Grade 8 Social Studies

Magna Carta Slide Show

2010-05-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

Magna carta slideshow

Quiz on magna carta

Unit 5: The Medieval Church

2010-01-14T08:18:00.000-08:00

Unit Overview:
This unit focuses on the organization and role of the Catholic Church in Medieval Europe. This unit is aimed to help the students develop a more nuanced understanding of the roles of the catholic clergy and monasticism during the Middle Ages and compare it to the role of the Church today. This unit will also help our students increase their tolerance and respect for other religions by discussing the similarities and differences between different belief systems.

Lesson 1: The Church Hierarchy

Overview: This lesson focuses on how the Catholic Church is organized. It covers the hierarchy of the clergy and their respective roles.

Click here for larger view

Enjoy the story book that helps you know more about the organization and ranks within the Roman Catholic Church.....

Lesson 2: Monasticism

Overview: This lesson focuses on the origins of monasticism and the roles of monks and nuns in medieval society.

Monasticism started in Egypt back in the third century!
To escape Roman persecution and enjoy freedom of worship, the first hermits moved away to the Eastern and western Desert. By time, hermits formed monastic communities. The map below introduces the first monastic community known to man.

View A Journey to the Monastery of Saint Anotonie, Egypt in a larger map

Lesson 3: The Decline of Church Power

Overview: This lesson covers how the role of the Church was undermined during the late medieval period. The emergence of new ideas that threatened the authority of the church paved that way for the Reformation and later the Renaissance.

Biographical Sketch Assignment:

Instructions:
Use the search engine posted below to write a one page biographical sketch of one of the following scientists/thinkers:

John Wycliffe
Jan Hus
Johannes Kepler
Nicolas Copernicus
Galileo Galilee

Fill in the online sign-up sheet to choose your figure

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FOR EXTRA CREDIT....
Create your own podcast using Audacity and record your biography script to share with your class and with other people who visit our blog. Please see me for instructions on how to use audacity to create your podcast.

Click the play icon below to listen to a podcast about the biography of John Wycliffe.

Click here to view the script for this podcast.

Unit 4: The Rise of the Franks

2010-01-14T06:30:00.000-08:00

Unit Overview:
In the previous units, we covered the fall of the Roman Empire as well as the Rise and fall of the Byzantines. In this unit, we will travel further west to examine the situation of Western Europe. This period in western history is sometimes referred to as the Dark Ages. The rise of the Franks transformed the history of Europe. The Frankish leader, Charlemagne, spurred a new but rather brief renaissance in medieval Europe.

Lesson 1: An Introduction to the Rise of the Franks

Lesson Overview: This lesson gives the big picture of where and when did the Franks establish their kingdom. It helps the students develop an understanding of the historical period known as the Dark Ages and the circumstances surrounding the rise of this new western European power.

What we already know about Western Europe during the Dark Ages:

Politics: Frequent civil wars, invasions and lack of an organized form of political organization due to the fall of the Roman central government. Germanic tribes settled in various parts of Europe.
Economics: decline of farming trade and agriculture, high inflation and poverty rates.
Society: Growing insecurity, widespread poverty, unemployment and high crime rates. Decline in education, health care and science.
Culture: Germanic culture fused with Greco-Roman culture.

Historical Overview:

Click here to view teacher's notes about the graph

Lesson 2: The Rise of the Franks (from Clovis to Charlemagne)

Lesson Overview: This lesson covers the main Frankish leaders, their achievements and focuses on their enduring legacies that had a significant impact on history.

Lesson 3: Charlemagne

Lesson Overview: This lesson is dedicated to cover the political and cultural achievements of Charlemagne. His many achievements brought about a brief renaissance during the Dark Ages in medieval Europe. The lesson focuses on the enduring legacies that helped shape Europe after the death of Charlemagne and the decline of his empire.

Charlemagne Ppt

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Assessment: Write an 800 words essay describing the main achievements of Charlemagne. Your essay should cover major political, and socio-cultural achievements. Reflect on how Charlemagne's achievements helped Europe achieve a brief Renaissance during the Dark Ages.

Click here to view the rubric used to assess your essay.