Prepare Your Students Before Going to the Show
The following activities are some examples of activities to do with your students to prepare them for the event.
Activity 1- Food of Medieval People
Curriculum Expectations
Overall Expecation
Before starting activity, as a class we will brainstorm what each member of the medieval society typically eats. We will use mind maps to brainstorm ideas.
Peasants’ Food:
Peasants ate foods such as cabbage, spinach, onions, and other vegetables that they could make a soup with. They also used spices and herbs to add flavour to their meals. One of the most popular meals that peasants ate was called pottage. Pottage was made from vegetables, herbs, breadcrumbs, and sometimes bacon for extra flavour. The peasants’ bread was made from barley and rye, while the nobles ate bread made from grain. Peasants drank ale.
Food for the Townspeople (craftspeople):
Townspeople ate what they could afford to buy. They shopped in markets where they were able to buy vegetables and meat of various types. They ate rabbit, pork, chicken, beef, cheese, fruit, bread and other baked goods. Townspeople drank ale and wine.
Hunting, Hawking, and Fishing:
Nobles hunted for food and for fun. They hunted animals such as deer and wild boar, and used hunting dogs to catch smaller animals. Servants went fishing in the rivers and the sea to catch trout, pike, or bass. Hawking was a method of hunting in which hawks were used to catch birds, rabbits, and squirrels.
The Noble’s Table
Nobles dined in the dining room or the Great Hall (main room). They usually ate with family members, guests, knights, and castle officials who were all living in the castle. The lord and lady sat at a higher table and were served first. Nobles drank wine.
Instructions:
Using the information provided, you must create one dish (meal) that you would feed to a peasant, townsperson, or a noble. Make sure that the food that you choose to make is appropriate to what that person would be eating during medieval times.
What you need:
- Paper Plates
- Pencil Crayons or markers
What to do:
- Choose member of society of a specific social status
- Choose three food items that you want to include in your dish
- On your plate, draw the three pieces of food
- Choose the appropriate colours (e.g., don’t use green for chicken)
- Describe what you made
How students will be assessed:
- That the meal is appropriate for the person they were assigned ( Peasant, Noble People, Townspeople)
- That the food was around in the middle age
- The food is the appropriate colour and fills the plate
- Description is well thought out
Activity 2- Medieval Housing
Curriculum expectation
Application:
You must carefully read the information sheets and pictures provided to learn about characteristics of housing in medieval times. Try and list four similarities and four differences between medieval housing and your own house! Also, you are to use your artistic abilities to draw an example of a medieval manor house and a serf’s cottage.
What you need:
- Pencil
- Housing Information Sheet
- Housing Worksheet
- Pictures of medieval housing
- Pencil crayons
What to do:
- As a group, read the Housing Information Sheet and study the pictures provided
- On your worksheet, list four similarities and four differences between medieval housing and housing of today. Use the information provided to help you fill out the medieval house characteristics
- On the second worksheet, you are to do you best to draw a medieval manor
- A house and a serf’s cottage. Again, use the facts in the story and the pictures to help you here
What will be assessed?
- The correctness of the similarities and differences listed
- The effort put into the drawings and the accuracy of the houses
Housing – Information Sheet
During medieval times land was a means of power! The king lived in a large castle made of stone. Kings were rich and powerful and owned lots of land. Kings would reward men who fought for them with large parcels of land called manors.
Like the King, great lords were rich and powerful and received large amounts of land from Kings. They also lived in castles and owned and controlled many manors. They could have as many castles as they had parcels of land.
Knights who were loyal to great lords were also rewarded with land. Although some knights were wealthy enough to build castles, a knight’s castle was much smaller than his great lord’s castle. Most knights lived in houses called manor houses. The manor house was the largest building on the manor.
A Manor House:
A manor house was surrounded by a stone wall to protect the family inside from enemies. A manor house was made of stone and had two floors. The family lived on the top floor.
There were usually three rooms and a chapel on this floor. The family used the chapel for prayers. A fireplace heated the house and there could be more than one fireplace. Tapestries, which are thick woven rugs, were often hung on the walls or used to cover windows to keep out drafts.
The bottom floor was the ground level. It was here where the vegetables and grains grown by the serfs were stored for the lord’s family. Outside there was a separate stable for the horses and a well to supply water to all manor residents.
At the bottom of the hierarchy were the peasants, known as serfs. They did not own their own land. Instead, they worked for the knights and lords by farming their land. In exchange for the work, they were allowed to live in cottages on the manor. A serf’s cottage had only one or two rooms and was made of thatch, twigs and mud. There were usually 20 or 30 cottages on one manor.
