MIDDLE AGES PUPPET SHOW

GS-2.5 Summarize the functions of feudalism and manorialism in medieval Europe, including the creation of nation-states as feudal institutions helped monarchies to centralize power and the evolution of the relationship between the secular states and Roman Catholic Church.

Purpose: Students work in groups to create an original puppet show illustrating the functions of feudalism and manorialism in Medieval Europe. Their demonstration must also address the struggles between monarchs and the Roman Catholic Church as well as the role of women in society.

Process: Students will complete the following activities.
Students will research feudalism, manorialism, nation-states and monarchies, the Roman Catholic Church, and the role of women in feudal society. See handout
Students will use their research to determine these elements of their puppet show:

Characters: One of which must be a woman.
Clergy Member
Nobility/King/Queen
Knight
Serf
Other

Plot: All puppet shows must address a conflict typical for the Middle Ages, ie. struggles between kings and the church, wars among kingdoms, participation in the Crusades, etc.

Script: Create your script on a separate sheet of paper. Make sure you include cues for what to do with your puppets, who is speaking, what is being said, and emotion cues.

Setting: Using what you know about a Manor, create a setting using multi-media or arts and crafts for your puppet show. Make sure the setting matches the action taking place.
Remember everyone must create a puppet and speak in the puppet show. One person can serve as a narrator if needed but must still use a puppet.

Greece Museum Project

Mrs. Ledford, a colleague of mine in the social studies department at the BFA, uses the following project with her Global Studies students. I have decided to use it with my students this semester as well. Examples of student work from both of our classes are provided in the pictures.

Students are assigned groups based on the topic they will be researching concerning ancient Greece. Topics include: geography, government, city-states, contributions, economy, and religion. Each group will display their information as well as appropriate illustrations or maps on a tri-fold presentation board. The exhibits will be centrally located in the multi-purpose room at our school for students and teachers school wide to enjoy. Each group project must also include an interactive component in which the group members interact with the information they are presenting as well as their audience. This may be accomplished through a variety of methods including technology and the arts. The project addresses various levels of Bloom's taxonomy including knowledge, application, evaluation, and create. Students were given exactly one week to work on these projects during class time with their partners. On the due date groups presented their exhibits to the class and set them up in the multi-porpose room creating their museum. As students toured the museum and listened to presentations of exhibits, they also completed an assessment with questions from each topic addressed in the projects. If you would like more information about this project please email me or check out the notes and documents section of my other website, http://teacherweb.com/SC/JFByrnesHS/MsShulersGlobalStudies/photo1.stm.

The Punic Wars

Students will use either visual art or storytelling to demonstrate an understanding of the major events of the Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage.

Students may choose between the following options:

• Draw a cartoon with at least six frames illustrating the major people and events of the Punic Wars. Make sure to include captions and color.
  
• Pretend you are either a Roman or Carthaginian soldier at the end of the Third Punic War. Write a letter to a loved one explaining the history of the wars, your role in it, and how you feel about the outcome.
  

Students must include the following information in your product in some way:

• Who was involved in the wars?
• Major people, places, battles, or events
• Who won each war?
• Effects of the wars
  
  
  
  
  

  

Hinduism and Buddhism Song

Standard GS-1.4 Explain the impact of religion in classical Indian civilization, including Hinduism and the effects of its beliefs and practices on daily life, changes that occurred as a result of Buddhist teachings, and the influence of religion on culture and politics.

Students are expected to understand the basic beliefs of the two major world religions that emerged in ancient India, Hinduism and Buddhism. They also must apply this knowledge of the basic beliefs to describe the impact they had on culture, politics, and daily life. I decided to introduce the two religions through a song that outlines the basic similarities and differences between the two faiths. It is set to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” since most students are familiar with it. The words are as follows:

India has 2 religions
Hinduism and Buddhism
Both believe in karma, dharma,
ahimsa, and reincarnation

Hinduism is the oldest one
with thousands of gods but no founder
3 of the most important are
Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva

Unlike Hinduism,
Buddhism rejects the caste system
They offer hope to all who
want to achieve nirvana

India has 2 religions
Hinduism and Buddhism
Both believe in karma, dharma,
ahimsa, and reincarnation

Students then take the information from the song and learn what each key term means and how they relate to the major beliefs and characteristics of that religion. Once they have learned the meanings of all the lyrics they then organize their information into a Venn diagram. Students will eventually use this information to write a formal essay comparing and contrasting the two religions.

Religions of India Acrostic Poem

Standard GS-1.4 Explain the impact of religion in classical Indian civilization, including Hinduism and the effects of its beliefs and practices on daily life, changes that occurred as a result of Buddhist teachings, and the influence of religion on culture and politics.

Once students have learned the basics for Hinduism and Buddhism they will be asked to review the information they have learned through poetry. Students will take the letters that spell the two religions and write them down the left side of a piece of paper to create a framework for an acrostic poem. Students will write phrases or sentences about that religion beginning with each letter that spells out the word. The following is a compilation of some of the statements that my students came up with for Hinduism:

H indus believe in reincarnation
I ndia is where Hinduism was born
N on-violence is called ahimsa
D harma is the divine law
U nion through yoga
I ndividual souls are reborn in different forms after death
S hiva, Brahma, and Vishnu are three major gods
M oksha is escape from the cycle of rebirth


B uddha is the Enlightened One
U nderstanding suffering in the Four Noble Truths
D harma is not connected to the caste system
D o not believe in violence
H ope of Nirvana for all
I ndia is where Buddhsm began
S acred text called Tripitaka
M iddle Way or Eightfold Path

Teaching the Caste System Through Drama

Caste System Role Play

Each student is assigned a level of the Indian caste system to research.

• Technology Extension: Students will gather information concerning their caste’s religious duties, daily activities, and interaction with other castes.
  

Once the information is gathered, students will get together in groups with the other students who were assigned the same group and create a play based on their research to introduce their caste to the other students in the class.

• Each group should have between 3 and 5 students.
• All members of the group must participate in the skit in some way.
  The groups will brainstorm various ways to demonstrate what life was like for those in their assigned caste and choose the idea that they like best.
• Students will then write a short script of what they plan to do and say.
• Skits should last between 2-5 minutes and may include props, scenery, and/or music.

Why I am blogging

I have spent the last 18 months working on my Masters’ in Curriculum and Instruction from Lesley University. The program that I have participated in emphasizes the role of the arts in a content area classroom. I have always believed that learning can be challenging while also being fun and engaging. The techniques and strategies I have learned throughout my graduate studies make that possible in new and exciting ways. Students in my Global Studies classes will be exposed to a variety of learning experiences that include various art mediums. In an effort to stimulate all of the Multiple Intelligences we will use poetry, drama, music, visual art, dance and creative movement, storytelling, and technology throughout the semester. Sometimes the arts will be used as a teaching tool to help students grasp a topic or concept while other times students will present the information they have already learned to the class through the arts. I plan to blog about the various arts integrated experiences on this website over the course of the year and hopefully encourage other teachers to use the arts as way to motivate all students.


It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.
- Albert Einstein