This provides a talking point about how approximately 5% of the population were the ‘ruling classes’ while the remainder were workers.ģ. There is only one royal and a limited amount of clergy (monk/nun), nobility and knights. Then I invite students to pull a ‘rank’ out of a hat (Medieval Identity Rank Cards). The PowerPoint I use is very popular and available here:Ģ. Within the first week I introduce the concept of feudalism : Medieval Identity Teachers Notes (DOCX)ġ.Medieval Identity Research Links (DOCX).Medieval Identity Poster Templates (PPTX).Medieval Identity Comparison Assignment (DOCX).Note: I limit the research students do to 14th century England purely so their identity could be a victim of the Black Death!ĭownload all of the files in a single zip file over at Teachers Pay Teachers (WordPress isn’t keen on zip files these days)

If you’re curious, check out their website: and their links to research on the Middle Ages: This idea was inspired by the Society for Creative Anachronism (the SCA): a roleplaying society who are obsessive in creating historically accurate identities. This has been useful for engagement and critical thinking as students are encouraged to make connections between their worlds and the world we are studying. Students use the identity to answer questions, complete tasks, and as a basis for the major assignments. The identity is referred to across our depth studies on Medieval Europe and The Black Death. This task is essentially the framework which I use to complete depth studies into Medieval Europe and The Black Death in Year 8 History.Įach year at the beginning of our Year 8 History course, I ask students to create a medieval identity.

Feudalism feudalism chart clip art