Medieval Social Problems in
A
King Arthur’s Court
http://shell.amigo.net/~sargent/Willis/MiddleAges/img7.gif
A Web Quest
for 9th Grade Humanities
Designed by
Ms. Lowes, sara_lowes@hotmail.com
Introduction
Transported from 19th
century
At the bottom of this
social hierarchy were peasants. They
were farmers who, along with their land and their possessions truly belonged to
their lords, to whom they were bound for life.
Peasants worked their lord’s land in exchange for protection and their
own piece of land to grow food for their families. Sickness, violence, and
exploitation were common conditions for the peasants of Arthur’s realm. Within the feudal system, peasants, nobles
and court wizards alike faced many social problems. Hank, having earned his place next to King
Arthur, sets his will to changing the social hierarchy of Arthur’s kingdom
through several new policies.
You have been transported back in time to the early middle ages. To address some of their problems, the peasants have organized a group to research and recommend changes in policy that will contribute to a better lifestyle for peasants. As a strong leader in the peasant community, you have been selected to represent the viewpoint of peasants to Hank. Your goal is to protect the lives and livelihood of peasants from both feudal lords and the different cultural perspective of “the Boss”.
TASK 
You will research one medieval social problem
using the internet and library resources.
After fully understanding some social conditions of medieval England and
the changes Hank made to King Arthur’s court and its people, you will write and
type a two-page article evaluating one of Hank’s policies in Camelot, a
visual/creative representation of your analysis, and create a power point
presentation based on your paper. You
will need to use the 6-step
public policy approach and complete
the worksheets for each step in blue, on your own. You should do the following in your paper and
power point presentation:
q Define and
describe the social problem that Hank tries to solve.
q Gather evidence
for this problem by finding examples of the problem in A
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain and in historical
background information via the internet and the library
resources listed below.
q Identify causes
for this problem. Gather evidence of
causes by examining historical background information.
q
Describe
and evaluate Hank’s policy for this problem. Look
at what policies were in place in King Arthur’s court, and what new policies
Hank introduced. Gather evidence of the
changes Hank made to address what he saw as the problem. Then, evaluate the effectiveness of Hank’s
policy.
q Improve Hank’s
Policy. Propose 3 measures to solve
the problems raised by Hank’s policy.
q Select the best
policy to address the social problem, taking into account the mindset of
most people in medieval times and the resources available to them.
PROCESS
q Research the sources listed below in order
to gather information for your two-page article, your visual/creative
representation and your power point presentation.
q Complete the 6-step public policy analysis
work sheets about the social problem and Hank’s policy
q Organize your notes from the resources into
a logical and coherent format
q Plan your paper by completing an outline in
Thesis/Assertion/Evidence format based on your 6-step analysis and your notes.
q Write a first draft that will be reviewed
with a peer and your teacher.
q Edit and rewrite your paper, meeting again
with peers and your teacher as needed.
q Create a visual/creative representation of the social problem: a
political cartoon, a “photo essay” or a chart, graph, diagram or map. See guidelines below!
q Design your power point presentation from
your article, creating a minimum of 6 slides to present your analysis of Hank’s
policy.
For
your project you will submit:
1.
PPA worksheets 1-6 including notes on 3 or
more internet or library sources
2.
an outline for your paper in
Thesis/Assertion/Evidence format
3.
a first draft and revised version of your paper, including cover sheet and list
of resources in MLA format
4.
a visual/creative representation of the
social problem
5. a paper draft of your power point
presentation design and a disk with the final presentation in Microsoft Power point
format
Article Guidelines 
Write
a 2-page article focusing on a medieval social problem evidenced in A
I.
Complete the 6-step
public policy analysis work sheets by…
a.
researching the social problem in A
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, your text book, and in
the sources listed below
b.
for each source,
create a citation according to the MLA format specified in class, and make
notes in outline format of the important evidence you found with the page
number where you found it.
c.
analyzing your evidence with other
students, to complete the worksheets
II.
Plan your paper by
organizing your notes from the resources into a logical and coherent format and
filling out a Thesis/Assertion/Evidence format outline for your article.
III.
Write a first draft of
your article or type it using font size 12 and double-spacing.
a.
Use paragraphs and follow the conventions
of Standard English
b.
Include a cover page with your name, class,
teacher, school name, a title for the paper.
c.
