Materials

• Textbook
• Preferred teacher materials
• Teacher-developed notes
• Geographic outline of locations for Early Middle Ages events
• “Early Middle Ages Vocabulary” (Attachment A)

Instructional Activities

1. Instruct students to copy down the variations of names for this time period in history. Include the Middle Ages, Medieval Times, Dark Ages, and the Age of Faith. The Age of Invasions may also be used.
   
   
2. Conduct a brainstorming activity. Ask students what comes to mind when they hear the words Middle Ages. Ask them to write three to five words or phrases that they might think of. To help get them started, remind them that they can include names of people or places, words or terms, movie titles or characters, and things they might have learned in other classes.
   
   
3. Record student responses on the overhead. Correct students only if an item they mention does not fall during the Early or Late Middle Ages. Instruct students to add their classmates' items to their own list.
   
   
4. Begin discussing the unit, using notes you developed from the text and other resources. Include a discussion of the foundations of early medieval society: the fall of Rome, the rise of Christianity, and the customs of the Germanic tribes. Include a geographic outline of locations where the events of the Early Middle Ages take place.
   
   
5. Assign a teacher-selected reading from the student text or other available resource. The assignment should include “Early Middle Ages Vocabulary” terms to define. (Attachment A)