In your journal, answer the following question  What possessions/things do you love?  Make a list  Pick your top 3  Stand up/Hand up/Pair up  Share your top 3 with your partner

What items stand the test of time?  How would your list of things you love be affected by a worldwide blackout? worldwide blackout  Look at your list and draw a line through anything that would be affected by a complete loss of all power in the world.  As a society, where do we store the majority of our information?  What would our society look like if we underwent a worldwide blackout?  How far back in time would we regress?  Which country would survive this epic problem the best? The worst? WHY?!

Lesson 1 – The Dark Ages A time of lost or forgotten knowledge

Today’s Plan  What things do we love?  Stand up/Hand up/Pair up  Blackout  It has happened before  The Dark Ages  The Bubonic Plague  How will our culture survive?

The Dark Ages  Watch this video and write down the changes that occurred in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empirevideo  What technologies had the people of Europe lost?  How would you react if you saw amazing technology all around you, but did not understand it and could never use it? Have any of you ever felt this way?  What parts of our society would we see as reminders of our past if we had an epic blackout?

Daily life  While watching this next clip, describe the daily life of people in this period  If you couldn’t read, write, and had no access to technology, what would you do during the winter period of the year?  What percentage of children died at birth?  What percentage died before reaching your age?  What kind of effect do you think losing a family member would have on people during the Dark Ages?  Why did parents continue to have children?

Safety  What do you need to feel safe?  Why is safety an important aspect of every person’s life?  Watch this video and think about how safe these people would have feltvideo  Why do people look to religions like Christianity when they do not feel safe?  What things do people use in our society to help make them feel safe?

Disease  Everyone stand up!  If half of the Okanagan’s population died from a virulent disease in the next month, how would that affect our economy?  Our local government? Our police force?  Our culture?  Why do you think the bubonic plague spread as fast as it did?  Where did it start? Why is that important?

Nasty, Brutish, & Short  Looking back on European society during the Dark Ages, Thomas Hobbes wrote that a man’s life is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”.  Thinking back on all of the clips we saw today and the discussions we had, do you agree with this statement or not?  In a paragraph (5-7 sentences) I want you to reflect on this quote and state your opinion, providing evidence from our discussion. Remember there are no wrong answers as long as you can support them with facts.

How do we know all this?  How did the knowledge of the Roman Empire survive?  Write down a guess (minimum of one) in your journal

How do we know all this?  How did the knowledge of the Roman Empire survive?  Monks and monasteries kept the past alive.  They were some of the only literate people during the Dark Ages

Lesson 2 – The Franks Brutes or Heroes?

What’s a Barbarian?  When I say the word “Barbarian” what images come to mind?  This is probably what most of you think of  But this is not what the Barbarians of the Early Middle Ages looked like

Today’s Plan  What’s a Barbarian?  Who were the Franks?  The Salic Code  Franks Vs. Canadians

The Fall of Rome Leads to New Leadership in Gaul (France)  As the Roman Empire over-extended themselves, groups of Germanic peoples (sometimes called Barbarians) took control  The Franks were one of these groups  They took control of the Roman province of Gaul around 400 C.E.

Who were the Franks?  They were mostly just farmers, but they LOVED to fight and make war  They were constantly armed  Both men and women wore jewelry and kept their hair long  They loved wealth, and who had lots of that?  But most of all, they wanted to be free  The word “Frank” means free

Clovis I – The Frankish King  Clovis I was the embodiment of what the Franks valued  He was strong, skilled in battle, and wanted to be free of the Roman rule  Watch this video and think about how people would act if they were led by this man.video  As king, Clovis I set the tone for his people

In the Eye of the Beholder  While the Franks looked up to Clovis to lead them, many others felt he embodied everything wrong with the Franks  Tacitus, a Roman historian, wrote “You will find it harder to persuade a German to plough the land to await its annual produce with patience than to challenge a foe and earn the prize of wounds. He thinks it spiritless and slack to gain by sweat what he can buy with blood. When not engaged in warfare, [the men] spend some little time in hunting, but more in idling, abandoned to sleep and gluttony [excessive eating and drinking].”

In the Eye of the Beholder  But the Franks thought they were far from lazy  The Preface to their Salic Code reads “[We are a] glorious people, wise in council, noble in body, radiant in health, excelling in beauty, daring, quick, hardened… This is the people that shook the cruel yoke of the Romans from its neck.”  What was the purpose of Tacitus’ writing?  Why did the Franks write that in their preface to their laws?

