic mainly because I have always found medieval Europe
to be fascinating and the sixth grade social studies curriculum to be
intriguing. I really enjoyed sixth grade social studies when I was in school.
I think this makes a great PBL unit because I wanted the students to really
experience and explore the time period. I think the concepts in this unit are
relevant and very important to really understand Medieval times. Having the
students explore what life was like in this time period allows them to retain
this information and experience it first hand. This unit coincides with the
sixth grade New York State Social Studies curriculum.
My unit will revolve around a final culminating presentation/project.
The presentation/project will be a dramatic reenactment of a five course
medieval feast. The students will work towards this by discussions,
readings, online research, designing a coat of arms, creating a feast
advertisement, creating a cookbook page, and other assignments throughout
the unit. They will be graded based upon a rubric that addresses their
costume and narrative throughout the feast. One of the main components of
the medieval feast will be the coat of arms that they design using MS Word
for their costume. They will be graded on both performance during the
feast and project (coat of arms) on their costume. The performance will be
based on their language used throughout the feast and general presence.
For example I will expect them to pretend they are in that time period and
not talking about a baseball game that was on TV last night.

2
 Standards

The unit aligns with many New York State Education Standards. The
standards it aligns with are the following:

*New York State Social Studies Standard 2: Students will use a variety of
intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras,
themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the
broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

*New York State ELA Standard 2: Students will read, write, listen, and
speak for literary response and expression.

*New York State ELA Standard 4: Students will read, write, listen, and
speak for social interaction.

*New York State Arts Standard 1: Students will actively engage in the
processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts (dance,
music, theatre, and visual arts) and participate in various roles in the arts.

*New York State Arts Standard 2: Students will be knowledgeable about

and make use of the materials and resources available for participation in
arts in various roles.

*New York State Arts Standard 4: Students will develop an understanding

of the personal and cultural forces that shape artistic communication and
how the arts in turn shape the diverse cultures of past and present society.

* New York State Technology Standard 2 – Information Systems

Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using
appropriate technologies.

* New York State Technology Standard 5 – Technology

Students will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct,
use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental
needs.

3
 Objectives

The students will be able to:

• Listen and visualize what life was like in medieval times.

• Create a cookbook page for the time period complete with

photographs or hand drawn illustrations of the dish.

• Create an advertisement for the feast (computer generated or hand

drawn).

• Create written diary entries to reflect life in medieval times.

• Use what they already know through research on internet, their

textbook, their imagination, and other resources to explore what life
was like during medieval times through the use of reader’s theatre
and acting out an actual medieval style feast.

• Learn about medieval times.

• Design their own coat of arms based on their knowledge of medieval

times and using MS Word. This coat of arms will be part of their
costume for the feast.

4
 Rationale

This unit will address the standards by encouraging students to be

actively involved in their own learning and in that time period. Also they
address the standards by having the students design their own coat of
arms with an understanding that a coat of arms was designed in the past
to depict the family’s class, identity, geography, and lineage. They
address the standards by encouraging the students to have an overall
understanding of the time period in order to write diary entries, develop
an advertisement for the feast, develop a cook book page, and lastly as a
culminating activity act out a feast from that specific moment in time.

5
 Content

This unit is geared towards sixth grade students in a regular

education setting. However accommodations and modifications are added to
accommodate special education students as well.
This unit will discuss the medieval period of time in Europe. The
students will be able to use their imagination and explore what life was like
during this time period. They will have created their coat of arms for their
costume for the feast. Also they will use different sayings from the
medieval period of time throughout the feast.
The unit begins by using the textbook. The textbook chapter on
medieval times provides the students with a beginning of an understanding
on how life was in this time period. The textbook is used as a way to
overview and gain knowledge of this time period. The students will be asked
to visualize what they think life is like while the teacher reads exerts from
the chapter.
The students will learn about a dish from the medieval times and
create a page from a cookbook complete with photos of the dish or hand
drawn illustrations. They will research on the computer and use library
resources. The students will use their imaginations to write diary entries
pretending they are individuals from this time period who attended a feast
at a big castle. The students will also create an advertisement for the
upcoming feast using the internet. The students will also act out scenes
from a reader’s theatre script about the medieval times. The students will
also design their own coat of arms based on the knowledge of the medieval
times and themselves using MS Word. This coat of arms will be part of
their costume for the feast.
The culminating activity for this unit is a medieval style feast. This is
where the students will use all of their knowledge obtained from the unit
and explore what life would be like during medieval times. They will explore
life in this time period by using the proper manners and dialog throughout
the five course feast. They will also be required to wear their coat of arms
as part of their costume throughout the feast.

