1. L/O To discover the causes and consequences of the black death
Success criteria:
Level 5 – You can select information from sources to explain what medieval people thought caused the black death
Level 6 – You can select information from the sources to explain and decide why the black death killed so many people so quickly
Level 7 – You can select information from sources to decide what were the main affects the black death had on medieval society

2. Key words.
Black death: a plague that caused black buboes on the body and death.
Plague: a disease that kills lots of people.
Buboes: huge black sores filled with puss.
Miasma: bad smell.

3. Death and destruction due to fleas and rats.
The black death
(plague)
Plague lived in fleas.
Fleas lived on rats.
Death and destruction due to
fleas and rats.
Rats went into peoples homes and
the fleas jumped off the rats and bit the
people giving them the black death.

4. Using the source you need to…
1. Answer the key question at the top of your sheet
2. Use the sources to back up your points
3. Get ready to teach others what you have learnt

5. Teach others what you have discovered
1. What were the causes of the black death?
2. Why did the black death kills so many people?
3. What were the main affects on medieval society?

6. What might the skeleton on the dead horse represent
Who is being shot with the arrows? Is this surprising?
What does this picture tell you about medieval beliefs about the black death?

7. Level 7 – You can select information from sources to decide what were the main affects the black death had on medieval society
Source A: A graph showing the difference between the deaths and wages of peasants
Source C: Written by the lord of the village after the black death had struck
Rents stopped, land fell to waste because there was no one to farm it, many villages and hamlets were deserted... and never inhabited again.
Source B: A graph showing the difference between the deaths and wages of peasants
Source B
“Those who survived the Black Death believed that there was something special about them – almost as if God had protected them. Therefore, they took the opportunity offered by the disease to improve their lifestyle and demand higher wages”.
Taken from

8. Source A Source D Source C Source E
Level 6 – You can select information from the sources to explain and decide why the black death killed so many people so quickly
Source A
Source D
A drawing of a medieval street: What do you notice? Would this be a good place for the black death to spread? If so why?
Trading goods with other countries
became very popular in the middle ages,
How might trade have lead to the spread
of the black death?
Source C
If a person gets the disease,
they must be put to bed.
They should be washed with
vinegar and rose
water
Source E
This was a common cure that
medieval people tried. It did not
work. Do you think medieval
people had the knowledge and
skills to cure the black death?
When the black death broke out many
believed cats caused it because they
were evil creatures. Many cats were killed. How could this have helped the spread?

9. What did medieval people think caused the black death?
Level 5 – You can select information from sources to explain what medieval people thought caused the black death
Source A
Source B
At the start of the black death began many saw a large comet in the sky. Many believed this caused the black death.
Doctors began to realise if you got close to
people you could catch the plague. So they
designed this special plague suit to protect them.
Source C
What did medieval people think caused the black death?
Source A tells me that…
From source B I can learn that…
Source shows me that…
The one thing that all the sources have in common
is…
In conclusion the main reasons that medieval people
that caused the black death were…
Towns and cities smelt really bad.
Some people believed that smelling a
bad smell meant that you would catch
the plague

10. How Significant was the Black Death?
1. Cut up the sheet into squares of text
2. Order them in order of importance on your table
3. Explain your choice for the highest and lowest card