A unit created by the History teachers Pau Tobar and Lola Vallés in order to practise the CLIL method in secondary education. This work is done as a part of the "Linguistic Training Course to Teach through English" organized by CEFIRE.

1. THE MIDDLE AGES
A unit designed by Pau Tobar & Lola Vallés
THE MIDDLE AGES

2. INTRODUCTION
● First of all, we should take into account the Middle Ages are
a central point in History syllabus. Thus, the Medieval Era
is taught at the second level of secondary education.
● Besides, since XIX century, Middle Ages have been
recalled as an inspiring period for cultural productions such
as cinema, literature, arts, etc. The medieval period has a
strong reference in this fields, and this presence in mass
culture underlines its importance in education.
● In the end, this unit has been created by Pau Tobar and
Lola Vallés in order to essay the CLIL method in History
teaching. We hope that you find it interesting.

3. UNIT INDEX
● Unit plan: The templates.
● Unit lessons:
● Lesson 1 : Approach to the Middle
Ages
● Lesson 2: The three medieval
orders
● Lesson 3: Living in the country and
living in the city in the Middle Ages
● Lesson 4: Preparing the final task
in group.
● Lesson 5: Group oral explanation
about a Medieval area of interest
selected by the students.
● Bibliography and webliography

4. UNIT PLAN
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6. LESSON 1:
Approach to the Middle Ages

7. LESSON 1:
Approach to the Middle Ages
ACTIVITY 1
What do we know about the Middle Ages?
Have you ever watched a film set in the Middle Ages?
Have you ever played a video game contextualized in
the Medieval Era?
Have you ever read a book that takes place in the
Middle Ages?
a) Fill this table with your own
cultural grounding:
TITLE
BOOK
FILM
VIDEO GAMEb) Now, get up and look forward a classmate
who has watched/played/read the same tittle you
have written in the table.
c) Do this activity: ORAL EXPRESSION
Low level: Tell the name of the classmates that have read/played/watched the same as you. Then
spell their name. The rest of the mates should correct the mistakes the speller could do.
…........... and me have read the same book entitled... Now, I will spell my mate's name: _ _ _ _ _ …
Thanks for your attention!
High level: With your classmates, try to prepare a brief oral presentation of a tittle you have shared.
We are... and we would like to explain you a book/video game/film we have shared:
The title is set in the Middle Ages and the story line is...
We have (or have not enjoyed) because...Thanks for your attention!

8. LESSON 1:
Approach to the Middle Ages
Medieval II Total War
Here you are some
suggestions for widening
your cultural horizons:
Assassin's Creed

9. LESSON 1:
Approach to the Middle Ages
ACTIVITY 2
Learning vocabulary with Hangman game!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _

10. LESSON 1:
Approach to the Middle Ages
_ _ _ _ _
ACTIVITY 2
Learning vocabulary with Hangman game!
_ _ _ _ _ _

11. LESSON 1:
Approach to the Middle Ages
ACTIVITY 3
A stratified society
Look at the illustration and
match the nouns shown
beneath it with its
appropriate picture: (high
and low level)
* THE CLERGY
* THE NOBILITY
* THE POPE
* THE KING
* THE PEASANTS
* THE MERCHANT CLASS
* THE ARISTOCRACY
* THE KNIGHTS

12. LESSON 1:
Approach to the Middle Ages
ACTIVITY 4
A stratified society
Now you have to discuss what the social
groups represented in the medieval pyramid
do to make a living by completing the
sentences with the following verbs: (low
level: present; high level: past simple)
*TO PRAISE
*TO WORK HARD
*TO GOVERN
*TO FIGHT
*TO GUIDE CHRISTIANS
*TO MERCHANDISE
*TO INGRATIATE
*TO LIVE OFF RENTS
- THE PEASANTS ……………………………….. to be able to
pay the rents to their landlord.
- THE ARISTOCRACY fulfil the king's wishes, they
………………………………..
- THE POPE ……………………………………………………………..
forward God's Glory.
- THE NOBILITY………………………………………………………...
paid by peasants.
- THE MERCHANT CLASS ………………………….. to
became rich and powerful.
- THE KNIGHTS ………………………………….. because they
are loyal to the king.
- THE CLERGY
………………………………………………………………... to be close of
God.
- THE KING …………………………………………………….. as he
wishes.

