To be independent or not?

On September 18, 2014, Scotland will vote on a referendum which will determine whether or not it will separate from the United Kingdom.  What will this mean for Scottish citizens?  Scottish citizens have much to consider before casting their vote - http://www.scotreferendum.com/questions-and-answers/.
For my seventh graders, this is a very difficult concept to comprehend.  However, a decision for independence would certainly change how we study the history and geography of the United Kingdom.  I find that my subject is always changing and it concerns me when my subject is seen as less important to other content areas.  Although our curriculum focuses on ancient and early modern world history, this history affects the here and now.  My students have daily opportunities to make connections.  For many of my students, it is as simple as creating a more meaningful world view.  Without a better understanding of the people and the world around us, any learning in another subject area becomes stagnate.  Giving my students the knowledge and understanding that we are apart of a global society, is the best gift of independence that I can give any child.

After Social Studies class I found the question why is the queen’s face on Canada’s currency very interesting. I found out that Canada was once part of the British Empire therefore the queen was on their currency. Canada holds a parliamentary democracy, a constitutional monarchy and a federation. Queen Elizabeth is the sovereign of the parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy of Canada. All ministers, legislative, members of armed forces and police officers swear allegiance to the queen. The queen appoints a governor general. The queen makes an effort to keep up to date on parliamentary matters. She also partakes in various ceremonies and traditions in Canada. Given her title, it is only natural that she is presented on the Canadian currency. She can be seen on Canadian coins as well as the 20 dollar bill.

Ring around the rosie...

What you learn online isn't always true.  How do I communicate this to my students?  Our latest question is the true behind the popular nursery rhyme associated with the Black Death, Ring Around the Rosie.  Most students have been lead to believe that this rhyme refers to the symptoms that victims experienced at the onset of the contracting the disease.  However, after close examination of the rhyme, not the disease, one finds that there was a different variation:
The original 1790 version - 
Round a ring of roses,
A bottle full of posie,
All the little girls in town,
Ring for little Josie....

or...
Round a ring of roses,
Pots full of posies,
The one who stops last.
Shall tell whom she loves best.

This would lead me to the conclusion, that due to the 130+ years that remain between the scourge of the Black Death in Europe and the publishing of this rhyme that there may not be a connection between the two.

What connections will my students make?

I felt that the lesson today really cleared up the topic of the Black Death for me.  Before today, I didn't know what it truly did, other than it being a horrid disease that spread around Europe in the Medieval Times.  I heard that it infected a third of the population.  This would mean that in our entire class, only 8 or 9 of us would still be alive.  Without even knowing what caused it, I doubt my parents would let me go to school.  Poor sanitation brought the Bubonic Plague to existence, so these days, we would all be okay, as it would not affect us.  However, in other less clean areas, such as some nations in Africa, and large, messy cities, cleanliness is something to worry over.  In Europe hundreds of years ago, the word "clean" was likely an insult.

It surprised me when I heard that fleas were common in the Middle Ages.  In this generation, if I had a flea on me, I'd be in the bath tub with my dog and a bottle of flea/tick shampoo.  It shocked me when I heard that people used to believe baths caused the Bubonic Plague.  When I was younger, my mother forced me to bathe!  If it was the other way around, and we treated the earth as badly as our bodies, I would probably be dead due to the plague.

Things that we believe right now are normal, we may find out are horribly wrong in several years.  Illnesses we have never heard of before may suddenly become even deadlier than that Black Death.  Humans may be wiped out of existence anytime due to a contamination of water or a type of disease that travels through air.  It may take hundreds of years to secure it, or it may never have a cure at all.

Why should we learn about the Black Death?

There is always the obvious answers to why we should care about the Black death. The always-present “Helping us develop immunization.” and the possible choice of “ It tells us not to make the same decision.

I took that into consideration and thought about blending the two. I came up with-

We should learn about the Black Death because when the same occurrence happens, what was the best way to deal with it and how do we squash it out for good.

You may ask how I know it will happen again. The reason I feel this way is that we are not given an antibody for this plague. Also, we are very Global Citizens. Even though it may strike in poverty, it may very quickly spread,

I figure we can analyze the  remains of this all-encompassing plague and possibly find the key root. We already know much but what is the very first point. Even before the flea. We can use the evidence of isolation to deal with the quarantine and other possible methods (Although many are ridiculous) and make the plague leave.

You may think that the idea of completely getting rid of a disease is unthinkable, it is not. Look at smallpox, the last case was over 40 years ago! Sure, it is a challenging task but not impossible.

That is why I believe that the plague is important that is what and I care.

Towns Life

I love cities.  Of course, the city that I love the most is NYC.  I can spend hours just watching people walk up and the down the streets.

