Medieval+Times+Project-Christina+Kelley

Medieval Times Project--Christina Kelley **
 * Information Skill--Information Literacy
 * ** According to the ALA, in order "to be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information. " **My goal is to help facilitate the development and refinement of this skill with my two grade levels in order to help them become more proficient in information literacy. Information literacy is the backbone of life-long learning and I count it an honor to be able to assist in their development. I will facilitate this development and refinement through instructing them both on the Big6 Model. The Big6 is appropriate for both age groups (6th grade and high school) and causes the students to use metacognition which is an important of scaffolding. The 6th graders may be familiar with the Big6 but they could always use more practice. The more they go through the steps the more likely they are to do them naturally. The high schoolers should be near pros at the Big6 but they may still need to be reminded. With both classes I will describe what information literacy is, why it matters, and how the Big6 and my other handouts help them become information literate. According to Callison this "model can be understood quickly and therefore is more likely to be applied by learners in elementary as well as secondary school situations," (p. 44).

**Novice to Expert **
 * **I believe these assignments as a whole aid in the development of the novice student information scientist to move towards becoming experts. These assignments use several key areas as described by Lamb in her //Expert vs Novice Information Scientists // . The assignments begin to develop the “Core Concepts and Experiences” by expanding the students’ overall knowledge of this time period by learning basic “big ideas” about the various roles in Medieval society. They are also expanding their knowledge base surrounding this time period in general. By having the other teachers, even the lunch ladies, adding to their overall medieval experience I believe they will retain more information and be more excited about learning. They are being nearly immersed in medieval culture while at school. **
 * **“Pattern Recognition” may occur via their group discussions. They may find that all working class people have another similarity other than that they perform a needed trade. It could go deeper than that. Learning about the role of religion, politics, trade, etc. may help them see the big picture of why they were the way they were. **
 * **“Metacognition” is used through the students’ constant process of thinking about what they want to learn and how that want may change or evolve or be more refined into something slightly different. For example, a student may originally want to know how the peasant or working class/tradesmen viewed and interacted with their lord. Upon discovering that the lord placed unrealistic goals of farming/harvesting etc. the student may want to explore how they kept up with these demands as well as the punishments for not meeting them. **
 * **Through “Self-regulation” the students begin to better control their metacognitive thinking. They understand that they have a due date and can’t chase their white rabbit imaginations all day, they do have to finish. It’s always a good idea to write down the things you want to explore later so that once the assignment is done you can go back to exploring your other questions, thus becoming a life-long learner. **


 * Overview**
 * 6th graders will each research a role/occupation in Medieval times of a person within a whole group of people, such as peasants, nobility (lords and knights), royalty (king, queen, duchess, prince, etc.), clergy (monk, nun, priest, bishop, etc.). Because this unit involves the entire 6th grade I would like to see total saturation of the curriculum for the few weeks duration. This means that each special class they go to will be doing something related to the Medieval Times Unit, as briefly lined out above. I will be teaching them information literacy through the Big6 Model as well as my handout-Information Credibility Checklist-which is used to evaluate websites.
 * High school-most likely the high school level world history class contains students from three or four grade levels (9-12 or 10-12 depending on prerequisites). Each students grade level should be taken into consideration when being graded. The class will make a Medieval Magazine together. Each student is responsible for one article with at least one picture or graphic. The article should cover one of the topics discussed in class, directly from the textbook, or any other related topic a student chooses with approval of the teacher. The article should also be fairly brief, about 500 words and be written in a journalistic fashion, concise and to the point without a lot of extra flowery wording to make it longer. As extra credit they have the option for creating an advertisement and/or a possible cover for magazine (each worth one additional point). The student with the winning magazine cover (to be voted on by the entire class) will receive one additional bonus point. I will also be reinforcing information literacy with these students through their use of the Big6 and the Information Credibility Checklist.