13. LESSON 1:
Approach to the Middle Ages
ACTIVITY 5
The latin cross plan of a medieval church
The next activity consists in reading a
definition to guess the missing word in a
medieval cruciform church diagram: (high
and low level)
APSE: a semicircular termination in a building at the end of a
church.
BELL TOWER: the tower at the top of which is the bell.
CENTRAL NAVE: connects the entrance with the altar, where
rites are celebrated.
ALTAR: an elevated place or structure at which religious rites
are performed.
TRANSEPT: either of the two wings of a cruciform church
crossing the central nave.
SIDE NAVE: corridor through which people can walk along the
church without bothering the celebration of a rite.

14. LESSON 2: The three medieval orders

15. LESSON 2: The three medieval orders
Listen these songs:
Lower Level Kids song making a castle
High Level Recapping the Middle Ages Song
ACTIVITY 1
Low Level:
● Write the name of the elements we
need to make a castle:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
High Level:
● Fill the gaps:
“After the decay of the Western
_____________ hit the fan but with the
end of the Empire the ____________
Ages began.
There was _______________ and
chaos which wasn't really cool. There
was a little to eat and absolutely no
_______________
When __________________ tried to
make things right the
________________ sailed and started
to fight. But thanks to William, there
came an end to the strife.
_____________ brought order to life.
King, Lord, __________ and
____________ too, living on a manor
was all serfs knew.”

16. LESSON 2: The three medieval orders
ACTIVITY 2
• Reading comprehension:
“Triple then is the house of God which is
thought to be one: on Earth, some pray
[orant], others fight [pugnant], still others
work [laborant]; which three are joined
together and may not be torn asunder;
so that on the function [officium] of each
the works [opera] of the others rest, each
in turn assisting all.”
Year 998, Adalberon, bishop of Laon,
Carmen ad Rotbertum regem
• Answer the questions:
a) According to the text which are the three
medieval kinds of people?
b) According to the text write the suitable
function beside the three social groups existing
in the Middle Ages. Do it in English and Latin:
Aristocracy (King, Lord, Knight):
Clergy (priests, monks, etc):
Workers (peasants, artisans and merchants):
c) Which social group represented the majority
in the Middle Ages?
d) Which medieval social group was the most
powerful?
e) Which medieval social group was the most
influential?

17. LESSON 2: The three medieval orders
ACTIVITY 3
● Watch this video: LEGO: The Feudal System
and fill the gaps:
The Feudalism had been used in France
since_______________
The Knights were given lang by the ____________ in
return of ___________ service when demanded by
the ___________
Villeins, sometimes known as _________, were given
land by Knights. They have to provide the Knight with
free __________, food and Service whenever it was
demanded.
Villeins have no rights and were __________. They
were not allowed to leave the ____________ and
have to get their Lord's permission before they marry.

18. LESSON 2: The three medieval orders
ACTIVITY 4
● Writing: Look the social
pyramid and remember
what you have learnt in
this lesson. Then write
a brief composition:
“The Medieval three
social orders”.
● Do not forget to use the
appropriated
connectors: First of
all, Secondly, Besides,
On the one/other hand,
Otherwise, Although,
Thus, Hence,
Therefore, Finally, etc.

19. LESSON 2: The three medieval orders
ACTIVITY 5:
Watch this video and do the activities: The Middle Ages in 3 1/2 minutes
a) When did the Middle Ages start? When did they finish?
b) Write four big progresses the Humanity gained in the Middle Ages.
c) Do a timeline with the main historical events happened in the Medieval
period.

20. LESSON 3: Living in the country and
living in the city in the Middle Ages

21. LESSON 3: Living in the country and
living in the city in the Middle Ages
ACTIVITY 1
● In pairs, remember last lesson
and answer these questions:
a) Do you remember the three feudal
orders? Write them below.
b) Who gives land and protection to
the peasants?
c) What do the peasants give in
exchange for land and protection?