The Home of a Serf:
Serfs lived in a one-room or two-room cottage with a thatched roof. The roof was made of bundles of reeds from the riverbanks or layers of straw packed tightly together. The cottage walls were made of something called wattle and daub. Wattle and daub were twigs woven together, and daub was mud mixed with straw or horsehair. This was placed between the timber posts that made up the frame of the cottage.
The timber posts were cut from trees in the manor forest. The floor was bare earth. These cottages could be made quickly with materials found on the manor. A circle was marked in the centre of the cottage, and a fire pit was build there. Smoke from the fire found its way out of the cottage through a hole in the roof.
Housing Activity Sheet
What do you notice when comparing medieval housing to the houses of today?
1. List 3 similarities between medieval houses and houses of today.
2. List 3 differences between medieval houses and houses of today.
Activity 3- Armour and Weaponry
Curriculum Expectations
Inquiry/Research and Communication Skills:
What you need:
- Pencil
- Armor Information Sheet
- Armor Worksheet
- Provide Students with a picture of Knight in Armour and/or pictures of armour and weapons
- Weaponry in Medieval Times Information sheet
What to do:
The King wants you to match the armor and weaponry descriptions with the proper pieces of armor and weapons. Read the descriptions carefully and look for hints, the King is counting on you!
- As a group, read the background information on knights and armors in the Armor Information Sheet
- Carefully study the pictures of the armour and weapons
- Fill out the Armor Worksheet, look for hints in the descriptions
- Fill out the Weaponry Information Sheet. Start with the weapons you already know the names of. Look for hints in the weapon descriptions
What will be assessed?
- That the question sheets are completed and accurate.
Armor Information Sheet
Suits of armor used to protect the body in times of war or combat go back thousands of years. It was, however during the Middle Ages that armor reached its highest point and also its decline. In the early medieval times armor consisted of a helmet and hauberk, a kind of shirt made of chain mail, which protected the body from the neck to the knees.
The invention of the crossbow made the armor of chain mail ineffective, and a suit of metal plates was added. In time the entire body was encased in a suit of armor. Armor was very expensive and worn only by knights and sometimes squires. Common soldiers, being horseless, did not wear heavy armor. They wore instead those pieces they found on the battlefield, provided that they were not too heavy. Sometimes foot soldiers wore steel caps and shirts of mail.
In time, armor became so complicated that it took two men to dress a knight. A suit of armor was made up of a number of small steel plates strapped onto the knight’s body. The large numbers of plates were necessary to enable the knight to move as freely as possible.
After the main pieces were in place, the smaller pieces were attached by hooks and buckles. Because knights in armor were dressed for combat on horses, the horses too were outlined with armor, lest they be killed, leaving the knight almost defenseless.
Although armor was used well into the seventeenth century, its use declined rapidly as military tactics changed, demanding rapid movement; and the use of gunpowder became widespread.
Weaponry in Medieval Times Activity Sheet
The weapons of the medieval times are very different form those used by today’s soldiers.
Wars were often scenes of brutal, hand-to-hand fighting. The knights did their fighting protected by heavy suits of armor and riding on horseback, while foot soldiers used bows and arrows or fought hand-to-hand with crude weapons and wore little protection form the blows of their enemies.
Weapons of the medieval times are shown on the following page. How many of them can you match to their names below? Put the weapon letter beside the appropriate weapon description.
1.______ a lance, which was a type of spear carried by knights.
2. ______ a long bow and arrow, used by foot soldiers.
3. ______ a mace was used for clubbing. It was usually carried by foot soldiers. It had a ball with spikes attached to a wooden handle.
4. ______ a dagger.
5. ______ a battle-axe, a weapon of foot soldiers.
6. ______ a crossbow and arrow, a powerful and accurate weapon.
7. ______ a sword, usually carried by a knight, sometimes by foot soldiers.
8. ______ a scabbard, the cover or shield for the sword.
9. ______ a halberd, a combination of a battle-axe and a pike. It was about 6 feet long and was usually the weapon of a knight.
10. ______ a bludgeon, a type of mace, carried by foot soldiers. It was used like a club with the ball attached to the club by chain.
11. ______ a war hammer or hawk’s beak, so named for its shape. It was used to pierce mail.
12. ______ a mace, made with bars or spikes attached to a handle. Used by foot soldiers for clubbing.
Activity 1- Food of Medieval People
Curriculum Expectations
Overall Expecation
- identify and describe major features of daily life and social organization in medieval European societies from about 500 to 1500 C.E.
