MEDIEVAL LIFE AND CAREERS, BUNDLE 2 - Reading Passages and Enrichment Activities

42 reading passages cover Medieval Alchemists; Architects and Engineers; Castles and Cathedrals; Embroiderers and Census-Takers (William the Conqueror, Bayeux Tapestry and Domesday Book); Scribes and the Magna Carta; Monks, Nuns, and Almoners; Pilgrims and the Canterbury Tales; Explorers and the Age of Discovery, and more. Classroom and enrichment activities keep students engaged as they learn. Great for use by substitute teachers, or for homeschooling or co-ops!

EACH LESSON IN THIS BUNDLED PRODUCT INCLUDES:

• Reading Passages
• Classroom and Enrichment Activities
• Review Worksheet
• Teacher's Key

MEDIEVAL ALCHEMISTS

You are living in the Middle Ages, a period of time when little advancement was made in the areas of art and science. The year is 1032 AD, and you live in Western Europe. You work day and night conducting experiments with various minerals, metals and herbs. Your objective? To find the philosopher’s stone. gold, immortality, and a remedy of all diseases – these are your goals. You are a medieval alchemist!

READING PASSAGES:

6 one-page reading passages covering the following topics:

• Alchemy During the Middle Ages
• When, Where, Why, What, How, and Who of Alchemy
• Roger Bacon and Nicholas Flamel
• Religious Reasons for Symbolism in Alchemy
• Alchemists’ Use of Symbolism
• Success or Cheating?

CLASSROOM AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES:

• Alchemists' Job Application
• Be an Alchemist: Try Some Experiments:

Instructions for Dirty Penny Experiments

Instructions for Rusting Iron Experiment

Instructions for Vinegar and Baking Soda

• Read an Alchemist’s Passage and Teacher’s Key
• Writing Prompt
• Play Review Game – True/False
• Alchemists Worksheet and Teacher’s Key
• Graphic Organizers
• Suggested Books and Movies

MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS

There were many construction jobs during the Middle Ages! Not only were castles and cathedrals being built, so were manors and huts. What type of building job could you hope to find in Medieval times? Actually, there were many, many possibilities for employment: Architects, Engineers, Quarryman, Carpenters, Laborers and more! This lesson covers the jobs of the builders, the styles of the time and information on siege engines!

READING PASSAGES:

7 one-page reading passages covering the following topics:

• Who Were the Medieval Builders?
• Castles and Palaces; Cathedrals and Churches
• Romanesque and Gothic Styles
• The Grotesques and Gargoyles
• Medieval Engineers
• Battering Ram and Siege Tower
• Peasant Huts

CLASSROOM AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES:

• Job Application
• Architects and Engineers Worksheet
• Review Game: Bingo Words and Clues
• Stained Glass Craft Idea
• Medieval Architecture Memory Instructions and Pieces
• Castle Coloring Page
• Contest: Use a Simple “Catapult”
• Create Your Own Catapult
• Graphic Organizers

THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY AND DOMESDAY BOOK

William the Conqueror is one of the most well-known individuals of the Middle Ages. Duke William of Normandy, as he was also known, defeated King Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings to become the first Norman King of England. This lesson covers his reign as well as the Bayeux Tapestry and the Domesday Book.

READING PASSAGES

7 one-page reading passages covering the following topics:

• Tapestry and Embroidery in the Middle Ages; England in the Middle Ages
• Embroidery in the Middle Ages
• Everyone Wants to Be King!
• William the Conqueror – King of England; The Bayeux Tapestry
• Speculation About the Tapestry
• The Domesday Book - A Census-Taker
• The Domesday Book: Problems and Purpose

CLASSROOM AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES:

• Job Application
• Coloring Page – William the Conqueror
• How Big is the Bayeux Tapestry Activity
• Domesday Activity – Conduct a Census!
• Worksheet – Bayeux Tapestry Review and Teacher’s Key
• Review Game – Bingo Words and Clues
• Try Finger Weaving!
• Create a “Paper” Tapestry
• Graphic Organizers

MEDIEVAL SCRIBES, ILLUMINATORS AND THE MAGNA CARTA

Owning a book during the Middle Ages was actually a big deal. Books were rare and expensive because they were not mass-produced. Each book was copied by hand by a Scribe or Copyist until after the invention of the printing press in the year 1440 – near the end of the Middle Ages. In order to understand the complex process, one needs to examine the various steps of creating a book. Scribes, illuminators and the Magna Carta are covered in this lesson plan.

