1. Brayton College Lesson Pro Forma
Class: 7 Topic: Middle Ages Date:
Lesson title: Why was the Black Death so frightening?
Context of lesson: 2 - 3 hours TA Support:
Learning Objective (WALT) : To understand the symptoms, spread, beliefs
and methods of prevention in the Middle Ages.To review why it was so
devastating and the impact that it had.
Learning Outcomes (WILFs) - Remember Bloom's Taxonomy
Will be able to identify 5 ideas about the Black Death
Will be able to create a piece of persuasive/creative writing
Will be able to predict and judge the impact on society
Differentiation Strategy
(Less and more able in the class)
VAK
Paired and group work
Connect ( 10 mins.)
- connect to previous learning.
- set in the context of the big picture and
share WALTs and WILFs.
• IWB – look at images of Medieval life on screen and/or hard copies (w/slife
in medieval summer) and mind map peasants life in the summer months in
groups or pairs. Include jobs as well as inferences about how hard they
would have been working. (The Black Death arrived in Southern England in
the summer of 1348 – the most crucial time in the farming year. Crops were
not gathered in as a consequence)
• Discuss and evaluate ideas (AFL)
• Walt and Wilf
Activate (10 mins. max.)
- proving new information/knowledge.
• Watch Black Death Music video and write down 3 things they can remember
and then swap ideas in fours
• It will be seen from video that Black Death was an horrific disease which
struck Western Europe from 1348 onwards – it was a pandemic and
endemic disease – it kept coming back. Picture on IWB of buboes!
Demonstrate
(main part of lesson 60 max.)
- main acivities in the lesson (individual
and collaborative work, worksheets,
videos, ICT)
• Where did it come from? Complete mapping activity in pairs by drawing
arrows to show the path of the plague and writing dates onto the map. (N.B.
map is modern. A medieval map would have been too confusing!)
(w/s plaguetimeline)
• In pairs use Medieval Minds page 26 to label an outline body with the
symptoms or use w/s BD symptoms
• In groups create either a play about the Black Death or a newspaper report
for peer assessment (teacher choice. There is a template for a newspaper
on the k-drive. If doing play it should have a narrator, plague victim, priest
and doctor as principal characters) Groups should mind map the information
first from Medieval Minds pages 27 – 31 and then create the play or
newspaper. There is a blank mind map for them to use. They must cover
medieval beliefs about the causes, cures and why it was so devastating.
Allow them about 40 minutes to do this.
Consolidation (10 – 15 mins.):
- review what has been learnt.
- reflect on the WALT and WILFs.
- Next lesson.
• Peer assess and evaluate plays / newspapers looking to see if the
objectives of the task. (AFL)
• IWB Black Death diamond 9. In groups decide their priorities for why the
black death was so devastating to society. Be prepared to justify their
choices to the class (AFL)
• Reflect on Walt and Wilf
• Next lesson – Peasants Revolt
Home learning: Students could create a storyboard – there is a proforma on the k-drive

2. Brayton College Lesson Pro Forma
Resources Text Medieval Minds, IWBblackdeath and Black death diamond 9, w/s timeline
and map, optional symptoms w/s and newspaper