The Salic Code  A Law system often reveals a lot about the culture that made it  The Franks created the Salic Code to settle disputes  It placed a monetary value on every piece of property and on every person  A fine, or wergild, had to be paid if someone’s property was stolen or a person was injured  If a family member was killed, a revenge killing was not punished

Everything Has a Price  Here are some examples of laws found in the Salic Code  If any one have assaulted and plundered a freeman, and it be proved on him, he shall be sentenced 2500 denars, which make 63 shillings  If any one have wished to kill another person, and the blow have missed, he on whom it was proved shall be sentenced to 2500 denars  If any one steal a bull belonging to the king he shall be sentenced to 3600 denars, which make 90 shillings  What values does this show the Franks had?

Number Off  Everyone needs a number (1-6) for the next activity

Franks Vs. Canadians 1.Canadian Man 2.Canadian Woman 3.Canadian Child 4.Frankish Man 5.Frankish Woman 6.Frankish Child  You must find another person in the class who is a man, woman, or child from the other group  EXAMPLE: if you are a Frankish Man, you must find a Canadian Man

Franks Vs. Canadians  Using the stats for each of you, answer the following questions in your journal.  Be prepared to provide your answer to the class 1.Who will probably live longer? Give 3 possible reasons why. 2.Who will probably get married first? Explain why this is. 3.Who will probably have more babies die? Explain why. 4.Who is or will be taller? Why do you think that is?

Letter: Delivery by Time Machine  Using what you learned in the statistics activity, write a letter to a Frankish person your own age who lived in Gaul  Tell them a bit about your own life (relevant to this Socials activity) and empathize with them about an aspect of his/her life  Ask them a few clarifying questions (relevant to this Socials activity)

Map Work  Take out your map of Rome  Watch thisthis  Add a red line to your map depicting the land occupied by the Franks  Add the red line to your legend

Lesson 3 – Charlemagne Hero or Villain?

Today’s Plan  Charlemagne  Background  Hero or Villain?  Battle to the Death!!!!!!!

Charlemagne – King of the Franks  Create a T-chart on a page in your journal and label the two columns Good Things Charlemagne Did & Bad Things Charlemagne Did  As you watch the video, jot down point-form notes that fit in each columnwatch the video  Share your list with your partner  Now draw a line underneath  Read this short text and fill out the same T-chart as you read it

Hero or Villain?  You will now have 20 minutes to work with your partner and research whether Charlemagne is a Hero or a Villain  Those in the left row will all be arguing that Charlemagne was a Hero and those in the right row will be arguing that Charlemagne was a Villain  Use the websites I have listed on my website if you want  Take notes in your journal and be prepared to respond during the debate

BATTLE TO THE DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Now, in your tables you have 5 minutes to prepare your argument, stating why you think Charlemagne is either a Hero or a Villain.  Each side will have 1 minute to present their argument, then we will open the floor for INTELLIGENT comments and questions from either side.  We will now debate the topic and I will declare a winner based on your arguments.

Personal Response  Based on the arguments presented, write a brief personal response paragraph (4-6 sentences) on your final opinion of whether Charlemagne was a Hero or a Villain.  Make sure you support your idea with evidence from the debate or your research.

Lesson 4 – The Viking Age More turmoil for Europe?

Today’s Plan  The Viking Raid  Story  Video  Partner Work

Story time  Open your textbooks to page 3.  We will read the story together. Follow along as we go.  From who’s perspective is this story written?  Does that influence the way we view the story?  If we rewrote the story from the Vikings’ perspective, would the tone of the story change?

The Viking raids  WARNING: This video has a pretty nasty section where they describe how the Vikings tortured and killed some people. Please keep this in mind in the video.  Create a t-chart and list positive and negative words used to describe the Vikings in this video.this video  Are the Vikings described positively or negatively in this video?  Who’s perspective is this video from?  How do you know that?

Romans, Franks & Vikings  Create three columns  Find ten facts about each group (look back in your journal)  Be sure to include positive AND negative facts about each group

Unit Test – Essay Response  Next class you will be required to write an essay providing your opinion on the following question.  Which of the following cultures would you rather live in and why? Romans Franks Vikings  You will be required to provide facts and well supported reasons from this unit to back up your reasoning behind your opinion.

Lesson 5 – Unit Test Which culture would you rather be a part of?

Unit Test – Essay Response  Today, you will write an essay providing your opinion on the following question.  Which of the following cultures would you rather live in and why? Romans Franks Vikings  You will be required to provide facts and well supported reasons from this unit to back up your reasoning behind your opinion.

Things to Remember  Stay on topic! (Only argue to support your opinion)  Use proper essay structure  Introduction – Introduces your argument and has a Thesis Statement (a sentence that states your opinion)  3 Body Paragraphs – each with a main reason that supports your opinion  Conclusion – a paragraph that wraps up your argument  Use 12 point font & double-space your work  Re-read it at the end to check for spelling and grammar errors