Goals & Objectives
Goals- Students will learn about the spread of the bubonic plague and its effect on medieval society.
Objectives- Students will empathize for the people affected by the plague and list the results of the epidemic.
Objectives- Students will empathize for the people affected by the plague and list the results of the epidemic.
California State Content and Common Core Standards
7.6 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the civilizations of Medieval Europe.
7. Map the spread of the bubonic plague from Central Asia to China, the Middle East, and Europe and describe its impact on global population.
Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects 6–12
2. Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
7. Map the spread of the bubonic plague from Central Asia to China, the Middle East, and Europe and describe its impact on global population.
Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects 6–12
2. Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
Lesson Introduction
Students will arrive in class and receive a worksheet. The teacher will read an English translation of the poem the ‘Danse Macabre.’ Students will hypothesize what they believe the poem to mean on their work sheets. They will then share their results with their seating partners. The teacher will circulate the room and listen to student responses. The teacher will then share what she believes to be the poem’s meaning and give students some background on the Dance of Death allegory.
Vocabulary
During this lesson students will complete a worksheet with spaces for pictorial dictionary entries. Each word entry will include the word, its definition, a pictorial representation, and other facts about the word. Vocabulary words for this lesson include
· Bubonic plague
· Buboes
· The Black Death
· Danse Macabre
· Bubonic plague
· Buboes
· The Black Death
· Danse Macabre
Content Delivery
After students complete the introduction they will participate in a short reading. Students will use the Knee-to-Knee technique to read pages 399-401 of the textbook Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past. Students will be divided into pairs and sit facing each other. The stronger reader will begin by reading a paragraph aloud while the weaker reader follows along. Then the weaker reader will read the same paragraph aloud. Each portion of text is read twice, once by each student. Students will complete a portion of their worksheet while reading. The teacher will circulate the room and provide scaffolding.
Student Engagement
Once students complete the reading they will participate in an online interaction tool sponsored by the London Science Museum. In the interaction students will encounter some of the common sights of a plague infected village during the late medieval period. Students answer questions about what is happening in the village and why. This interaction will include more information on the plague and should hold students’ interests. Students will continue to fill out portions of their worksheets. The teacher will circulate to ensure students remain on task and provide scaffolding.
Lesson Closure
Students will write a reflective paragraph imagining what it would be like to experience the Black Death first hand. Students will then read their paragraphs to their seating partner. The teacher will circulate and provide scaffolding and verbal feedback. Student worksheets will be collected as the students leave class.
Assessment
Entry Level/Informal- Student responses to the poem will be used to access and assess their prior knowledge. If needed the teacher can spend more time explaining the context of the Black Death when explain the poem’s meaning.
Formative/Informal- The teacher will continually circulate the room to listen to student responses and to monitor their progress on the worksheet.
Summative/Formal- The student worksheet will function as the summative assessment for this lesson. The teacher will review students’ work and provided them with written feedback. If there is any information missing from a majority of the worksheets the teacher will review it with the whole class.
Formative/Informal- The teacher will continually circulate the room to listen to student responses and to monitor their progress on the worksheet.
Summative/Formal- The student worksheet will function as the summative assessment for this lesson. The teacher will review students’ work and provided them with written feedback. If there is any information missing from a majority of the worksheets the teacher will review it with the whole class.
Accommodations for English Learners, Striving Readers and Students with Special Needs
The reading portion of this lesson will be completed using the Knee-to-Knee method. This should help ELLs, striving readers, and students with special needs grasp the content. The teacher will circulate multiple times during the lesson to provide extra scaffolding if needed.