Unit outline Subject and Year level Time frame and duration

Medieval Europe (c. 590 – c. 1500) History – Year 8 8 Weeks (5 x 45 min lessons / per week)

Background information (context for learning including cohort)

Year 8 HASS Class: 22 Students: 6 Boys, 16 Girls ages 13-14, Mixed ability class. 1 SHIP student, 1 with Asperger’s,
four with identified but non-supported learning/literacy difficulties, two EALD students, five with ONE Plans.

AC strands for (insert curriculum area )

Humanities and Social Sciences - History (Year 8)

AC band level description excerpt

Year 8 Level Description

The ancient to the modern world
The Year 8 curriculum provides a study of history from the end of the ancient period to the beginning of the
modern period, c.650– 1750 AD (CE). This was when major civilisations around the world came into contact with
each other. Social, economic, religious and political beliefs were often challenged and significantly changed. It was
the period when the modern world began to take shape.
The content provides opportunities to develop historical understanding through key concepts, including evidence,
continuity and change, cause and effect, perspectives, empathy, significance and contestability. These concepts
may be investigated within a particular historical context to facilitate an understanding of the past and to provide
a focus for historical inquiries.
The history content at this year level involves two strands: historical knowledge and understanding, and historical
skills. These strands are interrelated and have been developed to be taught in an integrated way, and in ways that
are appropriate to specific local contexts. The order and detail in which they are taught are programming
decisions.
Key inquiry questions
A framework for developing students’ historical knowledge, understanding and skills is provided by inquiry
questions through the use and interpretation of sources. The key inquiry questions for Year 8 are:
 How did societies change from the end of the ancient period to the beginning of the modern age?
 What key beliefs and values emerged and how did they influence societies?
 What were the causes and effects of contact between societies in this period?
 Which significant people, groups and ideas from this period have influenced the world today?

Unit purpose and focus AC achievement standard

By the end of Year 8, students recognise and explain patterns of change

and continuity over time. They explain the causes and effects of events and
developments. They identify the motives and actions of people at the time.
Students explain the significance of individuals and groups and how they
were influenced by the beliefs and values of their society. They describe
different interpretations of the past.

Students sequence events and developments within a chronological

framework with reference to periods of time. When researching, students
develop questions to frame a historical inquiry. They analyse, select and
organise information from primary and secondary sources and use it
as evidence to answer inquiry questions. Students identify and explain
different points of view in sources. When interpreting sources, they
 identify their origin and purpose, and distinguish between fact and opinion.
Students develop texts, particularly descriptions and explanations,
incorporating analysis. In developing these texts, and organising and
presenting their findings, they use historical terms and
concepts, evidence identified in sources, and acknowledge their sources of
information.

Content descriptors

Historical Knowledge and Understanding:

Medieval Europe (c.590 – c.1500)

The way of life in Medieval Europe (social, cultural, economic and political features) and the roles and
relationships of different groups in society (ACDSEH008 - Scootle )

Significant developments and/or cultural achievements, such as changing relations between Islam and the West
(including the Crusades), architecture, medieval manuscripts and music (ACDSEH050 - Scootle )

Continuity and change in society in ONE of the following areas: crime and punishment; military and defence
systems; towns, cities and commerce (ACDSEH051 - Scootle )

Dominance of the Catholic Church and the role of significant individuals such as Charlemagne (ACDSEH052 -
Scootle )

Historical Skills:

General Capabilities

The following elements of the general capabilities and cross-curriculum perspectives are covered:

(Darken /highlight the relevant application)

 Literacy  Numeracy  ICT

Comprehending texts Calculating and Estimating Applying social and ethical protocols and
practices

Grammar Knowledge Recognising and using patterns and

relationships Investigating with ICT

Visual Knowledge
Using fractions, decimals, percentages , Creating with ICT
ratios and rates

Composing texts
Communicating with ITC
Using spatial reasoning
 Managing and operating ICT

Word Knowledge Interpreting and drawing conclusions from

statistical information.