Include a List of Resources at the
end of your paper with at least 5 on-line and library sources where you
obtained this information.
IV.
Complete a peer editing
assignment with a partner and submit your draft to your teacher for comments.
V.
Edit your article and write
your second draft, meeting again with peers and your teacher as needed.
Visual/Creative
Guidelines 
Create a visual/creative representation of the social problem
through 1 of these methods:
1.
a political cartoon about the humorous or
ironic facts of the social problem as it actually existed in the medieval
world, and an 80-word description in your own words of the cartoon’s content,
message, and connection to the social problem
2.
an 80-word “photo essay” , including 3 or more
images and captions that document the social problem. Use your background knowledge to identify
relevant images during your research. Arrange
them on a poster with informative captions in your own words. Be sure to list the source of the image with
the image in your photo essay (list the entire website or library resource
(title, publication date) under the image)
3.
a
chart, graph, diagram, or map with an 80-word description of content and its
connection to the social problem
4.
an
80-word poem, song or science-fiction story about the social problem
Power Point Presentation
guidelines 
Design a power point presentation of your 6-step
public policy analysis
1.
on paper: design 6 or more slides for your
report
2.
Slide 1 should introduce your report title
and present your name, class, teacher and date
3.
Slide 2 should describe the social problem
4.
Slide 3 should describe Hank’s policies for
that problem
5.
Slide 4 should critique the costs and
benefits of Hank’s policy
6.
Slide 5should describe your proposed policy
solution
7.
Slide 6 should show the benefits of your
policy solution
8.
Include at least 3 graphics in your
presentation
RESOURCES
PPA
Website:
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppae/ppae1.html
Search Engines:
EVALUATION
The following
rubric will be used to grade your report:
|
|
Excellent |
Good |
Fair |
Poor |
|
Written 2-page article |
In-depth and insightful analysis of the topic and
use of the PPA format - Clear and full development of ideas -Shows sophisticated control of language
conventions |
Adequate analysis of topic and use of PPA format - Clear development of ideas - Control of conventions with some errors in
sophisticated language |
Basic understanding of topic and use of PPA
format - Brief development of ideas -minimal control of conventions that sometimes
affect comprehension |
Little understanding of topic and little or no
use of PPA format. Incomplete
development of ideas. Lack of control of conventions, numerous errors that
often affect comprehension |
|
Web Site Research |
A variety of sites (3 or more) used from resource
list and student research that fully support the topic |
Adequate number of sites to support the
topic. Most are directly from resource
list |
Adequate number of sites but few support the
topic |
1-2 sites used and do not sufficiently relate to
topic |
|
Power Point Presentation |
- Clear and complete presentation of material
report (6 slides) - Sophisticated control of elements of power
point program - Demonstrates full control of language
conventions |
- Clear presentation of material (6 slides) - Shows control of elements of power point
program - Demonstrates control of language conventions
with very few mistakes |
- Basic presentation of material (less than 4,5
slides) - Basic control of elements of power point
program - Some errors in language conventions get in way
of presentation |
- Incomplete or unclear presentation - Little control of power point program - Significant errors in language conventions
which affect comprehension |
ELA Standards
E1c: Read and comprehend informational materials.
E2a: Produce a report of information.
E3b: Participate in group meetings. (peer review)
E3c: Prepare and deliver an individual
presentation.
E4b: Analyze and subsequently revise work to
improve its clarity and effectiveness.
E5a: Respond to non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and
drama using interpretive and critical processes.
E7a: Produce functional documents appropriate to
audience and purpose.
Social Studies
Standards
Standard 2:
World History
1. Students will use a variety of intellectual
skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes,
developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep
of history from a variety of perspectives.
2. The study of world history requires an
understanding of world cultures and civilizations, including an analysis of
important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions. This
study also examines the human condition and the connections and interactions of
people across time and space and the ways different people view the same event
or issue from a variety of perspectives.
3. Study of the major social, political,
cultural, and religious developments in world history involves learning about
the important roles and contributions of individuals and groups.
CONCLUSION
Through internet research of medieval social problems, students will be able to identify the geographic and social causes for medieval living conditions. They will be able to identify the cause and effect of Hank’s judging the medievals according to his own modern values, and also will be able to evaluate Hank’s values for a democratic society. Students will also create and analyze their own policies that may have helped change feudal society into a more livable place.
http://www.iconportal.com/breugheldetail.jpg