- describe aspects of daily life for men, women, and children in medieval societies
- use graphic organizers to summarize information
- use artistic expression to re-create or respond to imaginative works from medieval times
Before starting activity, as a class we will brainstorm what each member of the medieval society typically eats. We will use mind maps to brainstorm ideas.
Peasants’ Food:
Peasants ate foods such as cabbage, spinach, onions, and other vegetables that they could make a soup with. They also used spices and herbs to add flavour to their meals. One of the most popular meals that peasants ate was called pottage. Pottage was made from vegetables, herbs, breadcrumbs, and sometimes bacon for extra flavour. The peasants’ bread was made from barley and rye, while the nobles ate bread made from grain. Peasants drank ale.
Food for the Townspeople (craftspeople):
Townspeople ate what they could afford to buy. They shopped in markets where they were able to buy vegetables and meat of various types. They ate rabbit, pork, chicken, beef, cheese, fruit, bread and other baked goods. Townspeople drank ale and wine.
Hunting, Hawking, and Fishing:
Nobles hunted for food and for fun. They hunted animals such as deer and wild boar, and used hunting dogs to catch smaller animals. Servants went fishing in the rivers and the sea to catch trout, pike, or bass. Hawking was a method of hunting in which hawks were used to catch birds, rabbits, and squirrels.
The Noble’s Table
Nobles dined in the dining room or the Great Hall (main room). They usually ate with family members, guests, knights, and castle officials who were all living in the castle. The lord and lady sat at a higher table and were served first. Nobles drank wine.
Instructions:
Using the information provided, you must create one dish (meal) that you would feed to a peasant, townsperson, or a noble. Make sure that the food that you choose to make is appropriate to what that person would be eating during medieval times.
What you need:
- Paper Plates
- Pencil Crayons or markers
What to do:
- Choose member of society of a specific social status
- Choose three food items that you want to include in your dish
- On your plate, draw the three pieces of food
- Choose the appropriate colours (e.g., don’t use green for chicken)
- Describe what you made
How students will be assessed:
- That the meal is appropriate for the person they were assigned ( Peasant, Noble People, Townspeople)
- That the food was around in the middle age
- The food is the appropriate colour and fills the plate
- Description is well thought out
Activity 2- Medieval Housing
Curriculum expectation
Application:
- compare aspects of life in a medieval community and their own community
You must carefully read the information sheets and pictures provided to learn about characteristics of housing in medieval times. Try and list four similarities and four differences between medieval housing and your own house! Also, you are to use your artistic abilities to draw an example of a medieval manor house and a serf’s cottage.
What you need:
- Pencil
- Housing Information Sheet
- Housing Worksheet
- Pictures of medieval housing
- Pencil crayons
What to do:
- As a group, read the Housing Information Sheet and study the pictures provided
- On your worksheet, list four similarities and four differences between medieval housing and housing of today. Use the information provided to help you fill out the medieval house characteristics
- On the second worksheet, you are to do you best to draw a medieval manor
- A house and a serf’s cottage. Again, use the facts in the story and the pictures to help you here
What will be assessed?
- The correctness of the similarities and differences listed
- The effort put into the drawings and the accuracy of the houses
Housing – Information Sheet
During medieval times land was a means of power! The king lived in a large castle made of stone. Kings were rich and powerful and owned lots of land. Kings would reward men who fought for them with large parcels of land called manors.
Like the King, great lords were rich and powerful and received large amounts of land from Kings. They also lived in castles and owned and controlled many manors. They could have as many castles as they had parcels of land.
Knights who were loyal to great lords were also rewarded with land. Although some knights were wealthy enough to build castles, a knight’s castle was much smaller than his great lord’s castle. Most knights lived in houses called manor houses. The manor house was the largest building on the manor.
A Manor House:
A manor house was surrounded by a stone wall to protect the family inside from enemies. A manor house was made of stone and had two floors. The family lived on the top floor.
There were usually three rooms and a chapel on this floor. The family used the chapel for prayers. A fireplace heated the house and there could be more than one fireplace. Tapestries, which are thick woven rugs, were often hung on the walls or used to cover windows to keep out drafts.
The bottom floor was the ground level. It was here where the vegetables and grains grown by the serfs were stored for the lord’s family. Outside there was a separate stable for the horses and a well to supply water to all manor residents.
At the bottom of the hierarchy were the peasants, known as serfs. They did not own their own land. Instead, they worked for the knights and lords by farming their land. In exchange for the work, they were allowed to live in cottages on the manor. A serf’s cottage had only one or two rooms and was made of thatch, twigs and mud. There were usually 20 or 30 cottages on one manor.