Text Knowledge
Using measurement

 Critical and creative thinking  Ethical understanding  Personal and social capability
Inquiring – identify, explore, organise Understanding ethical concepts and issues Self-awareness
information and ideas

Reasoning in decision making and actions Self-management

Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
Social awareness

Exploring values, rights and responsibilities

Reflecting on thinking and processes
Social management

Analysing, synthesising and evaluating

reasoning and procedures

 Intercultural understanding
Recognising culture and developing respect

Interacting with and empathising with others

Reflecting on intercultural experiences and taking responsibility

Cross-Curriculum Priorities

(highlight or tick those relevant to unit of work)

□Living communities

□Identity

 Aboriginal and Torres Strait □People

islander histories and cultures
□Culture

□Country/place

□Asia and it’s diversity

 Asia and Australia’s engagement
with Asia □Achievements and contributions of the peoples of Asia
 □Australia/Asia engagement

□Systems

□World views
 Sustainability
□Futures

□Communication

□Teamwork

□Using Technology
GRADUATE QUALITIES
□Citizenship Initiative & Enterprise incl. problem solving
There are opportunities for students to
demonstrate the following within the unit
□Planning & Organising incl. Self-management
concept. (Tick the appropriate)

□Personal Development incl. Learning

Careers/World of Work Context

□ Opportunities for learning in relation to Careers/the World of Work

Unit Outline

Assessment
Weeks Tasks and activities
focus/evidence

Lesson 1 & 2: The way of life in Medieval

Early Middle Ages & Medieval Vocabulary (Introduction) Europe (social, cultural,
1 economic and political
Introductory task: 10 minutes features) and the roles and
relationships of different
 Set the time period playing medieval music, showing photos of the groups in society
characteristics of medieval society (ACDSEH008 – Scootle )
 Students write down 5 words they associate with this music and the pictures
followed by brief discussion – find out what they are curious about

Explicit teaching: 10 minutes

 The fall of the Roman Empire and the Early Middle Ages (Dark Ages)
 Visual representation of significant events

Activity: 15 minutes

 Students build an early/brief timeline (4 significant events; fall of empire,

Pope Gregory elected)

Explicit teaching: 10 minutes

 Vocabulary of ‘The Middle Ages’ and ‘Medieval Europe’

 Start building the word wall to refer to in the classroom
Activity: 15 minutes

 Fact or Fiction exercise (Pearson S.B.)

 Followed by discussion; why did people hold these beliefs?

Explicit teaching: 15 minutes

 The spread of the Catholic Church after the fall of the Roman Empire –
videos! Make it fun!

Lesson 3 & 4:
Feudal Society

Introductory Task: 10 minutes

 Add to vocabulary wall defining ‘feudalism’ and ‘social pyramid’

 Provide visuals and ask students to relate this to modern society to
promote debate

Explicit Teaching: 20 minutes

 Feudalism and Feudal Society

 As a class we will build a social pyramid (use videos, visuals, key words to
add to vocabulary) – new terminology eg. Serfs

Activity: 15 minutes

 Each table is assigned a role and as a group they must come up with a
description of what that person might look like (can use computers) – this
will need task sheet/instructions; what are they wearing etc (blank
person, they can draw all over)

Feedback: 10 minutes

 Groups will feed back to the class and we will annotate our social
pyramid, students can get creative and draw, or write words

Explicit Teaching: 5 minutes

 Summarise characteristics/aspects of daily lives – provide instructions for

next activity

Activity: Formative Assessment

 Mix & Match – mixture of phrases and diagrams to match with a blank
social pyramid
 For marking (comment only) to check for understanding before moving
forward

Lesson 5:
Roles of individuals in Medieval Europe

Introductory Task: 10 minutes

 Overview of what was covered last lesson and review of vocabulary (could
make a crossword for this week or next depending on progress – those
who finish quicker)
 Clarify any points of concern from formative assessment

Explicit instructions for the task: 5 minutes

 Who am I? Who are you? Where do I belong? – students are given a role
card but they are not told where they sit in the feudal society
 Students must interact with other people with different roles to get to
know one another
 Activity: 15 minutes

 Students role play their character

 You may ask each other two questions only to find out more about them
(choose wisely!) You may write down what you have found out – then
move on to the next person (could set up as speed dating layout?)

