Students learn about the Black Death in Asia, Europe and Africa during the 14th century. They investigate life before, during and after the plague, and demonstrate their learning by writing an information report on the effects of the Black Death.
History, Black Death, Plague, Life in 14th Century, Information Report
History Year 8 Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 8, students recognise and explain patterns of change and continuity over time. They explain the causes and effects of events and developments. They identifythe motives and actions of people at the time. Students explain the significance of individuals and groups and how they were influenced by the beliefs and values of their society. They describe different interpretations of the past.
Students sequence events and developments within a chronological framework with reference to periods of time. When researching, students develop questions to frame a historical inquiry. They analyse, select and organise information from primary and secondary sources and use it as evidence to answer inquiry questions. Students identifyand explain different points of view in sources. When interpreting sources, they identifytheir origin and purpose, and distinguish between fact and opinion. Students developtexts, particularly descriptions and explanations, incorporating analysis. In developing these texts, and organising and presenting their findings, they use historical terms and concepts, evidence identified in sources, and acknowledge their sources of information.
In this learning module, we will explore the following key questions:
Learning Intention: To understand the dangers of infectious diseases in modern society.
To get started, imagine an infectious disease has just arrived in Australia. The doctors are unsure what causes it or how to treat and stop it. In table groups read through your scenario.
On your part of the placemat write down what you think should happen to help contain the disease.
In the middle record common ideas and/or what you agree is the most important idea.
In a noisy round robin share your ideas.
Comment: Share one idea from your discussions. Read other students' comments and comment on at least one that you agree /disagree. Provide a reason for why you agree/disagree. Start with @Name so the student knows you are commenting on their comment.
This learning module focuses on:
It addresess four of the general capabilities of the Australian Curriculum:
This activity foregrounds the issues that will be raised later in the unit. It also allows students to engage in the topic by thinking about the spread of diseases and how different people react in modern times.
Placemat and Round Robin
This activity is designed to allow for each individual’s thinking, perspective and voice to be heard, recognised and explored.
- Form participants into groups of four. You can use original table groups.
- Allocate one piece of A3 or butcher’s paper to each group.
- Ask each group to draw the diagram on the paper.
- The outer spaces are for each participant to write their thoughts about the topic.
- Conduct a Round Robin so that each participant can share their views.
- The circle in the middle of the paper is to note down (by the nominated scribe) the common points made by each participant.
- Each group then reports the common points to the whole group.
As the students share their ideas, write them up. Place the list up in the classroom. As students learn about how people tried to stop the Black Plague, it is important to refer back to the list the students have created.
The comment encourages reflection, prompting students to determine the most important ideas from their discussions. Throughout the learning module, comments are used to promote student metagogition of their learning as well as collaboration and active knowledge making.
Learning Intention: To understand the differences in two texts about the plague.
Read the two different sources that you have been given.
Add information to the retrieval chart about each text.
| Pros | Cons | Questions |
|---|---|---|
Think about the following:
Comment: Which text is most useful? Give reasons for your opinion. Then comment on at least one other student's response, explaining why you agree/disagree.
In this conceptualising by naming activity students read a primary and seondary source explaining key features of the 14th century Black Death.
For assessing a proposition, organising your thoughts when making a decision, or comparing the advantages and disadvantages of something.
Australian Curriculum Historical Skills
Learning Intention: To undersand what life was like in medieval England before the plague.
What was life like in the 14th century before the Black Death? After becoming an expert move into a new group and share what you've learnt.
Comment: Share one important fact you learnt from this activity. Give a reason for why it was important. Then comment on at least one other student's comment that you thought was also important, explaining why.
This experiencing the new activity allows students to find out what it was like to live in the 14th century before the Black Plguge, this will allow them to fully understand the impact that they plague had and how and why it spread as it did.
This activity is characterised by participants within a cooperative group each becoming expert on different aspects of one topic of study.
- Before presenting and teaching to the cooperative group, students form Expert Groups, comprised of individuals from different cooperative groups who have the same assigned topic.
- Together, expert partners study their topic and plan effective ways to teach important information when they return to their cooperative groups.
- One way of teaching is for the expert group to display their information on paper.
- Or participants can return to their cooperative groups and teach all members of their group as they are now the experts.
Australian Curriculum Content Descriptions
Australian Curriculum Historical Skills
Learning Intention: To understand what life was like in the 14th century before the plague.
Imagine you are a:
You will be given one of the roles. Move into groups with other people who have the same person as you. In your groups brainstorm ideas about your person. Look through your notes and the resources available and pick three important facts.
Write a journal entry detailing what your life it life in 14th century Europe. Try to be as creative as possible but remember to stick to the facts about the time.
