MEDIEVAL TIMES - CAREERS - SPECIAL BUNDLE

Reading passages cover Medieval Monks, Nuns, and Almoners; Scribes, Illuminators, and the Magna Carta; Embroiderers and the Bayeux Tapestry; Barbers, Apothecaries, and Plague Doctors; Architects and Engineers; Astrologers and Astronomers; Alchemists; and Cooks, Bakers, and Brewers. Classroom and enrichment activities keep students engaged as they learn. Great for use by substitute teachers, or for homeschooling or co-ops!

MEDIEVAL CAREERS - MONKS, NUNS, AND ALMONERS

In Western Europe during the Middle Ages, Christianity was the main religion. And at that time, all Christians were Catholic (at least in Western Europe). Everyone’s life was dictated by religion: from morning until night, from birth until death. Upper class and lower class alike had to follow the rules of the Church. This lesson takes a look at a few of the many religious jobs during the Middle Ages.

READING PASSAGES:

5 one-page reading passages covering the following topics:

Religion in the Middle Ages

Monks and Nuns

A Day in the Life of a Monk

Life of a Nun; The Job of Almoner

Gregorian Chants; Precentor; Monastic Herbalist

CLASSROOM AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES:

Job Application

Coloring Page – Medieval Priest

Listen to Medieval Monastery Chants

Writing Activity: Respond to the Prompt

Be a Monastic Herbalist!

Be an Herbalist: Make your Own Tea!

Review Worksheet and Teacher’s Key

Play Review Game: Bingo Words and Clues

MEDIEVAL SCRIBES, ILLUMINATORS AND THE MAGNA CARTA

Owning a book during the Middle Ages was actually a big deal. Books were rare and expensive because they were not mass-produced. Each book was copied by hand by a Scribe or Copyist until after the invention of the printing press in the year 1440 – near the end of the Middle Ages. In order to understand the complex process, one needs to examine the various steps of creating a book. Scribes, illuminators and the Magna Carta are covered in this lesson plan.

READING PASSAGES:

5 one-page reading passages covering the following topics:

Books in the Middle Ages

Supplies – Pen and Ink

The Job of Copying and Illuminating

Illumination; Who Could Be a Scribe?

The Magna Carta

CLASSROOM AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES:

Job Application!

Make a Quill Pen!

Make Your Own Berry Ink!

Review Game: Bingo Words and Clues

Write Your Own Great Charter

Illuminate a Letter

Be a Scribe! Copy a Portion of The Magna Carta

Review Worksheet and Teacher’s Key

Graphic Organizers

THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY AND DOMESDAY BOOK

William the Conqueror is one of the most well-known individuals of the Middle Ages. Duke William of Normandy, as he was also known, defeated King Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings to become the first Norman King of England. This lesson covers his reign as well as the Bayeux Tapestry and the Domesday Book.

READING PASSAGES

7 one-page reading passages covering the following topics:

Tapestry and Embroidery in the Middle Ages; England in the Middle Ages

Embroidery in the Middle Ages

Everyone Wants to Be King!

William the Conqueror – King of England; The Bayeux Tapestry

Speculation About the Tapestry

The Domesday Book - A Census-Taker

The Domesday Book: Problems and Purpose

CLASSROOM AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES:

Job Application

Coloring Page – William the Conqueror

How Big is the Bayeux Tapestry Activity

Domesday Activity – Conduct a Census!

Worksheet – Bayeux Tapestry Review and Teacher’s Key

Review Game – Bingo Words and Clues

Try Finger Weaving!

Create a “Paper” Tapestry

Graphic Organizers

MEDIEVAL BARBERS APOTHECARIES AND PLAGUE DOCTORS

During the Middle Ages, effective medicine was almost non-existent. Medical treatments were frequently based on superstitions, old-wives tales and religious beliefs. Very little was known about the human body, germs, and disease. Because of this, most treatments were ineffective. In this lesson plan student will learn about the jobs of Barber, Apothecary and Plague Doctor.

READING PASSAGES:

4 one-page reading passages covering the following topics:

Barber and Apothecary; The Black Death

The Black Death

Bubonic, Pneumonic and Septicemic Plague

The Plague Doctor - Curing the Plague

CLASSROOM AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES:

Job Application

Be an Apothecary: Make Your Own Medicine!

