A group of adults, dressed in authentic medieval costumes, organize and stage a full-scale battle at a local park; weapons (made from foam), roles, and medieval speech are all part of the event. This is known as "Live Action Role Play" -- more commonly referred to as "LARP." Although many settings and scenarios have been used…

For quite some time, research on the use of the History of Mathematics in the classroom has confirmed a lot of academic benefits for students. However, the History of Mathematics can also be used as an inclusion tool in classrooms where there are foreign students because it allows working with the specific contexts of other cultures. This article…

Madrasa is the living form of an educational system which thrived in the past. It remained unaware of the swiftness of progress and development which came about in other walks of life and the education that was being imparted through it was also kept away from any change and innovation. As a result, the "madrasa," to some extent, fell…

McDougall found learning about Stephen and Matilda fascinating, was sure that her pupils would also and designed an enquiry to engage them in "the anarchy" of 1139-1153 AD. Pupils enjoyed exploring "the anarchy" and learning about it enhanced their knowledge and understanding of the medieval period considerably. However,…

The topics of Columbus's voyages of exploration, the first encounters between Amerindians and Europeans, and the ensuing collision of their respective worlds provide ample opportunities for creative and stimulating pedagogical approaches that go beyond the stale memorization of dates, places, and names. This essay and accompanying classroom…

Teaching history should not be reciting an endless list of dead men, entombed between the covers of a textbook. Instead, "Breaking Away from the Textbook" offers a fascinating journey through world history. Not a comprehensive, theory-heavy guide, this book focuses on active classroom activities, methods for students to grapple with humanity's…

Teaching history should not simply be an endless recitation of irrelevant facts, entombed between the covers of a textbook. Instead, "Breaking Away from the Textbook" offers a fascinating journey through world history. Not a comprehensive, theory-heavy guide, this book instead focuses on exciting classroom activities, methods for students to…

During spring semester 2010, a long-standing upper-division lecture course, Medieval Cities of Europe, 500-1500 CE, underwent a course transformation. The goal was to address specific challenges with student engagement that the authors had experienced in the course in the past; their overarching strategy was to introduce technology into the course…

A high school teacher describes a class project which replaced customary research papers. The high school seniors prepared a medieval banquet, a project which involved intensive research. Useful research sources on costumes, decorations, food, and general information for such a project are listed. (DB)

Titles of the teacher developed units are: students write constitutions reflecting liberal and conservative views; a guide to the draft; and, life in medieval times. (VW)

A teaching unit to help students explore daily life during the Middle Ages is presented. Techniques for teaching about the medieval social structure, feudal rights and objectives, living arrangements, agricultural practices, and suggestions for building a replica of a medieval village are included. (PP)

Describes three humanities activities, designed using the 1981 "California History/Social Science Framework," in which seventh-grade social studies students study medieval culture. Students design personal coats-of-arms, play a typical medieval game, listen to medieval stories and myths, and draw or illustrate stories using medieval…

Standards can help integrate a curriculum, as a fourth-grade teacher discovered when implementing a unit on the Middle Ages. Students created a medieval fair that demonstrated their learning in medieval history (social studies), pulleys and gears (science and technology), story telling (language arts), and costume and dance (fine arts). (MLH)

Intended for public and school librarians, teachers and other school personnel, and community groups working with children to promote an interest in reading, this book contains planning suggestions and activities for developing a reading program around the theme of Merlin the magician and Arthurian legend. The first portion of the book focuses on…

One in a series of units for gifted students, the booklet focuses on humanities instruction in grade 6. Program background information stresses the values of humanities as a way of studying the connections in the student's life, particularly the connections between subject areas and how they relate to humans' feelings and thoughts. Procedures…