Activity: 10 minutes

 Students will need to figure out where each other belong in the feudal
system – by placing each other at different table groups

Conclusion and Feedback: 10 minutes

 Students will be told who they are one by one

 Points of difference and clarity addressed
 Relate back to the characteristics discussed last lesson

Lesson 6 & 7: Perspectives and

Medieval Jobs interpretations:
2 Identify and describe points
Introductory task: of view, attitudes and values
 Crossword for Medieval Europe vocabulary in primary and secondary
 Refer to the word wall sources

Explicit Teaching:
 Worst jobs in Medieval History – think about jobs you would not want to
do in the modern day
 Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JaxlCjuzqE&t=3s
Noting the title of each job mentioned

Activity:
 Choose one job from the documentary and use a mind-map to
demonstrate how you would feel undertaking that job (remember the
reasons you stated you wouldn’t want to work somewhere at the
beginning of the lesson – encourage students to take on the historical
individual’s perspective and interpretations)

Conclusion:
 Class feedback and discussion
 Exit card of 1 job you did not research and 3 words to describe them

Lesson 8 & 9
Historical Perspectives & Introduce Summative Assessment

Introductory task: 10 minutes

 The importance of historical perspectives: break down into emotions,
point of view and differing interpretations
 Warm up task: using emojis to react to an experience (prompt with
pictures, funny video, sad story)

Explicit teaching & Activity:

Break down each component/simplify
 Brief story of a serf and the story of a king in Medieval Europe
 Using a table (worksheet) students will be given time and prompted to
respond to this story by breaking up the following -
 How would we describe the emotions each individual felt (sad/happy),
What was their point of view (using first person) and how did each show
different interpretations (same story – two different views)
 Define how historical perspectives offer ‘good’ and ‘bad’ sides of history

Introduce Assignment 1:
 Run through instructions
  Emphasis creativity
 Break down each component and the rubric
 Run through an exemplar

Students will be given time to brainstorm

 By the end of the lesson decide upon the role they will select and how
they will characterise this perspective

Lesson 10
Assignment 1

Introductory task:
 Answergarden – answer the question ‘As a serf I feel….’
 Questions pop up on the projector – consider historical perspective
 Answergarden – answer the question ‘As a serf, I think the king is…’
 Questions pop up on the projector – consider relationship between
individuals in feudal society

Classroom feedback:
 Clarifying questions about assignment
 Show exemplar again

Time for students absent to check in and run through assignment. Time for
students to work on their assignment.

3 Lesson 11 & 12 Numeracy

Time to finish Assignment 1
Continuity and change in
Introductory task: society in ONE of the
 Provide students with a checklist of what needs to be including in their following areas: crime and
assignment punishment
 Clarify

Time for students to work on Assignment

Lesson 13 & 14
Finish Assignment 1

Assignment 1 to be due at end of lesson – if students look like they will finish by
end of first lesson start lesson on the changing relationship between Islam and the
West
 Mapping exercise
 Catholic church control and influence over Feudal society (repetition)
 Contextualise religion in history – add to vocabulary, build a brief
understanding
 The significance of Jerusalem to both religions

Lesson 15
The Crusades

Introductory task:
 Set up the classroom as a battle (half/half) with Jerusalem in the middle
 Students have characteristics associated with either side and need to
figure out what religion they belong to

Activity:
 Once students correctly identify whether they are on the West or the East
side, students will be given descriptions of events which characterised the
Crusades – speak aloud in class followed by historical context
 Explicit teaching:
 The Crusades; how it all began
Exit card:
 Check for understanding (3, 2, 1)

Lesson 16 & 17: Chronology, terms and

Changing relationship of the West and East concepts:
4 Sequence historical events,
Introductory task: developments and periods

 Characterising war and battles Historical questions and

 What do we know? What do we want to know? Build a mindmap as a research:
class Identify and locate relevant
sources, using ICT and other
Explicit teaching: methods
 The Crusades overview
 Dates provided on a timeline
Explanation and
Activity: 5 minutes communication:
Develop texts, particularly
 Students use different colours to represent which period of time is the descriptions and explanations
first, second, third etc. crusade (recognise chronologically) that use evidence from a
range of sources that are
Explicit teaching:
acknowledged
 Case study of two significant individuals in the Crusades