Comment: What person would you have preferred to be in the 14th Century? Give 1-2 reasons. Then comment on another student's post, explaining why you agree/disagree.
Throughout the unit, students will be asked to stop and reflect on what they've learnt and how this would have affected their 14th century character. It is important that you allow the students to talk to people with similar characters as them. This helps students share ideas, and helps to scaffold what they are going to write. In their first journal entry they should introducing who they, their position in society and what their life is like.
Alternatively use The Black Plague - Classroom Simulation.
Australian Curriculum Content Descriptions
Australian Curriculum Historical Skills
Learning Intention: To understand why the plague spread so quickly across Europe.
View the video "What is the Black Death" . While watching record key points in your book. The points will help you write your essay.
After viewing complete the cause and cures retrieval chart.
| Cause | Cures |
|---|---|
| Angry, wrathful God | Magic spell, lucky charms |
| Pestilence |
Comment: Why do you think the causes and cures were so strange? Think back to what you learnt about medical knowledge and practices in the 14th century. Comment on one other student's comment.
Another video you can watch is The Black Death - Causes and Cures
The video is available through ClickView. Any video that discuss the Black Death would work such as The Black Death - Causes and Cures - however you may need to tweak the activity to suit the video watched.
Teacher answers
| Cause | Cure |
|---|---|
| Angry, wrathful God | Magic spells, lucky charms |
| Lepers, Jewish people and other minority groups | Persecution and murder |
| Poisonous vapours | Incense and sweet herbs |
| Thinking about it | Thinking positively |
| Biological | Quarantine |
| Cold weather | Heat |
| Pestilence | Loud noise |
Australian Curriculum Content Descriptions
Australian Curriculum Historical Skills
Learning Intention: To theorise about why the plague spread so quickly.
View the video "Spread of the Black Death". While watching record key points in your book. The points will help you write your essay.
Using the iPads/Chromebooks find the following locations and add them to your map.
Using a different colour for each year colour code the map and show the spread of the Black Death. Make sure you keep a key.
Comment: What do you notice about the spread? Think back to what you learnt about trade and exploration in the 14th century. Why do you think it spread so quickly? Read other students' theories and comment on one that you agree with. Explain why you agree.
The video is available through ClickView. Any video that discuss the spread of the Black Death would work such as The Spread of the Black Death in Europe.
Australian Curriculum Content Descriptions
Australian Curriculum Historical Skills
Learning Intention: To understand the effects of the plague.
View the video "Impact of the Black Death" . While watching record key points in your book. The points will help you write your essay.
After viewing complete the cause and effect retrieval chart.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Reduction in numbers able to perform and attend Catholic Mass | |
| Increased awareness of mortality | |
| Workforces of entire farms and villages wiped out | |
| Whole cities and villages decimated | |
| Labour shortages | |
| Military shortages | |
| Other | |
| Othe |
Comment: In your opinion what is the most devastating effect of the plague? Give reasons for your opinion. Read other students' posts and comment on at least one that you agree/disagree with. Explain why.
The video is available through ClickView. Any video that discuss the impact of the Black Death would work such as The Effects of the Black Death; however you may need to tweak the activity slightly.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Reduction in numbers able to perform and attend Catholic Mass | Widespread loss of faith and the weakening of the Church’s authority |
| Increased awareness of mortality | A change of attitude towards traditional morality, either weakening (eat, drink, be merry) or strengthening (more devout and pure) beliefs |
| Workforces of entire farms and villages wiped out | Demands for higher wages in Europe, but in Egypt this lead to extreme poverty |
| Whole cities and villages decimated | Work on churches halted as it was difficult to find craftsmen, similarly when machinery broke there were no longer tradesmen to fix it |
| Labour shortages | Economies struggled |
| Military shortages | Parts of the empire because vulnerable to power-hungry war loads and no help could be provided |
Australian Curriculum Content Descriptions
Australian Curriculum Historical Skills
Watch the video "The Black Death". As you watch you might like to record notes in your book.
Viewing the video could be optional. It depends on your classes ability to watch a 90 minute video and whether they've already learnt all the information presented in the video.
Australian Curriculum Content Descriptions
Learning intention: Analyse the image of the flagellants.
Using DAMMIT U complete a source analysis on the flagellants. Use a different colour for each source.
Source 3: The flagellants
Source 4:
Summarise your findings into a PEC paragraph.
Comment: What inquiry questions do you have about the flagellants? Share them with your peers. Read and respond to at least two other students.
Credit for this activity comes from: Impact of the Black Death source investigation.
