The Crusades

Common Core Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.6

"A Picture Paints a Thousand Words"

1. Activate Prior Knowledge   Carefully study the details of the painting above depicting a scene from the Crusades. Write an interpretation of the painting.  Consider the following questions:

• Who were the people involved?
• What were they trying to accomplish?
• What was the artist's attitude about the Crusades?  Does the painting reflect a bias towards one side of the conflict, or does it seem objective? How do you know?

Be sure to use evidence from the painting to support your interpretation.

2.  Comparing Perspectives     View and analyze "Horrible Histories:  Crusaders Report."
Partner Conversation: What was the filmmaker's attitude about the Crusades?  How can you tell?

3. Watch the Crusaders Report a second time on Edpuzzle. Answer the questions as you go. Remember, if you don't know the answer, you can review that section of the video.

3.  Map of the Crusades   Use the map below to complete your own Crusaders map. You will find the map in your classroom folder.

4.  Building Background Knowledge   Read  textbook pp.422-425       and complete the Crusades: Notes from Textbook in your Social Studies folder.

5.  Document Based Question 
      (Stanford History Education Group)
   What happened when the Crusaders captured Jerusalem?

     Historians create historical accounts, in part, by comparing multiple documents and perspectives of different people. Focusing on perspective is important because it helps evaluate possible biases and the trustworthiness, or reliability of a document. 
    Our task will be to compare and contrast three documents from the First Crusade. You are going to explore different perspectives on this event while considering what happened when the Crusaders captured Jerusalem. The Crusade Documents can be found in your classroom folder.

6. Group Collaboration:
Group Leaders, please make a copy and share with your group members "can edit."

Copia en espanol.

The Crusades report short from Joe Klumper on Vimeo.

Chivalry

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is a set of legends that came out of the Middle Ages. It is not known for sure whether or not King Arthur was based on a real person, but the stories do teach us about the values of chivalry. In the legends, King Arthur's nephew Sir Gawain is often tested to see if he is indeed a knight that is truly chivalrous.


In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain is expected to be honest with his lord and to be courteous and kind to his lord's wife. But what is young Gawain to do when his lord's wife begins to flirt with him?

In Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady, Sir Gawain's loyalty to his lord is again tested. He is also challenged to find the answer to this question: What is it that women really want?

As you read each tale, look for evidence of the code of chivalry that knights were expected to follow.

Shrek Clip

Joan of Arc

"I am not afraid... I was born to do this."

--Joan of Arc
Find another interesting quotation on Brainy Quotes. Share this quotation with your group. What else do the quotations tell you about Joan of Arc?

1. Partner Discussion: Joan of Arc is one of the many extraordinary women from the history of Medieval Europe.What does the primary source image above tell you about Joan of Arc?

Synthesizing Information from Various Sources

2. The story of Joan of Arc has been told and retold in movies and books. Watch the trailers below from two different movies made about her.  After you view the videos, write a draft of a biography based on what you see in the trailers You will find a Joan of Arc document in your classroom folder.




2. Research Joan of Arc on the Ducksters site. Use this new information to revise your biography on Joan of Arc. Use a different color to indicate that this is evidence from a new source.


3. What questions do you still have about Joan of Arc? Conduct your own online research. Write a final revision of your biography.