Lesson Plan: Roman World vs. Feudal World

Overview
Students will compare the Roman and feudal worlds in the following ways:

• Do research on the Roman and the feudal eras of history

• Match characteristics of each era using a Venn diagram

Standards Addressed
Grade 7
Social Studies — History, Benchmark C

03. Describe the conditions that gave rise to feudalism, as well as political, economic and social characteristics of feudalism, in Asia and Europe.

Language Arts — Writing Application, Benchmark D

04. Write informational essays or reports, including research, that present a literal understanding of the topic, include specific facts, details and examples from multiple sources, and create an organizing structure appropriate to the purpose, audience and context.

Materials

• Research sources — Internet, texts, resource books

• Venn diagram and the phrase sheet

Procedure

1. Divide students into groups of two or three.

2. Distribute the Venn diagram page and the phrase sheet. (You may want to make a large Venn diagram on the board rather than passing out the worksheet. The strips will fit better in a larger space.)

3. Have students do some research on the Roman era and the feudal era. Use the Web site for The Middle Ages, www.WesternReservePublicMedia.org/middleages, and other resources to conduct the research. The phrases will show students the type of information that they need to find. They should look for information about the following subjects:

   Time line

   The people

   The government

   The family

   Education

   Slavery or serfs

   Medicine

   Entertainment

4. Each group will cut the phrases apart and paste them onto the Venn diagram. This could also be done as a class, with different groups putting the strips on the Venn diagram drawn on the board. Students can defend their choice of location if there is disagreement.

5. Based on the information gathered from the completed Venn diagram, students will write three paragraphs that compare and contrast the two eras of history.

Evaluation
The placement of the phrases on the Venn diagram could be used as an evaluation tool. Download the Venn diagram answer key.

22-20 — up to 90 percent correct

19-18 — up to 80 percent correct

16-15 — up to 70 percent correct

14-13 — up to 60 percent correct

Rubric for Evaluating Writing Assignment