Discusses reasons for and solutions to declining enrollment in college history courses. Suggests that instructors be aware of the mental diversity of students and involve them in what is going on in the profession. Methods include trips, speakers, a newsletter, festivals, and research. Specific topics for medieval history are presented. (KC)

Suggests how college history teachers can help students understand the French aristocracy and its role in medieval society by using a twelfth century epic. "Raol de Cambrai" gives students a sense that the poem's action could have happened to real people. A content analysis of the poem's action and characters is included. (DB)

This instructional packet is intended to help classroom instructors introduce fascinating quandaries rarely featured in history textbooks about the ancient and medieval eras. Most of the 13 lesson plans require only 1 or 2 class periods to complete, permitting the teacher to enhance the presentation of a particular unit without fear of devoting…

Discusses pollution in medieval times, focusing on pollution related to: (1) wood; (2) coal; (3) tanning; and (4) lead. (JN)

A method was designed to provide history students an opportunity to make interpretations and form hypotheses about historical events and eras. The teacher created representative "facts" and questions about a topic and let students use them to make their own hypotheses. A sample unit on European history, 1300-1450, is included. (KC)

Describes the first map to divide the globe into five symmetrical climatic zones. Discusses Ambrosius Macrobius's map as a statement of earthly limitations rather than physical reality. Suggests its significance for teaching world history is as an example of deductive cartography that influenced and challenged late medieval Christian thought. (DK)

Directions for a game which models the feudal system of 11th century Europe are presented for high school and college history courses. The game demonstrates the medieval dependency of social structure on land holdings and vassal obligations. It also permits the expression of personal ambition, with results dependent on the loyalty and…

One in a series of instructional units designed for gifted students, the booklet focuses on the arts in Greece, Rome, and the Medieval period. Narrative information on Greek pottery, sculpture, architecture, music, and dance is followed by lists of suggested activities for students and reference lists of texts and media. A similar unit on the…

The origin and development of two African saints are discussed: Saint Maurice, patron saint of the eastern empire of Otto I; and Caspar, the youngest of the three Magi. Their representation in German art is described and illustrated. (Author/LB)

This document describes a classroom learning activity that brings together role playing, learning about the Middle Ages, and working for rewards. In the course of the activity, entitled "Knights of the Round Table," students advance by completing assignments and amassing points. Players move upwards through the beginning or…

This lesson plan, featuring the epic, "Beowulf," employs the introduction-quotation exchange to monitor student comprehension while reading the epic. A second exercise, also dealing with reading comprehension, requires students to keep an historical evidence journal and fill out an historical evidence chart. The lesson plan features a…

Includes three papers from a panel on the teaching of medieval legal history held at 1985 American Society for Legal History: (1) "Medieval Legal History in the Core Curriculum" (J. Muldoon; D. Humphries); (2) "Teaching Early Medieval Law: A Comparative Approach" (J.A. Brundage); and (3) "Medieval Law and Society: An…

Describes the use of cooperative learning groups in a competitive setting. Discusses teaching objectives, delivery methods, grading procedures and results of a cooperative learning unit which is used to teach the Middle Ages to seventh grade students. Provides student instructional materials. Activities include time period newspapers and the…

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…