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.
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.
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.
