Medieval Europe
Mr. Donn’s Pages: Medieval/Middle Ages
Teachers will love the comprehensive list of curriculum resources on this site! Mr. Donn and his wife are teachers and their website is full of classroom ideas, lesson plans, and curriculum units, as well as general information for students and teachers. Classroom resources include a variety of WebQuests, simulations, and interactive units. There is a separate list of several sites created by students. These Medieval/Middle Ages resources are part of Mr. Donn’s Pages, which also cover many other history-social science subjects, literature connections and more. Content is excellent and award-winning; navigation can be a little challenging as it is sometimes difficult to return to pages you know you’ve seen.
Middle Ages
This site provides brief descriptions of seven aspects of Medieval life -- feudal life, religion, homes, clothing, health, arts and entertainment, and town life. Descriptions are pretty much all text with few graphics. Some sections have interactive quizzes or other added information. Each section identifies other helpful sites and has a separate Related Resources area that shares more online sites and a print bibliography. This is an Annenberg/CPB site.
The Middle Ages: Twelve Activities Take Students Back in Time!
This Education World article details one teacher’s medieval classroom experience and includes a variety of suggestions for lessons, projects, and other activities. Cross-curricular ideas include making a sundial, exploring a virtual monastery excavation, making paper, performing medieval plays, choosing a medieval career, ballad writing, and many other exciting ideas. There are also tips for planning a Medieval Festival and the article ends with a selection of online resources for teachers.
Kids’ Castle
This colorful graphic tour of a castle is a great way for even primary students to explore castle life and medieval times. Kids’ Castle is a fictional, but historically accurate castle based on Nottingham Castle as it was in about 1480. Start from an aerial view of the castle and click on an area for a closer look at fourteen sections of the castle, its grounds, and castle life. Each area has brief information, both text and graphics, and many areas also have writing activities. Visit the gatehouse, learn about tournaments, write an entry in the castle diary, create a coat of arms, and more. There are also links to more resources on castles. Teachers will appreciate the plan page, which lists each part of the castle that can be visited and indicates which areas include writing activities.
Britannia: British History
This American travel site has a great section covering Britain’s history from the prehistoric era to modern times. Historical information includes original documents, timeline, biographies, maps, church history, King Arthur, and more. Reading and interest level on this site are best for grades 7-12 and teachers. This is part of a UK travel site and some links sidetrack to commercial content or travel information.
Medieval History
This about.com homework helper site has quite a directory of articles and online resources about medieval history. It’s a great source for teachers and older students to locate background information or do research, although it is not created specifically for educators or students. In addition to identifying other websites, much of the information on this site is original content, like the excellent resources in Medieval Atlas and Knight Life. Search a little to find good sites to share with elementary students and don’t miss the separate list highlighting medieval sites for families.
