The Medieval Period in Europe lasted from the fifth to the fifteenth century. It began with the fall of the Roman Empire and led to a political system called feudalism. The system of feudalism maintained a hierarchy. The manorial system was the economic structure that emerged during the medieval period. Further, the Feudal system was based on the granting of land in return for service. In this arrangement, the king would allocate land to Nobles in return for a supply of soldiers in times of war and for protection. They would in turn grant land to knights for protection of that land. At the bottom of the social pyramid, serfs or peasants would work on the land itself. These serfs had little rights and resources. The system of feudalism hoped to maintain order as a result the chaos that arose after the fall of the Roman Empire. The rigid structure of feudalism and manorialism hoped to maintain order and not allow social mobility. You now have the opportunity to be transported back to this period in history and be an eyewitness to the rise and fall of feudalism.

Your Role

You have entered a time machine and have been sent back to the Medieval Period. You are a serf during the Medieval Times. At this specific period in which you have entered Europe, there are many problems leading to the downfall of the feudal system. Some of them are: many people have contracted the bubonic plague; the Church is losing power; serfs are abandoning their land; and the Crusades are taking place. Based on your experience as a serf, you are creating a final document depicting your perception of the system of feudalism in Europe and will attempt to tackle one of the above stated social issues. You must also explain the reasons feudalism arose as well as the reasons the system of failed. Your PowerPoint must include a title page, four to five internet sources, at least four images, a graph or map; at least four journal entries. (HINT) Your journal entries should consider the inclusion of other members of feudal society.

As a serf, your role is to describe the policy of feudalism. You must also discuss the problem that arose due to the policy of feudalism. (HINT: Think of how effective the feudal /manorial system was in meeting people’s Needs). You will create a written journal entry that expresses your perception of the feudal system using information from worksheets one to five. In your journal entry, you will cover the five steps in the GHPPA listed in the process. You will insert your product into the PowerPoint. Your final product, a PowerPoint presentation will be presented to the class orally.

v You will be working in pairs

v Each pair will receive an assigned role, as stated in the introduction

v Each pair will decide as to which product they will complete based on the choices in the task.

v Each pair will evaluate the policy of feudalism using worksheet four.

v Each pair will define the social problem using worksheet one that led to this policy.

v Each pair will gather evidence using worksheet two.

v Each pair will determine the causes and factors using worksheet three.

v Each pair will do a comparative analysis using worksheet five.

RESEARCH AND WEBSITES

I.

Life of a serf, Medieval Life, life during feudalism, and the Middle Ages will help you understand the time period and the system of feudalism. The site will also allow you to gather important information about laws and policies regarding the Medieval Times. The Bubonic plague, the Crusades, and the Hundred Years War were problems that eventually led to the fall of feudalism. There are also numerous images about the Bubonic plague, images about the Hundred Years War, and images about the Crusades which will provide additional information about problems with the feudal system in Europe.

II.

Search Engines (Gather YOUR own information):

Google, yahoo, and excite.

III. Textbook

IV. Notes

Performance	Excellent 5	Very Good 4	Fair 3	Poor 2
Worksheets	All worksheets are thoroughly completed with an excellent understanding of the social problem, its causes and the public policy that arose	Most worksheets (4+) are completed with a good understanding of the social problem, its causes and the policy that arose.	Some worksheets (3+) are completed with a fair understanding of the social problem, its causes, and the policy that arose.	Few worksheets (less than 3) are completed with a poor understanding of the social problem, its causes, and the policy that arose.
**Product**	The PowerPoint reflects a thorough understanding of the social problem, public policy, and information.	The PowerPoint reflects a good understanding of the social problem, public policy, and information.	The PowerPoint reflects a fair understanding of the social problem, public policy, and information.	The PowerPoint reflects a poor understanding of the social problem, public policy, and information.
Oral Presentation	Speaks very clearly, while involving all group members and maintaining audience attention.	Speaks very clearly, while involving all group members and maintaining audience attention.	Speaks somewhat clearly, while involving all group members and maintaining some audience interest.	Does not speak clearly, nor does it involve all group members. Does a poor job of maintaining interest of audience.
Organization	Information, group work and oral presentation are extremely well integrated.	Information, group work, and oral presentation are well integrated.	Information, group work, and oral presentation are somewhat integrated.	Information, group work and oral presentation are poorly integrated. Final product lacks clarity.

5= 95+

4= 85-90

3= 70-84

2= 65 or below

**PowerPoint- must include A title page, at least 10(ten) Slides, including Meaningful Text, a graph, and a map.

Journal Entry- must intrigue the reader, provide perspective and supporting detail. It Must also describe the setting, and give the reader a sense of the time period and events.

STANDARDS:

This Webquest responds to the followings curriculum standards:

Social Studies: Standard 2

v The student 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.

Social Studies: Standard 3

v The student will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live- local, national, and global- including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.

English Language Arts: Standard 1

v Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.

English Language Arts: Standard 4

v Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction.

The feudal system impacted the lives and societies of all its participants and in many respects non-participants. Further, the system impacted politics, economy, society, and culture. How has the feudal system and the policies enacted affected people’s lives or societies? How would the world be different had European feudalism not existed? These are some questions to think about as you conclude your assignment.