NESA is regularly updating its advice as the coronavirus outbreak unfolds. Get our latest COVID-19 advice

This webpage has been archived to prepare for transfer to the new NESA website. Reference to syllabus outcomes and content on this webpage may not be current. Teachers are encouraged to visit the Key Learning Area page for recent student work samples on the NESA website.

Assessment Resource Centre (ARC)

    Home
  1. Years 7-8
  2. History (Mandatory)
  3. Activities
  4. Medieval Holidays and Festivals
Print this page Reduce font size Increase font size

Medieval Holidays and Festivals


Grade Work Samples
End of Stage 4 (end of Year 8)
Grade A Ricky  
Grade B Bailey  
Grade C Courtney  

Description of activity

Students research some of the holidays and festivals of the Middle Ages and compare their relevance to medieval and modern Australian society.

  1. Students complete a note-making scaffold from their own research. A worksheet is provided for students to use.
  2. They make a comparison between a medieval holiday or festival and the same holiday or festival today.
  3. Students present their findings to the class in one of the following formats:
    • PowerPoint
    • poster presentation
    • performance
    • storyboard.

Note to teachers
A very useful printed publication is:
Madeleine Pelner Cosman, Medieval Holidays and Festivals: A Calendar of Celebrations,
Judy Piatkus (Publishers) Limited of London, 1984 (reprinted 1996).
If students are researching online, it would be advisable to guide them to a selection of reliable sites.

Context

Students have worked in groups to identify Australian public holidays and discussed what these holidays commemorate, how they are commemorated and whom they involve. Teacher has explained the origin of the word ‘holiday’ and the fact that in Medieval Europe there were far more holidays and festivals than there are today.

Outcomes

A student:
4.8 locates, selects and organises relevant information from a number of sources, including ICT, to conduct basic historical research
4.10 selects and uses appropriate oral, written and other forms, including ICT, to communicate effectively about the past.

Criteria for assessing learning

Students will be assessed on their ability to:

  • locate, select and organise relevant information from a number of sources
  • compare the medieval and contemporary significance of a holiday or festival
  • communicate their knowledge and understanding to the class.
Print this page Reduce font size Increase font size