6
 Student Preparation

- They will be reading from the internet, library resources, and a textbook.
They will have knowledge of how to use the internet and the computer (MS
Word).

- The students will be knowledgeable of ELA skills, such as proper grammar

usage and punctuation.

7
 Motivation

The ideas are fun and fresh so I think the students will really enjoy
them. For the launch of the unit the teacher will ask the class what they
already know about medieval times in Europe. The teacher will read the
textbook chapter or parts of the chapter on medieval times to establish a
general understanding of the time period and hopefully peak the students
interest by having them listen and try to visualize what life was like in this
time period. This reading should give them a small taste of what life was like
and then the culminating activity will give them a much more profound taste
of the time period. The teacher will also share with the class what the
culminating activity is (the feast) which should excite the students about
the unit. By telling the students ahead of time about the feast, the
students will know that this unit will be fun and not dry. The teacher should
be very enthusiastic and inspiring while reading the text that the students
will be listening to and visualizing. Also depending on the class and the
situation by announcing the feast ahead of time, the teacher could have a
sign up sheet for the feast so everyone could bring a food item for the
feast so it’s not too costly for one person.

8
 Procedure/Implementation

The students will work both independently and collaboratively. There

will be seven lessons completed over ten sessions. The sessions will vary
between 30 minutes, 40 minutes and 60-70 minutes. They will be presented
with material and asked to complete a project and presentation. They will be
using the internet, library resources, their textbook, and other research
materials. When the students are assigned to groups they will be in groups
of three or four. The dynamics of the classroom would be the students
already seated in groups of three or four. There are more details in the
lessons to follow.

9
 Lesson Plans/Activities (in sequence)
Lesson 1
Timeframe:
thirty minutes

Integrations:
Art

Standards:
*New York State Social Studies Standard 2: Students will use a variety of
intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras,
themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the
broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

*New York State Arts Standard 4: Students will develop an understanding

of the personal and cultural forces that shape artistic communication and
how the arts in turn shape the diverse cultures of past and present society.”

Objective:
The students will be able to listen and visualize what life was like in medieval
times as a whole group.

Materials:
• Social Studies textbook
• Chart or whiteboard

Launch:
Ask the students what they know about medieval times. Create a KWL
chart. Fill in the “K” (know) and “W” (what they want to know) part of the
chart as a whole group. Announce the culminating activity for this unit to
peak students’ interest and encourage participation.

Procedure:
The teacher will read and have the students close their eyes and visualize
what life was like in this time period.

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Plans for Students with Special Needs:
Extra help and extended time could be given to special needs children.

Closure:
Have a group discussion of what they think life was like in this time period,
what they learned and/or visualized. Complete the “L” (what they learned)
part of the chart. Address and answer as a whole group the questions from
the “W” (what they want to know) part of the chart.

Student Assessment:
The students will be assessed by how well they pay attention and contribute
to the discussion of what they think life was like in that time period.

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 Lesson 2
Timeframe:
60-70 minutes

Integrations:
ELA
Art

Standards:
*New York State Social Studies Standard 2: Students will use a variety of
intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras,
themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the
broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

*New York State ELA Standard 2: Students will read, write, listen, and
speak for literary response and expression.

*New York State Arts Standard 1: Students will actively engage in the
processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts (dance,
music, theatre, and visual arts) and participate in various roles in the arts.

* New York State Technology Standard 2 – Information Systems

Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using
appropriate technologies.

Objective:
The students will write 2 diary entries from the perspective of a medieval
knight, lord or lady.

Materials:
• Paper
• Pencils/pens
• Construction paper
• Markers
• Paper fasteners

Launch:
Show the students primary source documents from the medieval period.

12
Procedure:
• Discuss with students access to education during the Middle Ages,
leading them to see that the vast majority of people who lived then
were poor, uneducated laborers and that only lords, knights, and their
ladies were literate.
• Tell the students that luckily medieval people who were literate left
written records, so we know a lot about life at this time. Explain to
the class that they are going to pretend they are medieval lords,
knights, and ladies who keep diaries (or journals) so that future
generations can read about what their lives are like.
• Allow students to make up names for themselves as lords, knights, and
ladies. Now brainstorm with your class to produce a list of topics that
the lords, knights, and ladies would write about in their diaries. Such a
list might include the following topics:
1. Their daily lives in their castles—comfort (or lack of comfort),
space, lighting, furniture
2. Activities for entertainment
3. Attacks on the castle by other lords and knights

Direct students to write two entries in their diaries and to make up

the date for each entry. The two entries can focus on one topic (see
previous list) or can cover a variety of topics. Advise students to include as
many details as possible in each entry.