READING PASSAGES:

5 one-page reading passages covering the following topics:

• Books in the Middle Ages
• Supplies – Pen and Ink
• The Job of Copying and Illuminating
• Illumination; Who Could Be a Scribe?
• The Magna Carta

CLASSROOM AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES:

• Job Application!
• Make a Quill Pen!
• Make Your Own Berry Ink!
• Review Game: Bingo Words and Clues
• Write Your Own Great Charter
• Illuminate a Letter
• Be a Scribe! Copy a Portion of The Magna Carta
• Review Worksheet and Teacher’s Key
• Graphic Organizers

MEDIEVAL CAREERS - MONKS, NUNS, AND ALMONERS

In Western Europe during the Middle Ages, Christianity was the main religion. And at that time, all Christians were Catholic (at least in Western Europe). Everyone’s life was dictated by religion: from morning until night, from birth until death. Upper class and lower class alike had to follow the rules of the Church. This lesson takes a look at a few of the many religious jobs during the Middle Ages.

READING PASSAGES:

5 one-page reading passages covering the following topics:

• Religion in the Middle Ages
• Monks and Nuns
• A Day in the Life of a Monk
• Life of a Nun; The Job of Almoner
• Gregorian Chants; Precentor; Monastic Herbalist

CLASSROOM AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES:

• Job Application
• Coloring Page – Medieval Priest
• Listen to Medieval Monastery Chants
• Writing Activity: Respond to the Prompt
• Be a Monastic Herbalist!
• Be an Herbalist: Make your Own Tea!
• Review Worksheet and Teacher’s Key
• Play Review Game: Bingo Words and Clues

MEDIEVAL CAREERS: PILGRIMS AND THE CANTERBURY TALES

Pilgrims were – and are – people who traveled to a location because it was significant to their religion. Pilgrimages have been around for centuries as people of all religions traveled long distances to important sacred sites.

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a poem about pilgrims journeying to the Canterbury Cathedral called “The Canterbury Tales.”

READING PASSAGES:

5 one-page reading passages covering the following topics:

• What is a Pilgrim?
• A Pilgrim’s Travels; Geoffrey Chaucer
• The Canterbury Cathedral
• The Unfinished Canterbury Tales
• The Canterbury Tales – Surviving History

CLASSROOM AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES:

• Job Application
• Translate English to English!
• Read an Adaptation of the Pardoner’s Tale
• Write a Tale for Your Pilgrimage!
• Go On a Pilgrimage; Share Your Story!
• Coloring Page – Medieval Pilgrimage
• Seek and Find Activity Sheet
• Review Game: Bingo Words and Clues
• Comprehension Worksheet and Teacher's Key
• 2 Graphic Organizers

MEDIEVAL CAREERS: EXPLORERS AND THE AGE OF DISCOVERY

What is the Age of Discovery? A clue: it is also called the Age of Exploration! The Age of Discovery began in the 15th century when many European explorers left their continent in search of new land. It was the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance!

READING PASSAGES:

7 one-page reading passages cover the following topics:

• The Age of Discovery
• 15th Century Ships
• Life on the Ship
• Sights, Smells, and Tastes
• Marco Polo
• Prince Henry the Navigator
• Christopher Columbus

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES:

• Job Application
• The Voyage of Christopher Columbus
• Map Work – Where Have You Journeyed?
• Make Ship Biscuits: Eat Like an Explorer!
• Review Worksheet and Teacher’s Key
• Review Game – True/False
• Simon Says: Learn to Read a Compass
• Map Your Room
• Celebrate the Renaissance! Ideas

CHECK OUT MY OTHER MEDIEVAL PRODUCTS:

Other Bundled Medieval Career Lesson Plans:

Medieval Careers in Medieval Times Volume I

Individual Lesson Plans from Volume 1:

Medieval Careers: Kings, Queens and the Feudal System

Medieval Careers: Jesters

Medieval Careers: Barber, Apothecary, and Plague Doctor

Medieval Careers: Knights and Heraldry

Medieval Careers: Astrologers and Astronomers

WILD WEST READING PASSAGES AND BINGO

Reading Passages and Bingo - Outlaws and Lawmen

Reading Passages and Bingo - Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea

Reading Passages and Bingo - Frontiersmen, Davy Crockett and the Alamo

Reading Passages and Bingo - Wild West Cowboys

WILD WEST READING COMPREHENSION PASSAGES AND QUESTIONS

Reading Comprehension - Transcontinental Railroad

Reading Comprehension - California Gold Rush

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