 * Standards: **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">
 * **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Indiana Academic Standards: **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**6th grade**
 * **6.1.4** <span style="color: #632423; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 13px;">Medieval Period: 400 A.D./C.E. - 1500 A.D./C.E. Describe and explain the development and organization of political, cultural, social and economic systems in Europe and the Americas.
 * ** 6.1.8 ** Medieval Period: 400 A.D./C.E. - 1500 A.D./C.E. Compare the diverse perspectives, ideas, interests and people that brought about the Renaissance in Europe.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**High School World History**
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 600; line-height: normal;">WH.4.7 <span style="color: #632423; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 13px;">Explain the Great Schism of 1054 and the development of Eastern and Western branches of Christianity.
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 600; line-height: normal;">WH.4.5 <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"> Describe how technological improvements in agriculture, the growth of towns, the creation of guilds, and the development of banking during the Middle Ages, as well as the institutions of feudalism and the manorial system influenced European civilization.
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 600; line-height: normal;">WH.4.1 <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;">Describe the impact of Christian monasteries and convents on Europe, and explain how Christianity and classical Greco-Roman civilization influenced Europe after the collapse of the Roman Empire.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">
 * **AASL Standards:**
 * **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;">1.1.9 Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding. **
 * **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;">1.2.1 <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Display //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">initiative //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> and //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">engagement //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> by posing questions and investigating the answers beyond the collection of superficial facts.  **
 * **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;">1.2.2 <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Demonstrate //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">confidence //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> and //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">self-direction //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> by making independent choices in the selection of resources and information.  **
 * **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;">4.1.8 Use creative and artistic formats to express personal learning. **


 * Audience:**
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;">This project was created with a small rural school in mind, more specifically, my old schools Northeastern Elementary School and Northeastern Jr. & Sr. High School in Fountain City, IN. Since I do not currently work in this type of setting I tend to view elementary, middle, and high schools through my lens of personal experience. At this school K-6 is in one building (K-3 at one end and 4-6 at the other, divided by the cafeteria and the gymnasium) and 7-12 is in another on the other side of the property with the football field and track separating the two. Fountain City is a small town/farming community outside of Richmond, IN. Total school population from K-12 is about 1200 with an average of 80-100 students per grade. Social class of students range from poor to upper middle class. There is currently only one Media Specialist at Northeastern (my old 6th grade teacher!) and he resides mostly at the high school. The elementary library is currently operated by an aid.
 * **6th Grade** -This unit was created for the entire 6th grade which is made up of four classes with 18-25 students per class. These students have been introduced to the Big6 before but have not had a great deal of practice with it. In lower elementary they used the Super3. They are very excited to learn about Medieval times and people from all of their teachers and are especially excited about the Medieval Feast that will conclude the unit.
 * **High School World History**- This class is a mixed group of students containing grades 10, 11, and 12. This is a required social studies/history class for all high school students. In this hypothetical class students have used the Big6 Model many times previously and are still not quite experts. There are about 20 students in the class. They are indifferent about medieval times but like the idea of creating a magazine.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">
 * Collaboration:**

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Home teachers/History teachers—incorporate library time into class time for research as well as the following collaborations.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">High School Newspaper Director--have the teacher who oversees the school newspaper come and give a mini lesson on article writing to prepare the students for writing magazine articles.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Art teachers—provide supplies for those wishing to use paint and other art supplies.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">PE teachers—briefly describe Medieval sports such as jousting and other heavy athletics (Scottish highland games) and possible play a few in gym class.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Music/choir/band teachers—introduce some Medieval music including Catholic hymns and minstrel songs and teach them to the students.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;">Elementary Music Teacher, find or make at least one type of Medieval instrument and play it for the class. Provide sheet music with lyrics and teach them at least one song.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;">High School Choir Teacher, find a liturgical chant or hymn and teach it to the class to perform during the Medieval Feast.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;">Have groups perform at luncheon if possible. *Since the high school band is made up of over 25% of the school the World History class is bound to contain band students. Have these students, along with the high school choir perform on the stage before the meal starts.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;">Lunch Ladies--Work with the high school lunch ladies and have them come up with a Medieval Feast for the 6th graders and the World History class.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Menu possibilities found at [|Medieval Cookery]
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Principals—discuss expanding this study section to include all of the above departments for both schools.


 * Teacher Materials<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; line-height: 14px;">: **

