Resources for Teaching Middle School

Lesson Plans & Classroom Exercises

"PBS 45 & 49 presents The Middle Ages, a multimedia package that is keyed to grade 7 social studies and language arts standards. The package includes a teacher guide and a Web site. The Web site contains video segments, the teacher guide and games and activities. The goal of the program is to help students understand the basic concepts of this historical period, including the barbarian invasions, feudalism, the Crusades, the devastation of the plague, the causes of the Renaissance and the beginning of the Reformation. This is accomplished through hands-on and project-based activities."

The Discovery Channel's World History resources for The Early Middle Ages and The High Middle Ages include a wide range of links to, among other things, study guides, vocabulary words, activities, and related sources, organized for K-5, 6-8, 9-12.

King Arthur: How He Became King

A lesson plan by Janet Blaylock for middle schools and high schools, posted on the Local School Directory web site.

King Arthur and George Washington: A Thought Experiment on the Historical Arthur, by Alan Baragona

Life Inside Castle Walls (archived)

A lesson plan by Trudy Driskell for 7th and 8th graders. "Students will learn about life in the Middle Ages . . . use their information and creativity to design a castle and a personal coat of arms [and] plan a medieval feast."

ESLprintable Worksheets for King Arthur on various topics for ages ranging from 7 to 17.

King Arthur for Kids

This is a description of the Late Julian Wasserman's Summer program for K-8 teachers, which is no longer in existence. However, what's here might serve as a model for other schools.

"The Loyola and LEH Summer Institute, 'King Arthur for Kids' is a four week intensive seminar for elementary and middle school teachers (K-8) in the Greater New Orleans area. Its purpose is to explore the legend of King Arthur to understand its origins and development so that teachers might help students understand the way that legends grow and function in our own society. Most important will be the exploration of why this story endured, becoming a part not only of British or even Western Culture but of world culture as well. This understanding will lead to a consideration of several enduring themes: identity and destiny, discovery of self, and the pledging of oneself to something greater than one's self. Finally, we will explore some of the more modern reworkings of the legend that have become cultural staples in our own and, again, world culture. Such modern accounts encompass the visual arts as well as music (both popular and classical) and touch upon disciplines such as Literature, Philosophy, Art History, Architecture, Mythology, History, and Sociology. An important part of the Institute's focus will be on developing pedagogical strategies to enhance the learning experience and cross-cultural understanding of their students, which will include developing craft projects and local field trips. Participants will be asked to contribute to the web page generated last year for 'Making the Middle Ages Fun,' so that other area teachers might benefit from the participants' ideas and experiences."

Sample Syllabus for Making the Middle Ages Fun from the late Julian Wasserman's Summer Teachers Institute at Loyola University in June of 2000.

"Our on-going project has been to create a website that might serve as a resource for teachers K-12 who include (or even would like to include) medieval materials in their courses. The contents here are as eclectic as our interests and teaching experiences. Here you will find syllabi, handouts, and reviews of material that we have found helpful in our own teaching and studies. We've also tried to create links to web materials that seem particularly useful as well."

Projects and Activities

Becky Fleming's Fifteen Simple Activities and Assignments

A list of varied and creative ideas for introducing K-12 students to the Middle Ages through King Arthur, Chaucer, and Dante.

Coats of Arms and Castles (archived)

Art Project Director, Susan Holman of Lusher Elementary and Middle Schools conducted these projects in 1998-99. This is part of the website for Loyola University's "Summer Teachers Institute, 'Making the Middle Ages Fun,' that was sponsored by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities in June of 2000. Our on-going project has been to create a website that might serve as a resource for teachers K-12 who include (or even would like to include) medieval materials in their courses. The contents here are as eclectic as our interests and teaching experiences. Here you will find syllabi, handouts, and reviews of material that we have found helpful in our own teaching and studies. We've also tried to create links to web materials that seem particularly useful as well."

Two Introductory Activities for the Middle Ages

Two activities conceived by Della Hutchison of Mifflinburg Middle School, PA, to introduce students to medieval culture: What's My Hat? and Old World, New World. Hutchison gives a detailed account of tasks, purposes, resources needed, procedures, follow-up activities, and the subjects each activity satisfies.

Organizing a Medieval Activities Day

A detailed set of instructions by Della Hutchison of Mifflinburg Middle School, PA, that covers medieval activities for art, biology, home economics, music, physical education, physics, technical education, and miscellaneous games. Hutchison covers all the logistics, from gathering resources and getting administrative approval to piquing student interest and getting cooperation from other faculty.

Swords Beneath Camelot: The Quest for Excalibur (archived)

Synopsis and ordering information for an Arthurian play by Lane Riosley. Encore Performance Publishing also has scripts for other plays with medieval themes or settings. (archived)

Bill's World of Multimedia Education (archived)

A website for teachers, created by Bill Sutschek of Safety Harbor Middle School, Florida, including multimedia resources for teaching Arthurian Legend.

Arthurian Origami (archived)

Website connected to a book of the same name. "Anyone who can fold a simple origami crane will be able to re-create the legend of King Arthur--castles, knights, sorcerers, dragons, and all." You need the book for complete instructions, but the website has numerous detailed pictures of the paper folding possibilities.

A Millennial Quest for Arthur (archived)

In January 2000 two undergraduate students left for a month-long research trip, sponsored by Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama. After traveling over 3000 miles across the Island of Britain, Joseph W.C. Boyles and W. Jacob Livingston, III, created this site for people who wish to learn more about those places associated with King Arthur and the legends attached to them. The archived version of the site has all the text, but the links to the photos are broken. Some of the pictures, however, are still available at Vortigern Studies.

The Knight with the Lion

The Knight with the Lion is an exciting, interactive resource for children. It tells the story of Yvain, one of King Arthur's knights, and his intrepid lion companion, as well as Gawain, Lancelot and others. Readers get to choose which knights to follow and which adventures to explore, and to make decisions for them, as they wander through the mysterious Forest of Broceliande. The Reader can discover all aspects of medieval life, from armor and warfare to castles and clothing through the historical link material, with vivid illustrations and photographs and clear explanation.
This site is provided by Aberdeen University's Literature Website.

Site Navigation Options

Pre-School & Kindergarten  ||  Elementary School  ||  Middle School  ||  High School

Undergraduate School  ||  Graduate School  ||  Adult Learners  ||  Short Seminars & Lectures

Textbooks and Films  ||  Maps  ||  Graphics  ||  Audio and Video Files  ||  Related Websites

Arthurnet Discussions  ||  Pedagogy Homepage  ||  Arthuriana

© Arthuriana
Pedagogy Site Administrator: Alan Baragona sabaragona@gmail.com
Last revised: January 4, 2022
Disclaimer: The contents of this site are the sole responsibility of Arthuriana and its contributors, and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of Purdue University. The administrator of the Arthuriana site is Dorsey Armstrong. sarmstr@purdue.edu