Australian Curriculum Content Descriptions
Australian Curriculum Historical Skills
Learning intention: To develop a set of inquiry questions
What questions do you have about the Black Death? In pairs create 8 questions. Record them on the Lotus Diagram. The questions should be written in the colours, the same question is written in the matching colour.
Swap with another pair, see if you can answer any of their questions. Record your answers on the sheet. Share with another pair and repeat. Do this at least 3 times.
Lotus Diagram
The Lotus Diagram is a David Langford tool. It is an analytical, organisation tool for breaking broad topics into components, which be priorities for implementations
Lotus diagram - Information sheet
Australian Curriculum Historical Skills
Learning intention: To demonstrate your understanding of the effect of the Black Death.
Uh oh! What has happened to you? How have you been affected by the Black Death?
Find out! And write about how it happened.
Move into groups with other people who have the same outcome as you. In your groups brainstorm ideas about how this happened. Look through your notes and the resources available and pick three important facts.
Write a journal entry detailing what has happened since your last entry. Try to be as creative as possible but remember to stick to the facts about the time.
In their second journal entry students need to write about the start of the Black Death and how it has affected them.
Australian Curriculum Content Descriptions
Australian Curriculum Historical Skills
Learning intention: To analyse the differences in sources
In Europe 25 million people died in just under 5 years between 1347 and 1352. The estimated population of Europe from 1000 to 1352:
Source themiddleages.net
Create a graph that represents this information.
Compare your graph to the information provided by famous Historian Simon Shama:
Theorise why there are different results:
Comment: Summarise your ideas
Australian Curriculum Content Descriptions
Australian Curriculum Historical Skills
Learning Intention: To understand what life was like in medieval England after the plague.
You will be placed into the same group as Learning Activity 3. This time you will research your topic after the Black Death. Think back to your questions, what are you trying to find out?
As you read through the information record key points of information.
In your new groups, share the information you have learnt.
In a circle time share what you have learnt, this is also the time to ask some of the questions you still have.
Australian Curriculum Content Descriptions
Australian Curriculum Historical Skills
Learning intention: To demonstrate your understanding of the end of the Black Death on medieval Europe
The Black Death has ended, what has happened to your character? What are they doing with their life now?
Write your final journal entry. Try to be as creative as possible but remember to stick to the facts about the time.
In their third and final journal entry students need to write about the end of the Black Death and how it has affected them and impacted on their world. If they have died they are encouraged to write from the point of view of another family member.
Australian Curriculum Content Descriptions
Australian Curriculum Historical Skills
Learning intention: Test what you know with this fun and interactive quiz.
Just for fun! Click on the link: Quiz
You will find an interactive quiz, read through the questions, information and pick the correct answer.
This is just a quick and fun activity to summarise what the students learnt.
Australian Curriculum Content Descriptions
Australian Curriculum Historical Skills
Learning intention: Research or theorise answers to your inquiry questions.
Going back to your lotus diagram try and answer your questions. Share with another pair and see if you can make sure all the questions are answered. Any unanswered questions, theorise some answers or ask your teacher to help you research.
Comment: Share your findings or ideas with class.
Ensure students have time to go back and answer their questions. If questions are still unanswered it is important to allow time to research or theorise answers.
Australian Curriculum Historical Skills
Learning Intention: To write an information/ explanatory text in which you draw together all you have learned about the effects of the Black Death.
The question is: What were the effects of the Black Death on 14th Century Europe?
Start by brainstorming how you will answer the question.
Plan your body paragraphs.
Start typing!
Use your rubric to see if you have included everything and if you have explained the main effects of the Black Death.
In this activity students draw together everything they have learned in this unit to write an information/explanatory text.
Effects of the plague:
Project Rubric
Show what you've learnt! Use one of the tools or one of your choice to show us everything you've learnt about the 14th Century Black Death.
Allow students time to share what they learnt in a creative format. Students may wish to focus on a particular area that they found interesting and develop this further.
Title: (Source); Fig. 1: Germ - Pixabay (Source); Fig. 2: Plaque in Weymouth By Wilson44691 - Own work, Public Domain (Source); Fig. 3: Reeve and serfs by anonymous (Queen Mary Master) - this file: scan dated 2009, uploaded (without identification of the source) 12 May 2010 by Ann Scott (medievalminds.comReeve-and-Serfs.original1.jpg), Public Domain (Source); Fig. 4: Nuns in procession around 1300, Public Domain (Source);
Ring-a-Ring-a-Rosies (Source); Great Plague of Marseilles (Source); Bubonic Plague (Source); Peasants in Field (Source); Peasant Village (Source); The Plague Doctor (Source); Burying the Dead in France (Source); The Plague in London (Source); The Dance of Death (Source).