Take me back 600 years, and I would have has a different opinion.  Medieval life in the towns seemed horrific. The constant threat of fires and the perpetual smell of waste would have kept me at my lord's manor.

I wonder what importance my students will find in town life.  Yes, towns were the lifeblood of medieval society.  But, this was also the epicenter of the Black Death.  If we could have polled the people living in the Middle Ages, I wonder if they would have shared my same fascination?

Today in class we talked about the townspeople of the middle ages. So so what who cares about them? One thing that I have realized  is that the townspeople were very important to the life of medieval people. The townspeople would have been your merchants and crafters that brought wealth and goods to the city. Without these townsfolk you wouldn't have been able to get your general goods like pots and pans, tables etc. They often held great power in towns because they would join together in a guild to distribute their goods throughout the town. As you can see townspeople were very important to medieval society, that is why people care.

Middle Ages: So What, Who Cares?

     As I address this question, my immediate response is because it affects our daily lives whether we know it or not. Have you ever wondered where the handy-dandy microscope in the office came from? Guess what- from the Middle Ages. During this time period, there was a development of lenses which made advancements to microscopes, telescopes, and glasses. Yes, glasses- the item you wear on your head at all times of the day. So what, who cares? You should because the inventions of the Middle Ages affect your life every single day.

    Alright, still don’t care about the whole “Middle Ages” term? You know, that Mona Lisa portrait you learned about in art class affects our daily lives more than you think it does. As there is a race to the discovery of who exactly the Mona Lisa is, every day there is further knowledge. Recently, the University of California was granted 25,000 dollars to explore facial recognition features from fine art. As we wait and see what we find, people continue to question the Mona Lisa and the Middle Ages. Fine art affects what you learn in art class for art techniques, math class for calculations of the painting, and science to advance in technology. So what, who cares? The correct response is you and I, every single day.

Helping the Less Fortunate

In today's class, my students get a choice.

They will get to choose between five topics which relate to the clergy of the Middle Ages.  One of the topics focuses on the subject of the current Pope.  Pope Francis is being referred to as the Rock Star Pope after his debut on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.  However, a further study of Pope Francis, reveals not only his ability to reach millions of Catholics in the 21st century, but also his mission of helping the poor.

Students who choose to read about Pope Francis, will explore worldwide organizations whose focus is on solving the poverty crisis.  I suggest that they begin by exploring a site that many are familiar with, toms.com.  Through this exploration, my hope is that these students will begin to feel a moral tug at their hearts.

Perhaps then they will make their own choice.  A choice to consider how lucky their lives are as compared to the millions of poor children and families living around the globe .

So what who cares about Cathedrals, monks, religion, and Catholicism? Even though they seem like completely different subjects, they aren’t. All four subjects are related to the religion Catholic. Now some people may be thinking, how are monks related to the Catholic church? Monks were actually the highly religious people of the middle ages that had devoted their lives to the study the Catholic religion. Cathedrals were the place of worship for the Catholic’s. The Cathedrals were building that were built just for the worship of God. When you think middle ages most people think about the castles, kings, and queens, however, that is not the cathedrals were more important than any king or queen. Not many people know what the world Catholicism means, I know I didn’t know. Catholicism is a broad term used for describing the specific traditions in the Christian churches. Now why don’t you ask yourself, so what who cares about Cathedrals, monks, religion, and Catholicism? What is your answer now?

Please pass the vinegar.

Hours of silence, simplicity, and devotion; words associated with the life of a medieval monk.  Even today these words can be associated with the clerics of the Church.  Nobles, peasants, and life in the medieval towns -- history.  But, what remains of the Middle Ages?  Perhaps, one should consider the Cathedrals, the doctrine of the Church, and religious devotion?

Life in the Middle Ages was tough. When many children did not live past their first birthday, and 75 million people died as a result of the Black Death; people turned to the clergy for help.  However, the Black Death did not discriminate -- in other words -- neither did God.  

How then, did this institution survive?  Historians have argued that this cataclysmic event was part of the spark that led to the Reformation.  Even so, with the recent popularity of the present Pope, lapsed Catholics have begun returning to active participation.  Catholicism seems alive and well for millions of people around the world.  

Religion - thousands of years old, but taboo in public school.  Is there a safe way to examine the role of such powerful institutions without offending our diverse students?  Or do we continue to use sign language to keep our voices silent, just as the monks did during meals, to tell the story of the past?


So What Who Cares?

Cathedrals

First of all, a cathedral is a Christian church. They are most known for their architecture and the build of them. Each one is very different from another. But they all have a couple of things in common. All of them have arches that come to a point. That symbolizes the image of hands in a praying position. Cathedrals also have beautiful stained glass art. They allow god to come in at any time in need. One that is well known is in a shape of a flower or rose. Here’s a picture of one down below.

