Women In Medieval Times

Introduction | The Task | Resources | The Process | Learning Advice | Conclusion

Introduction

You are a museum curator currently looking for employment at one of the top museums in New York City.  You have been selected as one of the finalists for a curator position and have been given the opportunity to make a presentation to the hiring committee, which has assigned you the topic of medieval times.  It is the Month of the Woman so you decide to focus on the life of a medieval woman.  You want to display to the public what made the woman of the Middle Ages unique.

The Task

Your end result will be an oral presentation accompanied by a multimedia program that you have designed:

      *  Select a team of two or three to assist you in your research and presentation.

*  Research women of the Middle Ages using the Internet and any other sources you can find.

*  Organize your information by using an outline or a table.

*  Design a Hyperstudio program that reflects all the information you have gathered.

*  Make an oral presentation to your class as practice for your final presentation in front of the hiring committee.

*  Evaluate your own work by using peer review. 

Resources

These are the resources available for you to use.  You will be using print and electronic resources to collect information and images for your project. Your resources should include at least one encyclopedia, one book, and three Internet sites. A bibliography will be required. 

*  Dominion & Domination of the Gentle Sex: The Lives of Medieval Women  This site is very well organized and should be your starting point.  It offers information on the roles of medieval women.  Have fun exploring and taking “The Inquisition,” a quiz on how much you know about this topic.

*  The Middle Ages Use this site to further your quest on Medieval women who served as knights!

*  What Was It Really Like to Live in the Middle Ages This is where you will find information on clothing.

*   Women’s Clothing in the Middle Ages by Sharon Carroll  This site provides good descriptions of women’s clothing according to their status in life.

*  The Medieval Woman  This site gives information on individual women.  There is a troubadour’s link that explores the impact of men leaving for the Crusades.

*  Medieval Women’s Headdress and Costume Black and white drawings of headdresses and a few costumes.

*  Women in Medieval Guilds A look at how women fit into the various craft guilds of the Middle Ages.

* Women’s Early Music, Art & Poetry Biographies, discographies, and sound files.

* Medieval Women and Music Description of how women were involved in music during the Middle Ages.

The Process

Steps To Follow:

  1. Put together your team that will complete this quest with you.
  2. Use the Dominion & Domination of the Gentle Sex: The Lives of Medieval Women as your guide to finding information about the following areas of the woman in Medieval Ages: 
    • The Family
    • The Church
    • Business
    • Royalty/Politics
    • Warfare
    • Fashion
    • Medicine and Science
    • Arts
    • Famous women, such as Joan of Arc or Hildegarde of Binger
  3. Have your group divide the topics evenly among yourselves and develop a plan of action.
  4. Begin doing your research and taking notes.
  5. Develop an outline for each section or set up a table in Microsoft Word that keeps your information organized as you move along.  Your table should look something like this:

Area of Study

Lower Class

Middle Class

Upper Class

Family

 

 

 

Church

 

 

 

Business

 

 

 

Politics

 

 

 

Fashion

 

 

 

Medicine and Science

 

 

 

Arts

 

 

 

Famous Women

 

 

 
  1. Plan out a storyboard of your Hyperstudio presentation with all group members working together.  Remember to include the introductory, main menu, and bibliography cards.
  2. Create the Hyperstudio by having each team member constructing his or her own section.
  3. Evaluate each section by peer review.
  4. Connect the sections by (a) using a button that transitions to one another stacks or (b) copying and pasting the cards into one major stack.
  5. Practice your presentation.
  6. Arrange for any equipment you will need for your presentation.
  7. Bring all your props and materials in on the day of your presentation.
  8. Present your Hyperstudio to your class.

 

Learning Advice

 

*  Chose your team partners wisely.

*  Brainstorm your ideas for this project with your partners or teacher.

*  Be creative and imaginative.

*  Select a section that you would enjoy doing.

*  Decide who is responsible for what.

*  Your Hyperstudio should be clearly organized, easy to see and read, and include numerous pictures and visuals.

*  Leave time to practice your presentation and make changes.

*  Enjoy this project and try to stay on track with your plan of action.

 

Conclusion

 

Upon completing this WebQuest you should:

*  Have cooperated with other people in your group to accomplish a shared goal.

*  Be an expert on your section of medieval women.

*  Be knowledgeable about the other aspects of a woman in medieval times by listening to and peer reviewing the other sections.

*  Know how to do research using your library and the Internet.

*  Have used your creative, artistic, and technological talents through the use of Hyperstudio.

 

 



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This page designed by: Valerie Mattes
Last updated: Monday, July 30, 2001

This page was adapted from Bernie Dodge 's WebQuest_Template1.html