Plans for Students with Special Needs:

Let students create visual diaries instead of written diary entries. The
drawings should be taken from the brainstorming session. Also extended
time may be given to students (they could finish in study hall).

Closure:
Share entries and give students sheets of colored paper to decorate as
front and back covers for the diaries. On the fronts, they should write the
names they chose as lords, ladies, and knights. Using markers and glitter
glue, students can decorate the rest of the front and the back cover with
signs and symbols they make up to represent their families. Use paper
fasteners to hold each diary together.

Student Assessment:

13
The students will be assessed on their creativity of the diary entries. They
should be writing on the areas brainstormed during class or other time
period appropriate areas. Also to receive full credit the students will need
to have two clearly written, detailed entries; error-free grammar, usage, and
mechanics; and a carefully decorated cover. They will also be graded on the
social studies content within their diary entry based on the NYS social
studies standard 2.

14
 Lesson 3
Timeframe:
60-70 minutes

Integrations:
Art
Technology

Standards:
*New York State Social Studies Standard 2: Students will use a variety of
intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras,
themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the
broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

*New York State Arts Standard 2: Students will be knowledgeable about

and make use of the materials and resources available for participation in
arts in various roles.

*New York State Arts Standard 4: Students will develop an understanding

of the personal and cultural forces that shape artistic communication and
how the arts in turn shape the diverse cultures of past and present society.”

* New York State Technology Standard 2 – Information Systems

Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using
appropriate technologies.

* New York State Technology Standard 5 – Technology

Students will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct,
use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental
needs.

Objective:
The student will use their knowledge of themselves and medieval times to
create a coat of arms using MS Word that accurately reflects them.

Materials:
• Pre-cut coat of arms shields on white paper for brainstorming.
• Computers with MS Word.

15
Launch:
Ahead of time put examples of coat of arms on the board. Ask the students
if they know what these pictures are?

Procedure:
• Explain the history of coat of arms.
• Explain to the students that how the coat of arms has to reflect
themselves through the use of pictures and they will be making their
own coat of arms today.
• Explain to them again that they should not be using meaningless
designs or doodles. Their coat of arms must describe themselves.
• Show them how to use the graphics on MS Word. Tell them they may
brainstorm their design on regular paper first.
• The teacher will hand out a pre-made guide to completing a coat of
arms.

Plans for Students with Special Needs:

Extra time and extra help may be given to students with disabilities.

Closure:
Have the students complete their own coat of arms that will be used for
their costume for the feast.

Student Assessment:
The students will be assessed by whether they complete a coat of arms that
symbolizes them. Also they will be assessed on whether they have created
it on MS Word. They should not put only designs or doodles.

16
 Lesson 4

Timeframe:
forty minutes each day for three days

Integrations:
ELA
Art

Standards:
*New York State Social Studies Standard 2: Students will use a variety of
intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras,
themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the
broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

*New York State ELA Standard 2: Students will read, write, listen, and
speak for literary response and expression.

*New York State ELA Standard 4: Students will read, write, listen, and
speak for social interaction.

*New York State Arts Standard 1: Students will actively engage in the
processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts (dance,
music, theatre, and visual arts) and participate in various roles in the arts.

Objective:
The students will actively participate in a medieval reader’s theatre play.

Materials:
• Reader’s theatre scripts

Launch:
Day 1- Have the students read the scripts and decide which role they would
like to try out for.

17
Procedure:
Day 2- Have the students try out for their roles. Have the other students
decide which students get each role and then assign roles to the other
students so that everyone has a role. Practice.

Plans for Students with Special Needs:

None

Closure:
Day 3- The grand performance.

Student Assessment:
The students will be assessed upon their creativity and accurate depiction
of their character according to their knowledge of medieval times.

18
 Lesson 5
Timeframe:
60-70 minutes

Integrations:
Art
Technology
ELA

Standards:
*New York State Social Studies Standard 2: Students will use a variety of
intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras,
themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the
broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

*New York State Arts Standard 1: Students will actively engage in the
processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts (dance,
music, theatre, and visual arts) and participate in various roles in the arts.

*New York State Arts Standard 2: Students will be knowledgeable about

and make use of the materials and resources available for participation in
arts in various roles.

