• Transform Your Classroom: Have students research the architectural elements and styles of the Medieval period and decorate the inside and outside of the classroom with murals, models, posters, photographs, props, and other materials based on the architecture, people and events of that period. For example, if students want to create a castle, they can illustrate a mural of the front edifice of the castle and attach it to the outside wall of the classroom. The entrance door can serve as a drawbridge to the inside of the castle, which could be decorated for a Medieval feast. 
• Dress the Part: On Medieval Day, have students come dressed as Medieval folkfrom peasants to royalty. To prepare for the day, have students research the clothing and fashion of the period (fabric, styles, methods of fabrication, utility, etc.). You may want to bring in fabric, lace, ribbons, and other materials so that students can design and make their own outfits.

• Discover the Age: Divide the class into several groups and instruct each group to research a particular aspect of the Age. Art, entertainment, cuisine, work, government, travel, housing, religion, and economy are some examples of topics students could research. Make sure that students understand that they should thoroughly look into how a particular topic affects each social class. For example, students who want to find out about cuisine in the Middle Ages should find out what upper class people ate (and how it was prepared) as well as how peasants fared in this area. On Medieval Day, each group should give a presentation based on their area of study. Be sure to allow students the freedom to pick how they would like to present their material. Some might want to act out a short play or present dramatic monologues while others might want to present something more like a lecture. Encourage students to bring in props. 

• Have a Feast: Don't forget to invite students to bring a Medieval dish (or something that might approximate it). Whatever it may be, be sure to serve the feast on bread plates as they did in the middle ages. If a student group has chosen to research cuisine, have those students orchestrate the feast, giving other class members some ideas for what to bring. 

© 2000, Creative Learning Press, Inc. 

Related Resources:

Knights & Castles by Avery Hart and Paul Mantell. $10.95. Order No. 861
Fun with Architecture by David Elsen. $22.50. Order No. 897