>>>
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**6th grade** **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">: **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Session One (60-80 minutes): The Kick-off to the Medieval Times Unit! The reading aloud of //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> by Laura Amy Schlitz.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Preparation: Discuss with the teacher how he/she wants to divide up the reading parts; random drawing upon entering the media center, pre-assigned by the teacher taking into account possible sensitivity issues and allowing the students to read through their part before reading it aloud in class, or allowing the students to choose their own parts. Each class may be doing this differently, know before hand. Also, the teacher should briefly introduce the unit before bringing to the media center. Also, to spice it up a bit, make a castle drawbridge facade in the hallway around the entrance.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">If the students are drawing roles randomly right now, meet them at the door and have a bucket with female roles and another for male roles and have them grab one out as they enter. If the roles have been preassigned skip to the next step. *There are two sets of roles where two people are speaking at the same time, it would be better for these roles to be assigned before hand and practiced.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Arrange the students in a half circle or horseshoe shape in order of their parts.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Give a little background to the book and have the teacher introduce the basics of the assignment so the students can be thinking of what they want to do their project on as they are listening to the others. The teacher could also do this before coming to the Media Center, it doesn't matter just as long as the students know what is going on before the reading begins.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Each student enthusiastically reads their part as the others listen intently (in a perfect world). Do not read the explanations that appear in between a few of the parts. Their teacher will go through them in his/her class.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Once everyone is finished have the teacher remind them that they are to chose one type of Medieval person to do their project on: peasant/farmer, working class, nobility, clergy, or royalty.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Teacher Responsibilities: Use the Big6 Model to get the students started on their projects by completing the first step, //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Task Definition //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">. In addition to this, the teacher should also continue with lecture/instruction through the textbook's Medieval section. In my experience, these sections tend to be short which is why the project is important (in my opinion) because it supplements the missing parts in the text to give the students a more well-rounded idea of what people may have been like during this time in history.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Task Definition-The students, as mentioned above, will chose a type of person/role in society to do a project on. The purpose of reading //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> (GM! SL!) is to introduce to them the varying roles in society and how they all work or interact with one another as well as what they might think about each other. The teacher must facilitate and assist in their choosing because there needs to be a variety of roles chosen. If there are about 20 students per class then no more than 4 people can pick nobility, etc. Once the class has been divided up have them form groups, all the peasants together, etc. Once they are in their groups have them each chose a different role within that class such as clergy: monk, nun, priest, bishop, etc. The basics of this project are for the students to research this specific type of person, such as a miller, and discover as much as they can and figure out a creative way to present this information. The groups will be meeting together to compare information they have found to see the similarities and differences between the various people under the same social umbrella to expand their understanding. Each individual student will be responsible for presenting something to the entire class, preferably visual. Suggestions for final products: PowerPoint presentation, 3-D model of the person's home or work, painting/drawing, a journal of what that person may have gone through (if they knew how to write!), or any other creative product they come up with (with approval from teacher).
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Medieval Unit from textbook-This information most likely includes information regarding the feudal and manorial systems; how kingdoms/empires began, expanded, and perhaps vanished; as well as the role that politics and religion played on the society and influenced their culture, which the students need to understand in order to meet the Indiana State Academic Standard 6.1.4. Also, the Americas were discovered by Europeans during this time. The class will no doubt have discussions on what sorts of people moved to the Americas after its discovery and why the chose to leave Europe. After these lectures/discussions it may be a good idea to have the students meet in their groups to discuss how the information that was just presented affects the people they have chosen to do their project on.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">PE Teacher: Instruct students on various highland sports and other medieval games such as caber toss, weight throw, sheaf toss, jousting, archery, skittles, stoolbar, etc. Find one or two that can be easily taught and played either inside the gym or outside on a field or playground.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Music Teacher: Teach the children about medieval musical instruments and minstrels. Find at least one song to teach the children. You may also want to include that some nursery rhymes they might have learned growing up date back to Medieval Times such as //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Ring-a-ring-a-rosies //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">, which is a song about the Black Plague.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Session Two (45-60) minutes: The next two stages of the Big6- //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">I //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">nformation Seeking Strategies, // <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">L ////<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">ocation and Access, and Use of Informtaion. // <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Students will also be using <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">metacognition // <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> as <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Give a brief mini lesson on plagiarism for those who make it into the Use of Information stage.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[[file:Brief Speech on Plagiarism 6th grade.docx]]
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Information Seeking Strategies-Once the students are seating have them brainstorm on a blank sheet of paper what types of resources they may need to look for to find the information they need. Some possible answers may include: books, webpages, articles, or even interviewing a member of the local <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">[|SCA] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> (Society for Creative Anachronism). [Side Note: According the <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">[|SCA] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">'s website this is what they are all about, " <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The SCA is an international organization dedicated to researching and re-creating the arts and skills of pre-17th-century Europe. Our "Known World" consists of 19 kingdoms, with over 30,000 members residing in countries around the world. Participants, dressed in clothing of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, attend events which may feature tournaments, arts exhibits, classes, workshops, dancing, feasts, and more. Our "royalty" hold courts at which they recognize and honor members for their contributions to the group."] This is one resource the Media Specialist will need to include on any handouts given as the students may have never heard of this society.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Location and Access-The students should now search for resources. They may need some assistance in coming up with good search words. Help them brainstorm some ideas so they are doing most of the work and you're not giving them the answers. Encourage the students to not get all of their information from one resource or one type of resource (the internet). For those searching on the web, be sure they are using the checklist to determine whether or not the site is a quality resource. Make several copies of the checklist available, one checklist per website. It is probably a good idea to have them write the web address at the top of the page. The Media Specialist should be roaming around the room and available for assistance. Once the students have found several valuable resources it is time to move into the next stage: <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',tahoma,verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Use of Information // <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Use of Information-All students may not reach this stage during this session, which is fine. For those who do make it to this level, have them not only glance through books and other references but note to them that they should be looking through the indexes and tables of content. Once they are doing this "they must engage each source (read, view or listen) and extract specific information from it through the application of note taking, highlighting, and summarizing," ("Big Six Information Skills," ALA, 2006). Since students are not allowed to highlight or underline library books, provide post-it notes for them to place on materials instead.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Art Teacher: During regularly scheduled art class give an overview of medieval art and have the student complete a project, such as making "stained glass" windows with tissue paper.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Final Presentations given in class. Have every student fill out a peer review during each presentation. Mix up groups afterwards placing one student from each group with one student from each other the other groups and have them discuss what they learned from each other's presentations. Have them journal or blog about this experience and have them include it with their final product.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Trek up to the high school for a Medieval Feast with the high school World History class!