*New York State Arts Standard 4: Students will develop an understanding

of the personal and cultural forces that shape artistic communication and
how the arts in turn shape the diverse cultures of past and present society.”

* New York State Technology Standard 2 – Information Systems

Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using
appropriate technologies.

* New York State Technology Standard 5 – Technology

Students will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct,
use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental
needs.

*New York State ELA Standard 2: Students will read, write, listen, and
speak for literary response and expression.

19
Objective:
The students will be able to use the internet and computer resources to
create an advertisement for the upcoming feast. They may produce an
advertisement on the computer or hand draw the advertisement.

Materials:
• Computers with internet and MS Word
• Poster board (optional)
• Markers/colored pencils (optional)

Launch:
The class as a whole group will talk about life in the medieval time period,
mainly what medieval feasts were like.

Procedure:
-The students will break into groups (teacher selected groups) of three or
four and use the internet to research more about medieval times and
medieval feasts.
-Then they will create an advertisement either on the computer or hand
drawn that promotes an upcoming feast.

Plans for Students with Special Needs:

Students with disabilities will be allowed more time and help to complete
their part of the project. However this may not be an issue because they
will be grouped with peers who can assist them within their groups.

Closure:
The student groups will present their advertisement to the class and explain
why they put what they did on the advertisement.

Student Assessment:
The students will be assessed on how well they worked within their groups
and their presentation.

20
 Lesson 6
Timeframe:
60-70 minutes

Integrations:
Art
Technology
ELA

Standards:
*New York State Social Studies Standard 2: Students will use a variety of
intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras,
themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the
broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

*New York State Arts Standard 1: Students will actively engage in the
processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts (dance,
music, theatre, and visual arts) and participate in various roles in the arts.

*New York State Arts Standard 2: Students will be knowledgeable about

and make use of the materials and resources available for participation in
arts in various roles.

*New York State Arts Standard 4: Students will develop an understanding

of the personal and cultural forces that shape artistic communication and
how the arts in turn shape the diverse cultures of past and present society.”

* New York State Technology Standard 5 – Technology

Students will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct,
use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental
needs.

*New York State ELA Standard 2: Students will read, write, listen, and
speak for literary response and expression.

21
Objective:
The students will be able to locate a dish they believe may have been served
during medieval times and write a cookbook page for the item. They will
complete the cookbook page with a photograph or hand drawn illustration.

Materials:
• Computers
• Paper
• Markers/colored pencils (optional)

Launch:
The class as a whole group will discuss what food would be served at a
medieval feast/meals would have entailed during the medieval time period.

Procedure:
-The students will break into groups (teacher selected groups) of three or
four and use the internet to research more about medieval times and
medieval feasts.
- Then they will work together to create a cookbook page after the teacher
has approved their food choice.
- They will need to have a description on how to prepare the food (recipe)
and an illustration (computer generated or hand drawn) of what the food
would look like.

Plans for Students with Special Needs:

Students with disabilities will be allowed more time and help to complete
their part of the project. However this may not be an issue because they
will be grouped with peers who can assist them within their groups.

Closure:
The student groups will present their cookbook page to the class and then it
will be bound together with all the other groups work to have a completed
cookbook for the time period in the class library.

Student Assessment:
The students will be assessed on how well they worked within their groups,
grammar, and presentation.

22
 Lesson 7
Culminating Activity

Timeframe:
60-70 minutes

Integrations:
Art
Nutrition

Standards:
*New York State Social Studies Standard 2: Students will use a variety of
intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras,
themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the
broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

*New York State Arts Standard 1: Students will actively engage in the
processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts (dance,
music, theatre, and visual arts) and participate in various roles in the arts.

Objective:
The students will participate in an actual Medieval feast using proper
language of the time period and attire.

Materials:
• Olives
• Melons
• Pickles
• Drumsticks (real or fake)
• Pewter dishes
• Dishes (for all)
• Bowls (for all)
• Spoons and knives (for all)
• Linen for the tables
• Chicken soup
• Poster board
• Material

23
 • Bobby pins
• Dessert

Launch:
Hand the boys a poster board shirt so they can put their coat of arms on it
and the girls a piece of material for their hair piece Have girl pin their coat
of arms on their own clothing. Start the feast by saying “Welcome Lords
and Ladies to our medieval feast.”

Procedure:
• Go over the proper etiquette at a feast and remind them of the usual
order of food served at a feast.
• Tell the students the menu usually started with the olives, melon, and
pickles. Hand them out.
• Then the chicken soup
• Then the drumsticks.