Plague Doctor Picture and Chart

Prevent the Plague!

Review Worksheet and Teacher’s Key

Play “Plague in a Bag”

Review Game: Bingo Words and Clues

Three Coloring Pages

Two Graphic Organizers

Suggested Books and Movies

MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS

There were many construction jobs during the Middle Ages! Not only were castles and cathedrals being built, so were manors and huts. What type of building job could you hope to find in Medieval times? Actually, there were many, many possibilities for employment: Architects, Engineers, Quarryman, Carpenters, Laborers and more! This lesson covers the jobs of the builders, the styles of the time and information on siege engines!

READING PASSAGES:

7 one-page reading passages covering the following topics:

Who Were the Medieval Builders?

Castles and Palaces; Cathedrals and Churches

Romanesque and Gothic Styles

The Grotesques and Gargoyles

Medieval Engineers

Battering Ram and Siege Tower

Peasant Huts

CLASSROOM AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES:

Job Application

Architects and Engineers Worksheet

Review Game: Bingo Words and Clues

Stained Glass Craft Idea

Medieval Architecture Memory Instructions and Pieces

Castle Coloring Page

Contest: Use a Simple “Catapult”

Create Your Own Catapult

Graphic Organizers

MEDIEVAL ASTROLOGERS AND ASTRONOMERS

Astronomy is the study of the universe including the Sun, Moon, planets and stars. Astrology is the study of how the movements of those celestial bodies influence human and worldly events. This lesson covers the science of space during the Middle Ages and the jobs of the Astronomers and Astrologers.

READING PASSAGES:

6 one-page reading passages covering the following topics:

Science and Space in the Middle Ages

Astronomy and Astrology

Islamic Astronomers

European Astrologers

A Medieval Astrologer’s Job

Medieval Tools Used in Astrology and Astronomy

CLASSROOM AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES:

Job Application

Make an Astrolabe

Learn Some Constellations!

Medieval Astrologer Joke

Review Game: Bingo Words and Clues

Review Chart of Zodiac Personality Traits; Complete Handout

True/False Review Game

Writing Activity: Be an Astrologer!

Read your Horoscope

Create your Own Constellation Craft

Create a Child-Centered Universe

Astrological Constellation Memory Game

2 Graphic Organizers

MEDIEVAL ALCHEMISTS

You are living in the Middle Ages, a period of time when little advancement was made in the areas of art and science. The year is 1032 AD, and you live in Western Europe. You work day and night conducting experiments with various minerals, metals and herbs. Your objective? To find the philosopher’s stone. gold, immortality, and a remedy of all diseases – these are your goals. You are a medieval alchemist!

READING PASSAGES:

6 one-page reading passages covering the following topics:

Alchemy During the Middle Ages

When, Where, Why, What, How, and Who of Alchemy

Roger Bacon and Nicholas Flamel

Religious Reasons for Symbolism in Alchemy

Alchemists’ Use of Symbolism

Success or Cheating?

CLASSROOM AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES:

Alchemists' Job Application

Be an Alchemist: Try Some Experiments:

Instructions for Dirty Penny Experiments

Instructions for Rusting Iron Experiment

Instructions for Vinegar and Baking Soda

Read an Alchemist’s Passage and Teacher’s Key

Writing Prompt

Play Review Game – True/False

Alchemists Worksheet and Teacher’s Key

Graphic Organizers

Suggested Books and Movies

MEDIEVAL COOKS, BAKERS, AND BREWERS

Food during the Middle Ages tasted quite different than it does today. Much of the food was boiled and without a great deal of taste. A major difference between what the peasants ate and what the nobles ate was the way the food was prepared. This lesson plan covers the medieval careers of those who prepared food: cooks, bakers and brewers.

READING PASSAGES:

4 one-page reading passages covering the following topics:

Food in the Middle Ages

Food Presentation and Preservation

Cook, Baker, and Patissier

Brewer and Brewster: What Would You Like to Drink?

CLASSROOM AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES:

Read a Medieval Recipe!

Job Application

Review Worksheet and Teacher’s Key

"I Witness" History - Test Your Memory

Play Review Game – True/False

Recipes to Try: Fruit or Meat Pie, Mead, Butter

Coloring Pages With Summary Lines

Graphic Organizers