1. There is a lot written on the use of herbs as medicine. We have started a Medieval Herb Garden outside along a sunny wall of our school. Seedlings were started and transplanted and some clippings as well as purchased herb plants from local people were planted.

2. Plants used as foods. Some of the flowers and plants Medieval people used in cooking are quite different from today. Elderflowers are an example. Calendula, rose hips, herbal teas, etc.

3. Early beliefs about the solar system, the earth being flat, etc. Planting by the phases of the moon, star charts, constellations, early calendars.

4. The physics behind the bow and arrow.

5. Metals used at the time. Copper, iron, gold, bronze, etc. How were they used, melted, shaped, what was made from them. Their chemical composition. How weapons were fashioned, iron forged, etc.

6. Medical practices. Leaches, blood letting, amputation, how infection was treated, caesarian birth, midwifery, monks as healers.

7. What kinds of animals were popular back then. How are they different from the breeds of today.

8. Tanning of leather. Preservation of hides.

9. Farming practices. The rotation of crops.

10. The scientific principals on how bread was baked in outdoor or earthen ovens.

11. Lack of sanitary conditions. Germs, bacteria, disease. The Black Plague - symptoms, characteristics of the disease, why it spread, how the victims were treated, superstition.

11. Wine fermentation. Brewing.

12. Simple machines in Medieval times - pulleys, the wheelbarrow, crank and shaft, etc.

13. Windmills and waterwheels. Wheels and gears. Grinding mills.

14. Clocks and sundials. Candle clocks, water clocks, and mechanical clocks.

15. Scales and weights.

16. The printing press and movable type. How paper was made.

17. Gunpowder and the invention of the cannon.

18. The invention of eye glasses.

1. Map of the world during the Middle Ages. Border and boundary changes throughout the Middle Ages.

2. William the Conqueror and Feudalism. The Domesday Book.

3. Barter system and the beginning of crafts and trades.

4. The Crusades - Reasons behind the Crusades, battles, maps of the Holy Land.

5. The Magna Carta.

6. Laws of the time and punishments. Trial by Ordeal.

7. The Church and the Golden Age of Faith.

8. Marco Polo.

9. The growth and development of towns and trade.

11. The pilgrimage to Rome or the Holy Land. Maps and travel routes.

12. The end of Feudal System and the development of nations.

13. The history of England during the Middle Ages or during the reign of a specific monarch such as Richard I.

14. The trade routes before Columbus.

1. Instruments of the time - bugle, harp, mandolin, lutes, drums, bells, etc. History and ancestors of modern day instruments.

2. Chants and religious music.

3. Modern day battle tunes played by the school band. Herald calls. (Hail to the King!)

4. Bagpipes.

5. Medieval and Renaissance dance steps.

6. Songs and ballads of the times.

7. The traveling minstrel.

1. Conversion of money from the English pound to the American dollar.

2. Weights, measures, and scales.

3. Maps of the Medieval world drawn to scale. Calculate distances in English measurement and metric.

4. Build a candle clock. Find the ratio of candle burned to time.

5. Find the area and perimeter and volume of a castle. Measure the rectangular courtyard, cylindrical towers, circle moat. Perimeter of the castle wall, area of the drawbridge, square footage of living space compared to square footage of stables, work areas, etc. Measure of tilled land compared to castle area.

6. R X T=D Measure speed, distance or time of traveling on foot, by horse, or wagon. Distances covered and how much time it would take. If you walked from a point in France to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage, not counting stops and layovers, how long would it take you? Calculate the miles and route to scale.

7. Plan a royal feast for 150 people. How many pounds, gallons, cups, etc. of each food in the feast will you need? How many servings and of what size? How many chickens, eggs, pigs, or venison should you butcher? How long will it take to roast a pig weighing 89 pounds if the pork must cook for 30 minutes per pound? If each loaf of bread weights 1 1/2 pounds, how many loaves will you need if each person eats 3/4 pound at the meal? How many gallons of wine will you need if each guest drinks 2 quarts at the meal?

10. You are a farmer tilling the soil and planting crops. How many bushel of wheat will you get from 125 acres of land at 15 bushel per acre? If you tithe the Church 10 percent, how much will you give to the Church? If you are lord of the manor with 300 people to feed and each person uses 50 pounds of flour a year, how much flour will it take to feed your people? What is the relationship of wheat grown to barley?

11. What is the mechanical advantage of lifting 150 pounds with a 2 string pulley? What is the mechanical advantage of an incline plane used to roll logs from the ground to a height of 4 feet?

12. Create any number of story problems dealing with Medieval topics and events, but using math skills that are appropriate for your grade level.

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