When History Comes To Life

I have been teaching a unit on the Middle Ages in my Humanities class for the past month or so, and I have enjoyed re-learning all of the interesting things that took place from AD 400- 1500. I have especially enjoyed the many opportunities for the students to get involved in their learning. The unit that I am teaching includes several simulations that get the students moving and interacting in the classroom. Some of the ones we have done are the Fall of Rome and the Feudal System, and today we did Scribe training. All of these simulations were discovered and implemented by Becky, the other Humanities teacher, and the teachers who were in my position before me, so I can’t any of the credit for being creative. I especially loved today’s simulation on scribe training because I got to dress up as a Nun and keep my little nuns and monks in order! The task was simple: wear a robe, be silent, and copy out scripture flawlessly. But, of course, no one can do that perfectly, so every time they made a mistake, they had to start over!! This was definitely a challenge for the messy writers. Not only that, the students had to quietly say every word 2X before they wrote it. I could sense by the end of the class, they were starting to acknowledge that life in the monastery was no cake walk! I trust that they finished the simulation with appreciation for all of those Monks (scribes) who painstakingly preserved education, including the Holy Bible, throughout the Middle Ages.

Above, I have one picture from the Feudal system simulation, and the rest are from the Scribe simulation.