Check out the video on this site.

Clergy: Modern Day vs. Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages, the clergy were just beneath the Knights in the Hierarchy of Power. They were extremely important to society because all classes of people were widely affected by the church. When bad things would happen during the Middle Ages, they believed it was the wrath of god, and so people looked to the clergy to forgive their sins so that it wouldn’t happen again. They heavily taxed the people to support the church, promising eternal life and happiness in return, however they didn’t have to pay taxes herself. The lower class clergy, the Monks, were scribes and sometimes educated noble’s sons. They were seen as the pathway between God and Men.

However, in recent times, priests and pastors hold a very different role. They hold no political power due to a separation of church and state. In the Catholic Church, they still hold confessions and are seen as possessing the power to forgive people’s sins. The Pope is still a very important figure in society, and leads the Catholic Church. However, he holds less power because unlike in The Middle Ages, society is made up of a mixture of religions spread across the globe. Regular pastors and priests are often associated with the middle class, and still have to pay the expenses that everyone else does. The church still collects offerings, however it is not a required tax.

In conclusion, the Church still is an important part of our society, but no longer holds such supreme power. It no longer hold power in politics, and is no longer forced upon people.

Today's topic - Women of the Middle Ages
Wow, where do I begin?  As a fellow woman, I am of course passionate about this topic.  I could spend the rest of the year relating the role of women in the Middle Ages to all kinds of other lessons that discuss women's history and women's studies.  I could share historical biographies and offer my students debates on current issues relating to women.  My list of activities and learning objectives would be endless.  However, my time is limited and the curriculum calls me back to reality.  Instead, I settled on answering a few questions:
a.  What was the role of women in the Middle Ages?
b.  Are ladies Ladies today?
c.  How has the role of women changed in America's short history?
d.  What does the future hold for America's women?

I wonder which aspect of this lesson will engage my students...most particularly, my male students?

Student Response:

Today’s social studies lesson made me think of modern world gender specific roles. In the society of the 1300’s women (specifically noblewomen) were raised, taught, and expected to bear children, do housework, and be respectful and loyal to their husbands; who of which they “belonged to”. Also, women had none of the rights men had (ex: playing a part in the making of major decisions and voting). In modern society and government, women have nearly all the rights men have, only they can’t play professional men’s sports or take part in gender specific religious activities and so on. Women can vote like men do as of 1920, and women are part of the government. Women today are now taking on roles in society that they used to not be able to, because of “gender boundaries”. However, the stereotype remains in the mindset of many, many people. In the Middle Ages, women were seen as having to be and taught to be emotional, nurturing, affectionate, weak, forgiving, and home-oriented. Men were expected to be athletic, driven, strong, brave. Based upon research, under 3.5 percent of parents who stay home and do housework are fathers, leaving 96.5 percent to be women. Is this because women are still expected to do housework, while the men are being “strong” and doing work, bringing in money to provide for the family? Likely. In the Medieval Times, unless you were a peasant woman who also worked in the fields alongside children as well as doing all the housework, men did all of the providing for the family. Women stayed home and raised the children. I decided to take it upon myself and anonymously ask the general public on the Internet what roles they believe women should take on. Here are some of the answers I received…

Q: What is the role of a woman?  

A: “Different women have different roles.”

“Cooking, Cleaning, Children.”

“Same as a man’s.”

“To cook for her husband.”

“To cook.”

“To be a functional member of society in the western world.”

“To be a wife.”

“Housekeeping and cooking.”

As you can see, many people today believe the stereotype set in the Middle Ages. To end my “post”, I would conclude my study of feminine roles in society show that although women now have most political rights, they don’t necessarily have complete social equality. Much has changed since the Middle Ages but the stereotype of who women are supposed to be hasn’t altered too greatly.

Blogging - so what, who cares?

As the teacher, I try to make the content relevant.  As an ancient history teacher, it becomes more of a task to create a meaningful learning experience for my students with an event that occurred thousands of years ago.  So, how do I find out if all of my creative planning works?

Ms. Chilcoat's students will now be blogging!

This blog will dedicate itself to the seventh grade voice.  A voice of new perspective and understanding.  By visiting this site, you will experience two perspectives on each day's lesson.  One will be me, the teacher. I will post my goals for the lesson and the learning experience I worked to create.  The other will be from a student in my class.  My students will personally attempt to answer the question everyone has asked at one point or another -- SO WHAT, WHO CARES?

For me, this will be an opportunity to assess my student's knowledge of the content.  For my students, this will be their opportunity to personally reflect on their knowledge of the content.  Together, we might learn from each other.

So, to answer the original question - Blogging may just be what education needs; not another test, but an outlet where proof of learning can find it's own voice.