Introduce activity: Formative Task

 Choose one significant individuals from the Crusades and create a profile
for them (get creative – an advertisement selling them, a social media
profile, a cartoon clipping from a newspaper) – provide template with
prompts (My name is… etc.)
 What did they do in the Crusades
 Who are they
 Why are they important

Lesson 18 & 19:

Formative Assessment & Sources

Lesson 18: Finish formative assessment – use research to find out about them

Lesson 19:
Explicit teaching:

 Primary and Secondary Sources in history

Class activity:

 Run through the origin and purpose of a primary and secondary source as
a class (using examples from Medieval Europe of

Activity:

 Imagine your profile is a primary or secondary source

 Use table to describe the origin and purpose of this as a source

Lesson 20:
Source Analysis (Assignment 2)
Paintings, speeches (shortened), facts, drawings from Medieval Europe with
questions. Final question to describe the origin and purpose.
5 Lesson 21 & 22: Dominance of the Catholic
Finish Source Analysis & Kahoot Church and the role of
significant individuals such as
Lesson 21: finish source analysis Charlemagne

Lesson 22: kahoot to check understanding and review events/people/culture prior

discussed
Analysis and use of sources:
Time for students to finish crossword on vocabulary Identify the origin and
purpose of primary and
Lesson 23 & 24: secondary sources
Introductory task: Draw conclusions about the
usefulness of sources
 Display facts and figures/images of events we have discussed prior in class
 See what students can remember (relate back to images in source
analysis)

Introduce group task:

 Assignment 3 – Timeline task

 Establish group norms: students may work in pairs or groups of 3 but
must split up the events equally
 Students will be given information of important events in Medieval
history and will need to provide the date (research required) and an
image on a timeline
 Brief description of event

Lesson 25 & 26:

Time to finish Assignment 3

Lesson 27:

Assignment 3 due – Students have the lesson to complete; however, if finished will
be given a task to research Medieval music and architecture

6 Lesson 28 & 29:

Lesson 28: Medieval music and architecture

Lesson 29: Medieval crime and punishment (how it changed)

Lesson 30 & 31:

Historical artefacts

Find artefacts (images) from the historical time period – relate to what we already
know

Gallery walk of ideas – students use post-it notes to brainstorm various artefacts
from Medieval Europe – will need essential questions like ‘what weapons were
used in the Crusades?’ etc. Post it notes stuck on the wall – students walk through
the gallery of ideas

Introduce Assignment 4: Constructing an artefact

Lesson 32:

Time to work on artefact and description for museum

Justify artefact (come up with a fact sheet to describe the artefact – where it was
found, what it was used for, who would have come in contact with this in society –
role of that individual) Show students the difference between grades, describing is
a pass, justifying this artefact’s place in history demonstrates a greater
understanding.
7 Lesson 33 & 34: Explanation and
communication:
Time to work on Assignment 4 Develop texts, particularly
descriptions and explanations
Lesson 35 & 36: that use evidence from a
range of sources that are
Finish off Assignment 4 - submit description ready for approval by museum curator
acknowledged
Lesson 37:
Use a range of
The museum is open! – Peer feedback and self-assessment communication forms (oral,
Handing up of Assignment 4 graphic, written)

8 Lesson 38 – 39:

Summarise what we know about the Medieval era

Run through the Black Death powerpoint

Talk about remedies, reflect on prior understanding of medicine and remedies!

Create your own using the template

Use the ‘RemediesBlackDeath.pdf’ as example

Pair task: Define ‘living conditions’

Venn Diagram on our living conditions today and the Medieval times

Use the pdfs; overview of life and pages 1 - 3 to inform you

Extension task: games of powerpoint (Slides 25-27)

Lesson 40 & 41:

Summarise black death

Define ‘living conditions’

Venn diagram pair task

Peasants Revolt reading - Individual task

Lesson 42:

Review of content and wink murder game