The Home of a Serf:
Serfs lived in a one-room or two-room cottage with a thatched roof. The roof was made of bundles of reeds from the riverbanks or layers of straw packed tightly together. The cottage walls were made of something called wattle and daub. Wattle and daub were twigs woven together, and daub was mud mixed with straw or horsehair. This was placed between the timber posts that made up the frame of the cottage.
The timber posts were cut from trees in the manor forest. The floor was bare earth. These cottages could be made quickly with materials found on the manor. A circle was marked in the centre of the cottage, and a fire pit was build there. Smoke from the fire found its way out of the cottage through a hole in the roof.
Housing Activity Sheet
What do you notice when comparing medieval housing to the houses of today?
1. List 3 similarities between medieval houses and houses of today.
2. List 3 differences between medieval houses and houses of today.
Activity 3- Armour and Weaponry
Curriculum Expectations
Inquiry/Research and Communication Skills:
- use graphic organizers to summarize information
- use media works, oral presentations, written notes and descriptions, and drawings to communicate information about life in medieval society
- use appropriate vocabulary
What you need:
- Pencil
- Armor Information Sheet
- Armor Worksheet
- Provide Students with a picture of Knight in Armour and/or pictures of armour and weapons
- Weaponry in Medieval Times Information sheet
What to do:
The King wants you to match the armor and weaponry descriptions with the proper pieces of armor and weapons. Read the descriptions carefully and look for hints, the King is counting on you!
- As a group, read the background information on knights and armors in the Armor Information Sheet
- Carefully study the pictures of the armour and weapons
- Fill out the Armor Worksheet, look for hints in the descriptions
- Fill out the Weaponry Information Sheet. Start with the weapons you already know the names of. Look for hints in the weapon descriptions
What will be assessed?
- That the question sheets are completed and accurate.
Armor Information Sheet
Suits of armor used to protect the body in times of war or combat go back thousands of years. It was, however during the Middle Ages that armor reached its highest point and also its decline. In the early medieval times armor consisted of a helmet and hauberk, a kind of shirt made of chain mail, which protected the body from the neck to the knees.
The invention of the crossbow made the armor of chain mail ineffective, and a suit of metal plates was added. In time the entire body was encased in a suit of armor. Armor was very expensive and worn only by knights and sometimes squires. Common soldiers, being horseless, did not wear heavy armor. They wore instead those pieces they found on the battlefield, provided that they were not too heavy. Sometimes foot soldiers wore steel caps and shirts of mail.
In time, armor became so complicated that it took two men to dress a knight. A suit of armor was made up of a number of small steel plates strapped onto the knight’s body. The large numbers of plates were necessary to enable the knight to move as freely as possible.
After the main pieces were in place, the smaller pieces were attached by hooks and buckles. Because knights in armor were dressed for combat on horses, the horses too were outlined with armor, lest they be killed, leaving the knight almost defenseless.
Although armor was used well into the seventeenth century, its use declined rapidly as military tactics changed, demanding rapid movement; and the use of gunpowder became widespread.
Weaponry in Medieval Times Activity Sheet
The weapons of the medieval times are very different form those used by today’s soldiers.
Wars were often scenes of brutal, hand-to-hand fighting. The knights did their fighting protected by heavy suits of armor and riding on horseback, while foot soldiers used bows and arrows or fought hand-to-hand with crude weapons and wore little protection form the blows of their enemies.
Weapons of the medieval times are shown on the following page. How many of them can you match to their names below? Put the weapon letter beside the appropriate weapon description.
1.______ a lance, which was a type of spear carried by knights.
2. ______ a long bow and arrow, used by foot soldiers.
3. ______ a mace was used for clubbing. It was usually carried by foot soldiers. It had a ball with spikes attached to a wooden handle.
4. ______ a dagger.
5. ______ a battle-axe, a weapon of foot soldiers.
6. ______ a crossbow and arrow, a powerful and accurate weapon.
7. ______ a sword, usually carried by a knight, sometimes by foot soldiers.
8. ______ a scabbard, the cover or shield for the sword.
9. ______ a halberd, a combination of a battle-axe and a pike. It was about 6 feet long and was usually the weapon of a knight.
10. ______ a bludgeon, a type of mace, carried by foot soldiers. It was used like a club with the ball attached to the club by chain.
11. ______ a war hammer or hawk’s beak, so named for its shape. It was used to pierce mail.
12. ______ a mace, made with bars or spikes attached to a handle. Used by foot soldiers for clubbing.