The Dark Ages or Age of Faith

The Dark Ages is one of my favorite units. I love the Let them Roam portion because when you break the sticks the kids get a very real sense of in justice. I usually like to really dramatize this portion of the lesson to allow the kids to get swept up in the idea of raiding tribes.

The Art Concept is also very fun because it's the first time we talk about color. If you don't have magazines it's really easy to use the clothing of the kids to illustrate the different color combinations.

Having said all that, brace yourself for the Art Project. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to mix and deliver your mortar. It's messy but worth it. The kids go mad when they realize what they get to do and take home. It's so over the top that they love it.

Allow plenty of time to clean up and sort the bits so other classes can use them. Have fun!

Roman Age

Photo by Scuba Beer

The Roman Age may feel as huge as the Colosseum so pace yourself. There is clearly too much information and too many activities to do in just two hours. Think about your own child and how much information they will be able to tolerate. Don't worry that you aren't being thorough; you can't. Do what you can and what appeals to you.

A real crowd pleaser is the Gladiator Challenge. The idea of becoming a citiczen because of something you did is very exciting to kids. Resist the tempation to give out awards for every child to make it fair. It's not supposed to be fair. While this activity is really fun, I don't advise it for older grades who are building cities. They won't have time.