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/slmrb/slmrcontents/volume62003/bigsixinformation.cfm (Accessed March 27, 2010) Document ID: 202811 **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">"Big Six Information Skills,"American Library Association, September 27, 2006.

>>>
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**High School World History** **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">: **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;">World History Teacher & Newspaper Director: Have the newspaper director come for the first 10-15 minutes of class and instruct the class on the basics of journalism. Before he/she speaks tell the students about the assignment and what they will be working on over the next two weeks. This is not meant to be a substitute for actually taking the journalism classes offered but is intended to give the basic ideas so the class is better suited to complete their assignment. When the newspaper director leaves have the students brainstorm some ideas of what topics they might like to explore for their article. They may want to flip through their textbook including the table of contents of chapters that discuss medieval times/Middle Ages/Dark Ages and search through the index. It may also be helpful for the teacher to write a few suggestions on the board. The teacher should remind them that only one person can cover each topic so they should pick two or three in case theirs get taken. Have the students come up one at a time when they think they may have decided on their topic. Not everyone needs to decide today, but they should have it narrowed down by tomorrow. Announce that tomorrow the class will spend the entire period in the library. The Media Specialist will give them some basic research reminders and will be available for answering questions. At the end of the class period read aloud the list of topics so that those who have not yet chosen know which topics to avoid.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;">Session One-Media Center: Meet class at the door and tell them to have a seat. Once everyone is seated give a mini lesson on plagiarism and briefly discuss www.TurnItIn.com which the school now uses on all research assignments to ensure you are handing in original work. Pass out several copies of the //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;">Information Credibility Checklist //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;"> and a blank sheet of paper to each student as well as the Big6 brochure. Have the students think about their topics for a moment and what sort of questions they would like to answer through their research. Where might they look to find these answers? Are there experts in the field they could email or websites ran by experts they could explore? Have them write down their ideas of possible resources in their brochure so they have a "map" to follow so they are not searching the internet and catalog willy-nilly.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> [[file:Brief Speech on Plagiarism HS.docx]]
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;">Be available! Walk around the library and aid students in finding good search terms. Point out the medieval sections of the library (art, history, religion, etc.).
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;">Look for the //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;">lost //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;"> students and ask them what their topics are. Point them in the right direction, get them started and then check back with them later.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;">Students at this age may be better quipped, reading level wise, to use scholarly journal articles for research. Many times articles can be written at such a high level that younger students have a hard time following them. High school students should have little issue with this. For this and most religious materials they may need to go to their public library. If possible, it may be a good idea to pull a few articles for the students who have no way of getting to the library on their own.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;">Due to the brevity of their assignment, encyclopedias (NOT Wikipedia) may be very helpful. At this stage in their education they should not need you to show them where everything is or how to look it up. Be careful not to do anything for anyone that they cannot do themselves. Guide them but make sure they do the work. If we hand-hold too much they will not be ready for college!
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;">The articles should be submitted electronically if possible so a magazine can actually be made. Once a rough draft is done for the magazine print a copy for each person in the class...it will serve as their study guide for this unit's test.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-weight: normal;">The last hurrah for the unit is joining the 6th grade students in the cafeteria for a special Medieval Feast.

