Unit Packs / The Medieval World
The Medieval World
Students study the contest between popes and kings, the Crusades from Latin, Byzantine, Jewish, and Muslim writers, the Mongol Empire, the travels of Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo, and responses to the Black Death.
Unit question: How did faith, power, and contact between peoples shape the medieval world?
Suggested grades: 7, 9
Day-by-day calendar
- Day 1
- Day 2
Investigate: Who should have the final say: kings or popes?
Source setWork through the suggested sequence of 7 sources with the graphic organizers.
Leveled readingsUse grade 4, 7, or 10 versions of key passages next to the original wording for readers who need support.
- Day 3
Lesson: Role-Play: The Summit of Kings and Popes
Teach itRun the lesson kit (copy the Slides and Lesson Plan from the set page).
Quick checkClose with the 5-question Quick check (copy the student Doc; answer key included).
- Day 4
Investigate: How did people on different sides experience the Crusades?
Source setWork through the suggested sequence of 8 sources with the graphic organizers.
Leveled readingsUse grade 4, 7, or 10 versions of key passages next to the original wording for readers who need support.
- Day 5
Lesson: Hot Seat: Witnesses to the Crusades
Teach itRun the lesson kit (copy the Slides and Lesson Plan from the set page).
Quick checkClose with the 5-question Quick check (copy the student Doc; answer key included).
- Day 6
Investigate: Were the Mongols mainly destroyers or connectors?
Source setWork through the suggested sequence of 6 sources with the graphic organizers.
Leveled readingsUse grade 4, 7, or 10 versions of key passages next to the original wording for readers who need support.
- Day 7
Lesson: Mock Trial: The Mongols, Destroyers or Connectors?
Teach itRun the lesson kit (copy the Slides and Lesson Plan from the set page).
Quick checkClose with the 5-question Quick check (copy the student Doc; answer key included).
- Day 8
Investigate: What did medieval travelers notice about other worlds?
Source setWork through the suggested sequence of 6 sources with the graphic organizers.
Leveled readingsUse grade 4, 7, or 10 versions of key passages next to the original wording for readers who need support.
- Day 9
Lesson: Gallery Walk: Through Travelers’ Eyes
Teach itRun the lesson kit (copy the Slides and Lesson Plan from the set page).
Quick checkClose with the 5-question Quick check (copy the student Doc; answer key included).
- Day 10
Investigate: How did people explain and respond to the Black Death?
Source setWork through the suggested sequence of 6 sources with the graphic organizers.
Leveled readingsUse grade 4, 7, or 10 versions of key passages next to the original wording for readers who need support.
- Day 11
Lesson: Historian’s Lab: Station Rotation
Teach itRun the lesson kit (copy the Slides and Lesson Plan from the set page).
Quick checkClose with the 5-question Quick check (copy the student Doc; answer key included).
- Day 12
DBQ workshop
DBQ builderBuild a DBQ packet from “Who should have the final say: kings or popes?”: pick 5 to 7 sources and print.
DBQ builderBuild a DBQ packet from “How did people on different sides experience the Crusades?”: pick 5 to 7 sources and print.
DBQ builderBuild a DBQ packet from “Were the Mongols mainly destroyers or connectors?”: pick 5 to 7 sources and print.
DBQ builderBuild a DBQ packet from “What did medieval travelers notice about other worlds?”: pick 5 to 7 sources and print.
DBQ builderBuild a DBQ packet from “How did people explain and respond to the Black Death?”: pick 5 to 7 sources and print.
WorkshopStudents annotate the documents and outline an answer.
- Day 13
Final writing task
Writing taskWrite an explanatory essay: How did contact between different peoples, through war, trade, travel, and disease, change the medieval world? Use at least five sources from at least three sets, and include writers from more than one region.