Plans for Students with Special Needs:

None

Closure:
Hand out dessert and then salad.

Student Assessment:
The students will be assessed on their capability to use their manners and
act in an appropriate way throughout the feast following the rubric. They
will also be assessed on the wearing of their coat of arms.

24
 Assessment

There are several different tools used in this unit to assess the students
and what they have learned or how they have met the objectives of the
lessons throughout the unit. They are the following:

• Observation that all class members were actively engaged in class

work, volunteering, and group discussions.
• Proper use of grammar and mechanics of the essays and diary entries.
• The student’s quality of their coat of arms. The coat of arms must
reflect things about themselves.
• Projects must be neat and the students should not rush to finish
them.
• Diary entries reflect accurately what might have been said at that
time period and show creativity.
• Creativity is used when acting in reader’s theatre and at the feast.
• Rubric for feast behavior.
• Presentation of advertisement and cookbook page.

Lesson 1- The students will be assessed by how well they pay attention and
contribute to the discussion of what they think life was like in that time
period.

Lesson 2- The students will be assessed on their creativity of the diary

entries. They should be writing on the areas brainstormed during class or
other time period appropriate areas. Also to receive full credit the students
will need to have two clearly written, detailed entries; error-free grammar,
usage, and mechanics; and a carefully decorated cover. They will also be
graded on the social studies content within their diary entry based on the
NYS social studies standard 2.

Lesson 3- The students will be assessed by whether they complete a coat of

arms that symbolizes them. Also they will be assessed on whether they have
created it on MS Word. They should not put only designs or doodles.

Lesson 4- The students will be assessed upon their creativity and accurate
depiction of their character according to their knowledge of medieval times.

25
Lesson 5- The students will be assessed on how well they worked within
their groups and their presentation.

Lesson 6- The students will be assessed on how well they worked within
their groups, grammar, and presentation.

Lesson 7- The students will be assessed on their capability to use their

manners and act in an appropriate way throughout the feast following the
rubric. They will also be assessed on their wearing of their coat of arms.

26
 Project based learning product/presentation
The culminating feast activity is the presentation of this unit, while
the coat of arms could be considered an additional project of this unit. The
students will be in costume and expected to act like real lords and ladies
from the medieval time period. This will be achieved from the lessons
described in this document prior to the feast as well as class discussions.
They will be assessed on their performance and the use of their coat of
arms as part of their costume at the feast. The rubric for the feast is on
the next page.

27
 Rubric for feast
Rubric for the Medieval Feast
Score__________

Amateur Acceptable Admirable Exceptional

Participation The student The student The studentThe student
did not participated participated
actively and
participate occasionally most of theenthusiastically
at all. with not time with participated
much enthusiasm.the entire
enthusiasm. time.
Quality of The student The student The students The student
Interaction displayed displayed showed lively showed
little some abilityinteraction excellent
interaction; to interact;and attentive listening and
student attentive listening; leadership
showed listening. showed some skills; students
disinterest awareness of show
or was easily the time awareness of
distracted. period. time period
through their
discussions.
Effort The student The student The student The student
did not show participated participated gave an effort
any effort to in the in the feast above and
participate. celebration in an above beyond the
They did not but did not average requirements.
stay in show much manner by The student
costume and effort. The staying in stayed in
did not student did costume but costume,
recite any of not stay in could have recited
the medieval costume and been in medieval
mutterings. did not character mutterings, and
repeat any of more by tried to stay in
the medieval reciting the character for
mutterings. medieval the entire
mutterings. period.
Overall The student The student The student The student

28
Manners was was was attentive was attentive
disruptive disruptive and on task and on task for
and had to part of the for the the whole time
be reminded time and had whole time. with NO
to stay on to be reminders to
task several reminded to stay on task or
times. stay on task. to stop talking.

Bibliography

29
Eagan, R. (2002). Exploring Ancient Civilizations; Medieval Times. Teaching
and Learning Company; Carthage, IL.

Gaylord, S.K. (2002). Hands on History; Middle Ages. Scholastic; New York.

Kallay, Z. (1997). Kings, Queens, Castles, and Crusades; Life in the Middle
Ages.
Good Apple; Torrance, CA.

Ross, C. (1992). Thematic Unit; Medieval Times. Teacher Created Materials;

Huntington Beach, CA.

Social Studies: The World (2005). Volume 2. Scott Foresman. Pearson

Education, Inc.;Glenview, IL.

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/timesmedieval/

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/cde-letters.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_2186556_plan-medieval-feast.html.

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family home

food school

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