**<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Learner Materials and Student Performance/Self-Assessment:
 * [[file:Information Credibility Checklist.docx]]


 * [[file:Big6 Handout.pub]]


 * [[file:Big6 Handout inside.pub]]


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**6th grade**
 * [[file:Medieval Times Project checklist handout.docx]]
 * **World History-High School**
 * [[file:Medieval Times SelfAssessment HS.docx]]

**
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Student Products:
 * 6th grade
 * [[file:Medieval Christian Nuns.pptx]]
 * **High School World History**
 * [[file:The Medieval Times magazine cover.docx]]
 * [[file:Great Schism.pub]]

**<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Feedback:
 * To determine the success of the units for both grade levels I would meet with the teachers involved. For the 6th graders, I added a question to their project checklist that is meant to determine their opinion of the project overall. What they liked or did not like. What they would do differently next time, etc. Having the students' opinion is very important. Maybe is was not nearly as fun as we thought it would be. Maybe it was a lot of fun. We'd like to know! Also, the students would be reviewing each other during the presentations. Student feedback in this manner allows the teacher to know how the intended audience is receiving the information. Did they learn anything new? Was the presentation helpful?
 * Likewise, I want to know how the 6th grade teachers felt about the assignment. After the student evaluations of the project have been read I want to see what the teachers think. Was it too much? Do we need to cut back next year? Do we need to add more? What about the feast at the high school? If some teachers love it and other hate it, should we leave out the naysayers from all the fun? How will their students feel? I think I'd like to meet with them all together so we can all share ideas of what we'd like to keep and what we'd like to change. Also, for the elementary side, I'd like to meet with the other special teachers (library-myself, art, music, and p.e.) to discuss how this unit went for them and what they'd like to do for next year if anything at all.
 * For the high school World History class I would meet with the teacher and see what he/she thinks about the unit. What would he/she like from me next year? How can I help prepare the students? How did the magazine project go? Did they do well on their test? What was the meal like for his students? Did they enjoy eating with the 6th graders or is that something that should be discontinued?
 * Student opinions of the units as well as their unit test scores should speak to how successful the unit actually was. All parties need to be flexible in rearranging, adding, and subtracting to make the learning experience optimal for the students.


 * [[file:6th grade Peer Review.docx]]


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Lesson Comparison: **


 * The overall units for both grade levels are very different. The 6th graders' unit seems a bit bigger but I think this is because it encompasses and entire grade whereas the high school class may just be 20-30 people and they only have it for one semester. Spending the same amount of time and effort on the Middle Ages as the 6th graders are able to would be a waste of time. Unlike the elementary students, the high schoolers have some freedom to choose their classes and may not currently be enrolled in an art, music, or gym class and therefore, would not have the total immersion effect that their younger counterparts would be exposed to. The material discussed is drastically different and much more complex at the high school level. The high schoolers are learning about how Christianity and other religions spread throughout Europe during this time and analyzing how this affected every aspect of the people's lives. They learn more in depth about the Greeks and the Romans and how their cultures and empires influenced England and the other European countries. The sixth graders learn more basic facts such as the feudal system and forms of money used for purchases. They also got to experience Medieval music, art, and sports in a way that may not have been fully appreciated by high schoolers.
 * While I used the same AASL Standards and many of the same handouts for both age groups, the ways the students use them and perform are much different. The creativity of a 12 year old compared to that of a 16-18 year old should look much different. The older students have a much higher expectation placed on their performance than the 6th graders do. A 6th grader who writes a half page on what a medieval sniggler is would be completely unacceptable in the World History class. Both classes did focus on collaborative efforts within the classroom which prepares them for life in general. The 6th graders were in small groups of 4-5 and just to discuss what they've been learning whereas the high schoolers are expected to create a final product that is such a high quality that it could be used as a study guide for the entire class. They work individually for the whole which is a great lesson to learn.

Substancail Wiki Addition-Justin MacMillan**

Addittional Level of examination 8th graders

Not a neccisary part of their curriculum in this grade, but can be used if the teacher or Media Specialist believe it would be helpful. Have in this grade an oveview of what happened during Medieval Times while, spending more time explaing the complexity of specific events. Events like the 1060 invasion of England, The Hundred Year War, or the Black Death. This are important events and giving more infomation helps in their learning. For these grades more would be expected than from the 6th graders, but less than the High School Students. They would be following the standards shown in other lessons. This grade is supposed to learn more from what has already been taught to them, seen in both AASL standards and Indiana Education Standards. They would take what they learned in teh 6th grade on Medieval Europe society to both expand what they are learning about these events and put them into context. These lessons would perhaps be more of a review than teaching he broad strocks, but they will let the students know more about the specific events that happened. This will help them to understand the past better and improve their ability to continue this learning in the High School Lesson. It would also be in this grade that they would work at the Library, with the Media Specialist, to start doing some research into medieval times with the databases. This seems like a good grade to have first see attempts at understanding the past and not just learning what happened. These kinds of databases and articles would be very useful in many future classes and introducing the students to them would be helpful.