Illustration: Patrick Girouard
Medieval Times
Explore the unique lifestyle
of medieval castle dwellers through these creative activities
By Mackie Rhodes
During Europe's Middle Ages, castles were built for one
primary purpose: protecting people and property. As you
begin your unit, ask students to share what they think they
know about medieval life, and record their responses on
a chart.
The Castle Community
Explain that there existed inside the castle walls a complex
community of people who worked, feasted, and played together.
Distribute the Reproducible and
invite students to take a "crayon walk" through a medieval
castle by coloring each numbered part as you discuss it.
Then have them brainstorm what the structure reveals about
how castle dwellers lived. For example, there was little
privacy, the community was always prepared for war, animals
were kept inside the walls, etc. What do they think it smelled
like? Sounded like? Have students write a list of questions
like these that they would most like to explore, then break
the class into groups, each to research a topic in depth.
A great place to start is "Castle
Books and Web Sites," below.
Castle Facts Bulletin Board
As students learn additional details about the Middle Ages,
display their research on a clever "Castle Facts" bulletin
board. Draw a large stone-castle outline as a guide and
graph the towers and walls into rectangles. Cut shapes to
match out of construction paper, then keep these colored-paper
"building stones" on hand so that each time a student discovers
a new fact, he or she can add it to the wall. In no time
your class will have built its own medieval castle!
Song and Story
When not engaged in warfare, castle residents enjoyed activities
such as feasting, games, crafts, music, songs, and storytelling.
The songs and stories of the medieval period often told
of great accomplishments, courageous acts, or historical
events. Characters such as King Arthur and Robin Hood and
stories such as The Canterbury Tales were very popular.
After inspiring students by sharing some of these stories,
ask them to write their own, using what they've learned
about the time period and the people that lived in it. Then
gather in the great hall of your castle classroom and invite
them to read, tell, or sing their stories to the class.
Castle Keeps
A noble family lived in a castle keep. Talk with students
about why they think this structure was so named, then have
them build their own. For each, you'll need an empty square
tissue box and two paper towel tubes. Guide students to
first cut the tops off their boxes, then cover the sides
with construction paper, leaving a few inches of paper extending
past the tops of the boxes. To make towers, cover tubes
with paper and glue to the sides of the boxes. Add colored-paper
doors and windows, and personalized flags on craft-stick
poles. Students then can make crenellations in their keeps
by cutting notches on the top of the walls and towers.
—Maggie Samudio, Cumberland Elementary, West Lafayette,
IN
Student Study Chambers
Because most areas in a castle were shared by all, dwellers
often used screens to create private spaces. Let students
transform their desks into quiet places to read and take
tests with their own privacy screens. For each screen, fold
a half-length of 22" by 28" poster board into three panels
and have students decorate the outsides. To customize the
interiors, copy reference sheets onto colored paper for
students to choose from, such as a hundreds counting chart,
manuscript or cursive-alphabet reminders, a vowel-and-consonant
sound chart, or multiplication tables. If desired, students
also can add the Reproducible to
their screens for reference.
—Maggie Samudio, Cumberland Elementary, West Lafayette,
IN
Castle Careers
During the Middle Ages, each job in a castle community filled
a specific need. But before a young person could get a job,
he or she completed an apprenticeship—rigorous training
by an expert in the field. As children research the period,
have them list some different medieval jobs and the training
required to do them. Talk about how the jobs compare with
some modern occupations. Then take a vote to find out for
which jobs students would most like to have apprenticed.
Plot the results on a castle-shaped graph. For older students,
invite one or more guests who are experts in a specific
trade to demonstrate their crafts for the class.
Page-to-Knight Time Lines
Of all medieval professions, knighthood was one of the most
important, as knights defended the castle household. Have
students create time lines to illustrate the long and involved
process of becoming a knight in medieval times. Typically,
a boy of seven moved to a relative's castle and became a
page. At 15, he became a squire. He would be dubbed a knight
around his 21st birthday. Have small groups of students
each research a stage in this process for its time line.
What would a boy learn in each stage?
Middle Ages Helmets
To protect their bodies and heads, medieval knights wore
suits of armor, with helmets that weighed as much as 25
pounds! Invite students to make their own cardboard versions
to wear during your unit. For each helmet, you will need
a sheet or poster board. Then guide students through the
following steps: Turn poster board horizontally, and make
3" cuts spaced 2" apart. Hold the sheet in front of your
face and bend the strips so that they rest on the top of
your head. Mark the location of your eyes, mouth, and chin
with a light pencil mark. Then lay the board flat and cut
eye slits, using the pencil marks as a guide. Poke breathing
holes in the mouth area. Fold strips over and staple together
at the top to form the top of the helmet, and add a feather
from a piece of colored construction paper. Then cut slices
out of the bottom to allow the helmet to rest on your shoulders.
Chivalry Scrolls
A medieval knight was expected to behave a certain way.
For example, he was expected to be loyal, to help his companions,
to be honest, to defend the weak, and to show generosity.
These standards were known as the Code of Chivalry. Invite
students to create their own codes in this fun scroll activity.
After discussing parts of the knights' code, challenge students
to brainstorm other aspects of chivalry, then compare with
today's expectations of conduct. Are they different? Similar?
For students' codes, give each a strip of 11" by 17" paper..
Have students divide their strips into six sections, and
label the first "_____'s Code of Chivalry." Students can
name and illustrate a different ideal of conduct on each
section, then decorate and add a border. After students
share their personal codes, give each a fancy seal to make
it "official." Then roll up each scroll and tie with fancy
ribbon.
Mackie Rhodes is the author of two recent professional books
for teachers, Teaching With Favorite Kevin Henkes Books
(Scholastic, 2002) and Teaching with Favorite Patricia
Polacco Books (Scholastic, 2002). This article was originally
published in the October 2002 issue of Instructor.