22. LESSON 3: Living
in the country and
living in the city in
the Middle Ages
ACTIVITY 2
● Look this drawing and answer true or false:
Answer true or false:
a) The Manor House seemed a castle V / F
b) The church was in the outskirts of the Manor V /
F
c) The peasants grew potatoes in their own
gardens V / F
d) The villagers used sheep wool to make clothes
V / F
e) The flour was obtained in the mill? V / F
f) The blacksmith only worked for the knights V / F

23. LESSON 3: Living in the country and
living in the city in the Middle Ages
ACTIVITY 3
● Look this XVIth century drawing from Valencia and fill the gaps in the text
using this list of words: Medieval cities; Roman Empire; dirty; cathedral; trade;
walls; Mediterranean; guilds.
València in 1563, by Anton van der Wyngaerde

24. LESSON 3: Living in the country and
living in the city in the Middle Ages
ACTIVITY 3:
● Look this XVIth century drawing from Valencia and fill the gaps in the text using this
list of words: Medieval cities; Roman Empire; dirty; cathedral; trade; walls; Mediterranean;
guilds.
After the fall of the_____________ the population of cities fell. Trading between cities stopped.
____________ were small in size. The centre was often occupied by a Gothic __________, the city’s
main church. It was the most expensive building in the city and showed that religion was very important
during the Middle Ages.
As in ancient cities, medieval ones were __________ and diseases spread quickly. Land in the city was
very expensive. Cities could not expandbecause of the ________ around them. In some cases, city
governments tore down the walls and rebuilt them farther away from the city.
During the Middle Ages members of the family, servants and workers often lived in the same house. Craft
workers and merchants were organized in ________, a new economic class in the cities. There were guilds
for bakers, goldsmiths, tailors and other groups.
Towards the end of the Middle Ages __________ started to become important again. Venice, one of the
biggest cities of the time, became a centre of trade in the Mediterranean region. Other trading centres
included northern German cities, Hamburg and Lübeck, Antwerp in Belgium and London.

25. LESSON 3: Living in the country and
living in the city in the Middle Ages
ACTIVITY 4
Find the track of the Middle
Ages guilds in the names of
the streets of Valencia:

26. LESSON 3: Living in the country and
living in the city in the Middle Ages
ACTIVITY 5
Watch this short video and then
write an explanation to this joke:

27. LESSON 4:
Preparing the final task in group

28. LESSON 4:
Preparing the final task in group
ACTIVITY 1
● Warming up!
First of all, discuss in
groups or pairs what
aspects you want to know
more deeply about Middle
Ages choosing a medieval
area of your interest.
In the end, you should
explain it to the rest of your
classmates.

29. LESSON 4:
Preparing the final task in group
ACTIVITY 2
● Prepare for work
Then we provide you not only with documentaries so
you can seek together information and specific
vocabulary but also guide you through the right
structures to develop your exposition such as:
* Hello we are………………….. and we are going to
talk about………………….
* We have chosen this area because …………………..
* First of all……………
* In second place……………………
* Thirdly……………………………..
* Finally…………………………………
* To conclude……………………………
* On one hand……………………………. On the other
hand…………………………… Next, read all the information, summarize it, and
organize the group for the final task.

30. LESSON 5:
Group oral explanation about a Medieval
area of interest selected by the students

31. LESSON 5:
Group oral explanation about a Medieval
area of interest selected by the students
Final task:
● Explaining together a Medieval
area of interest
Our students should do an oral
statement. Besides, they should
show their knowledges in the
selected area. Finally, they should
link that with the knowledge they
have achieved during this unit.
This final task will be assessed not
only by the teachers but also by their
classmates (peer-assessment) and
by themselves (self-assessment).

32. BIBLIOGRAPHY AND
WEBLIOGRAPHY
● Wordreference
● Cambridge Dictionary
● CEFIRE
● Recursos Professor Aula Activa
● Wikipedia
● Valencia Cityguide
● Murallas de Valencia
● The Middle Ages Viz
● Medieval reactions
● Youtube
● Agora 2. Vicens Vives.

33. Thanks for your attenttion!